Posts for 'Vacations, Tourist Spots' Category

One of the main monuments or rather, monumental identity of the city of Thessaloniki is the ‘White Tower’. 

Located on the waterfront, the tower is a symbol not only for the city but as a symbol representing Greek sovereingty over Macedonia. Currently it is a museum housing Byzantine relics and a great tourist attraction.  

The tower was constructed during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificient between 1520 – 66. It was used as a garrison as well as a prison. The tower was constructed on the place of an original tower that was built by the French Knights during the Latin Empire.  

The year 1826 saw a widespread bloothbath fo the prisoners on the orders of then Sultan Mahmood II, as well as widespread tourture of prisoners of all kind that the monument came to known as the ‘Tower of Blood’ or the ‘Red Tower’.  

The buff-coloured tower for centuries was part of the old city of Thessalonki or Salonik as it was named in the Ottoman times. It used to separate the Jewish Quarter from the Muslim and Jewish cemetaries.  

The tower housing the museum is now under the administrative control of the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture.

The seond largest city of Greece and the largest of the Greek region of Macedonia, Thessaloniki and due to its cultural heritage was once the co-capital of the Greek Nation and during the Byzantine Empire period was known as the ‘Symbasileousa’ or the Co-Queen, while the only the more significant city was Constinanpole.  

The city or the urban centre of Thessaloniki comprises 16 muicipalities and have a population of over 1 million residents.  

Thessaloniki is a quite a busy, cosmopolitan centre and a major economical, industrial and cultural centre of Greece. It is also a major transportation hub for the southeastern Europe as well as a major commercial port of its nation and surrounding countries.  

Being a former major Byzantine centre of trade and commerce as well as culture, it posses some of the brilliant archeological monuments of that era. Many of its buildings showcase the period’s construction style.  

It is also a major centre for arts with the annaul Thessaloniki International Film Festival being a major tourist draw in the whole of Europe. It showcases national as well as regional artists and their works both intertionally acclaimed and amateurs.

Ayia Napa in Greece; or Agia Napa in English, is a resort on the southern coast of Cyprus. Famous for its sandy beaches, it has now more of a clubbing resort than a family vacationing point, which it once was.  

The name Ayia Napa was borrowed from a Venetian-time monastery, which once used to be at the centre of the town, but unfortunately, for the religious it is now transformed into a major club of the city. The name itself, means ‘Saint’ in Greek language, while napa means a forested valley.  

According to a legend, the renowned original icon was discovered by a hunter in pursuit of his prey. On discovering he named it Virgin Mary of Agia Napa and the monastry which was built in 1500s was named on the same name. Later on, a settlement evolved around it.  

The town has now become one of the major clubbing destinations in the Mediterranean Sea region. Half of its visitors come here only due to this reason, while the other half are attracted by its beautiful beaches, sunny climate and ancient culture and traditions.

Lying west of Naxos in eastern Mediterranean Sea, Paros Island is separated by it by a 8 kilometre wide channel. Paros Island is a part of the Cyclades Group of Island and is 100 nautical miles southeast of the coastal city of Piraeus.  

A smaller island called Antiparos and various smaller islets, which together form the cluster also known as Paros Islands, surrounds Paros Island.  

Paros is considered an ideal place for windsurfing as constant strong winds in the channel between Paros and Naxos provides ample opportunity for thrill seekers to go for it.  

The island is also quite famous for its beaches. The biggest one is Chrissi Akti near Drios on the eastern coast facing Naxos. Others are Pounda, Logaras, Piso Livadi, Naoussa bay and Agia Irini.  

The main town is Parikia, which is settled on the original site of the ancient town of Paros. The town’s harbour is a major destination for ferries, catamarans and tourist boats that travel between major ports of the Aegean Sea.

Syros or Siros, whatever way it is pronounced or written, is a small island of the Cyclades Group in the Aegean Sea, some 78 nautical miles southeast of Athens.  

The main attractions of Siros, are its two main towns – Ermoupoli and Ano Syros. Ermoupoli is the not just the island’s main town but also the Groups’ capital city as well. The town has always been one of the region’s (Aegean Sea) significant centres of both commerce and culture.  

During the 19 century, Ermoupoli was the busiest port in whole of Greece, so much so, that it became the centre of ship building industry. Visitors can still see remnants of once famous shipping industries on the port. Even the people who grew rich on the basis of the industry, their houses or rather, their mansions can be view along the waterfront.  

