I went for the cheap hostel option in Thessaloniki. I don’t need much and thought I would get the basic accommodations for my 13 euro. I was right and wrong. Right in that it was basic accommodation and wrong in that my definition of basic accommodation includes a tiny amount of security and hygiene. The hostel is always wide open, including all the rooms, and is only attended for a few hours in the morning and evening. Another traveler mentioned that everyone gets robbed here so don’t leave anything alone. Great! On the outside of the usually vacant office there is a sign that says to throw your stuff on a bed and they will be back later. The beds were more like stiff bundles of fabric than mattresses and the pillows were fabric covered flagstones. The bathrooms were scary. The shower was four floors down in the basement (dungeon) and was apparently very scary. After seeing the bathrooms, I decided not to try to shower there. People coming back from the shower looked more emotionally traumatized than refreshed.
I came to Thessaloniki primarily to see ancient Vergina, the burial site of the father and son of Alexander the Great (they are 90% sure it is them). After securing my pack with my exo-mesh bag, I headed out with a couple other guys, an Aussie and a Spaniard, and all of my valuables. It took two buses and hours of waiting to get there.
The tombs were covered by a giant tumulus, which is a really big mound of dirt and stone debris designed to impede tomb robbers. The modern discoverers removed the mound and built a museum in the same shape and covered it with dirt to simulate the effect. The artifacts they found are incredible. Gold, silver, ivory and other artifacts were plenitful and elaborate. The underground tomb entries are like decorated building facades. No photos at all were allowed so you will have to use your imagination. It was very cool and worth the visit. We ended up having to wait for almost 3 hours to get the first bus back and then another hour and a half to get the second. It was a whole day and 26 euro for 45 minutes of splendor. Fair enough except the bad thing is that I missed the train to Macedonia and had to stay another night in the “hostel.”
My Canadian friend Chad warned me about the Greek people’s “obtuse way of treating you well.” Except for the hostel in Corfu, (and people trying to get you into their restaurant) all through Greece I felt like I was one of the faceless masses of tourists. People very often would provide whatever service they were business of providing, but I was lucky if they even bothered to look at me.
One American guy I talked to that is living in Greece thought that the Greeks are afraid of being too friendly because it somehow shows weakness. I think that they are too jaded and do not see any reason to try to be friendly. After all, if someone doesn’t like the way they are treated, does it matter if they go away and are immediately replaced by another tourist? It appears that the Greeks feel they have no reason to charm people that they see as an endless stream. I do not know if it is because all the countries in the area have a history of hating each other and that causes them to be closed and cautious with strangers or if there is something else. Greece was great for the beaches and sea, not my favorite for the people (the warmth of the Brasilians is hard to beat).
