Oct. 17, 2024-Thessaloniki

Horowitz Travel Oct. 17, 2024-Thessaloniki I’ll get right to it. David took a spill today. He’s ok but embarrassed. His good leg gave out on him while he was trying to keep up with the group. He has a sore ankle that we’re icing. Since there was a rigorous climb down steps coming up, the guide, Angelos, suggested we go back to the hotel in a cab. We agreed. Ended up walking to a nearby restaurant for lunch and resting until dinner. And the day started out so well! We met our fellow travelers who now number 14. Six of them were scheduled on a trip to Ethiopia that was cancelled so they ended up choosing this trip. David is no longer the only man. We have a 40 passenger bus which is always nice. Our first stop was the Statue of Alexander the Great on his beloved horse, Bucephalus. We have a photo of it from when we were here years ago. We then drove to the Byzantine Museum to gaze at original remnants of that era which ended when the Ottoman Empire came to power. Northern Greece is still considered Macedonia. Northern Macedonia is an entirely different country. The main timeline of the area is that after Philip was murdered, Alexander became king at age 20. Unlike his father, Alexander was a formidable warrior and tactician. He completed his father’s dream of conquering the Persian Empire but died at age 33, His 4 generals divided the kingdom among themselves until the Romans rained on their parade. Ptolemy was the most noted of the generals. He ended up with Egypt and the Ptolemaic Empire lasted through Cleopatra. After the Romans came the Byzantines, Ottomans, and the Greek royals in 1912. Jews started coming in great numbers during the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal. At its height, the Jewish community numbered 68,000. There are now a thousand and two synagogues. The verdict is in. We’re making arrangements through the tour company to come home. We met with the guide to discuss our options. We thought David could stay on the bus or in a cafe while we toured but even getting to some hotels is a challenge. One in particular has a 20 minute walk from the bus parking lot uphill to the hotel then up 20 steps into the hotel. We don’t know if his ankle is broken and decided not to go to the hospital to find out. We wouldn’t have it treated here anyway. He’ll get an X-ray when we get home. Toby