…but we really like Thessaloniki! There are many options for great restaurants, a long walkway along the water, friendly people, antiquities, and if we were inclined, many shopping possibilities. We’ve enjoyed dining outdoors and the food has been fresh and delicious.
Salad and Wine
It has been a quiet Sunday as people are spending time with families for the Orthodox Easter holiday. We walked around town and saw the Arch of Galerius;
Arch of Galerius
and the Church of Hagia Sofia.
Hagia Sofia
The city has a Mediterranean feel with palm trees and vistas of the water.
Parts of the city are a bit gritty – there is graffiti everywhere,
…mixed with high-end shops.
1100 Euro Price Tag!!
The skies have been blue and the red bud trees are in bloom.
It’s hard to believe we’ve been here five days already! We’ve had a great time but tomorrow we fly back to Athens, pick up a rental car to drive around the Peloponnese! Hoping for more good weather and safe travels!
Aristotlelous Square in Thessaloniki is a large open space that fronts the Thermaic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It’s named after the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle and his statue has a prominent place here.
Aristotle
We stopped by to say hello on our way to visit our most favorite statue in town, that of Alexander the Great. One of Alexander’s teachers was Aristotle and the city is named after Alexander’s half-sister Thessalonike! It makes sense that Alexander would have a special spot in the second largest city in Greece.
Alexander the Great
We always seem to find a market and this one had many fresh fruits and vegetables. Mountain greens and strawberries are in season now but beets, leeks and lemons are abundant as well. This vendor exudes an air of cheery enthusiasm for his veggies!
Friday Market
This small antique shop that spilled onto the sidewalk was colorful but it’s surrounded by graffiti as are many walls around town.
Sidewalk Antiques
Thessaloniki has so many delicious dining options. We like the Ladadika neighborhood for eating…it’s colorful in the evening!
Ladadika Neighborhood
We ate Pilaf with Mussels and drank white wine at a cute taverna called Negroponte.
Negroponte Restaurant
We’re taking it easy with few plans for each day. The temperatures are now in the 70’s and the sun is shining. It’s a happy Saturday!
It usually takes us a few days to recover from jetlag so we haven’t wandered far from the hotel. Today has been an especially good food day! Our favorite thing for breakfast is yogurt (Greek of course) and thick local honey.
We tried Bougatsa, a tradition inThessaloniki, flaky phyllo pastries for lunch. One with spinach, mint, and dill. For dessert a Bougatsa with custard cream – sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar (not shown).
Bougasta
Dinner was at Restaurant Argofageio (Greek for slow eating). It was a 10 minute walk from the hotel – a tiny place with only a few tables..
Restaurant Argofageio
The Greek salad was enormous and delicious;
Greek Salad
…and the special soufflé with puréed potatoes, minced meat and corn was a specialty of the chef. Larry’s calamari was tender and served with a lemon sauce. We had the nicest meal there!
Traditional Greek Soufflé
Outdoors seats at the restaurants are packed on a Thursday evening and we can see that preparations are underway for the Greek Orthodox Good Friday celebration.
The shop windows are fun for browsing!
Shop Window -Thessaloniki
The weather has been chillier than we expected and a bit rainy at times. We walked a while along the water front, back to our hotel, the Electra Palace.
We’ve just arrived in Thessaloniki to begin another Greek adventure! This one has been rescheduled (from three weeks ago) and we’ve vacillated daily about whether or not to go. Covid case numbers in Greece have been high but they are trending downward. We’ve packed masks, Advil and many Covid test kits just in case, but in the meantime, we’ll be cautious!
For a large part of our trip, we’ve picked coastal areas in the Peloponnese where we can eat outside in tavernas. Even the waiter at the outdoor pizzeria in Thessaloniki where we ate dinner this evening asked to see our vaccination card. We realize that we’ll need to carry it with us.
The U.S. dropped the mask mandate on planes the day before we flew here. Many on the flight wore masks anyway though some did not including some of the Delta flight attendants. The flight crew announced that masks are mandatory in the Athens Airport – we couldn’t leave the plane without one. Our cab driver also cautioned us saying that people on public transportation (even taxi cabs) are fined for non-compliance. We are happy to comply though some of those rules will change May 1.
Here’s our plan:
We flew Atlanta to Athens via JFK, then took a quick flight to Thessaloniki, our first stop. We’ll be here for 5 nights. Then we’ll take a flight back to Athens to pick up a rental car to visit Nafplio for 4 nights. Drive to Gythio for 4 nights. On to Kardymeli for another 4 nights. We’ll visit the small village of Koroni for 3 nights, Pylos for 4 nights and then back to Athens for another 4 nights.
This map of the Peloponnese shows some of the smaller towns we’re visiting – it won’t require too much driving between destinations – and that’s a good thing since gas prices are high in Europe too!
This is the week of Greek Orthodox Easter and pastry shops like this one in Thessaloniki are selling lots delicious-looking Easter treats.
