The two sides of the same country
I’ve only been to 2 cities in Greece: uber fashionable Santorini and much lesser-known Alexandroupolis - which means I got to know the 2 sides of the country.
I bet not many of you heard about Alexandroupolis so let me start from showing you where it is located:
Just by looking at the location of Alexandroupolis you can guess that it had an eventful history.
A Bit Of History
Let’s skip the Bronze Age and start from the 19th century, when the modern Alexandroupolis was settled by the Ottoman Empire. But not for a long time - because during the Russo-Turkish War it was captured by the Russians. After the war the Russians remained in the city for two years and their military engineers made the layout of this city, repaired the sewerage and water supply. Then in 1912 during the First Balkan War Alexandroupolis was captured by Bulgaria. Later, in the Second Balkan War, Greece took control of the city but with the Treaty of Bucharest, the city returned to Bulgaria in 1913. After the defeat of Bulgaria in World War I, Alexandroupolis returned to Greece and since 1923 it is an official part of Greece.
This political mess had a positive side effect – Alexandroupolis became a very diverse city, being there is like being in several countries at the same time. And you can feel it everywhere: in architecture, cuisine, people, and their lifestyles.
And since I’ve mentioned cuisine, I can’t help saying that the pastry from Alexandroupolis is one of the tastiest I ever tried. Don’t forget that I have just come back from Paris a month ago and still remember the taste of legendary French croissants. And still my heart belongs to a croissant from Alexandroupolis.
And Lots Of Sights
The symbol of the city is the Lighthouse of Alexandroupolis. It was constructed in 1880 by a French Company and is 27 meters above average sea level. The lighthouse flashes 3 white beams every 15 seconds. In good weather conditions it can be seen from a distance of 24 nautical miles (around 44 km).
For the city of just about 640 sq.m Alexandroupolis has an abundance of museums. I didn’t have time to visit any and that’s one of the reasons I would love to return there. Just have a look at the list of the main(!) museums:
Historical Museum of Alexandroupolis
Ethnological Museum of Thrace
Archaeological Museum of Alexandroupolis
Ecclesiastical Museum of Alexandroupolis
Museum of Folklore and Natural History
Museum of Natural History
Museum of Flora and Fauna
Impressive, isn’t it?
Beach Holiday
This time I can’t recommend you any museum but I can advise you on some nice beaches in Alexandroupolis and around as I came there for a family beach holiday.
Though I was a bit demotivated by the necessity of advance booking (yes, in Alexandroupolis you need to make a reservation at the majority of the beaches just like you would book a table at the restaurant), I enjoyed the lovely design of their beaches, the service and fantastic Aegean Sea.
Here are my recommendations:
FishEye Beach Bar
Sahara Beach Bar
