Reaching an altitude of 2917m above sea level, there is no wonder why Olympus remained in consciousness as the motherland and shelter of Greek Pantheon. Zeus, the father of God’s, ruled over Olympus’ highest peak.
Today, the legendary mountain of Greek antiquity, apart from a gateway to myth, it is a rich and thrilling biosphere. Canyons, conifer forests, alpine meadows and montane grasslands compose a landscape of natural wealth and diversity, declared by UNESCO a Biosphere Reserve.
At the foothills of this wondrous mountain lie, also, centuries of history told through ancient ruins and byzantine fortresses, monasteries and picturesque traditional villages.
Either for present-day travellers or adrenaline-lovers, Olympus is a definite emotional experience deeply felt through myth, history and the peak of the peaks, Zeus’ reputed throne, high above and over the clouds. The ascent to Olympus is certainly one-of-a-kind. It is the ascend to the origins of Myth.
Giannis Zarzonis was born in 1972.
What started as a hobby and passion during high school, his interest in taking pictures soon evolved into a career as a professional photographer. In 1992, he moved to Thessaloniki where he established his photographic business activity and in 1995 launched his postcard and poster editions. In 1998, “Zarzonis Editions” extended to include photography books and, in 2004, numerous travel guides were also released.
During the last thirty years, Giannis Zarzonis has been working with a great number of nationwide print magazines, among them the Greek edition of the National Geographic Traveler, while he also regularly engages in travel photography collaborations with multiple corporations, municipalities, prefectures, regions and ministries.
In 2011, he founded the Escape Greece project, wherein he photographs every region of Greece in an effort to create an extensive image bank named Greek Images. Furthermore, Giannis Zarzonis systematically photographs Mt. Olympus for the creation of the travel portal “www.themountolympus.com”, while another aspect of his work covers the entire axis of the ancient Roman road Via Egnatia, spanning from Constantinople to Rome and including all the points of interest along today’s newly-built homonymous highway.
Recently he has embarked on the photo documentation of the Greek Silk Road, having undertaken the planning and establishment of the www.greeksilkroad.com travel portal, aiming to create a visual tribute to a cultural route.
As of 2015, his professional interest focuses on the use of new technologies such as aerial photography, videography, time lapse, hyper lapse, star trial, 360° photos and videos, VR Tours, and underwater photography.
Christos Zafeiris was born in Krania Elassona in 1945 and graduated from the Department of Archaeology and History of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.He is a journalist and author of books of historical research on Thessaloniki, regional Hellenism and Greek places. He worked in Radio, Television and Press as an editor and manager. He was particularly involved in documentary filmmaking, as a researcher and scriptwriter, on issues concerning Thessaloniki and Greeks in general. In 2005 he received the Botsi Foundation Award, the country’s top journalism prize, and served on the boards of the journalism sector and social organisations of Thessaloniki.
He has written the texts for several photo albums for Escape Greece.
Mary Grigoriadou was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. She has a strong interest in traveling and photography since her childhood. After graduating from the Law School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, she continued her studies, obtaining Master Degrees in Tourism and Sports in Switzerland and Great Britain. She worked in top Greek and British tourist Tour Operators. Since 2006, she has been engaged in travel journalism and photography, having traveled all over Greece and to more than 43 countries. She is member of the Association of European Journalists.
