As we are a Balkan continental country, every trip to the sea and nearness to the sea is an adventure for us. That moment when you approach the huge amount of water in front of you is indescribable. When suddenly, behind the mountains and hills on every side, a wide view opens up towards the blue. When your eyes are dreamy after a long journey, and you rub the and Voila! It's in front of you. As if someone created it with a magic wand right there and just for you, for your enjoyment and pleasure.
Of course, when traveling for so long, and quite far from home, it's almost punishable not to visit and not do certain things. In this case, for us as Orthodox brothers, that is a cruise around the Mount Athos, a Holy Mountain. Located in northeastern Greece, it is an important center of Eastern Orthodox monasticism. Women are prohibited from entering the area governed by the monastic community by Greek law and by religious tradition. Men can set foot and stay there with a special permit.
What is interesting is that Mount Athos has an extensive network of footpaths; many of them date back to the Byzantine period. Typically, it's not accessible to motor vehicle traffic, so that when necessary, the monastery is supplied by sea transport.
I almost forgot to say, today, there are 20 monasteries there: 17 of them are Greek, the Hilandar Monastery is Serbian, the Zograf Monastery is Bulgarian, and the Monastery of St. Panteleimon is Russian.
As we were staying in the small town of Nea Vrasna in the Macedonian region, when we missed the city and nightlife, we decided to visit Thessaloniki, second-largest city in Greece, with slightly over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of Macedonia. The city was founded in 315 BC by Cassander of Macedon, who named it after his wife Thessalonike, daughter of Philip II of Macedon and sister of Alexander the Great. In 2013, National Geographic Magazine included Thessaloniki in its top tourist destinations worldwide, while in 2014 Financial Times FDI magazine (Foreign Direct Investments) declared Thessaloniki as the best mid-sized European city of the future for human capital and lifestyle. Interesting, isn't it? ❤️
If you decide to visit this city in the future, don't miss a ride on this cute pirate ship. You'll feel like you're Johnny Depp on the Black Pearl. :D
~ all pictures were taken by the four of us who went on this trip <3 Enjoy reading it and thanks in advance.
