Our first stop on our Celestyal Mediterranean Cruise is Thessaloniki in Greece. The second biggest city in Greece is located in Northern Greece 500kms or 310 miles away from Athens and is located south of Macedonia. Take a look as we try some of the most delicious pastries that Thessaloniki is known for and visit the historic Upper Town.
Mr NQN and I are exploring Thessaloniki by ourselves today. The Celestyal Journey ship has docked and the excursion groups have left and it's almost 11am when Mr NQN and I step off the cruise ship. We've missed breakfast but managed a sleep-in and a workout and we disembark with purpose. Our first stop is to rectify the hunger situation when we get to Thessaloniki.
It's still technically Sunday morning and the streets of Thessaloniki are fully awake. We reach Hlios bakery, a small bakery with a colourful display of cakes and chocolates. We are here to try the "Trigona Panoramatos" that comes from the suburb of Panorama, on the outskirts of Thessaloniki. This is a filo pastry soaked in syrup and filled with vanilla or salted caramel creme patisserie.
We take the pastries outside and my fingers are eager to unwrap everything. I take a bite of the Trigona Panoramatos and the filo pastry shatters into the creamy custard filling. As expected it is decadent, a dream really. The salted caramel is for the super sweet tooths like Mr NQN while I enjoy the vanilla. We also buy a chocolate suffed eclair as well as a macaron filled with creme patisserie. All of these pastries are a bargain at €1 each.
Hunger sated, we head to Ano Poli, the upper town of Thessaloniki that has some pretty houses and gives a glimpse into village life. As one of the few areas that survived the Great Fire of 1917 it has relics of the old city walls and narrow steep cobblestones. It is worth climbing up to Ano Poli for incredible views of the bustling modern city below.
Many houses have pomegranate trees laden with pink rubied fruit as well as olive and persimmon trees and grapevines. We spend hours walking around and taking in the views of Thessaloniki below. Cats sip from large buckets of water left for them. They are not scared of humans as they are treated so well.
After Ano Poli we head down the hill towards the waterfront area towards Agora Modiano, an indoor food market. We pass Church of Prophet Elias, a stunning looking 14th century Athonite style church. We arrive at the market but as it's Sunday most of the stalls are closed. Still there around 10 or so open. It's a great spot to buy upmarket foodie souvenirs that are beautifully packaged.
It's around 2:30pm when hunger turns to hanger and we have to stop to eat. We find ourselves in the Ladadika district, located right by the ocean and home to many name brand shops and eateries. Ladadika was once the city's centre for olive oil trade hence the name "Ladadika," which is derived from the word ladi, meaning oil.
Diavasi is a very popular restaurant and even this late in the afternoon there is a queue to get in but it is a large restaurant and we aren't waiting long. Diavasi specialises in grilled meats and souvlaki is a particularly popular dish in Thessaloniki.
We ask for some recommendations and go for a salad and some grilled meat. The Soutzoukakia arrives first along with the salad and it's incredible. The mixture is like a beef and pork meatball with herbs and spices. They've got a lovely aroma from the charcoal grill and honestly I could have these every day.
We devour the diavasi salad which is a cos lettuce salad with crumbled feta cheese, pomegranate and a honey vinaigrette. It is crunchy and fresh and perfect for a light meal.
We also try the pork and chicken souvlaki here. They're both fine although after the Soutzoukakia they do pale a bit in comparison as they need a bit more seasoning and flavour to them.
Right near Diavasi is 100 year old Konstandinidis Pastry shop. Look out for the large maroon coloured shop with an open kitchen of pastry chefs mixing and folding. Service in Thessaloniki is different to the warmth of Athens. Here they're more businesslike and while they are not rude, they don't smile much with anyone.
The Trigona pastries here are filled to order and come in one flavour: vanilla. You also have the option to add crushed, roasted almonds to them which I definitely recommend. They're also more expensive at €2.33 each (they're sold by weight so prices can vary slightly). Because they are filled to order, the filo pastry is super crunchy and less syrupy than at Hlios. I take a bite and it's wonderful, the almonds add a really lovely texture to each bite. I think I prefer these Trigona pastries if only for the crunchy almonds on top.
After this we return to the Celestyal Journey ship with tired legs and collapse on the bed and work. Then it's time for our pre-dinner drink ritual. I go for the purifying juice made with orange, beetroot, carrot, ginger and mint that is absolutely delicious (admittedly this is perhaps an odd choice at apertivo hour!). Mr NQN has a Tequila Sunrise.
We move to the buffet which is less busy than yesterday and help ourselves to salad and roast pork with vegetables. I preferred yesterday's salad selection with dips and pita bread but each night has a different theme so you just have to enjoy it when you can. I can see that the green beans are a firm favourite with everyone as you can see many people going for big helpings of this.
For dessert it is a fruit salad an apple strudel with vanilla ice cream. The fruit is a nice, refreshingly sweet end to the day. Determined to try out all of the bars, we head to the martini lounge for our nightcap drink.
For Mr NQN it's an ouzo on ice while I try the mastica white chocolate which is delicious with a nutty sesame flavour to it. We go back to our cabin and I fall asleep by 9:30pm exhausted from the walk and our early hour rise for our first shore excursion tomorrow. On the bed is the nightly towel animal - a bull dog!
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever visited Thessaloniki or Greece? What did you think of it? And what is your dream cruise destination?
NQN and Mr NQN were guests of Celestayl Cruises but all opinions remain her own. We flew to Europe with Vietnam Airlines.
Celestyal Cruises
A similar cruise is priced from $1289AUDpp twin share for a 2025 voyage: https://celestyal.com/au/our-cruises/7-nights-au/idyllic-aegean/
Vietnam Airlines
Vietnam Airlines offers 23 flights per week connecting Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Vietnam Airlines is continuing to add new routes having recently announced new flights to Milan, Munich and Delhi.
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