Still we were onto Thessaloniki. 2nd largest city in Greece. Back into the EU. Greek Food. Perfection. Though I will admit that the ride into Saloniki is rather ugly, it's the industrial port side of things. But it got real pretty, real quick.
So we had all these huge plans to travel more of Greece while we were there, but the weather and the relaxation factor took most of that motivation away. Still we thoroughly explored Saloniki and were true gluttons. I don't think I have eaten as well as I did there. The seafood was fresh. The food was homemade. The food was rich. The food, expensive for Kosovo but cheap for EU, was the best part. I think I ate more in that time than I have eaten the entire time I've been in Kosovo. The food was so good, especially all the bird liver we had, that it killed Jason on the way home. It wrecked him. Gluttony/rich foods are bad when you've been away from them for a few months. That's a PSA in there for everyone.
I highly suggest including Saloniki on your Greek travel plans. But I could be biased, going from Prishtina (which I do adore) to Thessaloniki was a culture shock. We, albeit ridiculously tired, were struck dumb when we tried to pick a restaurant the first night. I mean there were options, which just blew our fatigue addled brains. We picked a good spot, where I had some deliciously fresh fried Calamari. We called it an early night and headed to the market the following day.
Markets. They are so cool. I am so excited for the markets in Istanbul (like a week and a half from now). I really liked the seafood part of the market. Squid, shark, and a myriad of fish were all right there. The land meat one was similar, goats, cows, and pigs just propped up for display. The freshest olives, olive oil, and cheese. Oh Lord the cheese and olives. After the market we made it over to the White Tower before retreating from the rain.
This was our day to explore the city. We went to the top of the tower and the old city. It was a hefty, uphill walk, but the views (and the walk) left me gasping for air. I forgot how much I liked the ocean. (I did dip my hand in this sea, which unfortunately is not the Med) Our late start, hill climbing, and church viewing left us ravenous. To which we filled our stomachs with fresh fish and chips. I think we did it wrong, as the piece of cod was enormous, and we could have easily shared and ordered all the great veggies. C'est la view. I ate like a King. We relaxed the rest of the day, ate a nice dinner at around 11, and wandered back along the board walk to our hostel.
Our hostel. Affectionately, "The Medical Ward". It was adequate for our needs and served us well. It was just funny.
Our final day, Friday, was spent wandering more. Seeing more. Shopping aplenty. To which I purchased a nice new winter jacket and a flag patch of Greece. (it's a strange hobby I keep) Then we feasted. Have I mentioned how much food we ate? I mean it was ridiculous. It was delicious. There was nothing bad about anything we ate. I also did very much enjoy Craft beer out of Athens. They have one that tasted like a smoked ham. Living in a Muslim country means that I have limited access to ham. So eating pork while drinking pork flavored beer is something to be cherished. It was almost an out of body experience.
Our last day was plagued with Jason's illness. Other than that, it all went very well. Everybody arrive safe at home. I even had the energy to go and visit a friend for her birthday/going away party. Sunday, though, I was a bit worse for the wear.
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