Excursion on Friday

All members of the conference who registered for the excursion on Friday must be at the entrance of the hotel at 9.00. We'll start our trip downtown from here and we'll be divided in two groups.

Visit the Byzantine Museum

The opening meeting of the EABS is going to take place today at 17.30 at the Conference Hall of the Byzantine Museum (you can find directions how to reach it in the programme book and the blog).

Since you have some time between registration and opening event a good way to spend your time is the Byzantine Museum. It's main exhibition contains the findings from the early Christian period of the city up to the post-byzantine one. The entrance fee is 4 euros and the opening hours are 8.00-20.00. Since it's next to the conference hall you can combine a visit to the museum with the opening event. And for those who will have time there is a nice cafe in the museum (open for this week till 17.00).

Using the public transport

I'm sure that most of you have arrived already in Thessaloniki. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here.

An easy and convenient way to move from the hotel to the town and back are the public buses.

The bus station is about 200 m. from the hotel on the side of the hotel. Take the bus Nr. 31 (direction Voulgari) in order to move downtown (it arrives at the station every 10 minutes).

You can also get informed about the public bus routes and timetables at the official site of the public transportation of Thessaloniki: http://oasth.gr/ (choose English as your language)

The bus tickets cost 0.80 euro and 0.90 euro when bought on the bus. If you want to change buses (which is not the case if you are just moving from the hotel to the centre) you need a ticket for two buses (one direction always). It costs 0.90 euro and on the bus 1.00 euro. Be careful the ticket machine on the buses doesn't give change.

In order to make things easier for you there will be tickets to buy at the registration desk today and tomorrow (at the low price of course). Just ask the people there.

The strike of the taxi drivers is over

The strike of the taxi drivers is over at last. Therefore you can use taxicabs for you transportation to and from the hotel. For those who registered for being transported from the airport to the hotel by the hotel shuttle the arrangement stands. Please, take into consideration the information I've sent you by e-mail. Although the deadline for registering for the shuttle bus was yesterday, if there are some of you who would like to use the shuttle from the airport on Sunday or Monday, please, send me an e-mail (etsala@past.auth.gr) by 22.00 (Greek time) at the latest on Friday. We need to prepare the groups in order to transfer as many of you as possible and, therefore, I would like to ask you to respect this new deadline.

The Saturday excursion to Vergina-Veroia-Pella

There are still some free places for the excursion to Vergina - Veroia - Hagios Nikolaos - Pella. We will start from the hotel on Sa 13.8 ca. 8.30 am and we will visit the fascinating tombs of the Macedonian dynasty, the place where according to the tradition St. Paul preached in Veroia and some interesting Byzantine churches of the seat, we'll stop for lunch at Hagios Nikolaos (a beautiful location near Veroia) and on our way back to Thessaloniki we'll visit the Museum and archaeological site of Pella (the capital of the ancient Macedonian state). We'll be back to Thessaloniki at ca. 19:30.

If some of you are staying in Thessaloniki on Saturday and feel like it they could join us. The cost of the excursion is 30 euros (no lunch included). An experienced English speaking travel guide will accompany us.

You can register at the registration desk on Monday or Tuesday.

Transportation from the airport to the hotel

Unfortunately the strike of the taxi drivers will continue for an indefinite time and it is not therefore clear whether any taxis will be available at the weekend when most of you arrive in our city. The hotel has kindly offered to transfer all of you who would like to make use of the hotel's shuttle from the airport to the hotel (this service is offered to those who stay at Porto Palace Hotel). The shuttle transfer is for free, but it's important that we know as soon as possible the date and time of arrival, the flight number, and number of persons. Please, send me a message till Thursday so that the hotel will be able to organize trips from the airport to the hotel (their shuttle can transfer 13 persons each time, which means that they will try to organize groups of 13 persons and some of you will have to wait for some time at the airport). Please send me an e-mail (etsala@past.auth.gr) giving me the required information. If you want to make use of the same facility on the day of your departure you can mention it in your mail. Otherwise you must inform the hotel (the reception personnel) one day before departure at the latest.

After the groups and trips are organized an e-mail will be sent to those who registered for the shuttle providing the necessary information.

Lunches

Lunches are part of the conference fee, so whoever paid the fee is entitled to a lunch during the three days of the conference.
The hotel will provide regular, vegetarian, or kosher lunches, according to what you have indicated in your registration form.
Partners of participants are also welcome to join the lunches; they will have to pay 15 euros per lunch.

Payment should be done at the registration. Please pay attention: lunches are only part of the conference. If you stay in the hotel before or after the conference, lunches are not included.

Hotel cancellations

For those who for some reason will not be able to participate to the conference, please, take care to cancel your reservation directly to the hotel as soon as possible and within the due dates (i.e. 24 hours before their arrival at the latest) in order to get back their deposit.

Kosher food

The EABS has taken care that there will be kosher food as well as pre- and post-fast food for our Jewish participants who are observing the the 9th of Av fast. 

However, it should be noted that the EABS arrangement with the hotel regarding kosher meals is valid only for the days of the conference.  

The possibility of making use of the hotel shuttle bus

For those who have booked a room at Porto Palace Hotel there is the possibility to travel from the airport to the hotel by the hotel shuttle bus. Since, however, the bus can carry only 13 people each time and all of you are arriving on different dates and at different times, please send an email to me (etsala@past.auth.gr) till Saturday, 30th July  so that the hotel will organize as many trips from the airport to the hotel as possible. Please note in your mail date and time of arrival. Further instructions will be posted in the next days. 

There is also the possibilty of using the public transport means or taxi (the strike of the taxi drivers will presumably over by then, for those who want to make use of a taxi).