Tsimiski Street

Students from twenty primary and secondary schools of Thessaloniki marched on Saturday morning on Tsimiski Street as part of the celebrations to mark the anniversaries of the city's liberation from Ottoman rule on October 27th, 1912, during the First Balkan War, and the Ochi Day on October 28.

Tensions in Thessaloniki

A Dutch activist, whose bike was stolen at the northern port city of Thessaloniki during a stopover on his cycling journey from the Netherlands to India, managed to raise money to buy a new one thanks to a crowdfunding campaign.

Ermou Street in downtown Athens has re-entered the top 20 most expensive retail streets in the world, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s 2017 Main Streets Across the World retail report. With a rent of 2,640 euros per sq. m annually, or €220 per sq m.

“Ochi Day”, the Greek National Holiday commemorating dictator Ioannis Metaxas’s rejecting the Italian ultimatum for a right of passage through Greece on October 28, 1940, is typically celebrated with student parades throughout Greece, as well as military parades.

Store rental rates in a number of popular shopping districts in Athens and Thessaloniki posted their first increase since 2008 last year, as retail chains rushed to make the most of the huge stock of empty stores to obtain high-profile locations.

The two major cities of Greece, Athens and Thessaloniki ushered in the new year with celebrations, fireworks and festive happenings. The Acropolis was lit up to bid farewell to 2016 and welcome the new year, while hundreds gathered at Aristotelous square in the largest city of Macedonia to take part in the city’s events.

Athens

Thessaloniki

A group of around 15 people made their way up to the American Consulate in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Tuesday morning, dispersing flyers protesting a planned visit to Greece by outgoing US President Barack Obama next week.

Members of anti-authoritarian organizations marched at Thessaloniki causing damages to shops and banks.

They wrote anti-authoritarian slogans on bank buildings and shop windows, while they also smashed many shop windows at Tsimiski street.

The Greek National Holiday that commemorates Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas rejecting the Italian ultimatum for a right of passage through Greece on October 28, 1940, is typically commemorated with parades throughout Greece. Traffic blocks have been placed in major cities from early on Wednesday morning with a steady ban to traffic from 10 a.m. as well as parking bans from 6 a.m. onwards.