Category: Northern-Greece

We had a quick overnight stop and spent the night in Haarlem. Just enough time for an evening walk around town.

Dinner in an Irish Pub,

Today is Ascension Day–a holiday so the streets are very quiet! We took an early morning walk around before we head back to Schiphol Airport for our flight home!

It’s been a great adventure! Looking forward to catching up with family and friends!

Thessaloniki is a vibrant, bustling city with a coffee shop or restaurant on every corner. These places are nearly always packed with people enjoying a coffee, cocktail or snack.

We found a fun restaurant serving homemade Greek food last night. It’s called Cannula in English which is the name of the tap on the wine barrel. Everything was carefully prepared and delicious!

Today we went to the Photography Museum for a quirky exhibition of self-portraits. We liked this poster displayed in the coffee bar–a message from the god of wine, Dionysus.

A fun shop called Olicatessen selling Greek food products was a short walk away. The shop owner was very kind.

Wishing I had more room in my luggage–so many delicious treats and great pottery pieces.

Here’s a view of from our hotel room–this balcony has many interesting features.

For contrast, this is our view at breakfast. We’ve enjoyed our stay at the Electra Palace Hotel!

We’re guessing that it’s time to head depart when we’re out of clean clothes! Home soon!

After three nights in Kavala we’re back where we started nearly three weeks ago–Thessaloniki!

Before we left Kavala, we found a huge Saturday market with many spring fruits and veggies for sale.

Later we drove a short distance from Kavala to Phillipi–the ancient city founded by Phillip II–the father of Alexander the Great. It’s an extensive site.

And local groups still do performances in this theater.

There is an Archeology Museum on the site. This ancient coin depicts Alexander the Great.

Now back in Thessaloniki, we did some window shopping,

And grabbed a slice of pizza here.

We made it back to the hotel just before the thunderstorm began!

Happy to be inside on a rainy eve!

Kavala is a moderate-sized port city with some Turkish influences. It sprawls across the hillsides and is lively any time of the day or night.

There is a Castle here–built in 1425 by the Turks. We climbed the narrow circular stairs to the very top of the tower!

Our room overlooks this church with bells that chime every morning at 7:00 a.m.

Wandering around the old town neighborhood, we see interesting color combos for doors and walls.

And, there is a nice Archaeological Museum here in Kavala. We liked this sherd of pottery of a dancing woman in a fun party dress and also the small ceramic piece nearby.

We’re enjoying wandering around the streets and alleyways of Kavala and have decided to stay here one additional night!

Tonight is “White Night” with live music in the park and shops open until midnight!

Dion was an ancient city in Greece at the foothills of Mt. Olympus. Today we visited the park and archaeological museum. This beautiful mosaic found on-site is now in the museum.

The park is sprawling and much work is still being done to find and conserve artifacts.

This is just one of the many statues recovered in the Sanctuary of Demeter.

The poppies growing between the rocks of the ancient wall look like splashes of red paint!

After our visit to Dion we took a short drive to one of the beaches on the Aegean Sea for a late lunch.

We ordered grilled sardines (not pictured) and another tasty Greek salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green peppers, red onions, olives plus feta with fresh herbs.

This morning our view of snow-capped Mt. Olympus was clearer compared to the cloudy skies yesterday.

Greece has it all–mountains, sea, delicious food and interesting museums!

Tomorrow we’ll drive to the seaport city of Kavala–about two hours away.

Today is dear Larry’s birthday and we’re celebrating quietly in the town of Litochoro. Just behind us is Mt. Olympus! It’s Greece’s highest and most majestic mountain AND home of the 12 Olympian gods!

It’s a little cloudy today but Mt. Olympus is the snow-capped peak in the center.

May 1 is International Labour Day. In Greece this day is also a celebration of spring, nature, and flowers. Traffic was heavy this morning as most things are closed and families were heading to the beach for relaxing or the countryside for picnics.

