Non-stop party in Poseidi camping part 1

Dear Erasmus students of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,

Before choosing which semester you want to live your Erasmus experience in Thessaloniki, you should consider that if you choose the summer semester, you will be able to be here in summer and visit a very unique place that not many people from abroad are aware of: The camping of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, mostly known as ''Poseidi ''.

In this part I will talk a little bit about the background of the camping, the facilities and give you some useful information that you should know before going there!

It is said that the idea for creating this place was of a couple who had one daughter who was a student of Aristotle University. Unfortunately their daughter died, and they decided to donate some acres that they owned to the University and gave them the idea to create the camping. The only thing that they demanded, was the creation of a little church inside the camping in the memory of their daughter. This church exists until today.

Poseidi is located in the peninsula of Chalkidiki (the place in the north part of Greece that in the map looks like three legs) on the "first leg", about one hour and a half by bus from Thessaloniki. To get there, you take the public bus no 45 or 36 and get down at the station named ''Ktel Chalkidikis''. Then you ask for a ticket to Poseidi and you are ready to get there!

This camping is a one of kind, because it is the biggest exclusively students' camping in the world. It is famous not only to young people, but to our parents also, many of whom, used to spend their summer also there when they were students.

Back then the facilities weren't so good as they are today, but it was still a 'hot' destinations for the students of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and not only. Both in the past and nowadays, young people all over Greece visit every summer this camping to have cheap and amazing holidays!

Let's talk about the prices now:

For the students' of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the accomodation is for free. They just have to pay five euros in the entrance the first day they enter there, which is for the card that will allow them to eat and get around the camping. Each student is allowed to have two guests with him, who have to pay 7. 50 euros for the card and 1. 50 euros for each night they spend at the camping. If you are a big company of people and there are not enough students from Aristotle University to guest the others, you can ask a free card which is valid for 6 hours and you can enter and ask from other students to guest you. Don't be shy, a lot of people do it!

Once you enter the first time inside the camping you will see on the right hand the place where you have to go and register yourself. Don't forget to have your Id card with you and the student's card if you are a student of Aristotle University. REMEMBER: Without an Id card you will not be able to enter the campside.

People waiting patiently to register themselves.

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The entrance of the camping.

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Let's rewind a little bit now. I know that not all the people are used to go camping, so I think that if you belong to this category, you should be aware of some important stuff that you should have with you.

Firstly, you never go camping without a tent. If you don't owe one, you can buy a big tent for three people and divide the cost with your friends. Also, don't forget to bring sleeping bags because in the night while you are sleeping you may feel a little bit cold. A lot of people bring also matresses with them to feel more comfortable, so if you owe one, it will make you feel like home, because your back will not hurt from sleeping in the ground.

In July it gets even more crowded than this picture!

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A perfect idea -and my favourite- is to bring a hammock with you. You can find with just 10 euros and it is the best place to relax and also sleep. Just consider that everyone will ask you to hang there, so you will probably have some difficulties in finding it empty!

In your bag, you should put not many clothes, because you will be with your swimming suit most of the day. Don't forget towels, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, sunscream and a pair of more warm clothes just in case. You will not need shoes, just a pair of flip-flops is enough. IMPORTANT: Bring also toilet paper with you and handsoap because it doesn't exist!

If you own a car and have space to carry many stuff with you, a big umbrella for the sun and chairs for the beach will be the perfect solution so that you can stay all day at the beach without a problem. Also, many people bring balls, matresses for the sea and rackets to play, so if you have space don't hesitate to bring them with you!

The next few sentences may seem a bit strange! You can find whatever irrelevant or stupid and useless things you have in your house and bring them with you: from carnival costumes, to waterguns, plastic swimming pools, Christmas trees. You will see a lot of strange decorations at the camping. It is like a carnival in the summer there, so don't be shy to wear whatever you want!

If you are a girl, forget your make up and hair dryer at home! You will see a lot of girls making up in the night, but it is so useless because you will be all day and night at the beach and it is a nice chance to feel relaxed and natural.

Now, let's get back to the camping. The facilities there are pretty good: there are toilets everywhere (however, when the place gets too crowded you may have to wait some time). Also there are plenty of showers that are individual and close with a door and a lock. The disadvantage with the showers is that due to the crowd, the water is almost always cold. But it's ok because it is summer, so you will not have a problem with that!

