A Greek Food Tour - Thessaloniki Greece The Gem of The North 

'this is more Macedonia than Greek when it comes to History" Mate really? 😂 You think that the Greek region of Macedonia is the same with the our neighbor country called North Macedonia? What the hell are you talking about?Do you even familiar with history? Athens, Sparta, Macedonia, Corinth, etc, all Greek city states. What is this "more Macedonia than Greece"? Damn Americans and your lack of knowledge with the history

So I've been told

You keep on separating Macedonia from Greece throughout the video. Xxxxxxxxxx Sure no way to subscribe. Study history mate.

Modern day Greece exists since 1830 and its an artificial nation.

I can't argue too much with that statement 😁

​@@AdventuresOfATravelingDonStrange, it's the opinion of tourists.... I've traveled half of Europe but I've never found a city that eats very well everywhere, at every single restaurant...

Travel more

​@@KentBuchlamy job is to travel... you travel, it's better 😅

​@@electra1920You're right...the best

I did indeed.

Much appreciated, I asked the owner of the coffee shop what it was and he only told me the name so I looked it up. I only took what I saw on the first web page. That obviously needs done changing

@@AdventuresOfATravelingDon Koulouri is Turkish of course-hence the Turkish name koulouri. Much of our food culture (I was born and live in Salonica) is of Turkish origins. Only The statue you pointed is Eleftherios Venizelos and it is not the first prime minister. Hs served in the thirties while greece exists since the mids of the 19th century.

@@fritodalis66 πρεπει να ξερης οτι οι τουρκοι στην διατροφικη αλισιδα εφερα απο τις στεπες του τουρκεσταν ΜΟΝΟ ΑΛΟΓΟΜΗΓΕΣ κατω απο τα καπουλια των αλογων. Διαβασε τις ιστορικες πηγες που εβαζαν το κρεας ακομη και απο ποντικια κατω απο τα σκελια τους στα αλογα επανω για να μαλακωση!!!! ολη η κουζινα ειναι βυζαντινη παραδωμενη απο την αρχαια Ελλαδα με πολλες επιροες απο περσια και Μεση ανατολη. Διαβασε το αρχαιο συγραμα ,,Δειπνοσοφιστες,, για να εχεις αποψη περι εδεσματων. Παραδειγματα: αρχαια ελληνικα εδεσματα με τις ονομασιες. ο σησαμούς (παστέλι από σουσάμι) η μουστόπιτα (μουσταλευριά), ο μηλοπλακούς (κυδώνι βρασμένο σε μέλι), το λάγανον ή λαλλάγγι (είδος τηγανίτας) ο κοπτοπλακούς (γλύκισμα με φύλλα ζύμης, αμύγδαλα, καρύδια και μέλι που μοιάζει να είναι πρόγονος του σημερινού μπακλαβά) οι πλακούντες (πίτες με ζυμάρι, τυρί, μέλι, σουσάμι και καρυκεύματα) η άμμιλος (τούρτα), η μελιττούτα (μελόπιτα), τα τήγανα (λουκουμάδες) προτου να εκθετης απαξιωτικη γνωμη για την πατριδα σου πρωτα ενημερω σου.

Indeed you do

Indeed you do

It was relatively nice on the coast not too cold

I went on that pirate ship was amazing

Glad you enjoyed it.

The food was so good.

@@AdventuresOfATravelingDon exaggeratedly good...

Glad it helped

Any cruise with a drink is worth it.

You'll have to share your experiences with me when you do.

Glad you enjoyed the tour

Anytime

I appreciate the kind words

Thanks

It was an awesome trip.

It was an absolute blast

How long were you in this city? Do you recommend a couple of days or a week?

@@TheAverageTourist to really explore Thessaloniki I'd encourage at least a week. I barely scratched the surface. As I was told by locals that watched the video. "You missed this, you missed that!" 😂 So yeah I'd spend at least a week with the city itself. Not to mention the many day trips from Thessalonike

Anytime

Oh don't worry, from now on I know that. You're not the first to point this out. I am learning. To be fair some of the historical plaques and initial websites about these places need to be more clear on that. That's where I get all my info. I am also kicking myself for not seeing the Rotonda. Again not the first person to mention to me I missed that. I'm kind of sad after looking it up. It looks awesome

Everything was so good.

