ASIANOVERLAND.NET WINTER EUROPEAN DAY 27/200: THESSALONIKI TO KAVALA, GREECE

"7.1.81 THESSALONIKI

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "IT'S F...ING COLD"

TO KAVALA

JOY'S B-DAY & THEIR ANNIVERSARY (WEDDING WE THINK) "

Kavala is about 160 kilometers from Thessaloniki on the Bay of Kavala, across from the beautiful island of Thasos. It mainly is on the European itinerary for beach stays and trips across to Thasos, but in January, the weather is freezing, and beaches and ferry trips are the last thing on our mind.

Kavala (Neapolis) was founded in the late 7th century BC by settlers from Thassos, who mined the rich gold and silver mines, especially in the nearby Pangaion mountain, which were subsequently exploited by Phillip II of Macedonia.

In 411 BC, during the Peloponnesian War, Kavala was besieged by the armies of the Spartans and the Thassians, but remained faithful to Athens.

The military Roman road Via Egnatia passed through Kavala, and helped commerce to flourish. Kavala became a Roman city in 168 BC, and was a base for Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC, before their defeat in the Battle of Philippi.

The Apostle Paul landed at Neapolis (now Kavala) during his first voyage to Europe

The Ottoman Turks first captured Kavala in 1387, and Kavala remained part of the Ottoman Empire from 1387 to 1912. In the middle of the 16th century, the Ottomans reconstructed a Roman (1st - 6th century AD) aqueduct in Kavala (pictured). The Ottomans also extended the Byzantine fortress on the hill of Panagia.

Mehmet Ali, the founder of a dynasty that ruled Egypt, was born in Kavala in 1769. His house has been preserved as a museum.

Kavala was liberated by the Greek navy during the Second Balkan War and was incorporated into Greece by the Treaty of Bucharest.

After the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, Kavala entered a new era of prosperity by employing thousands of refugees who moved from Asia Minor.

During the Interwar period and the Second Hellenic Republic, Kavala was the 4th largest city in Greece (after Athens, Thessaloniki, and Patras).

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