Thessaloniki, Greece

The young folks flock here in the many cafes and bars that line the sidewalks. Fashionably dressed, frappes are drunk and cigarettes are smoked; the people here are relaxed. This feels like a university town with European sophistication, ie. no frat boys. But perhaps this was a high school town as well while I was here since there was a teachers strike. Still, very chill.

We spent the last day in the Athens area at he Cape of Sounion. The place is known for the ruins of the Temple of Poseidon and the sunset over the Mediterranean. After a bit of sun, we hightailed it back to get on a night train. A couchette seat is like a couch, but smaller and barely padded meaning one can barely sleep. From now on I am springing the extra 10 Euro and riding on the sleeper car.

We spent the first night in a hotel getting lost, enjoying travelers tiffs and eating our fair share of gyros and spanikopitas. Oh yum. We then met up with our host the next night who was hosting a local Couchsurfing gathering. In preparation for the meeting we went to her Grandparents' house where it was mission critical that we sample the food and deserts being served. And then test again. And again. Not being allowed to say no means that I resort to eating slowly in small bites and not drawing any unnecessary attention. These are tricks I honed in Taiwan.

The party was fun and I met Greeks from varied backgrounds, a couple of Poles and a hitchhiking Aussie. In between sips of tasty inexpensive Greek wine and more drags of more cigarettes they talked about things like how joining the EU doubled the cost of living, but left salaries stagnant. And how those low wages are making the traditional marriage a thing of the past since you need 3 jobs in a household to raise kids properly. And how college kids are studying hard and trying not to think about joining the ranks of the unemployed after graduation if they don't have the right combination of luck and connections. Oh, we talked about other things as well into the night and the cops even showed up for a little chat. You know it is a good party when it gets the official seal of approval.