So I've been corrected on since this came out. Thanks for watching

Anytime brother. Look forward to your future Greek videos.

That breakfast pizza was legit

Thessaloniki is definitely worth the visit.

If you go into my past videos I've got a lot of videos based around Austin and the Central Texas region.

I've only done one video in Tennessee so far, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg

Honestly, I didn't know how sensitive this subject was until Greeks posted about the video. Look my apologies if any of this offended anyone and I admit I didn't do my utmost due diligence but, I take most of what I say in the videos from informational plaques around the cities I visit. Or from the first couple sources that pop up on the Internet if my phone even works at the time. So easy information for tourists needs to be looked at and corrected for us tourists that don't have the time to do a deep dive and read all the history books. Now when did I say 'Athenians are not Greek?' this was a video about Thessaloniki. I don't remember even mentioning Athens. Again I admit that I had no idea that there was such a divide between Greek and Macedonian about this. Particularly when I was speaking of ancient Greece not the divide between now Slavic North Macedonia and Greek Macedonia. When I spoke of Ancient Macedon I thought that while, everything is Greek along with the names, that Macedon at the time of Alexander was somewhat culturally different. A kingdom instead of democratic rule. Different dialect of Greek. Again I apologize if I offended any Greeks. I'm coming from a thought process that is like what I know. You can call me American but, I'm from Texas. I am vastly different from an American New Yorker.

@@AdventuresOfATravelingDon Athens just like Macedonia are two different areas . Why one area is Greek and not the other one when both have the same fundamental characteristics to be called Greek ? That was exactly what I was trying to point out . There is no division or conflict with Greeks and Macedonians because is like you say there is a difference between New Yorkers and Americans . The fact that nowadays everyone has the right to call himself anything he likes doesn’t mean that we delete historical facts .

@@nikosiliakis8954 very true I just didn't know all the facts. I was under the wrong assumption along with what I read on the plaques around the city or whatever sites were the first to pop up when I googled it. Which honestly is almost always Wikipedia 🤦.

​​@@AdventuresOfATravelingDonMacedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Epirus are regions of Greece, in northern and central Greece, from ancient times to today. Ancient Greek kingdoms/regions/parts of ancient Greek world. Greeks of Macedonia region in Greece are called "Macedonians", Greeks of Sparta city are called "Spartans", Greeks of Athens "Athenians" and so on with other places in Greece

Oh I will. Technically in my videos throughout Athens I had Moussaka, Pasticio and Strapatsada. I also off camera did eat Kontosouvli in Athens. Did not try kleftici or kokoretsi. I'll mark those. I only had really two days in Thessaloniki and was sort of going around on my own. Kind of just popped into the first places that caught my eye.

So I've been told multiple times since the video came out. Thanks for not lambasting me. I have never received more hate in my life than when I made that statement.

​@@AdventuresOfATravelingDon I can only imagine :) I spent half an hour sending you a message giving you a brief overview of this issue but yt decided it was too long and never actually shown it. Long story short, Greeks found the kingdom of Macedonia in 7th century BC (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonia_(ancient_kingdom)). Macedonians are Greeks historically. 1400 years after Slavs invade from the north. They never had the entire Macedonia under their kingdoms and the Byzantines (roughly medieval Greeks) push them back and fro many times until 1453 AD when the Turks take over (actually a few years before) and suddenly things are not that clear as to what happened with the population. In 1912 Macedonia is liberated by the Greek Army and in Macedonia there are turkish, greek and bulgarian speaking villages, with some Jews in city centres. The majority of the cases the majority of the villages are Greek as was the population but that is disputed by Slavs due to turbulent period and the sometimes conflicting ottoman records. The truth however is that the 'Turks' migrate out after the liberation. In 1914 the Greeks fight the Bulgarians for Macedonia and Thrace and win, so the Bulgarians leave as well. The Bulgarians (Slavs) were terrorising the area from 1870-1900 tried to instill the idea to the mixed population of Macedonia that Macedonians are something different and unique (trying to erase thousands of years of history). Some people (due to lack of education and ottoman oppression) side with that but most don't. After WW2 general Tito and governor of Yugoslavia takes a formerly known prefecture of his called Vardarska and effectively brainwashes the inhabitants into thinking they are 'Macedonians', that they speak the 'Macedonian language' and that they are something different and a unique ethnicity.

