The Return :)

What a great idea it was to ask the bus driver where the second stop in Thessaloniki was as I was able to go directly to the train station (for the first time!) where there was a local but that would take me to my new home in Agios Pavlos for the next 3 months! How exciting to be back in this city after being away for three months, that beautiful feeling of "coming home" in some way- to the familiar streets, the local street dogs in their same locations, the hustle and bustle of the student area around the university and the Rotunda, with groups of students drinking coffee at all hours of the day, the Roman ruins throughout the city, the incredibly loud scooters all over the place, the unbelievable parking order in the streets (a big cultural difference :)), the drivers adept at honking their horns for any and everything, the familiar faces of employees in coffee shops- that knowing and being familiar with, while at the same time being an outsider, and the chance yet again to make the city mine, to continue to discover what it has to offer around every corner.

I was thrilled that I still had my reliable sense of direction and easily found the way to Anna's, only slightly uphill after covering the majority of the distance by bus, and was warmly greeted by my 2 roommates, Anna and Frida (the cutest little Yorkie!). The view from the balcony was as spectacular as I remembered and I think I could easily get used to seeing the sprawling city every morning from this oasis of calm, above the craziness of the city of 2 million people, and with the view of the water and Mount Olympus in the distance on clear days. I think the sunsets will be pretty incredible too (some proof below!) :)

Το ηλιοβασίλεμα!