3rd to 5th of April, 2022.
We arrive at Pano’s house and I get to meet Ifi, his wife. She had an accident skiing and hurt her knee pretty bad. Actually she just had her surgery, so she needs to remain in the bed and under as much rest as possible. We get along pretty well very fast and can’t stop chatting. I also get to meet their three boys: George, Orestis and Byron.
I have Pastigio for dinner, a very traditional Greek dish. It consist on macaroni with mince meat and bechamel sauce.
I talk a little bit with the boys, they are all very nice. I chat a bit more with Ifi and after a shower I go to sleep. I am staying in a kind of hall area, outside of the boys room. The view from the balcony is amazing! A view of the beach, which is only a few hundreds metres away from their apartment.
Next morning, after a delicious muesli breakfast, with tahini, mulberry syrup and fruits, prepared by Panos, and my first fredo Greek coffee, I decide to walk all the way to the White Tower, the most famous tourist attraction of Thessaloniki. The walk is all alongside the sea and it is very pleasant, but it takes more than one hour. The White Tower is nice but I don’t see why all the fussy about it. I walk only a bit further into the city centre, to check one or two other historical sites, and then I come back.
We all talk a lot more. I chat about films with Ifi and we have a similar taste for it. I play a bit of football with their youngest boy, and we all have Gyros for dinner. This time, I manage to order for me the one with falafel. Honestly, the one with chicken (or pork, I don’t know) it was much better.
I show the whole family some photographs of my travels. Unfortunately is a bit late already so everybody is tired and the boys are very sleepy. Next morning I am leaving for Turkey so I have to check a few more things online.
After a lot of talking, I finally decide to accept that Panos and Ifi pay a bus ticket for me to go until Alexandropolis, a town not too far from the border with Turkey. Because I have to leave Schengen area precisely on the 5th of April, I cannot take any risks and that’s why I decided to accept.
Panos buys me a lot of protein tahini bars. He says it will save me on the road. And it does! He also boils a lot of eggs, prepares some delicious toasts with cheese, and give me a bag of Paximathia, this hard biscuit, similar to Rusk, but salty. Plus also some fruits. So basically, I left with a lot of food! But I get real sad because when I leave, I forget to take my fredo.
After another great muesli for breakfast, Panos drives me to the bus station. He waits a little bit with me and then has to come back home.
I tell Panos about Workaway and recommend him to create a profile for the family because he would like to have someone to practice English with his boys. A few days after I leave, he sends me an email with the link to his profile.
I truly enjoy my two days with this Greek family. I had a great time with them and learnt a lot more about Greek culture and Greek hospitality. I am glad I decided to come back and stay with them. I wish the whole family lots of happiness and love!
