Greece: Thessaloniki

From Athens we took a train north to Thessaloniki with occasional views to snow-capped Mount Olympus (first below) as we approached Thessinliki. This year Orthodox Easter is one week later than Western Easter. Being Holy Thursday, the train was pretty full with folks returning to their villages and cities for the long weekend.



Thessaloniki kept us busy with Easter activities. Friday morning we made the rounds to check out the churches, filled with people attending services and admiring the Epitaphios (decorated bier of Christ). Friday early evening Saints Menas started its procession of its Epitaphios. Later Friday evening, there was a convergence of five Epitaphios processions at Aristotelous Square.









Saturday evening we went to the midnight celebration in the Agia Sophia courtyard. Right before midnight, all the lights in the church were turned off; then the priests appeared with candles, supposedly from the Eternal Flame in Jerusalem. The flame is then passed on from candle to candle. Being the pyromaniac, I was ready to show up with a candle, John vetoed it - too much religious connotation associated with it. There were some minor fireworks and many joyful faces. Some people were really serious about taking the flame home, others went to bars to celebrate. On Sunday, there was nothing, aside from church services. Maybe less than 10% of the restaurants opened.











In between all the Easter activities, we went to the very fine archeological museum, we admired the Roman ruins right in the middle of the city, and enjoyed the vibrant restaurant scene. I had thought we'd be kicking back in Thessaloniki. I was so wrong.

Holy Friday Churches and Processions








Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki








Sun-Ling's birthday dinner at Tarantoúla Vegan Restaurant. Tasty!


On Easter Sunday we walked up to the Old Town for some great views of the city, then down along the City Walls to the Roman Ruins.






Roman Ruins: Rotunda (with a minaret from the Ottoman Era), Arch of Galerius, Palace of Galerius, and the "Roman Agora" with compelling bathtubs.












ELECTRA PALACE HOTEL - Aristotle Square


Allegra Ergas Mansion

Greece: Athens

At Cagliari we conclude the first loop of our trip - the straight line distance between Tunis and Cagliari is less than 300km. From Cagliari we flew to Athens to start our second loop. Our cheap flight connected in Amsterdam. The flight over snow covered Alps and other mountains was pretty amazing. And an unexpected spotting of tulip fields in bloom before landing in Amsterdam.







The last time we were in Athens was 2014, we didn't discern a lot of change from 1996. This time Athens seems very different. It's shiny and spiffy. Before, one went to the Acropolis, then you scooted out of town as soon as possible. Now Athens is a place where one goes to see and be seen.

The view from our apartment window.


Bubble Tea has come to Athens!


We walked up the famous Mnisikleous Street Steps (1st below) to the Anafiotika neighborhood for some great views of PLAKA (2nd below), and popped inside theChurch of Agioi Anargyroi (3rd below) for a look at the Palm Sunday decorations.






The weather was great so we took a leisurely stroll around the Acropolis, enjoying as many hilltop viewpoints as possible, including one to the sea from Mouseion Hill.










Bonus: Panoramic View from Anafiotika

Sardinia: Cagliari

On Holy Saturday we arrived in Cagliari, the capital city of Sardinia, a dramatic setting, lively streets. The weather was excellent, making Cagliari even more likeable.

On Holy Saturday afternoon we caught two processions. On Easter, there were three Mother Son meetings, known as the S'Incontru. On Easter Monday, there was the procession of Sant'Efisio, the town's patron saint, a prelude to the saint's day celebration around May 1st. In total we caught 14 Easter processions in Sardinia, a personal record, those not in terms of size. All the processions in Sardinia are small by Spanish standards, under a hundred people, carrying rather unimpressive icons, nevertheless they are very much of the tradition.

However, the highlight of our visit was taking the city bus to Molentargius-Saline Regional Park to spot the greater flamingos. The young women at the tourist office confidently assured us that we'd be able to see them - some of them live in Cagliari year round. We were skeptical - wild animals are fickle, have wily ways to elude us. We got up extra early for the excursion. We had great success with flamingos. There were thousands of them hanging out right next to the city. The townspeople must be familiar with them as we are with Canada geese.

John says: I've wanted to visit Cagliari for over 20 years since reading the 1921 travel book Sea and Sardinia by D.H. Lawrence. I was not disappointed.

There was polyphonic singing with men, women and children in the Procession of the Holy Mysteries. Check out the short video below.


Later, in the same procession, the statue of the body of Christ was carried out of a church and a few people threw flowers onto the casket. Another short video.


A few more photos of the very sombre procession from the small neighborhood church up to the Cathedral and back.














We got up early and rode a local bus to Molentargius-Saline Natural Park in hopes of spotting the resident Greater Flamingos. Success!










The Striking Town Hall of Cagliari is the first thing one sees after emerging from the train station.




One day our lunch was pizza slices "to go" from La Piccola Pizzetta, a local institution.


Street Views.






One day we walked to the Archaeological Museum (See the 3000-year-old Bronze Deer Figurine 1st below), passing the imposing ElephantTower (with an open back, and deadly gates), and the remnants of the Roman Amphitheater carved directly into the limestone hill.








Views from the Belvedere. Note that the white dots on the water are flamingos in the salt flats.










On Easter Sunday, there are the S'Incontru processions that represent the Meeting of the Risen Christ and the Virgin Mary. See the one video and several photos below.








And on Easter Monday, the procession of Sant'Efisio, the patron saint of Cagliari.




And finally, the Costa Toscana Cruise Ship in the harbour.