GREECE
ATHENS
Athens. The city with the most glorious history in the world. Tha capital of Greece has always been a birthplace for civilization as it is the city where democracy was born. A walk around the famous historic triangle (Plaka, Thission, Psyri) the old neighbourhoods, reveal the coexistence of different eras. The heart of Athens beats in Syntagma Square, where Parliament and most of the Ministries are. Monastiraki, Kolonaki and Lycabettus Hill attract thousands of visitors.
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A few kilometres from the historic centre in Faliro, Glyfada, Voula and Vouliagmeni, you can enjoy the sea.
Athens and Attica in general have the most important archaeological monuments (Acropolis, Odeion of Herodes Atticus, Olymbion, Roman Market, Panathinaiko Stadium, The Temple of Poseidon in Sounio, etc).
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Acropolis
Acropolis is nominated to be one of the 7 wonders of modern world. The Holy Rock of Acropolis dates back to the 5 BC
Plaka
Under the Acropolis, Plaka was built by the first construction workers that came from Anafi cycladic island and built Athens main buildings.
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Piraeus
Piraeus is Greece's third largest city in terms of population and its biggest port. The ancient harbours of Piraeus were Zea and Munichia. Zea, now called Pasalimani is one of the largest marinas in the Mediterranean. Munichia, also known as Mikrolimano, is a little harbour with yachts and fishing-boats. Above Mikrolimano is the hill of Kastella offering a panoramic view. Just above is the Church of the Prophet Elijah and the Veakeio Theatre, well known for its summer performances, is nearby situated.
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Plaka
Under the Acropolis, Plaka was built by the first construction workers that came from Anafi cycladic island and built Athens main buildings.
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Syntagma
Syntagma is the square in front of the Parliament formerly the King's Palace. The square is a central point to access all the major attractions of Athens.
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Poseidon Temple
The sanctuary of Poseidon at Sounion is one of the most important sanctuaries in Attica it was inhabited in the prehistoric period but there is no evidence of religious practice in such an early date.
Observatory
At Thisseion, a neoclassical building of the 19th century houses the first Observatory that was founded in Greece and in the Balkans.
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Vouliagmeni
Vouliagmeni is a beautiful and picturesque peninsula, situated on the eastern edge of Athens (just 20km from the centre of Athens), known from the famous lake with the mineral water spa and an outstanding mild climate that makes all year round holidays possible.
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THESSALONIKI
Thessaloniki is the capital of Macedonia and second largest city of Greece. It was first established in 316 B.C. by Kassandros and named after his wife, Thessaloniki, half sister of Alexander the Great and has also been the second most important city of the Byzantine Empire.
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The city was rebuilt in the 1920's and today Thessaloniki is a lively modern city with a rail knot to a great number of destinations and an international airport directly connected to all main European capitals. The main squares are Platia Elefterias and Platio Aristotelous. Walking a few blocks to the Ladadika neighbourhood was the old Red light district now full of ouzeries, bars and cafes tavernas. The old port area is being renovated with warehouses being turned into large restaurants and clubs and even art galleries.
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The port road of Leoforos Nikis heading east along the bay you will drive to the Lefkos Pyrgos, or White Tower, the symbol of the city. This was built in the 15th Century and was at one time a prison. The neighbourhood of Kalamaria is an area on the eastern edge of the city, overlooking a large marina and the Thermaikos Gulf.
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Above the city is the Kastra, an area of old neighbourhoods with narrow streets and lovely small gardens. A must-visit place is Moudiano, the meat market, in a restored old building full of energy, smells, and some of the most famous old ouzeries in Thessaloniki.
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Thessaloniki Archaeological Sites
The Palace of Galerius (300 A.D.) at Navarino Square.
Roman Market and Theatre Ruins standing at the Law Court Square (Dikastiria).
Roman Baths. North of the church of Agios Dimitrios.
Vergina, the ancient site of Aigai and the first capital of Macedonia has extensive ruins including the tomb of Philip and the summer palace of King Antigonas Gonatas.
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Thessaloniki Monuments - Churches
Galerian Arch (Kamara) erected shortly before 305 A.D.
The Rotonda a domed building of early 4th century A.D. served as a Pantheum or as a Mausoleum for emperor Galerius. Now the church of Saint George. Was a mosque during the Turkish occupation and the minaret still stands.
Church of Ossios David (late 5th century A.D.), the chapel of the Latomos Convent, an early Christian church that still stand in Thessaloniki's Turkish quarter known as Epimenidou or Kastra.
