“A man who tallies the number of sunsets he has seen, hasn’t seen any,” – Old Sean
Godly Summits on Horizons
After spending a day in Athens, I took a long-distance bus heading north, with plans on visiting Thessaloniki.
While the ticket was expensive, the ride was interesting.
I passed cuts of rainclouds, past seaside ledges and rocky-shored lakes. I even spotted a single, sharp rainbow while weaving through farms, mountains and these odd orange berry-bush terrains.
Also interesting, my route took me past Mount Olympus, heavenly, mythological home to the Greek Gods. It’s not actually a single Fuji-style summit (which is what I’ve always imagined) but rather an imposing series of rolling behemoths overlooking the sea.
I waved as we went by.
A Day Visiting Thessaloniki
After a seemingly-short nap, I was in Thessaloniki.
The coolest things about visiting Thessaloniki are the series of coastal parks following the shoreline on the southern portion of the city.
Starting at the White Tower of Thessaloniki, these gardens and parks exist for sunset viewing pleasure across the waves.
In the distance, the setting sun cuts across low, nearly-invisible swells of mountains across a sea. Eventually, these hazy peaks razor off the blazing red orb off with a spray of colors.
There’s no portion of Thessaloniki I like more than these sunset-viewing boardwalks and gardens.
The Water Garden has bundles of reeds for turtles and minnows with broad stone steps for children to duck in close and watch small fish in the shallows. The Garden of Sand is exactly what it sounds like with the addition of some playground equipment, and the Afternoon Sun Garden is the comfiest zone to watch the sun sink.
These gardens, along with the Garden of Shadow, Season, Mediterranean, Sculpture, Sound, Rose and Remembrance made my evening walk sublime.
Elsewhere in Thessaloniki
Beyond the gardens, Thessaloniki is a modern city, especially when compared to the vast restored ruins of Athens. While there are many Roman features scattered about the city, Thessaloniki has a much more contemporary feel to it.
The following morning, I did a brief surplus tour of the region. The Arch of Galerius is an impressive triumphal arch with exquisite white etchings on the sides. The ironically round Rotunda had startlingly gorgeous mosaics on its interior. Aristotelous Square was enjoyable to walk around and seek out a few small coffee shops. And the Olympic Museum Thessaloniki was oddly enlightening regarding both modern and ancient Olympic contests.
Sadly, that’s about all the time I had for visiting Thessaloniki. Later today, after I check out from my hostel, I’m moving onwards. I don’t have anymore stops in Greece (though I would’ve loved to stop at Kavala), so there’s only a few countries left in this trip.
The next leg of my trip is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long, long time. I’m inbound to Istanbul, Turkey, where I’ll meet with an old university friend.
Until next time,
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written September 10th, 2018
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Fire-Maple 1L Hard Anodized Aluminum Pot
This Fire-Maple 1L Hard Anodized Aluminum Pot cooking pot is perfect for single meals. I use it in hostels, apartments and on camping trips. The narrow shape lays down flat in my bag and the material is very light. The folding handles make it a good tool for making hot chocolate on cold mornings.
