Day 05 - Thessaloniki, Vergina & Edessa

Day 05 - 14 September 2016.

Vergina.

As today is my birthday, I decided that I wanted to do something very special. That special thing was to visit the tomb of Phillip II, father of Alexander the Great.
Well the gods favored me today. As I got to the bus stop at Egnetia Street in Thessaloniki, along came bus 31. When I got to the bus station, my bus to Veroia was leaving in 15 minutes time at 07:45. The ticket cost €7.40. The journey is 72km and lasts for 90 minutes. Free wifi on the bus! When we got to Veroia, the bus to Vergina was waiting. 5 minutes later we were on our way. A 20 minute ride for €2.00.
You get dropped off about 50 meters from the entrance. This was at about 09:30 and the next bus into town was at 12:45 which gave me ample time to wander around. €12.00 to get in, and there are about 6 other people there.
In ancient times, this was really a complex of 5 graves that were covered with earth to form an artificial hill - a tumulus. When the tombs were discovered, all the soil was removed from the fronts of the tombs and the interiors were cleared and catalogued. Only Phillips tomb was left untouched since antiquity, the rest have been robbed. During excavations, a number of tomb robber skeletons were found. Once the excavations were complete, a steel frame was built over the necropolis and covered with soil to simulate a tumulus. To view the tombs and treasures, you go into the tumulus. No photos & no video. All I can say is that it was magnificent. Phillips tomb had solid marble doors and the frescos and paintwork is still visible. So much gold! Pride of place is the solid gold casket with the 16 pointed sun that still contains his remains. It was really worth the entrance fee. There were so many treasures on display, one can't take it all in. One thing about the Greek museums is that they are so beautifully laid out.
Left there at 11:45 and then the long wait. Got back into town and bought my ticket to Edessa. It was only 13:15 and the bus was to leave at 15:15. I had 2 hours to spare, so I walked around the town. By this stage the temperature was 29°. I went to the Archaeological Museum which was a tiny air conditioned piece of heaven. Very small, but as always, interesting. Once again, I was the only person there. As I was leaving, a tour bus arrived. Had a gyro for lunch and went back to the bus station. The ticket cost €7.40 and the 40km journey lasted an hour.
Eventually got to Edessa. The idea was to walk around and view the waterfalls, have an early dinner and then take the 20:00 train back into Thessaloniki. It's a town that's perched on a mountain side with a whole lot of waterfalls.

I found the waterfalls and walked up stairs and down stairs. They were amazing and incredibly strong for that late in summer. I would love to see them after the rainy season. perhaps another time. Something about the heat and the humidity made me feel really sick so I took the 16:00 train back to Thessaloniki. It was full and unbearably hot. I sat in that train for an hour with the sweat pouring off me.
Got back to my hotel and had a lukewarm shower. I felt a lot better by about 8:00. I don't think that I was dehydrated, just overwrought from the absolute bustle of the past couple of days. Had a very
light supper and off to bed. A deflated ending to what started off as a wonderful day.

Veroia

Vergina

Vergina - The Royal Tombs

Edessa