Athens – Katerini

Departure with stops on the way to Litochoro. Pilgrimage to the Monastery of St. Dionysios of Olympus. The Church of Our Lady, cruciform without a dome is dedicated to the Assumption. Interests Gospels on parchment, sacred vessels, holy pictures, vestments, etc. are kept in the Museum of the Monastery (male monastery). Then pilgrimage to the monastery Saint Efraim the Syrian in Kontariotissa. Until 1982 it was a private hermitage (nunnery). Arrival in Katerini, settle at the hotel. Dinner. Overnight.

Panagia Soumela – Veria – Naoussa – Edessa – Thessaloniki

Breakfast and departure for Kastania. Pilgrimage to Panagia Sumela. Monastery that was built in remembrance of the monastery who were in Pontus. It is a majestic Byzantine architecture church. It was built in 1990 and in 1993 the image, work of Evangelist Luke, returned to the monastery by the Byzantine Museum of Athens. Then we will visit the Skete of Veria, the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in the valley of the River Aliakmonas. The castle monastery is perched on the lush slopes of the Pieria Mountains. Space that was a monk the St. Gregory Palamas, Saint Paisius, Onoufrios, Kosmas of Aetolia, St. Kliment of Ohrid, Saint Dionisios of Olympus, Saint Nicanor of Savarda, Saint Demetrios Myrrhobletes, Saint Athanasios and many others who sanctified in Skete.

Visit to the Catholic that is devoted to Beheading of St John the Baptist. It is three-aisle basilica with Byzantine iconography typical. The wooden temple leaving us amazed. It was built in 1622. During the Turkish occupation the church was a restaurant and a tannery. In another room, the natural fridge of the monastery, there are icons of Saints and Blessed in natural size and representation of the Crucifixion. In the old warehouse today accomodated the archontariki of the monastery. In the holy relics mentioned the Grail of Romanov, gift of Catherine the Great, the holy skull of Saint Clement and bones of various Saints who had taken while leaving the monks when the Turks in 1822 burned the monastery. It was then that was destroyed and the rich library of the monastery. Rebuilt in 1900 and in 1906 established a seminary.

Continue to Veria. In the beautiful city pilgrimage in the Step of Apostle Paul. Continue to Naoussa. Stay for lunch at the Park of Arapitsa. We will pass the waterfall where women of Naoussa with their children fell through to avoid falling into the hands of the Turks. Edessa. We will drink our coffee and admire the impressive waterfalls unique in Greece, in the city. Continue to Thessaloniki. Dinner. Overnight.

Thessaloniki – Cave of Alistrati – Eikosifoinissa – Kavala – Xanthi – Komotini

Breakfast and short visit – pilgrimage – to the city’s patron St. Demetrius. We will pass by Rotonta – Kamara and the tourist symbol White Tower. We continue passing by lakes Volvi – Lagada and Rentina the Macedonian Tempi. Visit to the unique river cave at the source of the river Aggitis and the impressive cave of Alistrati. We will admire the impressive illuminated rooms, decorated with Ekkentrites, rare stalactites. We continue for pilgrimage to the Monastery of Eikosifoinissa in Paggaio Mountain. The name comes from 20 palm trees that Saint Germanos, monk from Palestine, saw in a vision, which began to preach Christianity in Macedonia. Another version from the chronicles of Papas Synodinos form Serres, 17th century, the choice of a “kosyfi” (blackbird) that showed the water source. At the point of the source is the church of St. Barbara. The church of Our Lady the Acheiropoietos, in Paggaio Mt, has both nicknames.

