November 5, 2015

Through the streets of Kavala Part 1


If you are planning a trip to Kavala, be prepared because there is a lot to be seen there. Kavala was founded at about the end of the 7th century BC, so you can imagine the amount of historical sights in the area. We stayed for 7 nights and couldn't see even the half of it. Still, I decided to make a series of posts with the places that we visited and found interesting. On one very hot afternoon we drove to the center of the old town called Panagia (it means Virgin Mary), where we left the car and went off exploring. The first thing we saw was a large paved square with the statue of Mehmet Ali (also known as Mohammed Ali, 1769-1849), Pasha of Egypt and native of Kavala. 

   
At the northwest corner of the square is situated the House of Mehmet Ali (today also a museum).




On the oposite site there is the large Orthodox Panagia (Virgin Mary) Church. In the Greek Orthodox Church this event is celebrated on 15th August and is one of Greece's most important public holidays, after Easter and to many here more popular than Christmas.


Thirsty for more history we went searching for the Byzantine castle. After making our way up through the tiny streets of Panagia and up a bit more (I'm serious, it's more like climbing a mountain than walking ), we finally reached the top. And although by this time we were not only sweaty but also kind of exhausted, it was worth the effort for the views, since the castle towers over Kavala and the Aegean Sea, and for the picture-perfect setting.
 
 
 Looking at these pictures, you could be forgiven for thinking it was somewhere in England or anywhere else for that matter. 
The castle was built in the 15th Century on the foundations of the Byzantine Acropolis of Christoupolis.  There’s an inner and outer enclosure. The outer enclosure now has a summer theatre. In the inner enclosure is the arms and food depot, which later became a prison.  There’s also a water cistern, guardhouse, and a round tower.


  
 It’s definitely worth going up to the top of the tower because that’s the highest point and offers the best view.



Can you spot the Virgin Mary Church that I mentioned earlier..


The next best views come from climbing up a few uneven steps to walk on the inner and outer walls of the castle. You've got to be careful but it's worth it every breath..




At this time the sun was starting to set, but even though it was still like a hundred degrees.. So, excuse our tired mugs.. We were very hot and thirsty..



 And as I said in the last post, on hot days like this one the most important thing is to stay hydrated..



So, that's what we did..



As for what I was wearing..



 I opted for something more comfortable and light since we were about to walk a lot and it was very, very hot that day. Still, the look includes my favourite trends right now - an embroidered off-the-shoulders shirt and suede shorts. Let's not forget about the fringed bag and sandals.

 
 
Sunglasses - Mango / Shirt - Stradivarius / Shorts - H&M Loves Coachella / Bag - Stradivarius / Sandals - H&M
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