Time to move onward to Greece so today we take a small propeller plane to Athens, which takes just under two hours and from there a fifty minute flight to Thessaloniki. We arrive quite late to the resort of Agia Triada which sits on a beach across the bay from Thessaloniki. It’s quiet and on first look seems a bit run down but our Airbnb apartment is gorgeous with a huge open terrace and walking distance to a stretch of tavernas. We finish the day of travel at one of these tavernas with some local food, which is fantastic – baked aubergine, sardines, taramasalata, cheese, Greek salad, calamari…. it’s all so good and so cheap. Next morning we see Agia Triada by daylight and it’s definitely been hit by the recession. It’s nice to have a view of the sea but it’s time to get ourselves into Thessaloniki.
Thessaloniki on Greece’s mainland is situated in the north and considered the country’s second city to Athens. The city was founded in 315 BC and was part of the Roman, Byzantine and the Ottoman empires at one time or another. We take the no.72 bus into town and start our Thessaloniki exploring with a visit to the White tower.
Thessaloniki is considered the food capital of Greece so we’re happy when it’s time for lunch. We all recently watched Rick Steins “Long Weekend in Thessaloniki” so we have some specific food items and restaurants on our list. We start with a restaurant called Elliniko and want to order everything on the menu as it all looks so good. The great thing about being a group of six is that we can order a variety of plates to share so we get to try all sorts of things. The main thing on our list at this restaurant is the stuffed onions and they are as good as we’d hoped.
Deemed Thessaloniki’s most impressive church, our next stop is Agia Sofia. Built in the 8th century, it is based on The Hagia Sofia in Istanbul. It’s a much smaller version but still quite huge and very impressive inside.
The next two sites we visit are Roman monuments. The arch of Galerius, built in the year AD 303, sits among the bustling modern streets.
From the arch the street leads to the Rotunda which Galerius built as his future mausoleum but he never got buried there. Similar to the Hagia Sofia this was a church (built by Constantine the Great) and later under the Ottomans converted to a mosque.
There are still some surviving mosaics and frescoes throughout the building.
The weather is gorgeous and there is a long promenade which we walk. There’s a cool breeze and the water is fairly high and a bit choppy. Looking toward the water we spot something bobbing up and down and all realise at the same time that it’s a rat…yuck…. and then we spot another and another – what is going on here!! There’s about six dead rats bobbing along in the water… ugh. I hope there’s no-one bathing in that water!
Back to the more delightful aspects of Thessaloniki (although I can’t help looking into the water for rats!!), we come to the Zongolopoulos Umbrellas sculpture.
In high season there is a ferry from here to Agia Triada but as we’re here off peak (actually the shoulder season) it’s back on the bus which we’re hoping is not as packed as earlier. Dinner on the beach at another local taverna rounds off our day.
Next day is James birthday so we’ve planned another day in Thessaloniki to tick more food stuff off our list and find him some craft beer🍻. We start with trigona pastries at the famous Elenidis bakery. Established in 1956, this is all they make. They are delicious crispy filo triangles, soaked in syrup and filled with creamy custard.
Next we check out the Modiano market which has lots of olives, fish, meat, fruit and veg. It’s really interesting to walk around and we see all sorts including butchers hacking into meat while puffing away on cigarettes hanging out of their mouths!
After a few purchases of olives and dried fruit we head to our lunch stop which is another Rick Stein featured restaurant called Aristoufor. It’s famous for salt cod and chips. We’re all going for the signature dish and it’s served on a long tray between two. A big lump of battered cod, sliced chips, a bread roll and a big dollop of thick garlic sauce… OMG it’s gorgeous. [I may need to consider the cabbage water diet when I get home!]
Our afternoon activity to walk off lunch and before finding beer is to visit the old town – Ano Poli. It’s a fair ways up the hill overlooking the bay and new town so we bus it some of the way up and climb the rest. The bus is by far the most packed bus I’ve ever been on. It’s insane!! It’s already packed with no standing room but it keeps stopping and letting more people on. It’s so hot and so crazy we jump off early preferring to climb the steep steps. Once at the top, we walk along the Byzantine walls…..
