It's All Greek To Me

So we said goodbye to our new friends at Cortijo Vadillo in proper fashion: a day at the waterpark in Granada. We definitely made a big splash. After an evening bus ride to Malaga, we checked into our non-airconditioned fifth floor walk up room (sink and shower but no toilet in the room?) And it was only $136... Downtown Malaga was hopping. We had a couple sandwiches, people watched and headed for bed.

The next day, we started early as we caught the city bus to the airport for a 10:30 flight to Milan. The flight was uneventful and we arrived in Milan only to realize we didn't have the phone number for our hotel to get a pick up. However this proved to be no problem as the number miraculously appeared on a sign in the airport just when we needed it. A short shuttle ride later and we arrived at the Hotel Sempione which is a quaint little hotel a few miles from the airport. This room was airconditioned (a good thing since it was on the fourth floor in the attic). We slept most of the day and then dined at the restaurant downstairs. A delicious Italian meal.

Our wake up call was at 5:00 the next morning and thus began our travel day to Greece. We arrived in Thessaloniki and took a bus through the city to the bus station. We were helped along the way by a friendly Greek guy named Nick who was nice to me because I spoke Greek to him... it seems a few words in Greek go a long way. We purchased tickets to Kavala (the port town near Thassos) and had a quick snack before our 2.5 hour bus ride. In Kavala, we walked a short (and very hot) distance to the port. Here we boarded the ferry to Thassos, the legendary island of Zeus' childhood.

We arrived in Thassos too late to take the bus to Eric's Apartments and Studios so we had to take (an expensive) taxi. We were immediately pleased with our choice of hotel because the room is spacious (with airconditioning!) and came with a kitchenette. And, Eric Cantona greeted us... you know, the famous football player. Come on Americans, join the football craze.

Skala Potamia, the beach where we are staying, is just one of many little beach towns on this pine forest covered mountained island. Although a bus can take you to the other beaches, we are staying put on Skala Potamia, mostly because we have everything we need right here. Beautiful sea, great food (gyros and more gyros, and sometimes some delicious fresh seafood), mountain backdrop and a pool if we get bored of the green-blue sea. That said, there's only one ATM in town and it's currently empty, so we may have to head to Thassos town tomorrow.

Our day of departure approaches and we will all be sad to leave. If you get a chance, don't miss Thassos. The people here are extremely friendly and Americans are sorely under-represented, as we figure there are probably four, maybe five, Americans on the island right now... including us.

Next up: Paranesti and the alternative community of Peliti...
Happy belated birthday mom and Torrey!