When my boyfriend came for another visit, I picked him up with a car from Thessaloniki airport and drove to out hotel in the county of Edessa, Kerasia Chalet. The drive was long and the only thing we did after arriving was go to the shop to buy dinner.
On the next day we drove to a city called Edessa. We parked the car and went to explore.
When checking things to see in Edessa, there was not much to do. One sight to see was the waterfall which is the symbol of the city. Edessa is also called the city of waterfalls. When we came out of the car, we could already hear the strong waters flowing.
Then we drove down to the ancient Edessa, the modern city was built on the cliffs. According to some ancient writers, when Edessa was establised it became the first capital of ancient Macedon.
On the 2nd day I took Flo to Loutra Pozar where are in- and outdoor hot springs. The ticket to go in the hot spring cost 2 €. That ticket was just for one pool and you would need to pay again to go to another bath. In total there were 3 hot springs and a public pool. We left our stuff somewhere and kept an eye on them. They had lockers but some were taken, some did not have keys. Flo was not much of a fan of the hot springs as there were many loud people but I did not care much as it was my first hot springs so I was excited. The water could have been warmer for my taste but oh well can't change it. The thermal water helps in healing arthritis, rheumatism, muscle aches, back pain and much much more. In the bath we were in there was a small cold stream above and a waterfall next to the spring. Some people went under the waterfall and stayed for a long time. When I went in I was struggling to even touch the fall as the river touching my feet was so bloody cold I did not crave to go under the waterfall. Or at least it felt super cold after the hot spring bath. After the hot (warm) spring we went to change out clothes and to the restaurant on the premises.
On the 3rd day we drove to lake Vegoritida which was a bit complicated. I Google'd how to get there and we were supposed to arrive to the lake from the East side. We arrived to one field without proper roads and uncut hay were we needed to cross a small hill. We drove a bit and at some point Flo said he will not drive any further as we might get stuck going up. We turned around and Google'd another way. That way also did not work as that was some village and Maps directed us to a private property. Then I found another way from the West side of the lake which finally took us to there. It took us soo much longer than expected. Normally it would have taken us 40 minutes from out hotel but we took around 1,5 h to arrive from the West side. Google Maps in Greece can show some weird roads which are not drivable at all and that was not the only situation we had in Greece with Maps. In other countries I have not had any problems with Maps, but they have been more civilized countries too. Does not seem that the route from our hotel to the lake is that popular, that might be the reason of Maps fcking up.
When we arrived to the lake from the West side we discovered there was nothing to see nor do. Did not expect much as when Google'ing places to see around the area, there were not many options. We saw the lamp posts inside the water which was pretty cool. But that was it from the lake Vegoritida.
After the lake Vegoritida we drove to Florina. We parked our car and walked around. Flo was not that happy about my choice to go there as there was also nothing to do. We found a gyros place and that gyros was the best I ever had. The meat was a bit burned like I like it. So the trip was worth it to me because of that. Even though I am not saying we will go back there just for the gyros. Then we drove around, trying to find a open shop as it was Sunday, but we did not. We only found a small kiosk where we got some snacks. I am really not used to shops not being open on Sundays or after 18 nor think I will never be. We drove back with the snacks to our hotel.
The roads to the hotel weren't for my liking. They were steep and serpentine. But there was no other way there.
In the morning on the way to Thessaloniki, we stopped at Vergina. A small town which had a very nice museum - Archaeological Site of Aigai. Everything inside was dark to preserve the historical monuments and other found valuables. Taking pictures was not allowed and now I can't believe I actually followed that rule. The museum was very interesting and had many historical monuments, columns, swords, shields, jewelry and other found items. The main treasure of the museum was the tomb of Philip II (tomb II), father of Alexander the Great, and Alexander IV (tomb III), son of Alexander the Great. The tombs were opened in 1977 and 4 tombs were found, 2 of which had never been disturbed since antiquity. Both of the tombs were filled with treasures, weapons, gold and jewelry. There has been many debates if it is actually Philip II and was he actually buried in tomb II or tomb I but the latest information seems to say it is correct. In the tomb II was found another chest with bones of a woman. This is believed as Philip's wife, Meda, who sacrificed herself at the funeral, as the tradition portrayed. When you click at the Wikipedia page about Vergina, you can see some pictures of how the museum and the tomb looks like and what was found there.
That was it for Edessa, Loutra Pozar, lake Vegoritida, Florina and Kerasia Chalet.
23-25.011.2018