There are a couple of different monasteries to briefly check out and one (Vlatadon monastery) has a really cool shop with handmade icons. I’ve been eyeing up the icons for a while now so I bite the bullet and buy one. It’s of the Virgin Mary (would you expect anything else!) and when the man in the shop takes it from the wall to pack it for me, he kisses it and blesses himself.
It’s an interesting walk back down through the steep streets past people’s homes…
A quick visit into St Dimitrios church, sanctioned by the birthday boy, as I’ve read there’s some relics here. They’re the relics of St Demetrius (patron saint of Thessaloniki) but they’re enclosed in a bejewelled casket so nothing eerie to set eyes on.
The church, Greece’s biggest and considered its grandest, is fabulously decorated with amazing icons and gold decor.
It’s beer o’clock and we’ve a couple of places on the list, assuming they’re open. One has outdoor seating and a good choice of cider so I’m happy. The second, a tiny bar called the Hoppy Pub, with a wide variety of beers, we find out later is apparently on a list of top ten craft beer bars in the world!!! What a find! With a few beers we’ve built up an appetite again so at the birthday boys request we head back to Elliniko for more stuffed onions – they really are that good!!!
We’ve decided to rent a car for the rest of the trip and over the next couple of days we’ll venture further afield. We’ve agreed three drivers, me being one of them 😳. I can’t wait to drive this monster on the narrow roads among the crazy Greek drivers!!!!!!
We decide to explore Halkidiki (or Chalkidiki) which has three peninsulas (or fingers) jutting out into the Aegean Sea.
We stop in a small beachside town on the first finger for a coffee and bougatsa, which is another delicious pastry filled with custard…. it’s sooooo good! And then it’s onward to Mount Athos where we’re taking a boat trip from Ouranopoli along the coast of the peninsula as we’re not allowed on the land.
To the Greeks, Mount Athos is the Holy Mountain. It is an autonomous republic ruled by the monks who live in its twenty monasteries. Only a certain amount of adult males (including just 10 non orthodox) are allowed onto the land each day and women are not allowed at all. The best way to view the monasteries is therefore from the sea. One of the first monasteries we see is a 10th century monastery called Docheiariou, said to house a fragment of the true cross and an icon of the Virgin Mary with healing powers.
Next it’s Agiou Panteleimonos known as the Russian monastery, built in the 11th century.
By law, the boat must stay 500 metres from the land at all times so having a zoom lens on the camera comes in handy!
At one point along the way a speed boat comes alongside the boat and a monk hands a bag of something to a crew member on our boat… quite a novel way for a delivery!
Nearly all monasteried out… one final one:
We eat a late lunch/early dinner after our boat trip and it’s a couple of hours drive home in the dark. Thankfully, as deemed the emergency driver, I’m not called upon to take the wheel – phew!! Glass of rosé please!
Next morning we’re all in agreement that it’s time for a beach day so we’re back in the car heading to a sandy (hopefully) sunny (no worries there) beach….
It doesn’t disappoint and we get free beds and umbrellas if we order a drink… have you met us? Not a problem!
The water is not quite as warm as it was in Sicily but it’s also not that cold.. it’s just gorgeous.
On our last day exploring we head to a town, which I quickly realise is a large city, called Kavala. It’s set on a harbour and is chockablock with cars and bustling with people. We drive around in circles but can’t find a parking spot. We keep seeing signs for Drama but there’s no way we’re heading for that 🤪
We decide to drive up the hill towards the castle and manage to find a parking spot. It’s much calmer and quiet up here. Love the little alters everywhere….
The views from the castle are stunning:
There’s a 16th century aqueduct, built by the Turks, in the centre of town which we can see from the castle….
On closer inspection the aqueduct looks very well maintained.
It’s too hectic to lunch in this busy town so we head to a smaller seaside resort called Stavros. A lot of places are closing for the season but we find a taverna and have our usual mix of dishes for another delicious lunch. Later, back at Agia Triada we have our final Greek meal by the water. It’s been a blast Thessaloniki – be seeing ye!
odohertyelaine 