The morning of Clean Monday began with a light smattering of snow that settled on the hills above Sochos. Here in the village, the flakes melted as soon as they hit the ground. Such is the early March weather in Northern Macedonia. Today is the finale of Carnival. Clean Monday or Kathara Deftera marks the…
Sunday morning brought with it a bout of light drizzle. The overcast sky did not feel very “Carnival” to me. From within the church, the solemn tone of the priest’s chanting reminded all that now is a time for Christian worship. The Pagan revelry will come later. There were very few signs of life outside,…
Friday 28th February was a day of national strikes and a time to remember the 57 souls that were tragically lost during the Tempi rail disaster. Speak to any Greek and they will call it murder – most certainly not an accident. To show respect on the 2nd anniversary of this horrific event, all carnival…
I had dropped a small clue on where I would be spending the tail end of Carnival and Clean Monday in my video of the Thessaloniki parade – though ever so subtle. It was a pure coincidence that I was in Thessaloniki at the time of the parade. As magnificent as it was, this fairly…
Day 2 in Thessaloniki was a wash out. So was half of day 3 and the whole of day 4. Anyway, on day 2, the day after the carnival, I headed out into the expansive city of Thessaloniki to see what I could see. Thessaloniki is named after the daughter of King Philip II of…
One of the most popular places to visit in this region is Loutra Pozar, a thermal spa located in the foothills of Mount Kaimaktsalan/Voras. It is less than 40 km from Edessa and after enquiring at the bus station I have a plan for how to get there (and back!). The bus from Edessa departs…
The thing about Carnival on Skyros is that there is a loose framework around what is going to happen and where it will take place. However, you really need to be ‘in the know’ to grasp what’s going on. It isn’t like the very commercialised and huge carnival in Patras which because of its size…
It is a beautiful spring-like day today and I don’t want to waste any of it. Despite feeling like death warmed up I get myself together and go out to explore. I’m curious to see what’s further along the coastline in Molos so I turn left away from the direction of Chora and just follow…
I slept really well at Apartment Tina’s. The beds are very comfortable and that’s coming from a Princess who could spot a pea under multiple mattresses. I had a little breakfast and chilled in the garden until it was time to go. There is a new face working on reception today. Well not new exactly…
The week leading up to my departure was chaotic. Work was busy, the family were – well – my family and I had a real problem packing. I hate packing and procrastinated until I couldn’t procrastinate any more. God knows how many times I packed and then re-packed, trying to incorporate a wardrobe for all…