Thursday 27 September 2012

Thessaloniki, Ancient City of Pella, Vergina Tombs and Dion – Greece (26–27 Sept 2012)

We spent 26th September travelling from Kavala to Thessaloniki. In the village of Amfipoli, we came across the Lion of Amphipolis.

LION OF AMPHIPOLIS:

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Archeological finds near the Lion of Amphipolis.


THESSALONIKI:

Thessaloniki is a very busy city. Traffic was heavy and we made our way straight for the White Tower.
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White Tower

We did not spend much time in Thessaloniki as we wanted to visit a few archeological sites on the way to Athens and still make it to Athens by the weekend.


PELLA:

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On our way to Pella.

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Ancient city of Pella, once the capital of the ancient Macedonian kingdom in the early 4th Century BC. Read below for more info on the ancient city.

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Alexander the Great Square in the modern city of Pella. The modern city is a short distance away from the ancient city of Pella, birthplace of Alexander the Great.

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Statue of Alexander the Great in the modern city of Pella.

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Orthodox Church in Pella


LUNCH AT VERGINA:

After Pella, our next destination was Vergina to visit the Vergina Tombs. We arrived in Vergina at noon and had lunch at Tavern Restaurant. The food was great, tasted like home cook meals, and the place received bus load of tourist.

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  Tortellini with stuffed pepper and potato                  Moussaka

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Souvlaki (grilled pork on skewers) with rice, artichoke and potatoes

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Yogurt with sour cherry sauce for dessert and Greek coffee.


ROYAL TOMBS AT VERGINA:

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The ancient burial mount (or tumulus) that is the royal tombs of the royal dynasty of Macedon. The mount measures 13m high and 110m across. Among the tombs here are those of King Philip II, father of Alexander the Great and a young prince called Alexander IV.

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Entrance to the tomb. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed in the tomb. Inside, apart from the tombs, excavated artifacts that was buried with the royals in the tombs was also put on display. 

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Enjoying the view on the grounds of the ancient tombs.


SCENERIES BETWEEN VERGINA AND DION:

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Another church in the village of Palio Keramidi.

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Here we are in Dion.

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We saw a sign to Mount Olympus and am guessing that the mountain in the background could be the Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece.

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Dion archaeological park

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SCENERIES FROM DION TO AGIOS DIMITRIOS:

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Olive plantations near Karitsa.

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Olives up close.

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Came across quite a number of kiwi plantation in this region.


AGIOS DIMITRIOS:

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Church in the village of Agios Dimitrios


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A little restaurant / café.
 
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Another restaurant / café. There were mostly men that we saw out and about in the village.

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