Northern Greece, Albania & Macedonia: Ancient Lands of Alexander the Great Day 4

Day 04 - October 13, 2017- Mount Olympus; Sacred City of Dion; Lunch in Litohoro; Afternoon at Leisure

Our group gathered at 9:00 to meet Stefanos and Eleni for our ride to Mount Olympus. We drove out of town through the western part of the city known for its industrial complexes, businesses, and agricultural.

The morning began with clear skies and cool temperatures. It was 57 degrees with no breeze. As we passed the harbor we saw that the water was as smooth as glass.

We drove southwest through flat fields of cotton, hay, sorghum, corn, and wheat. Cooperative grain silos and hay depots collected crops for distribution to the ports. Eleni talked to us about the topography and the industry of the area.

She also gave us a detailed history of this ancient Macedonian region of northern Greece and the reign of Phillip II and then his son Alexander. As we got closer to the mountain range, we saw rolling hills with pine trees, vineyards, plantations of kiwis, olive groves, as well as many varieties of hardwood trees.

Mount Olympus was the mythical home of the twelve ancient Greek gods. Zeus was the king of the gods. Eleni gave us a list of all of the gods describing each one so we could review our understanding of Greek mythology.

At 10:15 we arrived at the Archeological Site of Dion. Eleni took us on a two-hour tour of the open-air park. Her extensive background in research and her knowledge of the Greek gods were very impressive. We were able to appreciate the details of the religious center of the Greeks much better than if we were just walking through the park on our own.

Dion was near the slopes of Mount Olympus and was a sacred city for the Macedonians also. Eleni described the importance of the area to the early Greeks and then Alexander. Our first stop was at the reconstructed theater where Euripides staged many of his tragedies.

We took time to walk to the sanctuaries of Demeter, Zeus, and Isis. Before going to the Roman era baths built on this site, we saw the ruins of the vendor’s shops and the public latrines.

How incredible it was to stroll on the same paths that the Greek writers, philosophers, and then where the Macedonian warriors walked! Most of the site had been flattened as the bricks, marble columns, and statues were used as building materials for the following societies. Recycling at the height of efficiency!

We had to leave the site and meet our bus at 12:30. We drove a few miles into the modern town of Dion for a short stop at the Archeological Workshop to see a large mosaic floor discovered in 2015 in Dion. It was painstakingly divided, numbered, and then lifted off of the original site. Before it was moved to its own building in the museum complex, it was shipped to New York City for a special showing.

Right across the campus was the main Archaeological Museum of Dion where we saw all of the original statues from the excavation. Eleni took us there to see a hydraulis, a Greek musical instrument created by Ctesibius of Alexandria in 1 Century BCE. Similar to a hydraulic pipe organ, we were able to hear a song played depicting the original sound.

Stefanos was waiting to take us to our lunch in Litohoro. We ate at the little Meze Meze restaurant where we sampled even more Greek delicacies. Starting with a salad and bread, we had baked eggplant, roasted sweet red peppers, zucchini balls, potatoes, meatballs, and a chocolate cake for dessert.

Usually Greeks order their meals family style, which gave us a chance to have a small portion of many different items. We had more than enough to eat but the consensus was that the eggplant was the favorite. Baked with olive oil, onions, and tomatoes and served with feta cheese, it was delicious!

After our meal we walked to meet our bus and then headed back to Thessaloniki arriving at 3:45, just in time for the beginning of rush hour. We thanked Stefanos and Eleni and came back to our room.

Tomorrow is a travel day so we reorganized our bags, made sure to get our documents out of the safe, and enjoyed a quiet evening. Thessaloniki is certainly not on every tourist’s path, but it was a great place for a traveler to get to know Greece and the people of the Hellenic Republic, the official name of this country.

More about “Mount Olympus”:

The tallest mountain range in Greece is the Olympus massif, 100 kilometers southwest of the city of Thessaloniki in northern Greece. The highest peak is Mytikas at 2918 meters (9570 feet).

https://sacredsites.com/europe/greece/mt_olympus.html

Accommodations: MEDITERRANEAN PALACE HOTEL - - - Meal: B & L