Thessaloniki, Greece, June 2021
From Meteora, we drove eastwards towards the ancient city of Thessaloniki, where we planned to spend a few days. We decided to stop on the way for a coffee and stretch break, and we stopped at a town called Kozani. Upon researching this, we discovered that this was the saffron capital of Greece, where they produce saffron. We tried to find a saffron production facility to visit, but they were all closed as this was not the season. So, after a coffee break and buying some saffron, we drove to Thessaloniki.
A little about Thessaloniki from Wikipedia; it is the 2nd largest city in Greece, located on the NW corner of the Aegean Sea, and is a major port. The city was founded in 315 BC by Cassander of Macedon, who named it after his wife Thessalonike, daughter of Philip II of Macedon and sister of Alexander the Great. Cassander was king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia from 305 BC until 297 BC, and de facto ruler of southern Greece from 317 BC until his death. An important metropolis by the Roman period, Thessaloniki was the second largest and wealthiest city of the Byzantine Empire. It was conquered by the Ottomans in 1430 and remained an important seaport and multi-ethnic metropolis during the nearly five centuries of Turkish rule. From the 16th to the 20th century it was the only Jewish-majority city in Europe, after 20,000 Sephardic Jews immigrated to Greece from the Iberian Peninsula following their expulsion from Spain by the 1492 Alhambra Decree, It passed from the Ottoman Empire to the Kingdom of Greece on 8 November 1912. Thessaloniki exhibits Byzantine architecture, including numerous Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments, a World Heritage Site, and several Roman, Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures.
We had booked to stay at a boutique hotel, the Pillow Urban Stay, which was located right in the central part of the old city. But the roads were narrow here, many one way, and parking was difficult to find. But we managed without getting a ticket 🙂 . Below are some images of Thessaloniki.
Within the busy downtown area, you can find ancient structures; the Rotunda is a massive circular structure built by the 4th-century Roman emperor Galerius; it was used as a polytheist temple (Romans), a Christian Basilica (Byzantines), a Muslim Mosque (Ottomans), and again a Christian church (after Greek Independence). Today, it is a simple Museum.
Views from the castle of Thessaloniki
We decided to drive further east to check out the “3 Fingers” area of Greece, which is in the Halkidiki area. There are 3 finger peninsulas (called Kassandra, Sithonia, & Mount Athos; from west to east). This area is supposed to have nice beaches and a lot of Balkans supposedly vacation here. We drove to Halkidiki and first stop was at a Texas old west saloon, the Crazy Horse Saloon 🙂 . Inside, it did look exactly like an old western saloon, Imagine running into a Texas western saloon in this remote part of Greece 🙂 .
We stayed at the Panorama Dream Studios A, a nice apartment in Vourvourou town in the Sithonia peninsula with a great view of the ocean, and drove around the Sithonia peninsula. Sithonia is the least developed part of Halkidiki which is why we came here; some views below from this area
After a couple of days here, we drove back to Thessaloniki and then to Mount Olympus, Volos and back to Athens
The 5 senses; how did we feel? Another feast for the eyes with lots of history, ancient architecture and visible signs of multiple cultures that have occupied this area at different times. Also, beautiful waterscapes along the sea, and countryside in Halkidiki and Sithonia peninsula. This area of Greece is not part of the mass tourism sites that Greece experiences (Athens, Santorini, Mykonos etc) and so it was very nice to not be in a place over-run by tourists and to be able to meet and communicate with locals who either spoke little English or none at all. Foods were always fresh; whether it was seafood from the sea nearby; or vegetables from the multiple local farms and markets nearby (vs superstores). A nice and relaxing environment.
Mount Olympus & Volos next
Our trip so far
Excellent Views
Thanks
Thanks Amir & Roshan
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