Category: Europe and Africa Spring 2024

Thessaloniki Day 2

Today was a lovely rest day. We went for a long walk around Thessaloniki.

Walking along the waterfront

A year ago today was the worst train crash in Greek History. 57 people were killed. There were big demonstrations going on today protesting Greece’s antiquated train system. We saw a very large police presence including a lot of riot police.

Riot police

We went into Agia Sophia Church

Agia Sophia Church

We stopped to have Greek coffees.

Greek coffee

We rested for a while by the White Tower of Thessaloniki.

Duke by the White Tower of Thessaloniki

We had an excellent dinner in the Daios Hotel restaurant,

We shared a Greek Salad
We each had Sea Bass

Swiss Air lost Duke’s suitcase yesterday. They said they would deliver it today but didn’t. We have an AirTag in it so we know it moved from Zurich to Istanbul. Now Swissair says they will deliver it tomorrow. We shall see. Meanwhile I guess we will go shopping tomorrow. We are supposed to pick up our rental car at the airport at 11 am but we may push that back.

Barcelona to Thessaloniki

This morning we set the alarm for 3:35. Our plane left Barcelona at 6:45. We left the hotel, drove to the airport, returned our car, said goodbye to Brian and Jo Ann and checked in. From Barcelona we flew to Zurich.

We had about $20 worth of Swiss Francs left over from our last trip to Switzerland. That almost covered our breakfast in Zurich.

Coffee and croissants

We arrived In Thessaloniki, Greece around 1:30. Thessaloniki is an hour ahead of Barcelona. We were in Thessaloniki in 2023. We have fond memories of the hotel we stayed at last time we were in Thessaloniki so we stayed at Hotel Daios again.

Dukes bag somehow didn’t make the connection in Zurich. We filed a lost bag report and have received an email that it will be delivered to our hotel tomorrow.

We caught a taxi to the hotel, checked in and took naps.

On the balcony of our hotel.

Later someone from the hotel rang the bell to our room and delivered sparkling wine to welcome us!

Greek Champagne
Life is good!

For dinner we went to a nearby Greek tapas restaurant, Deka Trapezia. We shared three small plates and a desert, and of course ouzo. The flavors were amazing. It was wonderful.

Roasted Sweet pumpkin, curry, cumin, spicy pepper, sheep yogurt and pistachios
Lamb meatballs, chickpeas cream, red peppers, and spicy paprika
Shrimp, puffed rice and peach emulsion.

Tortosa to Barcelona

Today was our last day together in Spain. Tomorrow Brian and Jo Ann fly home and Duke and I fly to Greece. So today we drove from Tortosa to Barcelona. We couldn’t check into our room until 3 and it’s only a 2 hour drive so I found a hike on AllTrails for us to do on the way.

The trail starts at Ermita Mare de Déu de la Roca. A hermitage on top of a mountain. I didn’t realize that the hermitage was there when I picked the hike so that was a very happy surprise!!

The hermitage from near the start of the trail

The trail went straight down on cobblestones before essentially leveling out. We planned to go about a mile and then turn around and retrace our steps.

The first part of the trail

When we got to the turn around point there was a sign that suggested we could actually do a loop so we decided to give it a try. We scrambled up for about a quarter of a mile but as the trail got steeper and less clear we decided the prudent thing to do was to turn around.

The trail up near where we turned around
Resting at the point we decided to turn around
The view from out turn around point

When we got back to the trailhead we climbed up to the hermitage and church on top of the rock.

The view from the top
The trail to the top.
Inside the church near the top

After our hike we drove to our Barcelona hotel. One of the biggest conventions in the world, Mobil Congress, is going on in Barcelona right now and rooms are exorbitantly expensive if not nonexistent. Duke managed to book us a hotel, on the beach in Gava just south of Barcelona El Prat airport. We walked to a nearby restaurant, Torreón for dinner and then walked back along the beach to our hotel as the moon came up.

The hall outside our room. The floor is sand covered with glass.
Our room
Playing cards in the hotel restaurant with beer and wine for refreshments
Desert after dinner
More desert
Walking back to the hotel as the moon came up

Tortosa Day 2

Today we explored Tortosa. We started out on the castle walls around the Parador. It was supposed to rain but it only drizzled a bit. The rest of the day turned out to be very pleasant.

The Parador of Tortosa
The walls in front of the Parador
A view of Tortosa from outside the Parador

Then we walked down the hill and visited Els Jardins del Príncep (the Princes Garden). It was originally a spa.

In Els Jardin del Príncep
The garden has 24 statues

Next we went to the Museum of Tortosa.

The museum is in a building that was originally a slaughter house.
In the museum

After the museum we wanted to go to a museum in an anti aircraft shelter from the civil war. Unfortunately it was closed. On the way there we walked along the river and saw the monument to those who died in the battle of the Ebre River during the Spanish Civil War.

War dead memorial
Outside the entrance to the air raid shelter museum
Ernest Hemingway spent time in Tortosa before writing For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Next we visited an exhibit about the Renaissance Fair that happens in Tortosa in July. The exhibit is in the buildings of the Royal Colleges of Tortosa. It looks like a really fun festival. Some of the videos remind me of the fantastic Carnival celebration we enjoyed so much in Cadiz a few years ago.

Part of the Renaissance Fair exhibit

We also went into the sixteenth century school

Outside the school building
Inside the school building

Later in the day after playing card and taking a rest we climbed all over the fortress across from the Castle where the Parador is.

The view from the fortress

When the restaurant opened at 8 we had another great dinner.

Jo Ann’s razor clams
My desert.

Valencia to Tortosa

Breakfast

This morning before leaving Valencia we found a place for breakfast then went for a walk.

Saturday morning in Valencia
Jo Ann, Brian and Duke on the back side of the silk exchange
This teeter totter was irresistible
It was fun
Out for our morning walk
Jo Ann found a friend

Plaza de la Virgin

Valencia has a big and beautiful garden that follows the former path of the river. The river was rerouted and the 9 mile long garden was created after a terrible flood in 1957. We walked through the park and enjoyed the beautiful day.

The Turia Garden
The old bridges are still there even though the river isn’t.

About noon we packed up and drove two hours to Tortosa. We had a great dinner at the Parador.

At dinner in the Parador
Duke’s roasted vegetable and anchovies appetizer
My salmon
My chocolate and rose desert