Philippi, overlooking the coastal plain and the bay at Kavala, was founded in 356 BC by the energetic Macedonian dynast Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. He fortified the Thasian settlement called Crenides to control neighboring gold mines. He derived a fortune from the gold mines...
We visited Amphipolis archeological site, an ancient Greek city on the Strymon River, located about five kilometers from the Aegean Sea. It was a strategic transportation center, it controlled the bridge over the Strymon and the route from northern Greece to the Hellespont, including the...
After our pilgrimage, we continued to the north with an overnight stop at Sikia. It is located right next to the seashore of the Pagasitic Gulf on the colorful green peninsula of Pelion Mountain. There is a long sandy beach, but the sea is a bit dirty, probably because of the near river...
Cloaked by beautiful Mediterranean forest, the steep slopes of Mount Athos are punctuated by twenty imposing monasteries and their subsidiary establishments. Covering an area of just over 33000 hectares, the property includes the entire narrow rocky strip of the easternmost “finger” of...
We spent one day on the second “finger” of Chalkidiki in the Sithonia peninsula. Compared to the neighboring Kassandra peninsula, less inhabited Sithonia comprises a far larger area. It means infinite untouched landscapes defined by a large mountain in the center with lush greenery and...
The most popular holiday destination in North Greece is the Chalkidiki region famous for its white beaches. Its easily recognized because of its unique shape, it resembles three “fingers” that go into the sea – Kassandra, Sithonia, and Mt. Athos. Our first night we spent in...
After busy Thessaloniki, we took a rest at nearby sandy Potamos Beach, which is the gateway to the Thermaic Gulf and the Aegean Sea. As the prettiest beach near Thessaloniki, Potamos is particularly popular among city-dwellers during the weekends. It is situated on the open sea, so the...
Thessaloniki, formerly Salonika, lies on the western Chalkidikí peninsula at the head of a bay on the Gulf of Thérmai. The city was founded in 316 BCE and named for a sister of Alexander the Great and became the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. As a military and commercial...
We spent the whole day in the Olympus National Park, there is located Mount Olympus, the highest peak (2917 m) in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Gulf of Thérmai of the Aegean Sea. Olympus National Park hosts more than 1700 plant species, some rare and endemic, as well...
We were not sure, how to enter Olympus National Park with our truck, so we did pay a visit to the local office in Litochoro, where we got all the necessary information for our tomorrow’s exploration of the national park and mythic Mount Olympus. This little town stretches up the...