It’s a tradition here to make a wreath of hand-picked flowers to hang on the front door to welcome nature and all good things. Our friend at the hotel made this pretty one for the front door of the reception area.

We had a very nice stay at Agnanti Hotel in Afissos. Anastasia our new friend at the hotel picked fragrant lavender roses and gave them to us as we left today.

We love the friendly Greek people! We’re having a swell time!

Happy May Day!

We’ve spent the last couple of days driving around this region exploring small mountain and seaside villages. Some are not so easy to access and we’ve learned that each one requires a walk through the center of town to find the hidden gems.

Today we visited the village of Milies. A plain white building the Agion Taksiarchon Church contained the most beautiful frescoes!

Our kind guide gave us very interesting historical information about the church. It took the artist, a monk from Mt. Athos, 33 years to complete the frescoes. Many design details make for amazing acoustics. Larry demonstrated by singing a Gregorian chant beautifully! A trip highlight!

Yesterday we drove to the very southern tip of the Pelion Region to the fishing village of Agios Kiriaka.

The coastline along the way is stunningly beautiful.

Agios Kiriaka was the perfect stop for a seafood lunch. Larry says that his grilled octopus reminded him of a old bicycle inner tube he used to chew on sometimes. Our server assured us that he caught it himself that very morning!

A view of Agios Kiriaka.

Fishing boats in the harbor.

We’ve spent 4 nights in Afissos so it’s time to move on–a new base and a new region. We’re heading for Litochoro and Mt. Olympus!

Legend has it that this mountain was the summer resort of the Gods of Olympus.

We see why as it’s so beautiful here. Our base is the village of Afissos–our hotel is on a hillside above the Pagasitikos Gulf. The Aegean Sea is just over the mountain.

This morning we visited the Saturday morning market in Argalasti. We bought a small wooden cutting board from a local craftsman with a happy smile.

Wishing we could bring home a boatload of local olive oil and honey.

The town square in Argalasti is a great place to relax.

Many roads in the Pelion region are narrow and curvy. I’m grateful for Larry’s nerves of steel–he’s doing an amazing job of driving!

We are excited to explore here–we’re enjoying the beautiful seascapes and lush flowers!

We are still amazed by the arched bridges in the Zagori region. Here is just one more!

There are several excellent museums in Ioannina. We visited the Archaeological Museum today. It’s always interesting to see how docents in other museums manage groups of children. There are plenty of open spaces here so kids can view artifacts and then sit for a hands-on activity and discussion.

A new museum near our hotel is the Silversmithing Museum housed in the castle of Ioannina. The exhibits are nicely presented and we learned much about the history and technology of silversmithing!

This afternoon there are dark clouds over the city and thunderstorms are possible. The black metal cage to the left side of the mosque is the gravesite of hero/villain Ali Pasha.

We’ve found lots to do and see in Ioannina and nearby. Our hotel is on a quiet street and this is our route as we return from dinner. Older ladies in the neighborhood greet us, ask where we’re from, do we have children…it’s very nice.

Tomorrow we’ll pack up our small VW rental car and drive 4 hours to the seaside village of Afissos!

This scenic area of Greece is dotted with traditional villages, monasteries and hiking trails. We drove about 45 minutes north of Ioannina to reach the village of Monodendri.

Spring is a perfect time to visit as temps are still cool and wildflowers are in bloom.

We found stunning vistas of Vikos Gorge around every turn.

One shortish hike took us to the “eagle’s nest” monastery built on the edge of the gorge. Ayia Paraskevi Monastery with beautiful frescoes was built in 1412!

Hiking down into the gorge is popular with experienced trekkers. We decided to leave it to the sheep and hikers who were wearing better footwear than us!

Kipi is another traditional village with 60 stone arch bridges–thrilling to see and to walk across. This one was built in 1764!

And this triple built in 1865.

We’ve had a spectacular day and recommend this region to anyone who loves nature and hiking!