Riding a bike naked in Salonica

The first international naked bike ride in Greece, against excessive car use was to be held in June 2008 in Salonica. However, some conservative voices are still loud in Greece. The naked ride still took place, though, with the riders wearing their bathing costumes. A totally naked protester was arrested by the police and was let free after a while, following the demands of his fellow protesters.

the history of frappé...

Take one or two spoonfuls of instant coffee, sugar, fill a shaker or glass with one centimeter of water, shake or use a mixer, add milk if you like, complete with water and you'va got it: A Frappe... All you need now is the greek sun and a tavli... At least the sun was there when the greek representative of Nestle, back in 1957, during the International Fair of Thessaloniki had no hot water to make his coffee... So, he decided to use the shaker that his colleagues were using to prepare a kids chocolate drink. And there is was: The first Frape in history!

Frape Coffee comes either with milk or not, and is separated in three classes depending on the amount of sugar: plain, medium, sweet. It is enjoyed throughout the year, and, yes, Salonica is still the capital of frape! Tourists now tend to treat frappe with the same curiosity and taste as they do with Greek Salad and Ouzo. You can have it with ice cream or bailey's (!!) if you want!!

Frappe Coffee, although commercially not really spread abroad, can be found at some Universities cafeterias in Europe, some supermarkets in Germany, a hip-hop festival in Czeck Republic (!!), in Istanbul, and in Bucurest...

But, be careful! Frappe coffee is not like espresso... enjoy it slowly... greeks take even hours to finish it!

Salonica today....

Today, the metropolitan area of Salonica (Thessaloniki) has about 1 million citizens. For this reason, the city is expanding, both towards the east and the west. Underground transportation is being constructed and the citizens of Thessaloniki are looking much forward to the completion of the works, as, heavy traffic is considered as one of the major problems of the city. The metro of Thessaloniki is going to be the most modern one in Europe and is expected to give a good relief to the suffocating city centre.

Thessaloniki International Film Festival, taking place every year around middle November, is a major event, not only for the city of Thessaloniki but, thanks to its high prestige and its development for the cinephiles around the world. In 2009, the festival already counts 49 years of existence and hosted some of the most important workers of the seventh art...

The International Fair of Thessaloniki, held since 1926, constitutes a major event for the city. It is the largest expo in Greece and the Balkans and, every year, it attracts hundreds of companies. It is a very important commercial event but, also, it constitutes a celebration for the city as it does not refer only to proffesionals but its gates are open to the public.