Out for a Family Dinner

Good Evening, All :-)

Today, after sleeping in until 10:00!! (except for Pat, of course), we (by that, I mean Ian and Eleftheria) ran a couple of quick errands and then we all got ready to meet Evangalia, Arithedis, Georgia, and Simo for dinner.

 

 

 

We took the bus down to the Centre and walked to the warehouse district.  Like the Cleveland area of the same name (x 10), the warehouses are long gone and the buildings are undergoing gentrification (more successfully than ours).  It is filled with restaurants, shops, hotels, clubs, tavernas, etc.

 

 

Believe it or not, we have eaten at this restaurant before!  As with so many of the shops/restaurants in Thessalonica the décor is artsy and quircky - my kind of thing, for sure.  This is the whole family pictured here:  Pat, Ian, Eleftheria on the right.  Across from Eleftheria is Simo, the youngest and then Evangalia, Arithdis, and Georgia.  The kids are all bi-lingual - alas, the parents are not, but with translators the conversation was flowing - lots of laughing :-0

 

After dinner, we walked along the waterfront - it was a gorgeous, sunny day, however the wind was very cold and very strong - it did not feel anywhere near the 50 degrees that it supposedly was.  We assume it has something to do with the large storm sweeping across Europe - sibling to the one in the US?

 

 

Eleftheria was a trooper!  All along the walk people greeted her with wishes for an easy delivery and on the bus, it is interesting to see people jump from their seats to offer her a place to sit.  There are serious protocols for seating on the busses and everyone follows them.  If someone doesn't, some old lady will not hesitate to shame him or her into doing the right thing.

 

The city has is a working port.  Pat took this picture also and I am sure his will be more impressive.  In front of the docks, seen in the background, there are bars, cafes and shops.

 



 

Our walk continued till sunset and I was not the only one taking pictures!

 

In the background is Mt Olympus, the highest Mt. in Greece.  Ian and Keith climbed to the top and back down in one day last summer - it was a bit of a marathon, but they seemed to find it a worthwhile adventure.

 

 In the center of the Centre there is a large plaza lined on both sides with upscale shops.  Fountains, flowers, grassy play areas are in the middle with walking paths throughout.  I will have a chance to get better shots later on.  Right now, you see the corner of Santa's workshop in the back.  I am assuming that the dog in the picture belongs to Santa?  The other 2 with him walked out of the picture just as I snapped it.

Thessalonika has the best looking stray dogs and feral cats that you can imagine!

 

 

At 5:00 when we stepped of the bus in our neighborhood, the street lights were on and the moon was shining.

 

Love you all, Mom