24th August - Thievery in Thessaloniki

So, after yesterday returning to Thessaloniki 11 hours after I left the day before, I had researched a way to get to Albania. There was an overnight bus leaving today at 8pm and damn the expense of €32, I had been nearly a week in one place and felt the urge to get going. On the way to the bus station, I had decided to meet with John (a rather unlikely name for a Greek) a CSing host who I had communicated with prior to my arrival in Thessaloniki. So, we met up for a an excellent 'Greek' coffee (its a Turkish coffee, but due to tensions between the 2 countries you have to call it a Greek coffee in Greece. Damn Greeks) and had a good old chat. We covered quite a diverse range of subjects, as he was a good conversationalist. He was what is know as a Pontian Greek , a interesting group of Greeks that experienced a forced Diaspora due to a massacre buy the Turks 100 years ago. Check out the hyperlink for the history lesson. Actually, my host is also a Pontian Greek. There is also a Pontian Greek community, not very large. I am rather surprised that there is any Pontian Greeks in Thessaloniki at all, as it is the birthplace of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk , who gave the order for massacre of the Pontian Greeks. Actually, he is responsible for much more than that, but I don’t have the space for the many things he did here. The reason I am surprised (after all, it was 100 years ago) is that the Pontians act like it was yesterday. Anyway, we had a great chat and I was sorry that I didn’t have more time to spend with him.

So, I hoped on a bus to go to the main bus station, in order to buy my ticket. I was just standing on the bus, near the door. Some random dude got on, but of course I paid him no attention whatsoever, other than to notice he was carrying a newspaper. Bumpy roads which weren't effectively compensated for by the suspension, meant that I paid no attention to a bump on my leg, figuring that I just bumped someone or something. However, not too long after the first bump on my leg, I noticed another. This time i wondered what had happened and looked down at my thigh. WTF? What should I see but the hand of the newspaper guys, in my pocket trying to get my wallet. FUCKING THIEF! I decided that I should remonstrate with this man and clearly and succinctly communicate to him my feelings on the matter. Perhaps I was too succinct? No, on second thoughts, I believe the words "What the fuck are you doing?! Are you fucking right?! Get the fuck off this bus, you fucking thief! FUCK OFF!' communicated just the right mix of feelings, my thoughts on his actions and a suggested future action. So, after this interesting interlude, I arrived at the main bus station. After waiting, I proceeded to the ticket counter to purchase a ticket. "What’s that, you need my passport?" I said, clearly unprepared for this technicality. Maybe you hoity toity European types knew that a passport is required for booking a seat on a inter country bus, but not me. Damn it! So, I reserved a seat, returned to the apartment say my goodbyes and hopped on the bus to Albania....