Continuing with our Northern Greece destinations revelations, it’s on to Drama. This hidden gem (soon to be not hidden at all) of a town is all that and a bag of chips. Situated not too far from the Bulgarian border and flanked by the impressive mountain Falakros, Drama does Drama and you know what? Drama is doing just fine. In fact, it’s doing more than fine. Drama is doing great, and there’s no drama (I just had to get that in there) either.
Drama’s history can be traced back to the Hellenistic time, where it flourished as a place of worship for the Gods Apollo and Artemis, even though excavations have shown that it was inhabited since the Paleolithic Period. As most Greek towns it was incorporated into the Eastern Roman Empire, Byzantium and later on the Ottoman Turks. This is manifested in the architecture and of course the food, with sizable Muslim minorities calling the Thrace region home.
Drama is a naturalist’s paradise. Falakro is one of Greece’s premier ski centers and it’s easy to see why; 21 slopes, 20 km length and a maximum altitude of 2,230 km make for an unforgettable descent. The fact that Falakro boasts the longest snow period is only icing on the cake.
But that’s not all. Drama boats some other-worldly natural made wonders. The riveting stalactite caves, on the river cave of Aggitis are an absolute must. Formed more than 20 million years ago, they contain evidence of the prehistoric settlements that existed here. Mara’s cave at Kokinogies are equally impressive. Multicolored stalactites, some more than 6 feet in diameter, adorn the limestone walls.
Then you have the Elatia forrest with its rare red fir trees that can reach 50 meters in height. With the impressive Rodopi mountain range playing host, you’re likely to see a number of awesome critters such as brown bears, otters, wild boar and red deer and equally inspiring flora such as the Rodopi lily and snowbell.
All this green wonder is fed by the river Nestos. Play it right and you can find yourself on the business end of a rapid as part of a kayaking and canoeing trip. Heck, you can bike and hike till you lose yourself (we don’t recommend that).
And just because Drama is cooler than Obama, of course it has natural springs and waterfalls. Yeah…
Oh, and did we mention Drama is a top wine making region? Because it is (more on that in the next post).
You’ve been told. Now all you have to do is go see. You’re welcome.