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The City Walls were erected during the time of Theodossios the Great to guard the city Democracy Square of nowadays across Eptapyrgio up to the site later occupied by the White Tower, a work of the architect Sinan (first half 16th century).
The Crypt, the most easterly section of the Bath, is the place where St Demetrios was imprisoned, tortured and buried.
Agia Sofia (8th century) marks the transition from the domed basilica to the domed crusiform church is a copy of the Agia Sophia in Constantinople.
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Thessaloniki Museums
Archaeology Museums: Near the White Tower and fairgrounds. Displaying sculpture of the archaic, classical and Roman periods.
Ethnological and Popular Art: 68, Vas. Olgas displaying costumes and objects of the last 250 years of Greek national life and culture.
Museum of the Macedonian Struggle: 23, Proxenou Koromila Stre. Exhibits from the years of local national resistance 1878-1912.
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White Tower Museum. An Exhibition of the history and art of Byzantine Thessaloniki covering the period between 300 and 1430 AD
Museum of Attaturk. The founder of modern Turkey was actually born in Thessaloniki and his house has been turned into a historical museum.
South of Thessaloniki is the peninsula of Halkidiki which boasts some of the finest beaches in all of Greece.
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Poligros
Poligros is the capital of Halkidiki (69km from Thessaloniki) built amphitheatrically at the foot of Mt. Holomon.
Kassandra
Kassandra is the most westernly of the three prongs of Halkidiki with it's centre, Kallithea, at a distance of only 60 km from Thessaloniki airport. It is remarkable for its extensive beaches, pine forests and small villages. By the village of Petralona the famous cave is worth visiting. In 1960 a 700,000 year old human skull was found here.
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Sithonia
Sithonia is less commercialised than Cassandra. Apparently this results in a wilder nature provoking travellers to explore and inviting to discover, the small hidden sandy beaches with pine-branches bending into the crystal-clear sea water, among the 120km of a beautifuil coast line.
Mounth Athos
Mounth Athos or in Greek, Aghio Oros is to Greece as the vatican is to Rome, a religious state within a state. A closer view to the monasteries is offered to everyone by daily cruises round Athos, while only men can enter the holy state under special script permission.
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HERAKLION CRETE
Heraklion is one of the largest cities of Greece and is both Crete's capital and its primary port.
What to see.........
The Archaeological Museum on one corner of the central Eleftherias Square, collects together many of the finds from Knossos, Archanes. Phaestos, Zakros and many other archeological sites in Crete. The museum spans a period starting several thousand years ago, through the Minoan, post-Minoan and later periods.
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The Battle of Crete Museum. Walk down the side of the Archaeological museum on Hatzidaki and at the end, where it meets Bofor street.
The Venetian Loggia on 25th August Street, 50 metres down the street from ''Lion Square'' on the right, is now the city hall of Heraklion. You can walk in a take a quick look.
The Municipal Gallery and Basilica of St. Mark has an ever-changing variety of exhibitions just opposite ''Lion Square''.
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The Koules Venetian Fortress on the harbour walls, built in the early 1500's.
Aquarium (''CretAquarium'' or ''Thalassocosmos''). A 5000 square metre structure, it is both a research centre and a fun, impressive aquarium with 32 tanks representing interesting underwater Cretan sea landscapes and 50 viewing points. 2500 organisms of 200 Mediterranean marine species, from hunter sharks to lobsters, to colourful jellyfish. Places 15km east of Heraklion, in Gournes.
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The Palace of Knossos. 20-25 minutes from the centre of Heraklion.
The recently reconstructed underground Gate through the city walls, accessible from the central section of Eleftherias square.
One of the best known and most important for direction finding, streets in Heraklion is 25th of August Street, which has now been repaved as a pedestrian street. On the walk down 25th August Street from Dedalou to the sea is the church of Agios Titos, a beautiful building, Byzantine in origin then rebuilt in the 16th century by the Venetians.
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The church of Agia Ekaterini Sinaites - now a theological museum, is on the edge of the square surrounding the much larger and better known Agios Minas. It has some very fine Byzantine.
Tomb of Nikos Kazantzakis The tomb is on Martinengo Bastion, at the southern corner of walls, along Plastira Street. Nikos Kazantzakis is the author of The Last Temptation of Christ and Zorba the Greek. The Kazantzakis museum is nearby Varvari village where among others the exhibit includes many of the authors original manuscripts, as well as photographs of his theatrical productions.
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