Thessaloniki Travel Diary
Beautiful details in some of the buildings in Thessaloniki
The Kastro of Thessaloniki
The city of Thessaloniki from above
The famous umbrellas of Thessaloniki in Paralia
Morning strolls seeing the White Tower (Lefkos Pyrgos)
Piping hot koulourgia and pites
Alexander the Great, the loving Hero of Thessaloniki
Agia Sofia’s Byzantine architecture
The candles of Agios Demetrios
The unique architecture of Agios Demetrios
The old and new in Thessaloniki
Plateia Aristolous
Smack in the heart of Thessaloniki is the Electra Palace Hotel
MamaLuca is a cool restaurant that modernises traditional Greek cuisine
The ladadika district was originally full of Oil merchants, now a thriving food district
Five things to do in Athens
Athens is more than a stop-over, I repeat, Athens is more than a stop-over to the Greek islands!
If you haven’t gathered already, I love Athens! I try to combine time in Athens as well as time at other destinations in Greece.
Hop-on/Hop-off Bus Tours
I wanted to take my hubby on one of these as I did it with my daughter last year, and really enjoyed the view from above. You get the chance to hop off at about 14 stops within Athens, all the main attractions like the Parthenon, the Syntagma, Monastiraki as well as other lesser know but just as important like the Cyclades Museum, Benaki museum all the while listening to a guide on your headphones. It is all day everyday and you can start yours at any of the key attractions around the city.
Starting our bus tour here at Syntagma
Dinner at Psyri
Just off Monastiraki there is a little suburb called Psyri. It has a real hipster vibe, a little grungy and very cool. There are many vintage shops, the odd barber shop, great street art on the buildings, heaps of beautifully fitted out bars and many, many restaurants serving food not just Greek but from many different cultures. We ate at Lithos and would gladly go back just to have their moussaka!
The famous umbrellas outside Little Kook
One of the hip bars at Psyri
O Kostas
It doesn’t get more simple than this. Slightly cooked pita bread, barbequed pork souvlaki with just paprika and salt, strained Greek yoghurt, onion, tomato and parsley. No more no less. A tradition that has been going for 65 years all out of a hole in the wall souvlaki joint, and it is amazing! You will happy wait with the queue of people for your turn and sit on the side street and enjoy every mouthful! You can thank me later!
the picture of Kostas looking on as people wait for their souvlaki
Rooftop Bar – Anglais Athens
Imagine enjoying a Mojito, on a balmy summers evening, on a roof-top, watching the sunset, overlooking one of the oldest and most famous monuments in the world, the Parthenon! That’s what you will get right here, at Anglais Athens, a bit Palm-Springy in décor with a great cocktail list, makes for a really great start to the evening!
Anglais rooftop looking away from the Acropolis
The Archeological Excavation beneath the Acropolis
An ancient Athenian neighbourhood has been excavated and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Acropolis Museum, it is now open to the public. A whole village preserved in time, it houses life and human activity from the 4th century BC. Streets, houses, courtyards, baths, workshops, plumbing even toilets comprise the finds.
Your entry ticket (10 Euros) for the Acropolis Museum (one of my favourites in the world!) allows you the entry to the excavations.
Highlights
All of the above - can’t choose.
Worth watching the behind-the-scenes of the excavation video at the Acropolis museums. Won’t spoil the ending but what they did to get it to this stage is amazing. Take the time to view it!
Important Tip
The Hop On/Hop Off bus has other extended tours like the Athens Riviera that take to Piraeus and Vouliagmeni, well worth going on. For the city only session its 20 euros for 24 hours in peak season.
Tips for first time travellers to Greece
If you’ve never been to Greece and are planning a greek holiday here are some tips that I think you will find useful:
Cash is King
Greece’s currency is the Euro. When travelling, I convert a few hundred dollars to Euros before I get to Greece - that way I don’t need to rush to an ATM as soon as I arrive.
Speaking of ATMS, there are ATMs everywhere in Greece, so no need to worry about being able to get cash out.
Although credit cards are widely accepted in most restaurants, hotels and stores on the islands and in the main cities, smaller family run tavernas, little kiosks (periptera), markets and smaller villages don’t have credit card facilities. So it’s wise to have cash with you at all times.
Safety in Greece
Greece on the whole is very safe and the people very friendly. However, there are some neighbourhoods in Athens such as Omonia where I prefer to travel in a group. Like many other busy European cities, the only crime I would be cautious about is pick-pockets, especially crowded and public places. Just be mindful of your wallet and personal belongings and never carry too much cash on you - that’s what hotel safes are for!
