Oxi Day in Germany

This past Tuesday was Οχι Day: "Οχι" means "no" in Greek, and the holiday commemorates the day that the Greek prime minister said NO to Mussolini's ultimatum declaring an Italian occupation of Greece during World War II--and for once, Greece was actually successful. Because it was a national holiday, we got a four-day weekend off from school, and chose to celebrate it by...going to Germany. Who (for those unfamiliar with Greece's history) succeeded in a brutal occupation in Greece soon after Italy failed.

It seemed that Zeus was offended by our decision: the second we stepped out of the house on Friday night, eager to embark on our adventure, he threw down a blinding lightning strike, accompanied by deafening thunder and a torrential downpour. And some hail for good measure. After two minutes attempting to dash through this, we were forced to seek refuge in the school gym--by this time all of our clothes were soaked through and dripping.

And we had 24 hours of travel left--due to unfortunate circumstances (namely that flights were crazy-expensive from Athens this weekend because it was a national holiday) we had an impressive transportation marathon: bus to metro, change metro lines, overnight train to Thessaloniki (the second largest Greek city, up north), then a bus to the airport, plane to Frankfurt, train to another train to Heidelberg, and then a bus to the hostel. Phew! I admit that when I was standing there in the gym, drenched and shivering, with all of that ahead of me, I started to question my sanity and reasoning when I booked this trip...

Zeus must have been satisfied at this point, and we didn't get rained on again the entire rest of the trip. Trudging towards the metro stop in our soaked clothing, we decided to stop at a little taverna--wand what a great decision that was!

The most beautifully plated dakos (a salad with a hard, dark bread crouton that is softened a little by olive oil, spread with a creamy feta cheese, topped with tomato, capers, and olives, and sprinkled with parsley and oregano)

fried zucchini balls 

crispy fried cheese saganaki

Sausage stewed with peppers, onions, and tomatoes--and meatballs in a rich tomato sauce

The high from the food lasted only until we reached the train station--and the low point of the journey. I spent a very long hour shivering, cold and wet, in the depressing "waiting room":

This was literally the entire train station; considering that Athens is the largest city in Greece and holds a third of the country's population, I was shocked at how pathetic it was.

Thank goodness it was warm on the train--even if some old Greek yia yias (grandmas) chattered all through the night and the lights remained on full intensity

By the time we got to Thessaloniki at 6:30AM I was somewhat drier and happier. Thessaloniki proved to be quite lovely, and we got to spend a very nice morning there, walking around and cafe-hopping.

The Beard Papa's of Greece...glazed flaky filo triangles filled with luscious vanilla pastry cream

A nice hour at a tea shop--perfect for the wet and cold weather

And then we were on a plane to Germany! Somebody had vomited on the airplane seat behind me on the flight before mine and the cleaning crew didn't clean it up very well, making it a somewhat miserable and thoroughly disgusting flight--but hey, I made it. 

We landed in Frankfurt, took a train, took another train, and before we knew it we were in Heidelberg! And just another bus ride and we were at the hostel, which was perfect--everything you imagine a hostel should be, complete with a guitar!!

And as soon as I saw this

I knew it was all worth it

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The food:

Night one: a rich venison stew with cranberry sauce and spaetzle and braised cabbage, brautwurst with saurkraut and mashed potatoes (and some Hefeweizen, brewed in-house)

        

Night two: Schnitzelhaus (yes, that says "More than 100 different varieties"!!). We went for the schnitzel with apples, camembert, cranberry sauce, and gravy, and the schnitzel with bacon, onions, and fried eggs. Accompanied by some good ole french fries

Lunch out: fantastic flatbread with creme fraiche, pepperoni, jalapenos and peppers; brauts with oven-roasted potatoes and saurkraut; mozzarella, tomato, and basil spaetzle

And the last night (forgot pictures, unfortunately): pretzels, "beer cheese", schnitzel with a musrhoom spaetzle that tasted deliciously like stroganoff, chicken wings, and more brauts. I will say that, while I loved every meal, I had had my fill of German food by the end of the trip! Not the most varied cuisine out there.

Also got some very delicious hot chili chocolate: it came as a block of chocolate on a spoon, accompanied by hot frothy milk in which you melted the chocolate.

Aside from the food (and amazing beer, which is legitimately cheaper than water) there was the castle:

 (microbrewed beer, 3-euro liter-to-go)







The quaint and beautiful old town

 

The first fall I've seen in nine years

 They were collecting leaves.

(Went on a lovely hike up to an amphitheater used for Nazi propaganda events)

I also had the pleasure of reconnecting with two Pomona friends: Jen, who is on a Fulbright research fellowship in Germany

And Casey (a friend from two old worlds, Pomona and Bloomington), who is studying abroad in Germany this semester

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The reverse-travel went by much more quickly; we had just enough time for a late lunch in Thessaloniki before catching our train, and it ended up being one of the best meals I've had in Greece! A very nice welcome home.

Grilled fresh octopus; veal and grilled eggplant, roasted together in the oven; shrimp saganaki in a sizzling tomato sauce and sprinkled with feta; seafood risotto (and the most delicious homemade rolls fresh from the oven