Greece - Korina Miller [241]
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AROUND LITOHORO
Mt Olympus ΟΛΥΜΠΟΣ ΟΡΟΣ
Just as it did for the ancients, the cloud-covered lair of the Ancient Greek pantheon, awe-inspiring Mt Olympus fires the visitor’s imagination today. Greece’s highest mountain, Olympus also hosts around 1700 plant species, some rare and endemic. Its slopes are covered with thick forests of numerous different deciduous trees, conifers and pines. Bird life is equally varied. Olympus became Greece’s first national park in 1937. Excepting the exertions of ancient deities, the first known mortals to reach Mytikas (2918m), Olympus’ highest peak, were Litohoro local Christos Kakalos and Swissmen Frederic Boissonas and Daniel Baud-Bovy, in August 1913.
Although it’s possible to drive up Olympus, most people come for the hike; consult the Litohoro-based hiking associations (opposite) for maps and current conditions.
Ancient Dion Δο
Just north of Litohoro, Ancient Dion (Dion Archaeological Park; adult/student €6/2; 8am-8pm) was sacred for ancient Macedonians worshipping the Olympian gods and especially Zeus – before his epic eastern adventures, Alexander the Great even sacrificed here.
Originally, a fertility earth goddess was worshipped here. Later, other gods came into vogue, such as Asclepius, god of medicine. Dion’s Sanctuary to Isis, the exotic Egyptian goddess, stands in a lush, low-lying area. Its votive statues were found virtually intact, with faint colour remaining. Copies stand in for the originals, now in the site’s museum. A well-preserved mosaic floor from AD 200, depicts the Dionysos Triumphal Epiphany. During August’s Olympus Festival, Dion’s reconstructed theatre hosts performances.
The archaeological park ticket includes Dion’s museum ( 23510 53206; 8am-7pm Tue-Fri, 10.30am-5pm Mon, 8.30am-3pm Sat & Sun), with its well-labelled collection of statues and other finds.
To get here, drive or catch a taxi from Litohoro (€9).
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VERIA ΒΕΡΟΙΑ
pop 43,683
Seemingly a fairly uniform Greek town, Veria conceals a remarkable assortment of Byzantine-era churches, an old Jewish quarter, traditional Turkish houses and two worthwhile museums, plus good eating and nightlife. Seventy-five kilometres west of Thessaloniki on the Vergina road, Veria remains less visited by tourists than by Greek business travellers with local agriculture, wine and mineral water interests.
Orientation
The two main squares, Plateia Andoniou and Plateia Raktivan (1km apart), are linked by Venizelou and Mitropoleos. The conjunction of Venizelou and Mitropoleos Elias leads to the escarpment ridge along which Anixeos runs north–south. Within these major thoroughfares, the pezodromos (pedestrian street), Ellis, is a centre of nightlife cutting in from Kontogiorgaki, which has hotels, restaurants and shops. The bus station is one block east of Venizelou. The train station is 3km north on the old Thessaloniki road.
Information
ATM-equipped banks line Venizelou and Mitropoleos.
In-Spot (Elias 9; per hr €2; 24hr) Internet access.
Municipal Culture Office (cnr Pavlou Mela & Bizaniou) Tourism office.
Police ( 23310 22391; Mitropoleos)
Post office (Dionysiou Solomou 4)
Tourist information booth (cnr Anixeos & Plateia Elias; 9am-5pm)
Sights & Activities
Veria’s evocative old Jewish quarter, Barbouta, is reached from Plateia Andoniou down Vasileos Konstandinou, old Veria’s commercial street, flanked by shops and kafeneia. Halfway along on the right is a huge, ancient plane tree from which the Turks hanged Archbishop Arsenios in 1430, after taking Veria. Opposite is the dilapidated, 12th-century cathedral, whose decapitated minaret indicates the cathedral’s Ottoman incarnation as a mosque.
The Archaeological Museum ( 23310 24972; Leoforos Anixeos 45; admission free; 8.30am-3pm Tue-Sun), at Anixeos’ northern end, contains finds from the Vergina tombs and nearby Lefkadia. Funerary items, ancient vases, silver, gold and a lovely statue of ‘Aphrodite taking off her sandals’ also impress.