There is beauty everywhere
There is more to Greece than the Greek Islands
While most people associate Greece with the Greek Islands, there are so many more beautiful places to see. Mainland Greece offers plenty of ancient ruins and antiquities, beautiful monasteries and mystical rock formations. Not to mention the lush green country side and unique towns along the coast. It would such a shame to miss seeing it all!
Island hopping
In saying that, there are so many beautiful islands in Greece and travelling between them is easy with the ferries. The ferries are plentiful and generally reliable, especially over the summer months. You can book your tickets from the many travel agencies around the ports.
If you are on a strict time schedule, I suggest you book your tickets early from home and allow at least a day for your departure.
Don’t worry about diets when you’re on your Greek holiday
Eat & drink like a local
I would strongly suggest staying at independent hotels rather than big international chains as well as opting out of all-inclusive meal packages. The food in Greece is so fresh, plentiful and so well priced, you really need to sample a variety of it! Get off the main street and find the tavernas filled with the locals - and let them order for you.
Best way to travel around the Greek Islands
Yiasou or Yiamas
Although everyone speaks fluent English and you will not have any problem communicating in Greece, it’s always nice to learn a bit of the language. (Actually, without sounding too much like the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you already do - the Oxford Dictionary say 150,000 words derive from Greek). Two words you should learn are Yiasou (or formal/plural Yiasas), which means hello and goodbye, and Yiamas, which means cheers. They will love you!
Beachwear
Even though Greeks are religious people, the beaches (especially on some islands) are famous for bikini-tops being optional, that applies to all ages and all sizes. On that note, I love that on Greek beaches most women wear bikinis - which is so refreshing to see lack of self-consciousness and positive body image.
Don’t try to see too much
I totally understand, there is so much to see and do in Greece but do like the locals though and take it easy. If you try to see five island in 10 days, you will spend a lot of your time on ferries and not on land! Try to see two to three islands in 10 days and enjoy the experience. If you want to see many islands in less time, it’s probably better to go on a cruise. There are also many day trips and catamaran tours if short on time.
Free WiFi
Most cafes, bars, restaurants, tavernas, hotels - practically everywhere you go - there is free and fast WiFi, so be sure to ask for that magical password. I had a situation at a taverna recently where my phone picked up the Wifi from when I was there three years ago!
No need for high heels
I know, I know, I have been guilty of this! You are going to Mykonos and want to dress up for a night on the town. But believe me when I say this to you, you will not wear them! You do so much walking on narrow cobblestone streets, that only sneakers, slides and flat sandals will do.
Pack light
Again I need to practise what I preach! You don’t need heavy clothes in Greece and/or very formal clothes. And you most definitely don’t need to pack a lot. You will get tired of dragging over-stuffed suitcases on and off ferries and through paved streets.
If you are travelling in summer, your bathers/bikinis/boardies, some light summer clothes, flat shoes, sneakers and a cross body bag (can’t stress this enough!) will do. It’s a good idea to pack a light cardigan for the evenings when staying on the islands as it can get a bit cool . If you missed packing something, remember there are shops everywhere - good excuse to buy some beautiful new things!
Alcohol and Greeks
Greeks have a real healthy attitude to alcohol, especially wine. You drink with your meal, in moderation and not to get drunk. The legal drinking age is 18 and 16 under supervision but no one really monitors this. While there are bars and nightclubs everywhere, you rarely see Greeks drunk and public displays of drunkenness are generally frowned upon.
Buy local
One of my favourite things to do in Greece is shop. No matter if you’re on a touristy island or in a small village, you will find jewellery makers, potters, cobblers and artisans whose families have been involved in their respective craft for generations. By the end of a trip to Greece, my suitcase is always filled with little knick-knacks (bibela) to take home with me to remind me of a place, a person, a conversation.
I love supporting these local traders, as there are not many places left in the world that still do this. Visiting a local store is also a great way to start a conversation, as Greeks take pride in their work and love showing it to you! The same applies to galleries and museums, with many of the souvenirs locally made.
You’re on Greek time
You will quickly realise that there is no sense of urgency in Greece - you are now officially on ‘Greek time.’ This means super late dinners, long coffee breaks and the famous afternoon siesta. I guess if you can’t beat them you can have fun joining them.
The most important tip I have for you is to enjoy! Enjoy Greece and everything that it has to offer you.
Why Greece?
WHY GREECE?
I get asked this so many times. Why Greece? Why do I go to Greece so often? What’s so special about Greece?
And then I get started…
THE PEOPLE
Φιλοξενία (filoxenia) translates to friend a stranger. But for Greeks it holds a far greater cultural significance. The generous practice of welcoming and looking after strangers, originates back to Ancient Greece. Zeus, king of the Gods on Mount Olympus was also know as Zeus Xenios, the patron of hospitality and guests, avenger of wrongs done to guests. To the Ancient Greeks, hospitality was a high-ranking virtue.
