A fun fact about my dad is that his Doctor title comes from studying veterinary medicine in Greece. He graduated in 1972 (during the junta) and hasn’t been back since, until this year. For his 75th birthday, I decided to treat him to a trip to Greece, primarily in Thessaloniki (where he went to school) and Lesvos.
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Choosing the island
Anyone doing research on Greece knows there are many, many options to choose from when visiting the Greek islands. Knowing that my father likes beaches, olive oil, and ouzo, I decided on Lesvos. I got a few weird looks about that choice, but to clarify this was not a coming out trip. I’m content with my choice, but I do wish I took into account the time of year (late May) when thinking about beaches and whether the water would be tolerable (spoiler alert: it was not for me.)
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Arrival in Athens
The last time I saw my father, I was dropping him off at the airport in St Louis. It’s only fitting that we meet again at the airport. After a panicked search for him in arrivals at 6 AM (when we both landed), we made our way to a budget hotel by the train station. There we rested until our only activity in Athens: a food tour. Food is one of my favorite parts of travel, and my two favorite ways to experience it are cooking classes and food tours.
The food tour was delicious and delightful except for one man’s attempt at pickpocketing my dad’s phone. Thank god for the British woman that shouted “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?” when she noticed what was happening. That properly woke me up after a red-eye and groggy morning. The amount of food threatened to put me right back to sleep though. Note that Athens has excellent food and skilled thieves.
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Train to Thessaloniki
Around 7am we made the 5 minute walk to the train station and dropped off my dad’s checked bag. The station also had a cafe where we grabbed the quickest of breakfasts. Trains continue to be my favorite method of travel: it’s environmentally friendly, relatively quick, more spacious than a plane, and has little to no restrictions on baggage (other than what you can carry.) I hoped part of the train would go by the sea, but no luck. Still, the Grecian countryside is pretty and perfect to space out on.
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The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Once we arrived, we pretty much chilled at the apartment and walked to the university my dad attended. We located the school of animal medicine and made a note to return the next morning. We had no plans except a(nother) food tour that I had booked for 11 am.
My expectations were non-existent for the school, but I ended up awestruck. My dad knocked on a door and started speaking in Greek asking about professors that have long passed. No matter, the receptionist led us to the department of epidemiology and virology (my dad’s former area of study) and the head of the department gave us a personal tour of the school and its labs. These areas are normally inaccessible to the public, so I was hype—even though it was a pretty standard lab. There was even a comparison picture of the labs in the 60s vs now, providing even more insight into my dad’s past.
I was shocked when we walked into a live lecture, and even more shocked when my dad started talking to the class. My dad is not a social man, but here he was talking to a class of 50 students in a language I’d never heard him speak before this trip. Afterwards, we were led to the dean of the entire school, who could not have been more excited to see a “treasure of the past” (his words, though I agree.) He was actually teary-eyed as he, the department head, and my dad reflected on the school and his life since he left.
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Quick blast to the past
After 50 years and the fall of a military regime, there was a lot to discuss. My dad was 23—younger than me—the last time he set foot on the campus. He’s had multiple careers, a wife, children, grand children, and an additional degree since then. His professors were among the first to teach at the school, and he was one of the first 1000 students to graduate. It was all a poignant reminder of how no man steps in the same river twice.
My dad was one of 9 Ethiopians that came to study at the school in 1966. They had a year of Greek lessons before being thrust into a scientific program. The deans managed to find a copy of my dad’s records, and the head dean made sure to inform me that my dad is a brilliant man. He then presented my dad with a copy alongside a new copy of his diploma. I never thought I’d see my dad graduate, yet there we were! The dean made our day and we in turn made his. I honestly have never seen a dean hand someone a diploma so proudly.
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Formally touring Makedonia
Though we probably could’ve spent an entire day at the university, we had to move to yet another food tour. We were pleasantly surprised that our tour had none of the foods from the first food tour and no other people! Clearly my dad was meant to get the VIP treatment when he returned to Thessaloniki. This tour was both sunnier and easier to navigate too, since Thessaloniki is much smaller than the Greek capital.
For our last full day, I decided to do a full-day tour. My final two choices were a cruise and a trip to northern Makedonia for thermal baths and a waterfall. I chose the latter, and I think we would’ve been happy either way. The baths were great for my skin and muscles, and they justified bringing my swimsuit on this trip.
The trip concluded in the lovely village of Edessa with its gorgeous waterfall. We were also able to walk behind the falls, and there’s nothing I love more than a different perspective. Before I started planning for this trip, I never thought of Greece as a Balkan country. As we neared the border to North Macedonia, I understood. Borders are artificial—at least in the sense that people and cultures exist in a continuous spectrum as you traverse land.
Our last morning brought us to the top of the White Tower, which was indeed a tower. Not much to say about that. If you’re already in Thessaloniki, why not.
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Visiting the land of Lesbians
A beautiful afternoon flight brought us to the island of Lesbos. The island outside the capital is pretty quaint, and in general felt open and relaxed. Admittedly this could also be because we visited during the lull between the bird watchers and the summer high season. The mosquitoes unfortunately did not receive the memo and came out in full force.
The first part of our tour was go go go, so I purposely left our island schedule open and flexible. The Aegean hadn’t quite warmed up, so we ended up spending less time at the beach than I hoped. I also hate sand and watched a wave kick my dad’s ass, so I was less than keen on returning. The food was legitimately some of the best I’ve had, and we got free desserts almost every night in Kalloni Bay.
A day of rain caused us to spend the day indoors at the (partially covered) Museum of Industrial Olive Oil Production and the World of Ouzo. The former was okay, and the latter was surprisingly interesting! In addition to an ouzo tasting, we were treated to a tour and history of the best ouzo in the world.
We had originally planned on seeing the petrified forests of Lesbos, but on the way Google maps started glitching because (I think) the roads were too new. It said I was essentially off-roading at 100 km/hr. I was a bit nervous, especially as this was my first time driving outside the US. My dad got properly spooked and demanded we turn around. No matter, a chill last day and walk along the bay was more than enough for us.
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Adios in Athens
An early morning flight brought us to Athens, where we stayed near the Acropolis. A chill day apart meant we simply wandered the city and went to what called out to us. Our final Grecian dinner took place on the hotel rooftop, which was a bit loud with the pop (unfortunately English) music.
Our last activity in Athens was an Acropolis tour. The Acropolis was filled with voices and wind, so I was happy to have the headphones with the guides voice—though I’ll admit it was a bit funny to hear her conversations with various participants.
I once joked to my dad that I didn’t need to go to Greece because I had been to Turkey and Italy, and they average out to Greece. It may be an oversimplification, but I stand by that judgement, even after visiting Greece. It was cool though! 10/10 would return again, if anything for the salad.
