This week’s musical inspiration is the work of two of Europe’s best known DJs, brothers, Dimitri and Micheal Thivalos aka Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. Although of Greek origin the brothers were born and grew up in Belgium. Over the years they lived in Ibiza, Mallorca and today’s destination Halidiki as they honed their skills on the turntable. Be warned some people may be offened by the language used in the video. Can you spot the cameos, by Martin Sheen and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Halidiki is a region situated in the the central part of Greece known as Northern Macedonia and is the second most populous region in Greece. Halidiki is a very popular tourist destination. It is not difficult to see why when you look at the magnificent beaches.
Google things to do in Halidiki and the beaches will come top of the list. There are posting of the top five beaches, top ten beaches and even the top 62 beaches. Many people would recommend heading for the beaches on Ammouliani Island or Kalamitsi Beach with its soft golden sands. Kalamitsi Beach is rated number one by tripadvior. The Halidiki Tourism organisation describes it as “an astonishing, well-organized beach with soft, white sand and remarkably emerald, clear waters which is surrounded by huge rocks.” Many of the beaches have bars and restaurants nearby and one or two have nightclubs as well. Most of the nightclubs are situated in Kasssandra, but you will find good ones elsewhere too. Ahoy situated in Kallithea is one of the largest outdoor clubs of its kind in Greece and has a capacity of around 3000 visitors.
To get completley away from the beach and hedonism, then you should head off on a trip to Mount Athos or Agion Oros which translates as Holy Mountain. Mount Athos is a self governming region of Greece and whilst it is technically within the European Union it is allowed to regulate the freedom of movement of people and goods through its territory (maybe there was an alternative to Brexit). What this means for you and me is that only males are allowed to enter the territory. So women can only observe Mount Athos from afar and the best way to do this is on a boat trip. The only females allowed on the island are cats for their ability catch mice! There are no female domestic animals.
Over 2,000 monks not only from Greece but from other countries which follow the Easter Orthodox religion live a life of praying, fasting and manual labour, isolated from the rest of the world. Within the twenty monastries located in Mount Athos, there are a collection of artifacts of immense historical value. In 1988 Mouth Athos was listed as a World Heritage Site. Just 10 permits for non-orthodox visitors are issued daily and you will need to apply for one of these well in advance of you planned visit. For a good description of the monastries and how to visit Mount Athos click here.
We have given you a very brief insight to this beautiful region of Greece, watch this video below for more inspiration.
For you visit to Halidiki contact Maggie. Ask her about special deals at Ikos Olivia.
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