“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.”George Orwell I am walking in the center of Thessaloniki for many years as a student firstly and afterward as an inhabitant and I am always impressed by its monuments no matter how many times I pass by them. They always give a distinctive flair to my memories. Waiting beside the Arch of Galerius (Kamara) in Egnatia Street my good friends from university for the…

“Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless; peacocks and lilies for instance”. John SteinbeckPeacock, the bird with a large fan of colorful feathers, usually opens its tail to attract peahen’s attention. His bright colored feathers with the characteristic eye had always impressed people. Peacocks and their feathers had become a symbol in art and religion from ancient times and it had combined both positive and negative connotations. In ancient Greece, the peacock was goddess Hera’s bird,…

“Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways“. Oscar Wilde The sea in Toroni has this blue – turquoise color and these crystal waters that can please anyone. It is not a coincidence that its 2.5 km long curved beach is awarded the Blue Flag many times and for 2013. The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to more than 3850 beaches and marinas in 48 countries all over the world. …

Fava is a small beach located in the second peninsula (Sithonia) in Chalkidiki.  You will find it three kilometers southeast from Vourvourou village, after Karydi beach. Some call it the “beach of teachers” because it’s inside the settlement of the teachers of AUTH University. Do not hesitate to ask the locals and passersby. The signs are almost nonexistent and the streets in the settlement are really complicated and easily confused. You will understand that you are close when on a small slope…

“When the spirits are low,  when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking”.  Arthur Conan Doyle Most historians agree that the first bicycle was built by Baron Karl Drais Von Sauerbrun of Germany in 1817. However, the first sketch of a machine that looked like the modern bicycle belongs to…

In the North-eastern region of Thessaloniki, a big fortress is situated called Heptapyrgion. The towers were built in the 4th century to enclose the medieval city, but its modern form is from the 14th century.The byzantine name Heptapyrgion and later the ottoman name Yedi-koule both mean “fortress with seven towers”. In reality, this monument has ten towers. It’s believed that took the name after the fortress of Constantinopole (modern Istanbul). For one century (1890-1989), it ran like a prison, housed in new…

The word “karydi” means nut in Greek. Karydi beach, about four km from the entrance to Vourvourou area, is one of the most beautiful beaches throughout Chalkidiki. White sand, crystal waters, rocks carved by the sea and the wind in odd shapes, shadowy pine trees around. It’s not an organized beach and in summer it’s quite crowded. Since 2000 all Vourvourou area has joined the network NATURA, where there are strict restrictions in terms construction, operation and general exploitation of the natural environment…