Thessaloniki and Volos

Sorry about the couple of blank entries. I was trying to be clever and load some photos and my skill level wasn't quite up to it. Practice makes perfect so I hope you did find the two Delphi sculptures I posted eventually.
The drive up to Thesaloniki was perfect as we had a cool sunny day after the rain. it was only a short run because of our change of itinerary the day before. We arrived at about 10am and the entry to the city was mind boggling. We had booked a central hotel and programmed the GPS to take us there which she tried to do. The streets were narrow and choked with cars, buses and scooters. At the traffic lights the movement forward was almost non existant and the Greek attitude of observing the rules when it is convenient came into full force. It was a case of "it's my turn now" regardless of the colour of the lights. Typically Greek everyone understood the rules and we all gradually moved in the right direction. Bob was masterful in adopting the local strategy. Wonderfully we spotted a multistory car park when we knew we were approaching our hotel and drove in with great relief. The €20 for 24 hours was worth every cent. It was an amazing place. The staff  did the parking. When we went back later to collect our luggage we could only just squeeze between the cars that were parked all over the floor not just in rows. The keys were left in the ignition but there were no security issues. Next morning when we went to collect the car it was delivered to us in minutes.
Having arrived we found our hotel which was very comfortable and had the best shower of the trip.
Oh the important things in life! The hotel is near the extensive quay around which the central city is focussed. This was the first place we went for a walk.
We then took ourselves on a couple of walking tours of the city with lunch and a nap in between. Thessaloniki has an amazing number of Roman ruins in good condition including the remains of one huge "palace" built as temporary accommodation for a Govenor coming for a temporary stay. There are also some beautiful Byzantium churches and very extensive remains of the city wall. We walked to the highest point to take in the view which was worth the up hill climb through the old pathways and steps.
That evening we set off to find dinner and spotted a Patisseri/Restaurant that looked very nice but had reasonable prices. When we went in at 7-30 it was full of locals eating huge cakes and drinking coffee. We asked if it was appropriate to order dinner and were reassured that it was ok.
We know that the Greeks eat later but it is not so apparent in the smaller towns and tourist areas where we have been eating. The waiter told us that people were having coffee and cake after work or shopping and would go home to have dinner between 9pm and 10pm. Some things are slower to get moving in the mornings as you would expect with the main activity starting at about 10am.
Dinner was delicious.
The next morning we drove to Volos which was on our way back towards Athens. This is another sea side town with a great quay area. As usual Bob was eyeing off all the yachts. We also found a beautiful boat tied up to the quay which is a genuine replica of the boat that Jason and his Argonauts is reputed to have rowed in their quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece. That night we went to a nearby restaurant recommended by our hotel staff and ordered Greek Salad, Sardines, Calamari and a grilled small fish called Red Mullet, which was cooked whole. We almost ate all of it because it was all so delicious and very cheap for the amount we ordered. A bit piggy but that way we were able to taste all the local specialties.
Tonight we are in a hotel in Athens located on the edge of a vegetable market. So more later.
Gail