Travel with Mia!

A specific mental image comes to mind when I think of Greece: sunny, clear skies, bright blue water and long, rocky coastlines. Southern Greece, as well as many of the islands, do fit this description. However, I’ve learned that Greece is much more diverse than this, with countless different landscapes, biomes, and places to explore. When entering Northern Greece, it feels like entering another country. At parts, the landscape is almost reminiscent of Oregon, with tall mountains stretching out of the sea, luscious oak and pine trees, and vast, open fields.

Also in Northern Greece: wild dogs. They will chase you… even if you are in a car!

One of my goals for this year was to explore as much of Greece as possible. I’ve loved traveling around other parts of Europe, but I also wanted to explore and attempt to understand more about this country I am calling home for the year. So, when surprised with a long weekend in December, myself and another Fulbrighter rented a car and hit the road to Thessaloniki.

Thessaloniki is a city known for its vibrant food scene. The self-proclaimed “Sweets City” lived up to its name. We tried two treats, both native to Thessaloniki: trigona and bougatsa. Both were incredible. The trigona had a texture similar to Baklava, but without the nuts. The name refers to its triangular shape, formed by a stack of thin, crunchy layers phyllo dough drenched in syrup and topped with a light vanilla cream. This treat was rich, but a definite must-have. The bougatsa might have been my favorite food from the city. There are many different variations of bougatsa, and we tried the sweet kind. It had light custard between thin, soft layers of phyllo dough, sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar. It was to die for!

The trigona was from a pastry shop called Trigona Elenidi, and the bougatsa was from a little bakery called Papageorgio Bakery. I still dream about the bougatsa.

Beyond the delicious sweet treats, Thessaloniki was a beautiful city. We only had one full day here, but we explored as much of the city as we could. Most notably, we saw the White Tower, a statue of Alexander the Great, and walked along the sea during the day, admiring the large war ships on display.

At sunset, we hiked up to the Triangle Tower, exploring Heptapyrgion of Thessaloniki, also known as The Fortress of Seven Towers, just after sunset. This experience was pure magic. The city boasted large, commanding castles and towers, making it feel very unlike what I had seen in Greece so far.

On a clear day, the city has an unobstructed view of Mt. Olympus. In the picture above, it’s right behind me!

Though Thessaloniki is accessible by train or bus, we enjoyed the flexibility of having a car. Early the next morning, we drove a little over an hour to the Pozar Baths, a beautiful haven of thermal baths and hot springs tucked away in the mountains of Northern Greece (almost to the border of North Macedonia!)

It was absolutely freezing when we went, but the water felt incredible. It was peaceful and quiet, and the landscape was stunning. I ended up wishing we had budgeted more time to explore the natural beauty of the area more, either within the town of Loutraki Pellas or in the mountains beyond.

Thessaloniki stole my heart. I would recommend it as a must-stop for anyone with a little extra time to spare in Greece. I hope to go back once more before I leave… fingers crossed!