Week 7 in Bansko started with a road trip to Thessaloniki, Greece for me and a few other moms. We spent two days walking along the water and eating delicious food. It was nice to get away from Bansko and warm up for a few days.
Thessaloniki, Greece is just a three-hour drive south of Bansko. It is the second largest city in Greece after Athens. The history of Thessaloniki spans more than 2,000 years. The city was founded by the Macedonian king Cassander in 315 BC and is after his wife, Thessaloniki, who was the half-sister of Alexander the Great. The city has been under the rule of the Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, and Greeks throughout its history, and each of these civilizations has left its mark on the city’s architecture and culture.
One of the must-see attractions in Thessaloniki is the White Tower. It was built as part of the city’s fortifications in the 15th century. It has since been used as a prison, a fortress, and a museum. The tower offers stunning views of the city and the sea, and it is a great place to learn about the city’s history.
Michael, Lucas, and Henry continued skiing this week. The slopes continued to be excessively crowded because of holiday travelers. Luckily, Michael, Lucas, and Henry have fast passes to get up the gondola because the line can take over 3 hours on the most crowded days. The infrastructure at the Bansko ski resort is overburdened. The crowds should die down next week.
Henry was supposed to ice skate this week, but the weather was too warm. The boys opted for a snowball fight at the base of the mountain. Lucas and Henry played soccer every day. Lucas, Henry and Michael went back to the hot springs. They said it was too hot because it was so warm outside.
Henry worked with his friends on a dance routine this week that he performed for all the parents at the hub. Lucas was an imposter in a game of Among Us. He killed Michael after giving him a hug — brutal.
Michael organized another roundtable with the parents about the worst and best travel experiences. We also volunteered again at Bansko Street Dogs.
It is wonderful having our friends Jill and Declan here for the third session of Worldschool Bansko. We are exploring more of Bansko with her since we rented a car for the last month. We drove up the ski mountain looking for a hike and ended up wondering in the snow-covered woods for 30 minutes and then getting hot-chocolate.
We hope for cooler weather and a little more snow before we leave. We will see what we get.
