Half swamp, half ancient city, the site of Dion is a playground for both archaeologists and naturalists. The city once hosted such notables as Alexander the Great, but today it’s lush greenery and ponds are home to a variety of critters. Frogs are by far the most obvious, but there is also an abundance of birds, butterflies, dragonflies, spiders, fish, turtles and weasels hiding among the ruins and greenery.

The archaeological remains are no disappointment either. The site features two theaters, one Greek and one Roman, as well as a Roman bath complex, complete with a well-preserved example of the hypocaust system used to heat the floors. On the other side of the Roman road lies a series of private houses, including the Villa of Dionysus, named for a mosaic depicting the god in his chariot.

The site is home to several sanctuaries as well, to Demeter, Zeus, Isis, and Asklepios. The highlight of these is undoubtedly the sanctuary of the Egyptian goddess Isis. Accessed by a raised walkway, the sanctuary is almost completely submerged. The sanctuary consists of three small temples. In front of the main temple runs two long, parallel walls. This corridor was the entrance to the site and was meant to represent the Nile, in which the goddess’ beloved Osiris drowned. Exploring the flooded sanctuary today, it is easy to imagine the goddess looking sadly out over the great river.

After acting as the sacred seat of Olympian Zeus, then as a Roman colony, and finally as a bishopric in the Christian era, the city was gradually abandoned. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the site was rediscovered and excavations continue to the present day. The city monuments have been restored and left in their original locations, making visitors feel as though they are in a truly forgotten city. Aside from the outdoor site, there is also a museum housing artifacts found during the excavations, including the unique Dion hydraulis, or water organ. An archaeological park in the true sense of the phrase, the marble dotted swamps of Dion are a place to discover many Gods. And frogs. Many frogs.

It was founded in 315 B.C. by the king of Macedonia, Kassandros, son of the general Antipatros who was left as a prefect of Macedonia by Alexander the Great, when he dared his great expedition in Asia.

In this way, Kassandros, having won the battle for succession, married the step-sister of Alexander the Great, Thessaloniki, and founded the city in her honor, uniting 26 small settlements in the vicinity.

In less than two centuries from its establishment, Thessaloniki, just like all of Macedonia, was occupied by the Romans. In 148 B.C. it was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. A bit later the Macedonian Greeks support the Roman occupation together with whom they face the peoples who often arrived outside of her famous walls trying to gain occupation.

In 42 B.C., Thessaloniki is declared a free city (civitas libera) and begins a new age of peace and prosperity.

Half a century before the birth of Christ, the Roman orator, Cicero, lives in Thessaloniki. The large, famous Egnatia Road for travelers who went from Rome to the East or came back from the West, passes right next to it, uniting the Adriatic to Constantinople. The Roman Empire was finally coming to its end. Two large powers are created with Licinius in the West and Constantine in the East.

Constantine the Great chooses Thessaloniki from where he will engage in his great confrontation with Licinius. He builds the new port of the city and recognizes Christianity as the official religion of the state. During that period, Thessaloniki acquires important Byzantine churches, many of which visitors will see today during their walks through the city. In the centuries that follow, Thessaloniki suffers from the raids of Goths, Persians, Arabs and Turks without ever losing its character. The city is saved by its great walls of which several of its parts still exist today crowning the city.

In 1185 the Byzantine Empire could not prevent the occupation of Thessaloniki from the Normans. A few years later come the Franks and in 1224 A.D. the city is occupied by Theodoros Doukas Komnenos and is declared the capital of the Bishop of Epirus.

Afterwards, the city will face the threat of the Catalans while from 1300 A.D. enters its golden age. The city experiences a singular autonomy and self-government. It is multi-membered with a strong economy, cultural and artistic life, brilliant monuments, skillfully decorated churches and all sorts of factories: copper, iron, lead, paper etc.

