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Thessaloniki
is one of the oldest cities in Europe and the second largest city in
Greece. It was founded in 315 B.C. by
Cassander, King of Macedonia and was named after his wife Thessaloniki, sister of Alexander the Great.
Today Thessaloniki is considered to be
one of the most
important trade and communication centers in the Mediterranean. This is evident from its financial
and commercial activities as well as its geographical position and its
infrastructure.
As
a historic city Thessaloniki is well – known from its White Tower
dating
from the middle of the 15th century in its present form.
Thessaloniki presents a series of monuments from Roman and Byzantine
times. It
is known for its museums, Archaeological and Byzantine as well as for
its Art,
Historical and War museums and Galleries. Also, it is known for its
Churches,
particularly the church of Agia Sophia and the church of Aghios Dimitrios, the patron Saint of the city.
Thessaloniki’s infrastructure, which includes
the Universities campus, the International trade, its port and airport
as well
as its road rail network, increases the city’s reputation; it is also
famous
for its entertainment, attractions, gastronomy, shopping and even more.
A place that becomes a vacation
resort for many citizens of Thessaloniki especially in the summer and only
45 minutes away is Chalkidiki. Chalkidiki is a beautiful place, which
combines
the sea with the mountain.
Today,
Chalkidiki is a summer resort for the people of Thessaloniki. It is really a gifted place due to
its natural resources, its crystal waters and also the graphical as
well as
traditional villages. Some of its most famous regions are Athitos, Kallithea, Peukohori, Posidi, Chanioti,
Marmaras, Porto Carras, Porto Koufo and many more.
Mount
Athos is the Southest peninsula of Chalkidiki. In Mount Athos
monastic life begins and consists
to be a unique pilgrimage of Orthodoxy. For that reason, it attracts
the
attention not only of the Orthodox people but also of every person
regardless
religion.
In Mount
Athos twenty monasteries
have hospices
with 223 rooms and more than 610 beds. The visitor may be guided from
the monks
around the other monasteries. In addition, Mount Athos is surrounded by many other
monasteries where each one of them has its own importance.
To conclude, visitors always leave Thessaloniki with the
best impressions and promised to come back as soon as possible
so as to visit it again.
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