We are in Thessaloniki.

Our hotel in on one of the main arterials and was easily found coming into town from the airport on a bus. We look over suburbia to the southeast (a sea of multi level buildings but we are only a few hundred meters from the water, they call it the beach but it is a beautiful esplanade with quite deep water. Weather is warm, some storm brewing over the mountains but so far no rain. People stay up late, walking back from dinner last night along the esplanade at 11.30pm and it’s still alive with people – families, young adults, people walking their dogs and jiggers. I guess that’s an adaption to the warm climate.

People are nice, less English spoken here so many more hand signals required. Met quite a few Eastern Europeans at the conference and many are concerned about the troubles in the north. Those from Latvia particularly so as they only achieved independence in recent times.

Breakfast is interesting. It’s common to have Feta cheese, tomatoes and olives alongside apple pie and pancakes coated in icing sugar and dusted in cinnamon, accompanied with hot dishes and pastries. They do know how to eat well.

While I’m at the conference Marg tours around Thessaloniki.

One of Alexander the Greats generals Kassandrou founded the city in 323BC. He united several small villages in the area into one thriving township, being on the route from east to west the town grew quickly.

Not being of royal blood Kassandrou couldn’t name the city after himself, so he honoured his wife Saloniki, Alexander’s stepsister. Thus Thessaloniki.

We leave the hotel and follow some back streets to get to the one way street to commence our tour. The traffic, one way streets and creative carparking make for organised chaos (sometimes less of the organised). The bus drivers over here really are talented.

Our first stop is Kamara, an arch which was part of a portico which lead from the Emperor Galerius’ palace to the Rotunda, a church dating from roman times, around 305AD. We move on to the acropolis which means “edge of the city” in this instance, as in Athens it’s on a hill overlooking the city. There is a fortress called Tower of the Fall, commemorating the fall of the city to the Ottomans in 1430. The rest of the acropolis is, unlike Athens, inhabited, there are many dwellings.

We wind our way down from the acropolis stopping momentarily at the Ageou of Demitrus a 7th century Basilica honoring Demitrus the patron saint of Thessaloniki. Continuing down the hill toward the port we see the ancient agora which was discovered during excavations in 1966 for a courthouse.

This area is the city centre and is a busy hub complete with traditional markets through to upmarket shops.

Thessaloniki has had some major issues with fires through the ages and parts have been decimated and consequently rebuilt, there is a beautiful square close to the city centre that was designed and rebuilt after one these fires.

The history is complex, with every major power through the ages conquering Greece, or at least parts of it.

We also make a trip to Mt Olympus the home of the gods. An absolutely beautiful landscape and a rich history. We visit ancient Dion, a 6th century BC to 100 AD town, Alexander the Great visited this town before launching his campaign against the Persians. The landscape is a mixture of deciduous and coniferous forests, flowers are everywhere and the towns are picturesque. We go for a walk into the Mt Olympus National Park – Enipeas Gorge, a very beautiful place and haven for Wildlife.

Another look around down town Thessaloniki, the food is great and the city is buzzing with people.