The capital city Ermoupoli known as the ‘Queen of the Cyclades’, and ‘City of the Hermes’ is home of numerous monuments that reflect the neo-classical architectural style. There are numerous churches, as well as beautiful mansions lying up on the coastal front.  

For visitors, there is an Archaeological Museum and a library as well as many cafes and eateries.

Varied shopping and sophisticated nightlife to rival any European capital, Brussels has the glorious architecture. Grand' Place is the most famous place in Brussels , a beautiful square surrounded by Gothic architecture. The imposing Hotel de Ville, topped by a shining statue of St Michael, stands opposite the Maison du Roi, which holds the Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles.

Burssels is  lively and bustling with tourists by day and with bars and restaurants by night. This may not be the best place in terms of price to try your first cornet of chips, but for location it can't be beat. Other specialities are chocolate (the Neuhaus shops, found throughout the city, offer prepackaged gift boxes, or you can make up your own assortment), and, of course, beer.

The capital city of the island of Corsica in Mediterranean Sea also happens to be the birth town of the famous French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. The famous Frenchman was born here in 1769.  

Located on the western coast of the island, it lies some 210 nautical miles from the nearest neighbour on the mainland France, Marseille. The city’s position is such that a small forest protects it from most sides, while a peninsula protects its harbour lying on the Gulf of Ajaccio.  

Ajaccio’s famous son, Napoleon’s association with the town can be gauge easily with the countless street signs bearing his name as well as many statues of the famous general are visible across the city. His family’s home, where he was born is one of the main attractions of the city.  

The present town of Ajaccio lies about two miles south of the original town of the same name. Due to certain reasons, which are unknown, the present-day Genoese rulers transferred the settlement from the original site to this new site in the year 1492.  

The town has a lot of significance attached to it. It has been a seat of bishopric dating back to the 7 century. It once had training colleges, a communal college, a museum and a library.  

The town besides being a tourist attraction also has a small manufacturing economy of cigars, macaroni as well as a shipbuilding and sardine-fishing industry. Its main exports are timber, citrons, skins, chestnuts and gallic acid.

The third largest town on the island, after Bastia and Ajaccia, Port Vecchio is often called the ‘City of Salt’.  

This is so, as the city, or rather; the port was developed after draining the offshore salt marshes. The city, which is located on the south section of the island, is part of the Corse-du-Sud, departmente of France.  

The city of 10,000 souls, gets populated four times to its normal size during the summer months, when tourist from Italy, Germany and the Netherlands descent on it.

One of the main reasons for this influx is due to its large harbour, that facilitates the arrival of so many of these visitors, as it makes it cheaper to travel via ferry from France and Italy.  

There are quite a number of beautiful beaches on this side of the island, one of which is the Palombaggia, which is listed among the most wonderful beaches of the world.

One of the smallest of Swedish Islands in the Baltic Sea, Lilla Karlso is only 1.6 square kilometres in mass and about 66 meters high above sea level.  

Situated some 3 km west of the island of Gotland and 4.5 km from Stora Karlso, this island is basically a limestone plateau, with parts of coast consisting of steep cliffs.  

The island is full of rich flora and fauna. In 1954, the Swedish Government, declared this island, along with its nearby counterpart, Stora Karlso, as a nature reserve.  

Among the flora the island has some of the oldest broadleaf forest found in this region. There are also certain rare plants such as Lactuca Quercina and hart’s fern as well as Petrorhagia Prolifera. In the fauna department, the island posses several thousand pairs of guillemont and razorbills.  

The island is accessible during summer months by boats that run from the port of Klintehamn, on the island of Gotland.

Though, the land is chock-a-block dotted with waterfalls, some of which are quite small, not very spectacular, others are really, really spectacular, presenting a very beautiful view.  

Among some of the waterfalls are:  

Hengifoss – Flows from the river Lagarfljot, which stems from Lake Lagarfljot situated on the eastern side of Iceland. Said to be the highest waterfall in the country, Hengifoss falls from a height of 118 m, which then give birth to another waterfall, call Litlanesfoss.  

Skogafoss – Situated in the south part of the country, Skogafoss is one of the most beautiful, and scenic waterfalls, with a consistent production of a single or a double rainbow on sunny days.  

Gjain – The waterfall is located in the valley of the same name, Gjain, which is full of small waterfalls, ponds and volcanic structures and is situated in the south of Iceland. It is located about half-an-hour distance by foot from the historical farm, Stong.  

Svartifoss – One of the most popular sights of the Skaftafell National Park, Svartifoss waterfall, is surrounded by dark lava columns, which contributed to its name. The hexagonal columns were creation of cooled lava flow, giving rise to crystallized formations.