Greece 8: Birding on a boat, a testing in Thessaloniki, flight to Athens, and then home

     I didn't accomplish much in my first day in town.  I visited a bird watching area that has no English translation.  It was extremely hot, and so the heat haze made picture taking difficult.  I also used a setting that was incorrect and ruined much of my pictures.  There were many of these very colorful birds flying about, many with dragonflies in their mouths.

    For lunch, I went to a highly recommended restaurant named Methoriakos Station, located in an old train station.  They did not have an English menu, so someone had to sit with me and give me translations.  Near sunset, I went to another location recommended by the hotel owner.  I was able to spot an egret fishing in the fast moving waters.

    As I was entering my car, I noticed a local farmer shepherding fifty or so buffalo.  I drove on ahead, got out of my car, and took pictures.

    The next morning I joined the hotel owner, along with four tourists from Bulgaria, for a small boat ride through Lake Kerkini.  We left the hotel at 9:00, and were out in the water by about 9:40.  We were out for about two to two and a half hours.  Here is what I saw:

100s of cormorants in the distance.

Dalmation Pelicans, that Lake Kerkini is known for.

    I stayed in for the rest of the day, as my health problems has been bothering me for days.  I left early the next morning, as I had a Covid PCR test appointment in Thessaloniki, about an hour south.  Thessaloniki is Greece's second largest city.  It is sprawling and the traffic flow is insane.  Additionally, people parked their cars randomly on sidewalks all around.  I had prepared by bookmarking two free parking lots close to the facility.  Luckily, the first one had an opening.  

    After parking, I had a ten minute walk to reach the lab.  I went up to the woman guarding the front door, who kept repeating that she didn't understand English, and pointed me to a tiny makeshift two person building with a small line in front of it.  I waited for about forty minutes until I was seen.  I had booked this PCR test through Aegean Airlines' website, and paid in advance.  I made sure to emphasize that I needed it in English and that I could not return there.  They took down my info and made no less than ten calls to what I assume was a tech supervisor.  Apparently, having a QR code with payment and appointment confirmation did not make this easy enough.

    Eventually I took the test and was told to wait nearby.  Fifteen minutes later, they gave me my receipt.  I was hungry, but google maps was not being very helpful.  I passed a bakery with spinach pies on display.  They were only one euro.  I asked if they also had ravani, which I had had the one time as my free random dessert in Meteora.  She said yes, so I asked for two.  She gave me a third for free.  She asked where I was from.  I tried, "USA" and then "United States."  She understood neither.  "America" worked and she was very excited.  I have a feeling that not too many people came to this part of Greece, let alone this particular part of town on the outskirts of the large city.

    I filled up on gas and went straight to my hotel.  There was a parking spot directly in front of the entrance.  It was about 11:00 AM at the time, and so they did not have my room ready.  I sat as the only person in the lobby, at one of the tables near a bar and ordered some coffee.  This was a high end hotel, but was only about $100 a night due to covid and the time that I booked.  After about an hour, they gave me the key to my room.  The room was fantastic, except for a step that led into the bathroom that I tripped on every single time.  I greatly feared for myself during the night, so I left the light on in the bathroom and leaned the door closed, in an attempt to remind myself not to trip in the night.  Luckily I remembered then.

    The bathroom had a contoured tub, with places for your arms and back.  I was soaking my muscles when I received the covid test results.  They were negative of course, but they had my birth year incorrect by a matter of seven years.  Not wanting to be turned away at the flight desk, I got out of the bath and went downstairs to reception.  The woman called the laboratory on my behalf, and after twenty minutes on hold, she explained the situation to someone and was told they would get back to her.  To make a long story short, 4 more hours and a few more calls by a second receptionist, that had replaced the first, and they emailed me the replacement.

    For dinner, I ate at the hotel restaurant, located in the open air of the hotel roof.  Only one other couple was at the restaurant.  The food was excellent.

    The next day I dropped off the car and took the flight to Athens.  The flight was delayed an hour but then it was smooth sailing.  I had paid for business class, as it was the only way to get two carry on bags onto the plane.  It also meant that the middle seat would be empty, as a perk.  The person on the other side of the empty seat was a slightly younger man.  He was from Singapore, but had lived in Germany for the past six years.  We spent the forty five minute plane ride conversing about the world.

    I paid the largest amount of money to the final hotel, due to its location directly across the street from the airport.  It was the only one in the area.  It was a luxury hotel, and so the cheapest cup of coffee that they sold, in any of their four bars and restaurants, was six and a half euros, or about seven and a half dollars.  Instead, I crossed the street, back to the airport, and went to a deli restaurant, picked up some food and some coffee for half the price, and then brought it back to my hotel room.  It was a very comfortable room.

    I flew back the next day, and luckily, it was uneventful.