Description

We travel to beautiful Veria, the “Small Jerusalem” with 2.500 years of history, the second most important city after Aiges during antiquity and third most important of the Byzantine empire after Constantinople (Istanbul) and Thessaloniki; an interesting journey back in time among christian, byzantine and modern culture discovering monuments unfolding in front of us. We combine our excursion with the ancient philosophy of viticulture and the art of wine making in Macedonia, enjoying varieties of organic wines in a fine winery. Don’t miss it!

HIGHLIGHTS

• Veria (Apostle Paul’s Tribune, Post-Byzantine Church of Veria, Jewish Quarter and Quarter of Kyriotissa)

• Prime winery with organic wine varieties

STARTING POINTS AND DEPARTURE TIMES

Starting point: White Tower (Entrance) | 08:00

Stop 1: Makedonia Palace Hotel | 08:05

Stop 2: Aristotelous Square & Egnatia Street (Venizelos Statue) | 08:15

Stop 3: Capsis Hotel | 08:20

Stop 4: The Met Hotel | 08:25

EXCURSION DURATION

• 8 hours (2 hours on the road)

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXCURSION

We depart to Veria with the bus of Ammon Express along with our friendly trip attendant-archaeologist,

at 08:00 from the White Tower (entrance),

at 08:05 from Makedonia Palace Hotel,

at 08:15 from Aristotelous Square & Egnatia Street (at the white Statue of Venizelos),

at 08:20 from Capsis Hotel,

at 08:25 from The Met Hotel

The distance is 72km and lasts approximately 1 hour.

We reach Veria around 09:30 and we pass by the Apostle Paul’s Tribune which is a historical monument and a landmark for the Christians, the traditional quarter of Barbouta – it’s the jewish quarter next to the river with the artistic mansions, the plain houses with the jewish signs and also the Synagogue. We visit the Post-Byzantine Church of Veria and the traditional quarter of Kyriotissa; the christian quarter where we can admire the byzantine churches and walk through the narrow alleys of the old town. The traditional architecture of the old districts and the numerous byzantine and post-byzantine churches with the remarkable mural paintings give a unique character to the city revealing at the same time the history and the prosperity of the area.

In our free time we enjoy our coffee and later on we can taste the most popular traditional sweet of the Veria, the syrup cake called “revani”.

Next we continue for a wine route to a prime winery. Our wine expert shall introduce us to the ancient history of viticulture and the wine making. We have the chance to learn about the art of wine making from the winegrowers themselves, who guide us through the vineyards and the areas of wine producing, maturing and aging. We learn all the details of the process that leads the wine from the vineyard to our glass, the selection of the grape type and the growing area of the vineyard, until the “birth” of the organic wine in the winery. We will also get to know the wine varieties and taste some of the fantastic wines through a wine tasting that’s an absolutely delightful experience. We will delve into the aromas and the colors and learn how to serve, bottle, conserve and keep the quality of the wine in high level. After this contact with the “nectar of the Gods” we will realize that the selection and the drinking of a fine wine is not as simple as we thought.

We depart to Thessaloniki at around 15:30 and we are back after an hour (around 16:30), making the same stops where we started from.

THE PRICE OF THE EXCURSION INCLUDES

• Round-trip transportation to Veria and to the prime Winery

• English speaking trip attendant-archaeologist

• The wine tour and the wine tasting at the Winery

• Variety of local cheeses during the Wine Tasting

• Basic travel insurance (during transport)

NOT INCLUDED

• Entrance fee to the jewish Synogoue

• Cost of coffee/lunch

• Personal expenses

USEFUL INFORMATION

• Our trip attendant-archaeologist shall wear clothing with the Ammon Express marking so that he/she will be recognisable easily

• You should be at the departure point 10΄ before the time indicated in the schedule. The bus cannot remain at designated stops, except for boarding

• Wear comfortable shoes to walk around the sights

• In summer season bear in mind to have sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat

• Please be consistent with the exact appointment times specified by the Ammon Express escort, so that the excursion will remain unforgettable to all participants

• Have a nice trip and an unforgettable experience!

• Don’t forget to share pictures and comments from your experience!