In Thessaloniki for the first time the royal couple of the Netherlands – They took a tour and rode a bike

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife Máxima had the opportunity to take a mental “journey” through time and the rich history of Thessaloniki at noon, who have been visiting the city.

With the temperature more reminiscent of summer than early November, King William-Alexander and Queen Maxima did not hide their enthusiasm for Thessaloniki, which they are visiting for the first time, saying that it is a very beautiful city, while they also commented the very good weather.

Along the entire route from Agios Dimitrios to Aristotelous Square, there were many passers-by who, seeing the royal couple and their entourage, wanted to know who they were, while others were already informed, such as a group of young students who, upon seeing them disembark from Agios Demetrius to the Roman Agora they began to greet and ask “who is the queen”.

Read more: Visits of the Dutch royal couple to schools and structures for unaccompanied children

Following a vertical route from Agios Dimitrios to Aristotelous Square, the royal couple visited monuments intertwined with the city’s history, before ending up on the beach for a short bike ride with Thessaloniki Mayor Konstantinos Zervas.

The starting point of the historical walk of the royal couple of the Netherlands in Thessaloniki was the Holy Church of Agios Dimitrios, in the main street of the city, where the head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the City of Thessaloniki, Elizabeth Tsigaridas, guided them to the extremely important early Christian monument, while the priests of the church donated them an image of the patron Saint Demetrius.

Descending from Agios Dimitrios, the next stop of the tour was the famous Roman Agora.

Immediately after, they stopped at one of the most special monuments of the city, the Bey Hammam, on Egnatia Street, at the height of Aristotelous. Built in 1444, by order of Sultan Murat II, the Bey Hammam, the largest surviving bath in Greece, impressed the royal couple, as Mrs. Tsigarida explained to APE-MPE a little later.

“They seemed to know the history of Greece well and were very impressed by the Bay Hammam, but also by the mosaics of Agios Demetrius which are unique and of course the Roman Agora”, he said characteristically.

Then crossing Aristotelous, they reached the height of the Statue of Aristotle, while during the route they had the opportunity to be informed by the tour guide Rania Pehlivanidou about the Jewish – and not only – part of the history of Thessaloniki.

At Aristotelous Square, the last stop of the route, they were welcomed by the mayor of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Zervas, and before the three of them boarded a bicycle to cross the beach front to the White Tower, he spoke to them about the 23-century history of the city, about Aristotle and the historicity of the square.

On the occasion of the bicycle ride they would take a few minutes later, he explained to them that Thessaloniki is a city with many students but also flat, two elements that favor the use of bicycles, which the Municipality promotes in the context of micro-mobility.

Thessaloniki has the ideal size and the ideal people to succeed, said Mr. Zervas, who informed the King of the Netherlands and his wife about the collaborations promoted by the Municipality, especially in the field of tourism, while also offering them bottles of wine “Mermaid”, produced from the grapes of the urban vineyard of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

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