It opened in October 2005 and claims to be the largest retail and entertainment development in Southeastern Europe. It contains more than 200 retail units and facilities including an 11-screen multiplex cinema, numerous shops of fashion and electronics goods as well as coffeehouses, restaurants, bars, a supermarket, an amphitheatre with a capacity of 400 people and an Eastern Orthodox church of St Andrew. The mall is located about 5 km away from Thessaloniki International Airport, "Macedonia", close to the busy suburb of Kalamaria and the Interbalkan Medical Center. It can be accessed by Greek National Road 67, the highway connecting Thessaloniki with the southern part of Chalkidiki. Inside the mall, a multitude of roads and squares have been created to reflect the character of traditional cities of Northern Greece, in combination with the advantages of a
modern city's centre.

The monasteries of Meteora, which are built on the top of some rocks, is currently the second most important group of monasteries in Greece, after the Mount Athos.

Only six of the thirty, who have historically been, operate currently and from 1988 they are included in world heritage list of UNESCO.

Greece is a land of much geological activity. There are its infrequent earthquakes, for exmple, the last bad one of which took place in Athens in September, 1999. But, with the earth's crust full of cracks and fault lines, there is the pleasant phenomenon of rainwater which has percolated down through limestone, being infused with  minerals  in the process, contacting much hotter rock far below the earth's surface, and then being forced back up through fissures to the surface in the form of hot springs. The rich mineral content of the hot water  has proven to be immensely beneficial to many kinds of physical ailments.

The most famous hot springs in Greece, of course, would be Thermopylae (Hot Gates), where, not far from the rising mist a tiny Spartan army held off hordes of Persian invaders at a narrow pass until they were betrayed by Efiliates, a Greek who led the Persians around the tight spot in the road via a path through the surrounding mountains.

Eighty kilometers northwest of Thessaloniki there is a delightful combination of hot springs and mountains. It is one of the most interestingly beautiful, restful, healthful places in Greece. There are not many places in the world where you can bask in the heat of a thermal pool in  mid-winter and enjoy the sight of snow just a few meters away, but this is one of them.

Along a 10 km east-west corridor from Aridaia to Loutraki-Pozar are a complex of spas which, taking advantage of a network of mineral hot springs, have just about something for everyone: you can bath in a pool next to waterfalls and use the force of the falls as a sort of outdoor athlete's whirlpool for upper back pain,  you can bathe in a pool that is enclosed, if the cold air bothers you, or if you want a private bath, you can find that, too.

A good soak in a hot spring not only provides immediate benefits, but those benefits can last for months. 

In the thermal pools the mineral-filled water is a pleasant light blue in color. As the warm water enters the human body through pores opened by the heat, they help the muscular-skeletal system, particularly ailments such as joint pains, arthritis, back pain, various diseases of the muscles, tendonitis, even curvature of the spine. The nice thing about these spas is not only does one feel better immediately, but the benefits can last up to three months.

Aridaia is a small city of 9,000 on the west bank of the Almopaios River, and anchors the eastern end of this complex of spas, while Loutraki-Pozar Spa anchors the western end. Aridaia offers many spas and hotels, in addition to a Byzantine-era castle, built in the 8th century, 7 km outside the town. Aridaia was said to be built by giants which once inhabited the area. At least that's the legend; that they built the town sometime in the dim past.

It is a place that is unlike any other in Greece, with its cooler climate, snow-capped mountains in the distance, and the rising steam of its hot springs. It is a magical place of quiet, of physical healing, and of fascinating topography. The old train station in Aridaia hosts the Museum of Natural History, with exhibits featuring the unusual geology of the region, remains of the now extinct cave bear, (found in the caves near Loutraki-Pozar, which themselves can be explored), and local plant life.

A smart tourist goes where the locals go, and Aridaia-Loutraki-Pozar  is an extremely popular destination for Greeks. Its close enough to Salonika for a day trip of spa-bathing, hiking, or just exploring the beautiful mountains, streams, forests and waterfalls, or, even better, ideal for a getaway week or weekend where once can bathe in the healing waters on a daily basis.

With its combination of mountain greenery, bright with colors in the autumn, and the beneficial hot springs and spas, this area is a magnet for tourists, both Greek and foreign. There are also many hiking trails in the area, particularly in the so-called Dark Forest, where the growth of large trees is so thick that little light is said to reach the ground.