The truth is that the Serbs were counting on the momentum of Bulgarian propaganda in brainwashing people (for their own interests) and played the card of 'Macedonia' to a population that never felt Serbian. Both Yugoslavia and Bulgaria were supported by the Russians and later Soviet Union as they were always in the sphere of influence. The target was the lucrative trade in the Aegean and Mediterranean (money is always the reason for wars and disputes, especially for those fabricating claims). So nowadays after the fall of Yugoslavia, we have a bunch of brainwashed individuals living in what would be called no-man's land in the middle of the Balkans wanting to belong somewhere (understandable human emotion) and what a better candidate than Macedonia and its glorious Greek past with Alexander the Great etc etc etc. (not to mention they now think they are 'Macedonians' that were deprived of their national identity and the evil Greeks took their history from them). The result of roughly 100-150 years of propaganda. The language that they speak is a Bulgarian dialect, fully comprehensible by Bulgarians but nothing to do with Greek which is the language the Greek population always spoke in Macedonia (geographical area and ancient kingdom). So their country is now called North Macedonia though for us Greeks allowing them the 'Macedonia' part of their country's name is still painful despite the fact that our inept and slave to the US interests in the region politicians say it is only geographical and not national. The Slavs of this small state though still tout to the world that they are Macedonians something that simply is historically untrue, unacceptable, and might I add outrageous to the people that literally own the name and history those being the Greeks.

@@AdventuresOfATravelingDon I can only imagine :) I spent half an hour sending you a message giving you a brief overview of this issue but yt decided it was too long and never actually shown it. Long story short, Greeks found the kingdom of Macedonia in 7th century BC. Macedonians are Greeks historically. 1400 years after Slavs invade from the north. They never had the entire Macedonia under their kingdoms and the Byzantines (roughly medieval Greeks) push them back and fro, 1453 the Turks take over (actually a few years before) and suddenly things are not that clear as to what happened with the population. In 1912 Macedonia is liberated by the Greek Army and in Macedonia there are turkish, greek and bulgarian speaking villages, with some Jews in city centres. The majority of the cases the majority of the villages are Greek as was the population but that is disputed due to the not well kept ottoman records. The truth however is that the 'Turks' migrate out after the liberation. In 1914 the Greeks fight the Bulgarians for Macedonia and Thrace and win, so the Bulgarians leave as well. The Bulgarians (Slavs) terrorised the area from 1870-1900 tried to instill the idea to the mixed population of Macedonia that Macedonians are something different and unique (trying to erase thousands of years of history). Some people (due to lack of education and ottoman oppression) side with that but most don't. After WW2 general Tito and governor of Yugoslavia takes a formerly known prefecture of his called Vardarska and effectively brainwashes the inhabitants into thinking they are 'Macedonians', that they speak the 'Macedonian language' and that they are something different and a unique ethnicity.

@@AdventuresOfATravelingDon 2/2 The truth is that the Serbs were counting on the momentum of Bulgarian propaganda in brainwashing people (for their own interests) and played the card of 'Macedonia' to a population that never felt Serbian. Both Yugoslavia and Bulgaria were supported by the Russians and later Soviet Union as they were always in the sphere of influence. The target was the lucrative trade in the Aegean and Mediterranean (money is always the reason for wars and disputes, especially for those fabricating claims). So nowadays after the fall of Yugoslavia, we have a bunch of brainwashed individuals living in what would be called no-man's land in the middle of the Balkans wanting to belong and what a better candidate than Macedonia and its glorious Greek past with Alexander the Great etc etc etc. (not to mention they now think they are 'Macedonians' that were deprived of their national identity and the evil Greeks took their history from them). The result of roughly 150 years of propaganda. The language that they speak is a Bulgarian dialect, fully comprehensible by Bulgarians but nothing to do with Greek which is the language the Greek population always spoke in Macedonia (geographical area and ancient kingdom). So their country is now called North Macedonia though for us Greeks allowing them the 'Macedonia' part of their country's name is still painful, despite the fact that our, inept and slave to the US interests in the region, politicians say it is only geographical and not national. The Slavs of this small state though still tout to the world that they are Macedonians something that simply is historically untrue, unacceptable, and might I add outrageous to the people that literally own the name those being the Greeks.

Overall I liked the vibe in Thessaloniki more

I think that's because we get our history from that part of the world from history channel specials, or from history video games. That's where I heard my basic history. It wasn't until after I visited Greece and put these videos up that I was told of things I did not know.

