Stopped in Larissa heading south.  The train passes the mountains that include Mount Olympus, here through a very dirty train window.  I think the ancient sacred mountain is actually on the other side of these out of view.

 

 

 

 

Not many tourists come to Larissa.  I am told that when it comes to Greece the islands are everything.  Still, I like to go to real places off of the tourist circuit as well as the main attractions.  And I’m glad I stopped here. Larissa is a lively and funky town. Had really good hotel rooms, which always makes a place seem better.  Right on the ancient center, as this view from my balcony shows.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

This theater was used for about 400 years before being made unusable by an earthquake. It looks like some restoration work is in progress.

 

 

 

 

 

But I like Larissa for what it is today.  With less than 200,000 people it is a very manageable size. Almost all of the downtown is pedestrian friendly, and it is busy through the day. There are many many bars and restaurants and coffee houses mingled in with the shopping. I do not even have to squint to think I might be on the left bank in Paris 30 years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My first impression walking around in the morning after I arrived was that there is no way this town could ever fill all of the available seats. The answer is that everyone of every age and dress and orientation or whatever comes out for some time during the day and into who knows when in the night.  For coffee and cigarettes, drinks and cigarettes, meals at all times.

The shops, strangely, are only open between 9 and 2PM, and then two evenings a week between 6 and 8:30.  And there is a lot here.  Upscale shopping. Specialty shops for bread, meats, cheeses, pastries, cookies, flowers etc. Markets and hardware and household shops for everyday living. And old fashioned shops we no longer see, like tailors, key shops, repair shops.

As you would expect the food and wines are good. 

 

 

 

 

 

There is some good walking along the river.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the kind of town I could spend a lot of time in.

 

 

 

 

 

Except that this one in particular is very far away.  And there is not much English. None on my hotel TV.  And I think I would get tired of the smoking and the horrific graffiti.

No, I have my train ticket down to Athens, my last stop on this fall tour.