by Olesya Ilinskaya, Moscow, Russian Federation
EERco Volunteer, MACs AUTUMN Project, EVS e+| Alexandreia, GR
Small town that located between highland Veria and noisy Thessaloniki, called Alexandreia, contain about twenty thousand inhabitants. Here you may find anything you want for calm and comfortable life: supermarkets, schools, hospital, shops, evening classes for children and adults, such as dances, martial arts, english classes, music school, etc. There are quite streets almost without cars and pedestrians at all, but the main street is always crowded. Night life could not be called active, but there are some bars where you could go to hang out with your friends. If you want to buy fresh fruits or even fish you could find them on Saturday in open market area. Alexandriea is surrounded by huge fields of cotton, which separate town from the mountains. Also in Alexandriea there are three churches, the beauty of which does not inferior to the churches in big cities.
This were just standard words about city, what else? Okay.
- Most of the streets here are one-way. That is why sometimes to get from one point to another is more easy to walk rather then drive. But locals mostly neglect walking, even if you need just 15 minutes to cross whole town.
- Hospital is free for everybody. If you have a pain in your leg you could visit doctor and do x-ray without payment at all.
- Cotton is everywhere: in trucks, on roads, on you…
- Locals adore coffee, especially the cold one. Two cups of coffee are necessary for having energy the whole day.
- Children here know english very well. A boy who is nearly 10 years old translated whole music lesson in music school <Minor>.
- Here is a good standard of living. Old people are very active: they participate in traditional dances and do sports.
- Public services are slow. We are waiting for an electrician for two and a half week.
- Alexandreia is a small city, honestly. But even here you could find traditional Greek festivals. On 7th of October here was the Festival of PITA. Guests of the festival watched a theatrical performance, were included in folk dances with life music arranged by the orchestra and also received a lot of treats: traditional puffs with cheese, cheese, spinach and cheese.
So, that is all I wanted to say you about Alexandriea. Come and see!