5TH. JANUARY 2011 HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 AND GREEK ODYSSEY!
Our New Year's Eve get-together with our Maltese friends was enjoyed by all. Prayer reflected letting-go of 2010 and our hopes for 2011. Ou "cuppa" began with a lighting Irish Plum Pudding helped with a good dash of Skenderbeau whiskey!! David arived with walnut-stuffed dates and jam tarts. So, we went, well fortified, to herald in 2011!! The Cathedral Bells could hardly be heard with the great volume of fireworks, but the event was captured very nicely for Facebook.
On New Year's Day we had Mass, courtesy of a Slovakian Franciscan. Afterwards, our TV was in excellent form for the Viennese Concert. We enjoyed it for more than an hour. As always, a real traditional treat.
Our Greek odyssey yesterday was good. Thessaloniki is an imposing, beautiful city, with a long waterfront ferry access and a good shopping area. We ate in a small restaurant, unaware it was round the corner from the Courts of Justice! I asked directions to the Catholic Cathedral and we got much LEGAL advice as the diners, who had come with their briefcases, helped out the owner!!! Obviously, the court had a little recess! Our only disappointment was that the Cathedral - a very fine building indeed, was closed. We had hoped to get a letter of invitation for Sister Amira, in order to facilitate her getting a travel visa.
In the late afternoon, we went to the airport, a few miles outside the city, but listed as Macedonia. It's a lovely airport and very busy. I noted flights to Rome, Munich, Athens, Larnaca and Crete listed for the evening. Obviously, flights to Frankfurt and those to London are earlier in the day. According to a taxi-driver, and our friend Kliti, this airport is two and a half hours from Korce. The highway is excellent, but with two Border frontiers and two tolls, I consider that is an over-optimistic timescale. There is a fine Ring Road that eliminates the need to go near the city. We had very little delay yesterday and we passed exits to two other airports on our journey.
Again, I pray 2011 will be a year of many blessings for each one of you.
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