It would be better if you do some research first before start saying things...

Thessaloniki is or what is now the Republic of North Macedonia?

So I've been told

Oh believe me, I've been told that since this video has come out.

@@AdventuresOfATravelingDon Hope you enjoyed your time in Greece mate

@@promy563 oh it was one of the best months of my life.

So I've been told. Although my intent was the connection to the Ancient Kingdom of Macedon under Alexander and the Kings that followed during that time in history. I realize they were all of Greek origin but, they still have a statue of Alexander the Great. So I assumed it was of ancient Macedonian Kingdom.

@@AdventuresOfATravelingDon you have got things a bit confused. I can't blame you so here is a very short history lesson. Macedonia was a Greek kingdom in the North of Greece found in the 7th century BC (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonia_(ancient_kingdom)). Alexander the Great was one of its kings that later became an emperor after he conquered most of the then known world (Egypt and Asia reaching today's India) - ~330BC. After roughly 1000 years and around the 7th century AD, a today's Ukraine/Moldavia group of tribes invaded and settled today's Serbia, Bulgaria pushing further and further to the south. The Byzantines (Eastern Roman Empire - an equivalent Greek medieval empire) could not stop them and had to effectively allow these people to settle the lands south the Danube river in an attempt to civilize and domesticize them so they stopped raiding, pillaging and destroying everything in their path, as they would penetrate into (today's) Greece during their raids. These people were the Slavs. Over the 700 years that ensued, the Slavs conquered, lost and reconquered many times parts of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, with the main inhabitants of it being Greeks as they've always been since the beginning. In 1453 AD the Eastern Roman Empire falls and the Turks allowed a more loose population settling regime. In those years and by the time Macedonia (today's northern Greek prefecture and the major part of the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedonia) was liberated by the Greek state in 1914 AD, had parts of its population calling themselves Turks, parts Bulgarian (Slavs) and parts Greek which was the majority of the population in most areas of Macedonia. Immediately after the liberation the Turks (most were nothing more than islamised Greeks over the centuries that lost their original national identity) were exchanged and left the area for good. The Bulgarians didn't leave before a war broke out in 1914AD between Greece and Bulgaria over the area of Macedonia. The Greeks won liberating a good proportion of all Macedonian lands and all the villages that were considered 'Bulgarian' were emptied of their inhabitants. The Bulgarians always coveted Macedonia (the area) because it gave them access to lucrative trade in the Aegean sea. So they always included taking it back from the evil Greeks in their nationalistic propaganda. Descendants of these people (Slavs) and of the mentality that Macedonia is not Greek but that it has a unique and separate national identity with people speaking a 'Macedonian' language (that is nothing more than a Bulgarian dialect with some Albanian, some Turkish and some Greek words) are the people now inhabiting the former Yugoslav republic that borders Greece in the north. Today this country is called North Macedonia and they are effectively still attempting to appropriate Greek history, wanting to rewrite or alter history according to their false propaganda. This topic is VERY sensitive to Greeks so in the start of the video when you said this place is more Macedonian than Greek, that was a no-no, especially due to the situation I attempted to frame for you. Ancient Macedonians spoke Greek, they were Dorian Greeks, worshipped the 12 Gods of Olympus (like all the rest of the Greeks), had Greek names and customs, took part in the ancient Olympic Games that only Greeks were allowed to take part in, and simply identified theirselves as Greeks. The only 'snag' is that the Greeks further to the south would accuse them of not being as cultured as them (a pun more than anything else, especially after king Philip (Alexander's father) conquered their city-states before preparing to launch an expedition against Persia (something he never got to do due to his assasination but also something that Alexander, his son, actually accomplished). I hope this puts things into perspective and I am sorry it had to be as long. It is quite infuriating when completely foreign groups of people attempt to steal your history (a well documented history I might say) from you but there you have it.

@@IonidisIXand you think he read all that you wrote ?😂

@@interestingvids-hx2sq yes he has and has replied, its just that youtube is cancelling comments left right and centre, especially the larger ones.

Of course you see a statue of Alexander the great in Thesaloniki, as you will see a statue of Leonidas in Sparta. The one was Macedonian, the other was Spartan. And both they were Greeks. As simple as that.

Read the rest of the comments. I've been blasted quite a bit for that