Halkidiki
From the Monks Republic to Endless Beaches
My first visit to Halkidiki is not one I’ll ever forget. I almost died, and you tend to remember stuff like that.
I was researching a guidebook to the Greek mainland, and hadn’t booked a hotel in Halkidiki because I wasn’t sure what day I’d be there. I had to cover Thessaloniki first, and I didn’t know how many days that would take.
It doesn’t really matter, I thought, as the bit of Halkidiki that’s closest to Thessaloniki is a string of hotel-filled holiday resorts. When I’m ready, I’ll drive to the nearest one and find a cheap hotel.
This was around late October/early November, and it was my first experience of Greek resort towns out of season. All the hotels were dark and closed, and there were no welcoming ‘Rooms to Rent’ signs.
It was about 8pm and I was starting to worry. Would I have to sleep in the car? Then, a glimmer of hope - I saw a hotel off the road where the lights were on. I drove up with fingers crossed… but it was closed. The only people inside were doing some painting and decorating. However, one of the guys gave me directions to a house where the owner might have a room to rent.
II trudged back to the car, pretty tired after a long day’s work, and pulled back onto the main road. By this time I’d been driving round Greece for about three weeks, so was quite used to driving on the right. But this night, due to tiredness and being worried, I drove on the left. I rounded a bend and a pair of headlights was heading towards me, maybe 20-30 yards away. I pulled in to the verge, and thankfully the other driver reacted quickly and swerved to the other side of the road, no doubt thinking he’d encountered a drunk driver.
I sat there to get my composure, and thought that if I’d been just a few seconds earlier, we’d have ploughed right into each other. After several deep breaths I carried on, and found the address. This little guesthouse was also closed for the season, but the woman who ran it said she could open up a small room for me. I’d nothing to eat that night as there was nowhere open to eat, though the owner did cook me a nice breakfast in the morning.
Halkidiki
Halkidiki is a peninsula to the east of Thessaloniki, with three mini-peninsulas dangling off the bottom (a geographical term): Kassandra, Sithonia, and Mount Athos. Kassandra is where to go if you want busy beaches and good nightlife. Sithonia is a little bit quieter but is still very much a holiday destination. Read our Halkidiki page for more information.
The third peninsula is a law unto itself, literally - Mount Athos, the Monks Republic. The peninsula governs itself and is covered with monasteries. No woman is allowed to set foot there, and even male visitors need to apply for a permit.
Visiting Mount Athos
I’ve been lucky enough to set foot on Mount Athos for a few hours, to see how the monks live, and to have a simple lunch with them. I was in Thessaloniki for a travel show, and the Greek National Tourism Organisation had arranged for a few of us (males only, of course) to visit Mount Athos. No doubt a few strings were pulled and rules were bent, to allow us to step ashore. It was a thrill to see the rustic way in which the monks live and work.
The only way most people get to see Mount Athos is from the deck of a boat, as there are regular boat excursions that will take you around the peninsula. You get to see the dramatic scenery and the even more dramatic locations of the monasteries. I’ve done that too, and I highly recommend it. We had the pleasure of being followed by lots of dolphins for a while, Read our page about Mount Athos Boat Trips.
Northern Halkidiki
Finally there’s Northern Halkidiki, the bit of land that runs across the top of all three peninsulas. That’s also briefly covered on our Halkidiki Page. I drove around here and found it very enjoyable. The main attractions are the Petralona Cave, and the village of Stageira, where Aristotle was born and where he is much honoured. I really enjoyed that drive through a very rural Greece… especially given my close encounter of the worst kind a few days earlier!
Till next time - yammas!
Mike and Donna
