Oneiropouli of Drama

Last Sunday,  we decided to take a short road trip to the city of Drama. It's an hour and a half away, so we made sure to pack a DVD for the kids to watch so that we could distract them and hopefully avoid the inevitable question, "are we there yet?"  Despite my efforts, Izabella didn't abstain from persistently and systematically asking, "how much longer ?" or  "How many more minutes do we have left?".  So, after our short drive to Drama, the children were more than pleased with my choice of a holiday destination.

As we drove to the center of the city the holiday lights became more abundant and then they saw the park that was converted into a Christmas wonderland or  "Oneiropouli" (Dream City).  

I discovered Oneiropouli last February when doing a search for information about the city of Drama. Kosta and I spent a year living in Drama 15 years ago and I absolutely loved the city. It's such a warm, beautiful city and I now I had another excellent reason to visit.

Here are some photos from our evening in Drama:

A view of Oneiropouli from a bridge.

The park was full on Sunday evening. Games, amusement rides for the children and  live performances. This photo provides an excellent representation of the festive atmosphere at Oneiropouli.

Candy for the kids.

Roasted chestnuts and corn.

A visit with Ebenezer Scrooge.

Inside the Scrooge's home.

Live music.

Traditional Dancers

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A visit with Agios Vasilis aka Santa. Naturally, this was the highlight of our visit.

The home of Agios Vasilis was warmed by a fireplace comprised of stuffed animals. The kids thought it was really cool.

Since it's not cold enough to ice skate in Drama, you can roller blade instead.

The roller blade rink.

Alexandra loved the carousel.

Izabella found a stray to love for the time that we were at the park.

Agios Vasilis in the  middle of a pond.

Kosta and the kids.

Across from the platiya ( city center) the buildings are decorated for the holidays.

The message reads: "Happy Holidays & Many Years".

I have more photos to follow in another post. I hope that you enjoyed these!

Happy Holidays!

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Ονειρούπολη Δράμας 2009-2010

About.com: Greek Christmas Customs-Basil