There are also some cultural and sports facilities that you can enjoy when you are at the camping. There is an outdoor cinema, which shows one or two movies every night. The movies are usually from the previous year and there is no entrance fee. There is also a small library where you can rent a book to take it to the beach with you. There are two football fields and one basketball court and during the summer there are being organized some tournaments where you can join. There is also one beach -volleyball court.

During July and August, there are also being organized concerts by students of the university or some alternative bands. If you are at the camping during a concert I suggest you should go and listen to it. The people who are singing are usually very talented and the atmosphere is amazing!

I'm pretty sure you are asking yourselves 'Where can I eat there and should I bring food with me? '. The answer to this question is that of course there is enough food for all the tastes and you can never feel hungry. There is a bakery with a lot of different kinds of pastry food that is ideal for breakfast or before going to sleep. This bakery also sells big beers of 0. 50 ml for just one euro.

Directly next to the bakery there is a mini-market that has all the important food and drink that you may need : from ice-creams and chocolates, to chips, croissants and even yogurt and salads. It also has a big variety of alcohol, but my suggestion for you is to be prepared before going to the camping and go to the camping with your own alcohol because the prices are a little bit higher than the usual.

Outside from the mini-market you will find some benches where you can hang around and eat or drink. A lot of people play cards also there, and during the night many companies use these benches to play some drinking games.

There is also a canteen that is being operated by different student political clubs during the summer, where you can buy cold coffee and delicious sandwiches with greek traditional souvlaki or sausages.

If you want to eat some real food, there is of course the student's restaurant that provides you with breakfast from 8am to 10 am with just 1, 50 euros (bread, jam, butter, coffee, tea, cheese pies, etc. )

From midday until 10 in the night the restaurant is working continuously so that you can eat whenever you feel hungry. In the past, it used to be open three hours for lunch and three for dinner, so imagine the endless queue, that hopefully doesn't exist anymore. To eat you will need to have your camp card with you. There are plenty of different dishes that you can choose, and they are also changing during the day. The prices vary from dish to dish and depend on what you will choose to eat: for example for a big plate of spaghetti with minced meat, a salad, a fruit and a big piece of bread you will have to pay approximately 3 euros and you won't feel hungry for the next few hours.

After 10 in the night when the food stops being served, the restaurant is 'being tranformed ' into a canteen : You can buy burgers, hot dogs or sandwich with chicken, all of them include fries, with just two euros.

One very important information that I want to provide you with, is to bring all the money you need with you unless you have a car. The reason is that inside the camping there is No ATM machine and the closest one used to be 15 minutes away by car, so the distance is too long to walk. Now I think that even this ATM doesn't exist anymore, so if you want to withdraw money, you have to drive to the village of Kallithea, which is half an hour by car. That's why you should bring your money with you so that you won't run out and don't know what to do! Don't be scared to leave your money in the tent. Of course there are incidents every year where people get into tents and steal money, but if you put them somewhere where only you know, you won't have any problem.

Let's talk a little bit about the sea of Poseidi. Ok, to tell you the truth, it's not the most amazing beach you will find in Greece, so don't expect to be excited. There are a lot of rocks so be careful not to slip. However, if you look on the left side and follow the coast, after half an hour of walking, you will be at the end of the coast called ''Miti '' (nose), where it is more quite and with less people, so the sea is much cleaner and all the people that don't like the crowd when they want to hang around at the beach choose to go there!

Oh sorry I almost forgot the highlight of the camping which is of course the Beach Bar. Last but not least, THE beach bar is located -where else - of course at the beach of Poseidi camping. It is open 24/7 and you can buy coffees, ice-teas and water for the day, and whatever you want to drink in the night. The music varies during the day, from relaxed reggae in the morning, to more rock later, and lounge music during the sunset. The best time to go to the beach bar for the general crowd is from 4 in the night until early in the morning. After coming back from the beach, people are resting a little and then are getting prepared for the long night with some pre-drinking. At about 4 am when they are in the party mode, they are starting going to the beach bar, which starts to play more commercial music, with lots of Greek traditional dance songs called ''Mpouzoukotragouda''. In the weekends, the beach bar gets so crowded that it is very possible that you will not find space inside, so you can go down to the beach where you will see lots of people doing the same and dance there. If you feel warm, you can also enjoy the amazing and quite sea when the sun starts to rise.

People enjoying the hot sun and the sea under the beach bar.

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Part one is officially over. Part two is now loading...

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