Day 24 - (Travelling to) Santa Margherita Ligure
Leaving Greece
Today was a travel day, returning to my base after my wonderful Greek adventure. Fortunately, this travel day passed without incident. The airport was reasonably quiet so security check in was quick, the plane left on time, I made connections in Bergamo without difficulty, and the train ride home from Milano C.Le was smooth.
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On arrival at SML I was shepherded down a different route from the station as the street leading down to the town from the station was cordoned off. I walked straight down to the harbour and then back up through the plaza and directly along Corso Matteotti. Many street entrances were cordoned off, with men standing guard accompanied in a few spots by police officers. I asked one group what was going on. Apparently, they were shooting a movie. One of the fellows said “Hollywood!” but I’m thinking it might have only been a local production. Anyway, I couldn’t see any cameras, actors, or crew from any of the street entrances and was more interested in getting home than gawking at film production.
I have really enjoyed my trip to Thessaloniki (Greece). I lucked out with my AirBNB choice and so was able to stay really centrally, which made exploring the place much easier. Acknowledging that I’m not a huge fan of the typical style of European cities (boxy buildings, crammed together, along busy, narrow streets), Thessaloniki felt more relaxed than, say, Marseilles or Monaco, or even Innsbruck. And the history there is overwhelming to me. I would certainly visit again, but there’s much more of Greece to visit too, and I know that would be as much fun.
My visit to Thessaloniki has also reinforced some European stereotypes that I’ve been developing. Here’s a little list. None of this is supposed to sound prejudicial or critical. I’m just noting the things that I find unusual or strange, which probably says more about me than about the things I see.
- Road Rules
- Helmut laws for bikes, scooters, and other personal mobility devices are either not in place or simply not complied with. You almost never see someone on a bike wearing a helmut, ditto for the e-scooters that are everywhere, and probably only at most 50% of the time on motor scooters. And the traffic can be pretty chaotic in the town centres and on old lanes and roads.
- Smoking
- A very high proportion of Europeans smoke (or vape) and there don’t appear to be many rules against it. Public places (e.g. airports, train stations, etc) tend to have designated smoking areas, but otherwise, it’s a free-for-all. I still find it disturbing to have people near me in a restaurant smoking, even though, back in the day when I was a smoker, I used to think nothing of it.
- Small business
- In all the towns and cities that I’ve visited so far, the streets are lined with micro-businesses. Sometimes literally, hole-in-the-wall businesses that have a (relatively) limited range of goods and are typically staffed by the owner. More than half of them are cafes/bars with maybe three or four tables inside and another half-dozen on the street outside. Physically, these businesses are a product of the urban infrastructure in which they exist (lots of buildings crammed together on narrow streets). The lively marketplace feel that it gives to the cities is really great. I would love to be able to bring that vibe back home. It’s a sharp contrast to the sterility of Westfield shopping malls.
I have no big plans for the next few days. I might venture out for day trips to Milan, or Turin, or Cinque Terra. Consequently, I might not post each day. We’ll see.
| Daily facts: Location: Various in transit; SML Temp: 16-19 Weather: Overcast, then sunny |
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