Explore Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city.

--OAT: "Thessaloniki is the capital of the northern Greek region of Macedonia (not to be confused with the neighboring Republic of Macedonia)."

After breakfast and a morning walk along the waterfront, we had an orientation/welcome session with Basil for the official start of the main part of the tour, the Lands of Alexander the Great. It was attended by all 14 'guests' (as Basil called us) who had signed up for the tour. Introductions, expectations, ground rules, and an overview of the the countries we would be visiting. Then it was on to the tour bus with Maria, our guest tour guide, to narrate the parts of Thessaloniki we would be visiting.

First stop was the 'upper' part of the city. Thessaloniki (the name of Alexander's half sister) spreads from the Aegean Sea to the surrounding hillsides… and is one of the oldest cities in Europe, starting around 300 B.C. We saw walls first built by the Romans and then built over by the Byzantine Empire, a famous mosaic on the ceiling of an old church dating back to the 5th century, a large statue of Alexander the Great and his horse, Bucephalus, and the Museum of Byzantine Culture.

Dinner that night, sponsored by OAT, was typical Greek fare at a local restaurant… lots of courses of Greek food and, at Basil's insistence, shots of raki to top off another adventurous day.

Quick Photo Links: Alexander the Great | Fortress of Seven Towers | Graffiti | Mosaic of Theophany | Museum of Byzantine Culture