In the northeast of sunny Greece, on the shores of the Aegean Sea, lies the beautiful peninsula of Chalkidiki. It was named after the ancient Greek city of Chalcedon. The great scientist of all times and peoples Aristotle was born, lived and worked here. Here is the abode of the Greek gods, and legends are intertwined with modernity.
This is a great scenic spot with great tourism potential. Local sights attract intellectual travelers and simply curious people from all over the world like butterflies to the light of a night lamp. Halkidiki from a bird's eye view resembles three fingers or a trident. Each "tooth" is three small islands: Athos, Sithonia and Kassandra. Here is the famous Mount Athos, overgrown with relict pine forests. And beech, oak and fir groves, hiding the secrets of deep gorges, create a fabulous green kingdom. Steep cliffs and clear sea are all a real paradise for the traveler.
Soaring in the clouds
They are called "Meteora" here. It is one of the main historical landmarks of the peninsula, located in the mountains of Thessaly in northern Greece. Twenty-four monasteries, built in the distant tenth century on top of the majestic cliffs. These rocks reach a height of six hundred meters above sea level and are a very rare geological phenomenon. Their formation began more than sixty million years ago. Then it was the rocky bottom of the prehistoric sea, located in the place of the plain. As a result of the impact of huge temperature changes, wind and water, massive pillars hanging in the air were formed. For their appearance, they received the name Meteora (translated from the Greek language "soaring in the air").
Since ancient times, hermits from all over the world have been striving here, considering this place the most suitable for voluntary seclusion. Six monasteries function here today. This monastic center was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1988. According to the administrative-church division, it is included in the Metropolitanate of Stagi and the Meteor-Greek Orthodox Church. In the period after the First World War, a new road was built here from Kalambaka. The increased attention to monasteries from world tourism in recent years has contributed to the fact that some of the monks living here began to leave these places. Fears of vain intrusions from the modern world into the ascetic way of life forced them to leave their cells. That is why today "Meteora" function more like a museum.
A mountain that only men can visit
The summit of Mount Athos is the highest point of the Athos peninsula (2033 meters). The Holy Mountain is considered a sacred place. Here were the temples of Apollo and Zeus. Mount Athos, on which twenty monasteries are located, receives only the strong half of humanity. But the restrictions do not end there either. Monasteries can be visited subject to obtaining a special visa. Just idle tourists are not expected here. For unauthorized entry and violation of the rules for visiting this holy place, you can get a significant time and end up in prison. Despite the fact that it is Mount Athos that is recognized as the earthly destiny of the Mother of God, women are strictly prohibited from entering here. This prohibition is enshrined in the Rite of Athos. Tradition says that in the forty-eighth year, the Mother of God, having received the grace of the Holy Spirit, went to Cyprus. But she did not get to Cyprus, since the ship on which she sailed fell into a storm and washed up on the shores of Athos. Another legend says why women are not allowed to Athos. In 422, the daughter of Theodosius the Great Placidia decided to visit the Holy Mountain. But the voice emanating from the icon of the Mother of God did not allow her to enter the Vatopedi monastery. Today Mount Athos is considered a Greek territory. But in fact, it is the only independent monastic republic in the whole world. The supreme power here belongs to the Sacred Kinot. It consists of representatives of the Athonite monasteries, who are delegated by the latter.
The first holy abode here was a large monastery founded in 963 by Saint Athanasius of Athos. He is considered the founder of the monastic way of life on the Holy Mountain. His abode is known throughout the world as the Great Lavra. On Athos, Byzantine time is preserved to this day. The day begins with the setting of the sun, so Athos time differs from Greek time by three hours in summer, and by seven hours in winter. Xilurgu, a Russian monastery founded before 1016, is located on the Holy Mountain. In 1169 the monastery was transferred to the monastery of Panteleimon, which later became the center of Russian monks on Athos. A lot of relics are kept on the Holy Mountain, including eight miraculous icons. One of the main artifacts of Athos is the belt of the Virgin.
Abode of the Greek Gods
One of the most famous mountains on our planet is Mount Olympus. They know about her from early childhood, thanks to Greek mythology, studied at school. A well-known legend says that the gods Athena, Hermes, Apollo, Artemis and Aphrodite lived here, led by the formidable Zeus. The majestic inhabitants ate ambrosia, which was brought to them by pigeons from the garden of the Hesperides. The Greeks firmly believe in them, believing that this is not fiction, but quite real characters who lived, fell in love, hated and had completely human emotions. They even sometimes went down from Olympus to take a closer look at people's lives.
Today, ancient myths can become a reality for anyone who wants to touch the legend. Ascents are organized to Olympus. Moreover, they are of different levels: both tourist and mountaineering. Thus, both a beginner and a professional can climb the mountain. Here, any visitor can take colorful photos with views of Olympus as a souvenir. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the mountain was inaccessible to humans, no one dared to climb Olympus. But in 1913, a daredevil was found who challenged her inaccessibility. It was the Greek Christ Kakalas, who climbed the highest point of Mount Olympus. In 1938, this territory, equal to almost four thousand hectares, was declared a national park of Greece. To be more precise, it would be more accurate to apply not “mountain” to Olympus, but “mountain range”. After all, there is actually not one mountain, but as many as forty peaks.
Mitikas is the highest peak. Its height is 2917 m. In second place is Scalio with a height of 2912 m. Also, the top three leaders include Mount Stephanie, its height is 2905 m. The mountains are attractive for botanical research, as there are endemic plants and a huge variety of different types of vegetation. … In 1981, UNESCO declared the territory of the mountain complex a biosphere reserve.
Fortified castle, healing thermal springs and Petralona cave
One of the main attractions of the Halkidiki peninsula is the Castle-Fortress in the Platamon Valley. It got its name from its geographical location. Platamonas in translation from Greek means "Castle of beautiful women". The Byzantine castle was built in the 10th century AD. and is located on the southeastern slope of Mount Olympus. Excavations in 1995 confirmed the hypothesis of the location of the most ancient city of Heraklion in this place. This city was the second most important city in ancient Macedonia.
Thirteen kilometers from the city of Aridea, there are thermal springs with the healing effect of Loutraki. The water temperature in the springs is always at around +37 degrees. This Greek resort is not inferior in its properties to the famous thermal springs of France in the city of Vichy. There are excellent hotels and the best beaches on the coast. And tourist rest of the highest class is guaranteed.
If you want to see where the very first ancient man in Europe was found, then you should come to Petralona. There is a large Anthropological Museum, which contains all the local unique finds. Among them, you can see the remains of various animal species that lived more than five million years ago.
Nowadays, the Chalkidi peninsula has an excellent reputation as a tourist paradise. However, it is difficult to find another place similar to this on the planet, where pilgrims from all over the world try to join the history. Here the land itself is saturated with the spirit of the ancient gods, who in ancient times visited this paradise. In addition, travelers will find excellent Mediterranean cuisine, excellent climatic conditions, picturesque landscapes, various tourist routes and, of course, the friendly local population.
