Blogs from Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece, Europe

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Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki » Vrasna May 14th 2023

The second largest city in Greece is Thessaloniki, in the far north. It is known for its fabulous food, rich cultural heritage, and beautiful scenery. It is a year round destination, known for its youthful energy, ancient archaeological sites, and bustling port. Also known as Salonika, or Saloniki, is home to some of the greatest musicians, poets, thinkers, and artists. First, let's start each morning with some bougatsa, flaky layers of filo pastry, with warm custard filling, then topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar. The recipes at each bakery are a deep, family secret. But best of all, a cup of strong Greek coffee goes perfectly each morning. But don't stop at breakfast. The restaurants here are known for their creative street food, as well as fine dining. The flavors are bold, and pair perfectly with ... read more
Red, white and blue
Thessaloniki at night

Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki September 11th 2022

The eyes of the hare are not the same as the eyes of the owl… ~ Greek Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling north from Athens to Thessaloniki– by train. Having checked out of Hotel Attalos earlier in the day, we caught a taxi to Larissis Station in the mid-afternoon, made our way to the open-air platform and waited for our train to arrive. The platform soon began to fill with people, and by the time our train pulled into the station, there was a rush to board. Once we found our carriage, we settled into the less than comfortable seats and waited for the air conditioning to kick in – which unfortunately it didn’t. We pulled out of Larissis Station at 3:30pm, and we were due to arrive in Thessaloniki around 7:30pm. It wasn’t ... read more
larissis station
trio of dips
grilled eggplant

Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki July 2nd 2018

Spectacular concert. What a memorable evening of music led by Emily Ellsworth with Anima,, Sarasota, and two Greek choirs. Sharing the stage, making music together is powerful. The house was packed. The audience included a group of kids from Village Philyros. What a wonderful reunion afterwards. We started our day at the pool with swimming and a a Greek pizza party. Oh what a day we have had. Packing and bed.in progress. ... read more

Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki July 1st 2018

It was quite a day visiting the Children's Village of Philyros. We learned about the orphanage and sang a fun song for them. Then we found a common song- everyone knows "if you're happy and you know it , clap your hands". We all then put a fresh coat of paint on the playground equipment. Lots of red, blue, and yellow paint applied and also on on our appendages It was a spectacular experience. Some sightseeing. Plenty of good Greek food and water. And a rehearsal with all the festival choirs Sleep will feel very good tonight ... read more

Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki June 30th 2018

Two rehearsals were bookends to a wonderful day here in Thessaloniki. Breakfast was quite fantastic. Everything anyone could ask for from eggs to crepes to 10% Greek yoghurt. Breads and sweets and fruit and yes Dolmades and many other Greek traditional foods Morning rehearsal brought our Greek choir friends to join us and Sarasota Young Voices We walked to a charming square for lunch. Many great looking plates of food consumed at outdoor cafes. A trip to the Byzantine Museum (the history of early Greece) was very interesting with enthusiastic guides. And then- dinner. Greek porkchops with ice cream for dessert before returning for another rehearsal to end the day All in all a good day in Greece. Now for some sleep! ... read more

Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki June 11th 2016

Today I took a day-long tour to the two capitals of the Macedonian kings. Alexander and his father lived in the new capital, Pella, down on the plain but they returned to the old capital, Aigai (surrounding the modern town of Vergina), for ceremonial occasions and to be buried. No one knows for sure where Alexander's tomb is, but by some miracle the tomb of his father, Philip, was found at Aigai undisturbed in the 70s. It yielded an amazing wealth of objects, including the golden box in which Philip's cremated remains were placed and a beautiful wreath made of gold leaf, formed into oak leaves and acorns and my favourite: Philip's greaves (bronze shin protectors) which were mismatched because of an injury to one leg. Unfortunately I can't post a photo from Aigai because this ... read more

Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki June 9th 2016

I was rather excited at the idea of taking my first ride on a Greek train this trip. My alarm didn't go off so I scrambled to get to the station for the 6:40 departure. When I got there, it was very quiet. A few homeless-looking guys were hanging around. No train. No one in the office. After a few minutes I went to see if there was anything posted to indicate that something was amiss, and sure enough there was a notice with the dreaded word ΑΠΕΡΓΙΑ - "strike" in Greek. No trains today. Welcome to Greece! I hustled over to the bus station to find I had plenty of time before the first bus of the day at 8:00. I could have used that extra hour of sleep! I've now found a website that ... read more

Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki October 5th 2015

So I climbed Mt. Olympus. It’s possibly the most incredible and most taxing adventure I’ve ever had. I knew it would be strenuous. I knew it would be amazing. It was definitely worth every step and every sore muscle that I found. The bus left Thessaloniki at 11ish on Saturday and took us the two hour drive to the trail head, where cold fresh mountain water spouted from a hole in a stone wall. We filled up our water bottles as our guide reminded us that we needed to stay together and stay on time. This is the first serious hike I’ve been on in a large group, and by large group I mean about 35 of us. I don’t know if I’ll ever hike in such a big group again, but I couldn’t have done ... read more
Foggy Mt. Olympus Climb
Fog in the Trees Feels like Home
Donkeys

Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki August 27th 2015

27 August Feast of St. Monica I apologize for my absence during these first couple days in Greece; I have been tired at night and our internet connection has been poor. Monday, the 24th was a travel day across the border between Turkey and Greece. We stayed overnight in Neapolis (Kavala), where Paul would have arrived on his way to Philippi. Tuesday, we traveled to Philippi and celebrated Eucharist at the stream, which commemorates the location of the baptism of Lydia (Acts 16:14-15). On Wednesday, we visited a 5th Century Byzantine Basilica, which still functions as a Greek Orthodox Basilica. Today, we visited the convent of St. Stephen in Meteora, this is one of six monasteries dating back to the 11th century that are perched atop ancient rock formations carved out by a prehistoric river. ... read more
Possible Site of Paul's imprisonment in Philippi
Stream of Lydia's Baptism
St. Demetrius Basilica

Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki June 3rd 2015

We arrived in Thessaloniki, Greece this morning at about 7.30am. Our overnight voyage was smooth and our docking took place without us even being aware that we had made the transition from sailing to stationery! By the time we ventured out of bed the ship had already been in port for at least half an hour. We had a leisurely breakfast before heading off into Thessaloniki for a few hours. We walked along the sea front to the White Tower which houses Thessaloniki's history museum. All the interpretative boards were in Greek and the English audio guide was disappointingly scant on information. Still, it was a tower that we could ascend for a view over Thessaloniki's harbour-side area ... and we hadn't climbed a tower for a week or so!! From the White Tower we walked ... read more
Thessaloniki promenade
White Tower from the park
Arch of Galerius




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