We arrived back in Atlanta just days before the travel requirements changed in a way that would have made our return to the U.S. more complicated. We’re grateful for safe travels, good weather, delicious food, and the kind people that we met along the way!
Our last day in Madrid was a serendipitous day. When we left the hotel in the morning, we had just a vague idea of what we wanted to – here are the highlights:
Temple de Debod
Here’s something that we didn’t know – there is an Egyptian Temple in Madrid! In 1968, Egypt gave Spain the ancient Templo de Debod. It was a gift from the Egyptian government as a way to thank the Spanish government for help in rescuing monuments that were threatened by the rising Nile waters when the Aswan Dam was build. According to our guidebook, it’s the only place in Europe where you can tour an intact original Egyptian temple and it’s free to visit. Here’s a link to more information.
Next stop – one last museum visit – the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. It’s described as holding “minor works by major artists and major works by minor artists.” We had a nice walk to get there, enjoyed the fall colors along the way, and the art inside the museum.
Fall Colors in Madrid
Shop windows are always intriguing and this hot pink dress with pink boots to match got our attention! The Spaniards are quite stylish.
Madrid Shop Window
Later, we found a quiet alleyway for a late lunch.
A Quiet Lunch Spot
I devoured a few bites of this creamy Spanish potato salad before I took the photo,
Ensalada Rusa
mainly as a reminder to look up the recipe. It’s called Ensalada Rusa – made with a combination of potatoes, peas, roasted red peppers, hard boiled eggs, carrots, canned tuna and lots of mayo. It’s really delicious! Another favorite Spanish salad is called Papas Alinas and if the link works properly, here’s the recipe – we didn’t imagine that a tuna and potato combination would go together so well.
Back at the hotel we packed our bags for the flight home on Wednesday morning. One more chance to see the holiday lights from our balcony at the Hotel Europa.
Happy Holidays!
We are so grateful for the chance to visit Spain after several years away – we’ll be back! Now it’s time to decorate our tree at home.
The weather in Madrid has been bright and sunny with high temps in the 50’s – really pleasant.
Hotel Europa is located in the heart of Madrid at Puerta del Sol – a major Metro stop and hub – much like Times Square in New York City. If/when we return to Madrid we think we’d stay in a less hectic neighborhood. Nearby is the Santa Ana neighborhood with many restaurants, bars, and shops. We stopped at Cafe Carmela for breakfast,
Cafe Carmela
and ate a Spanish favorite – toast with olive oil and tomato. It’s very good!
Toast con Tomatoe
Our goal was to make our way to the Lavapies District. It’s in the south part of the city and less touristed. We navigated downhill to the main square, Plaza de Lavapies at the end of this street. No crowds here!
A stop for lunch nearby started with wine and bread…
There are flower stalls all around town and this one with a favorite winter flower, cyclamen.
Cyclamen
And, it’s still officially fall so there are sunflowers too!
Sunflowers in Madrid
We ended adventure for this day with a calamari bocadillo and a beer.
Calamari Sandwiches
We’ll pack up soon to head home tomorrow – happy travelers!
We had a couple of hours before our train left Granada for Madrid so we took a stroll around town. We wanted to see The Gate of Elvira, one of the many examples of Arabic architecture around the city.
Elvira Gate
In this part of Granada there are many colorful Arabic-style bazaars selling clothing, jewelry, and souvenirs.
Granada Bazaar
Just beyond the gate is a cute shop called Al Sur de Granada. The young woman in the shop was delightful and we bought a piece of pottery and a slice of home baked banana bread.
Al Sur de Granada
We checked out of our hotel, Aurea Catedral by Eurostars and walked to the train station.
We arrived in Madrid and after a bit of kerfuffle trying to navigate from the Atocha rail station to our hotel in Puerto del Sol we finally arrived at Hotel Europa – a favorite of Rick Steves travelers. It was daylight when we arrived,
View from Hotel Europa
but once we settled and opened our windows, we jumped for joy to see the lighted Christmas tree just outside our window!
Christmas in Madrid
The holiday lights brought many, many people and the streets here are jammed – we bravely ventured out in the evening but couldn’t believe the swarms of people!
It’s Sunday now and and we took a tour of the city and walked by the Opera House,
Opera House Madrid
where La Boheme will soon be performed!
La Boheme in Madrid
Our next task was to get our COVID tests for our return flight. We walked to a location on the Gran Via and got our swabs.
While we waited for our results we walked to the Prado Museum. This arrangement was colorful;
Prado Museum
and this painting by Spanish painter Diego Velazquez, spectacular as well!
Las Meninas by Valasquez
While we were at the museum, our test results came back – both negative. Hooray!
The buildings and holiday lights in Madrid are stunning,
Evening in Madrid
…but cooler temps make dining outside challenging and unbelievably huge crowds of people make this a less pleasant destination for now. Perhaps we arrived on a peak holiday shopping weekend.