The Saint Germanos by trying to paint the picture of Our Lady the wood was slit. Then the Virgin Mary showed him the picture of (Acheiropoietos). The monastery in later years was a beacon of Orthodoxy in the Balkans. In 1854 it was destroyed by fire then plundered by Bulgarian, manuscripts, luggage and other treasures of the monastery, dragging them through the city of Drama to Bulgaria. Financial assistance from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and Mount Athos restored part of the buildings. Second Bulgarian occupation and new fire in 1943 destroyed again except the Catholicon. This was the reason to the monastic community for restoration of the monastery. The monastery complex is the result of repairs of the old monastery. Chapels of St. Alexios, chapel of St. Barbara with a marble fountain, the chapel of Life Giving Spring. The most important and holiest object is the miraculous Acheiropoietos icon of the Virgin with the Christ in the temple covered with silver dress.

Silver reliquary of the founders of the monastery, post-Byzantine icon of St. John the Baptist, another reliquary with bones of 15 saints and patrons of the monastery such as St. John Chrysostom, St. Panteleimon, St.Thomas, St. Barbara, St. Paraskevi, St. Xenophon and others. At the Museum are stored important examples of post-Byzantine iconography, miniature and embroidery, a gold- embroidered curtain of a Beautiful Gate etc. There are large guest rooms. Lunch en route. We continue for Kavala. Visit to the archaeological site of Philippi (individual costs) where passed the Apostle Paul and with Tito they baptized Lydia the first European Christian. Visit to Baptistery. We will admire the beautiful city of Kavala that spreads amphitheatrically up the mountain to the sea. Arches, Imaret remarkable monuments. Time for ouzo to the city’s restaurants and taverns. We continue for Xanthi. Visit to the historic city center and short stay. Next stop and visit the chapel of St. Nicholas in Porto Lagos and the largest lake of our homeland, the lake Vistonida. Arrival in Komotini. Settle to our hotel. Dinner. Overnight.

Komotini – Evros – Komotini

Breakfast and walk to the Clock Tower, to the city market, to the Greek and Muslim shops, and finally the Eski Mosque. Continuity has Alexandroupolis. Short stay on the beach with the characteristic lighthouse. We continue for Byzantine Feres. Visit to – Pilgrimage to Our Lady Kosmosounta. We continue a magical journey of wild beauty on the river Evros. At River’s Delta (with individual expenses) we can cruising on boats and see wild birds nesting in the Delta, and general the fauna of the area. Then we visit the observatory in the Forest of Dadia, to discover the fauna of the area Chrysaetos, Imperial Eagle, Vultures, vultures etc. We will walk in the National Park of the finest of our country and monitor movie projection about the flora and fauna of the region.

Then visit the unique Soufli of the strongest silk production centers. We will meet the trip of the silkworm in the Sericulture Museum. Time for lunch and shopping for silk fabrics, embroidery tsevre etc. Stop for coffee at Didymoticho and through Orestiada arrival in Adrianople. We will walk to the city’s Greek neighbourhoods. We will see the Bulgarian Orthodox Church of St. George. Visit to the train station where stationed the Orient Express. With necessary passport arrive at Greek-Turkish border outpost in the the Kastanies. Back to Komotini late afternoon passing again by the unique beauty of the street next to us having the River Evros, our boundary with Turkey.

Komotini – Kalampaka

Breakfast and return to Thessaly with stops for lunch and coffee. Settle to our hotel in Kalambaka. Dinner and overnight.

Meteora – Athens

Breakfast and departure for Meteora. The history of the monastic community of Meteora started in the 11th century and the development of this society led to the founding of 23 monasteries. Currently, only five of them are inhabited. We will visit the largest and most important of all monastery, the Great Meteor, with precious artworks. The Church of the Transfiguration, with the twelve-sided dome, has exquisite frescoes of 1552 by the monk Theophanes Streliza. Next visit to the Monastery of Ag. Stefanos, female monastery. The rock which is built the monastery is separated from the mountain with canyon and connected to it by a bridge. In 1333 he visited the emperor Andronicus III Palaeologus and since then is called royal. The old church of Agios Stephanos, 1350, contains rich frescoes, gold plated wood carvings and old pictures. Then short stop in Trikala and Karditsa. Return to Athens via Lamia.