The Scientific Program of the PME33 is enriched with various social events and tours in order for delegates to explore the host city and country and for the conference to be an enjoyable and memorable event for everyone.

Registration
   will take place on the 19th of July at 11:00 in Faculty of Education
   (see map of the conference site)

Opening Sessions, First Plenary Address and Opening Reception
   will take place on the 19th of July at 17:00 in the Ceremonial Hall of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Conference Excursions
   will start on the 22nd of July at 12:30

Conference Dinner and Dance
   will take place on the 23th of July at 21:00

Closing session
   will be at 13:30 on Friday, July 24st in the Ceremonial Hall of the University of Macedonia

Tours
A variety of tours and excursions as well as holiday arrangements can be organized for all interested participants before and after the conference.
Tours and excursions are also organized for accompanying guests throughout the 4 days of the conference.
The excursions will offer participants an opportunity to visit various parts of Greece, while those attending the tours will have the chance to experience the city's historical and modern aspects, to visit the surrounding archaeological sites of Thessaloniki and the nearby areas.

For further information please contact the Administrative Secretariat:
admin_pme33@symvoli.gr

For participants who wish to explore Greece a bit further and discover the country besides the excursions included in the conference fees, two tours will be organized:

• A pre- conference tour to Athens- Meteora- Delphoi
This is a 3 day excursion to explore Greece that will take place before the PME33 Conference starting from Athens, the Greek Capital, and ending to Thessaloniki. To download schedule and click here.

The final pre- conference tour form with a deposit of 100€ should be submitted until May 22nd, 2009.

• A post- conference tour to Sporades Island. (Mama- Mia tour) / 24- 26.07.2009
A 3-day tour to Sporades Island (Skiathos & Skopelos Island) will be organized after the conference. Participants will have the chance to visit the Greek Islands and have a tour to the beautiful scenes where “Mama- Mia” movie was filmed. Schedule and prices will be announced soon. For further information, please contact the Administrative Conference Secretariat at admin_pme33@symvoli.gr

Conference Excursions - Included in the Registration Fee

Conference participants will need to indicate while registering which excursion they would prefer to follow (up to 3 order of preference).

1st Excursion: City Tour
Duration: 5 hours (included: transportation by coach bus, coordinator, professional guide, entrance to museum)

The meeting point of the tour is the conference venue, from where participants take the bus to the newly renovated Archaeological Museum, exhibiting a vast period of the history of Thessaloniki and Macedonia from prehistoric times to the roman era. Then, they walk to the Byzantine Museum, the exhibits of which present various aspects of the Byzantine and post-Byzantine era. Later on, the bus will take participants to the emblem of the city, the White Tower, where they will have the chance to visit its lately renovated museum exhibiting the highlights of Thessaloniki’s history. Afterwards, they are driven to Navarinou Square, where they will have the chance to see the Palace Complex of Galerius Maximus, built by the Romans, in order to serve as the administrative and religious centre of Thessaloniki. Next stop is the Rotonda, built in 300 A.D. Continuing the tour, the bus will take participants to the marvelous Agia Sophia’s church, built in the 7th century A.D. It is time to take the bus and head to the northern part of the city where we can see the famous City Walls. They had been the city’s first fortification and were built by King Cassandrus back at 315 B.C. After enjoying the wonderful panoramic view of the city, the bus will take the participants back to the conference venue. Links about Thessaloniki: www.saloniki.org

2nd excursion: Alexander the Great (Vergina- Pella)
Duration: 6 hours (included: transportation by coach bus, coordinator, professional guide, entrance to museum)

The bus will depart from the conference venue. The participants will be heading to Aigai, the ancient first capital of the Kingdom of Macedonia which was discovered in the 19th century near Vergina, in northern Greece. Some of the most important remains we are going to see are the monumental palace, lavishly decorated with mosaics and painted stuccoes, and the burial ground with more than 300 tumuli, some of which date rom the 11th century B.C. They can also see the royal tomb in the Great Tumulus which is identified as that of Philip II, who conquered all the Greek cities, paving the way for his son Alexander and the expansion of the Hellenistic world. They will leave Vergina in order to have lunch in a local traditional restaurant. After lunch, participants will take a short ride to the archeological of Pella, the capital of the Macedonian State from the early 4th century BC that reached the height of its prosperity in the Hellenistic period. We will try to understand how one of the most organized urban units of ancient Macedonia evolved on the Hippodamean system of urban design and included an important commerce centre, its Agora that gathered the entire productive activity of Pella and its surrounding regions. They will admire the urban architecture of the city which depicts the typical ancient Greek house type, with a peristyle courtyard, as well as a significant palace complex. Last but not least, they are going to see the mosaic decoration of extra-ordinary beauty which is one of the best-preserved elements in the archaeological site of Pella. After a 6-hour tour, the participants will be back in the city.

Links about Pella and Vergina: http://www.culture.gr, http://whc.unesco.org

3rd Excursion: Mount Athos cruise
Duration: 9 hours (included: transportation by coach bus, sail by boat, coordinator, and professional guide)

Departure by bus from Conference Venue at 12pm for Ormos Panagias, Chalkidiki and then, sail to the west coast of Mount Athos. The boat will sail along the coastline in order to maximize the viewing of some of the most prominent monasteries with magnificent architecture and enjoy the unique landscape.

Links about Mount Athos:
http://www.inathos.gr
http://www.culture.gr
http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr

4th Excursion: The Mountain of Gods (Olympos, Dion)
Duration: 8 hours (included: transportation by coach bus, coordinator, professional guide, entrance to museum)

The excursion to Dion includes a visit to the archaeological museum (where the most ancient musical instrument of the world is exhibited). It also includes a visit to the archeological site, where the participants will have the opportunity to walk through the ancient town and see the sanctuaries, the public baths, and the home of Dionysos (an ancient villa with a wonderful mosaic). Furthermore; they can visit the Old Christian church, the ancient agora, the theatre, etc.
The excursion continues to the foothill of Mount Olympus.

Link about Dion:
http://www.culture.gr
Link about Mount Olympus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Olympus

5th Excursion: A day on the sea
Departure by bus from the conference venue. The participants will be heading to Halkidiki peninsula, one of the famous summer holiday destinations in Greece. In 1 hour time, they will arrive in Athitos, the most picturesque village of the area. They can walk through the stone promenades and enjoy the breath-taking view from the cliff. After a short walk, they can reach the beach and spend some time by the sea. They can find organized beach bars where they can rent sunbeds and umbrellas or enjoy their favorite cocktail. They can have lunch by the beach or go back to the village and discover one of the traditional restaurants which serve great Greek recipes. They will depart from Afitos full of memories and heading back to the city. This six-hour excursion is reaching an end at approximately 6pm.

Link for Chalkidiki:
http://www.halkidiki.com
http://www.gohalkidiki.com

Accompanying persons’ excursions
Escorts who wish to explore the city of Thessaloniki, during the conference, may contact the Administrative Secretariat- SYMVOLI for further advice.