In spite of that, we’re happy to be traveling again!
Just like in the US, today in Spain is Black Friday and most shops are offering discounts.
Day After Thanksgiving in Spain
We went to the local large department store El Corte Ingles and it was packed with people – too crowded for us to feel safe.
Granada isn’t the same as we remembered from our first visit in 2002. In those days, we were younger and covered a lot of miles in a short time. On that trip, we visited The Alhambra and moved to our next stop.
The Granada we find today is a fine mix of ancient and modern. On Thanksgiving Day we made the uphill climb to the Albaicin neighborhood. It still has narrow, winding streets from its Medieval Moorish past.
Albaicin
Staying in sync with the Spanish tradition of eating late lunches and dinners has caused us some stress and on Thanksgiving Day in a fit of hunger, we made a quick decision and picked a restaurant with less than appetizing food. Instead of turkey and pumpkin pie, we “feasted” on a plate of fried meat and sausages, plus bread and a bottle of cheap wine. We had a laugh about our “worst Thanksgiving meal ever!”
Thanksgiving in Spain!
There is a very modern fresh food market nearby with stalls selling meat, seafood and fresh produce. It’s quite impressive!
Mercado de San Agustin
We enjoy the parks and green spaces all around the city.
City Park – Granada
We’re staying very near the Catedral of Granada and visited late in the afternoon when it was less busy.
Granada Cathedral
Friday is our last day in Granada before we pack again and head to our last stop – Madrid! On our last day here we took a city bus;
Bus Number 8
…To Monasterio de la Cartuja, a Carthusian monastery on the outskirts of the city of Granada. The simple courtyard is lovely,
Monasterio de la Cartuja
but the interior as someone described is a “flamboyant explosion of ornamentation.” It’s stunning and over-the-top!
Ornamentation
Once back on the city we made a stop for lunch at Antigua Bodegas Castaneda. The food here is delicious and plentiful. This platter of smoked seafood was a bargain at 17 Euro!
Smoked Seafood Platter
The eggplant delicious as well!
Baked Eggplant
We feel fine about our change in itinerary. The weather here has been chilly but pleasant and dry – on the other hand it’s rained steadily in the Basque region and the virus count is higher than in other parts of Spain.
Tomorrow we’ll take a train and plan to arrive in Madrid by 4:30!
When the weather looked cold and rainy and we scrapped our plan to travel north the Basque region, we had to make some decisions. Granada or Valencia? Granada seemed a little easier to get to, the weather a little warmer, and we remembered that we liked it many years ago. So here we are! The main street, Gran Via is lined with colorful ginkgo trees.
Granada – Gran Via GinkgosGinkgos in Granada
Larry is a whiz at getting us from one destination to another and booked bus tickets from Seville to Granada. We used an app like Uber called Cabify to get to the Seville Plaza de Armas Bus station which worked great.
Sunday we walked nearly eight miles exploring the city – we started our day with a walk around Barrio Santa Cruz, one of Seville’s oldest neighborhoods.
Behind the iron gates we see patios filled with orange trees, greenery, and flowers in season.
Patio Garden – Barrio Santa Cruz
The ambiance of tree-filled squares and narrow alleyways have inspired many operettas set in Seville (Don Giovanni, Carmen, The Barber of Seville, and The Marriage of Figaro.) The sign on the wall says, “In a tavern located on this street, Carmen would meet Don Jose and Escamillo.” Fun to imagine!
Carmen was here!
Next we walked to Plaza de la Encarnacion to check out – “the mushroom” a huge canopy of five waffle-patterned, toadstool-like structures. It’s the site of busy local market.
Plaza de la Encarnacion
Lunch was at an outdoor restaurant along the river under the shade of orange trees. We’ve been fascinated by these trees packed with oranges that no one seems to eat! We learned the hard way that these oranges are bitter – only used to make vitamins, perfume and marmalade.
Orange Trees
And now, a bit of the gritty-side of Seville.
Street Scene
Sunday evening is a good time to do laundry – it’s easier than ever before as the soap is incorporated in the process so all we had to do was load the clothes and add euros – 5 in this case. While waiting for our laundry to finish, we met a very nice young man from London who is spending a month in Seville to study Spanish.
Laundry Day
We’ve spent the last several days admiring the outside of the Cathedral and decided that it was time to go inside. We bought tickets online in advance and got a senior discount. It’s the largest Gothic church anywhere and is overwhelmingly huge. Photos just can’t adequately capture the grandness of the interior.
Seville Cathedral
We’re really fortunate that the weather is still nice enough to dine outdoors. Fried fish served in paper cones was a good lunch for a Monday.
Lunch at Freiduria Puerta de la Carne
Tuesday we’ll pack up and take a three-hour bus ride to our next stop Granada.….saying goodbye to Seville for now!
