From Athens we caught a train to Thessaloniki, it was relatively simple. A couple of stops on the metro and then to the railway station. All aboard! Five hours later we pulled into the station on the outskirts of town and walked one and a half kilometres to our hotel. It was a lovely old building, with French doors and a little balcony. Nea Metropolis in case you’re wondering!

Didn’t really see much of this bustling city as we had a bus to catch at 8am the next morning. I’d booked the tickets online and made an assumption it said seniors discount. No, it was for students, so the lady at the ticket office charged me some more after asking why did I choose those tickets (most of the website was in Greek!)

Saw some very pretty countryside from the bus as we drove towards Alexandropouli. A beachside town, which was also overflowing with tourists, similar to on Crete.

A moments panic when I thought we were in the wrong place, but of course unfounded! The bus crossing the border took a while and we finally arrived about 7pm. The bus station is way out of town, and when the taxi driver wanted 30 Euros it seemed a lot, but it was worth it.

Hotel Spectra is still the same, although the breakfast room upstairs didn’t meet standards so it was shut down. We spent the day walking down to Galata Bridge and along the waterfront.

It was a public holiday and so there were thousands of people enjoying the sunshine and cruising on the Bosphorus. Unfortunately a lot of shops, including the Grand Bazaar were closed.

I hunted for a couple of yarn shops, but gave up and went to meet Lionel at Galata. Like looking for a needle in a haystack! But he found me.

So I’m sitting at KL airport, waiting for the final leg of our flight back to Sydney. A five hour wait! We’re feeling a bit weary now, and really looking forward to sleeping in our own bed. Oh and having a nice pot of tea in the morning!