We continued on Sunday to the battle site of Thermopylai and the Neolithic settlement at Dimini. We drove through beautiful snow-covered mountains from Delphi. From the distant ground, such as at the monuments of Delphi, it appeared as if only the tips of the distant mountains were snow-covered. However, driving through them, there were long stretches of deep, beautiful snow. Thermopylai is named for the hot springs there, and we saw the steaming water – a huge contrast to the cold weather we were experiencing. We saw two monuments at Thermopylai commemorating the famous battle where the Persians killed a front of 300 Spartans.
We spent Sunday night in Makrynitsa, an adorable tiny town in Greece. Dr. Krentz told us that we needed to pack a small bag for the night because we could not take our suitcases into the hotel. When we arrived in Makrynitsa, the reasons were clear. The town streets are narrow, stone and uneven, and the bus would not have been able to fit through the town. Our hotel was well into the town and atop a narrow uphill stone street/path. Then the hotel itself was probably the most old-fashioned hotel I have ever seen. We called it a hobbit house since everything was miniature – the doors tiny and the ceilings low. The rooms themselves were interesting, and this was the first place where we actually had to share beds. (Going on the trip, I expected to share beds the entire time, but we have always had twin beds except for in Makrynitsa). Our showers also did not have shower curtains (and neither did our next hotel in Thessaloniki).
In addition to appreciating our hotel in Makrynitsa, we all fell in love with the town. It was quaint and authentic, and it had wonderful little shops and a total of two restaurants. We saw several spice shops, and in one of the street spice stores Louisa and I saw a special spice named Louisa. Though spending only one night in Makrynitsa was tiring and involved extra travel and complicated logistics, Dr. Krentz was right. The town was so cool that we were all so glad to be able to spend only one night there.
I'm really enjoying the education and the experiences. I've heard about Delphi and Thermopylai and their importance in history, but I've never been to any of these places. I've never heard of Makrynitsa, but that sounds like a terrific spot. Good to hear that there's been no more seasickness.
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