So I guess the kind-heartedness and the warm welcoming you receive is in the Greek DNA.
THE HISTORY
As you come into Athens, there perched high above the city is the Parthenon. It is quite overwhelming seeing it for the first time. Looking over Athens like a protective beacon it holds so much history. It has seen so many wars, occupations, fires, destructions and peace. So many people - ancient politicians, playwrights and philosophers - have made history on the majestic marble and limestone steps. In modern times, the world’s biggest dictators, movie stars, fashion designers and peacekeepers have followed in their footsteps.
But there is so much more to Greece than just the Parthenon. Everywhere you go you, everywhere you look there is history.
To the north, you will find the beautiful city of Thessaloniki, which for several centuries was the second-most important city of the Byzantium. In Thessaloniki and its outskirts there are 15 monuments that are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Here you will find many notable Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and Jewish structures, showcasing what a cultural melting pot this great city was - and to some extent - still is.
To the south you will find Delphi, the site of the the mystical oracle (Pythia) who, in ancient times, was consulted about all the most important decisions. Who to marry, who to battle, who to vote for - everyone went to Delphi. It is why it was called the ‘navel’ (centre) of the universe.
A three hour drive south through the Greek countryside and you will find Olympia - the birthplace of the Olympic Games. You too can run through the arena, which dates back to 776BC.
Two hours east and you will reach the site of the Ancient Mycenae, which was once ruled by the famed King Agamemnon, made famous by Homer’s Iliad. There, you can admire the Lion’s Gate - the only known monument from the Bronze Age of Greece. Perched upon a hill which seems eerily out-of-place, one can only imagine what life would have been like in 1600BC.
While all these places are definitely worth a visit - you will find ruins and antiquities in almost every town and every city in Greece.
THE WEATHER
Athens has 350 days of sunshine per year. Yes, you read right - 350! It means only 15 days of rain. Imagine - a whole summer of beautiful weather. Hard to believe when you live in Melbourne!
When I think of Greece’s weather, I think of balmy evenings sitting outside a family-run tavern eating fried zucchini and sipping rosè, or laying on a sunbed by the sea. I never have to worry about the summer weather in Greece, or the Mediterranean as a whole, because it’s always amazing.
THE ISLANDS
There are 6000 islands in Greece, of which 227 are inhabited. These islands are amongst the most picturesque and unique in the world - they are world renowned for their beauty.
On the west side of Greece you have the Ionian Islands - Corfu (Kerkyra), Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Lefkada, Ithaki, Paxos (Paxi), Kythira (although a lot further down) are known as the Eptanisa (Seven Islands).
The waters here are the most crystal-clear, turquoise blue I have ever seen. Along with the lush vegetation, colourful buildings and fresh produce, these islands are the perfect holiday destination. There are many more smaller islands in the Ionian like Antipaxi, Othoni and Meganisi - these are growing to become more popular with tourists as well.
On the east side of Greece you have the Aegean Islands - the deep blue seas juxtaposed against the whitewashed, sugar-cube houses make these islands famous around the world.
The Aegean Islands comprise of seven groups: the North Aegean, the West Aegean, the Sporades (of Mama Mia fame), the Cyclades (Mykonos and Santorini to name the most famous), the Saronic (Hydra - one of my faves), the Dodecanese Islands (Rhodes), and Crete.
Both the Ionian and Aegean offer their own beautiful landscape.
THE FOOD
You cannot think of Greece without thinking of the food. This is the homeland of the souvlaki, dolmades, tzatziki, feta, yoghurt and honey, Kalamata olives, taramosalata. Frappè instead of latte. Dinner at midnight. Breakfast comprising of cakes and pastries - bougatsa and tiropita to name my favourites. Where you’re likely to find spanakopita and koulouria on the menus of the finest restaurants and sold on the side of the street. Greece is where the streets smell of oregano and lemon, roast isn’t reserved for Sunday and there are zaharoplastias (sweet shops) on every corner. Produce is picked from the back garden and the calamari, the octopus and the fresh fish come straight off the boat.
HOME
I can’t describe the feeling I have when my plane lands in Greece. I hear everyone speaking Greek, the yiayia’s (grandmothers) cooing over their grandchildren, kids running through the airport, the priests in flowing robes chatting by the baggage carousel. I feel like home. I feel my parents, my grandparents, my family, my roots, my history. I feel Greek. Although I have lived in Australia for over 45 years as soon as I arrive in Greece I feel come home.
I could easily list another 20 reasons I visit Greece but what fun would that be - you need to discover Greece for yourself!