Demonstrations were also being held in Crete and in the second-largest city of Thessaloniki, where some 17, 000 people protested peacefully.

BBC: Greeks in fresh general strike against austerity

Athens was quiet on Saturday, but about 1, 000 protesters shouted slogans such as "American killers go home" in front of the US consulate in the port city of Thessaloniki.

BBC: Clinton: US failed Greek democracy

Evangelos Venizelos was born on New Year's Day in 1957 in Thessaloniki, Greece's second city.

BBC: Profile: Greek Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos

Continuing west for 170km, the highway passes near Thessaloniki - Greece's second city, and a mandatory stop with its plethora of museums, Byzantine churches and a lovely old town.

BBC: Driving Greece's modern ancient highway, the Egnatia Odos

They came for George Milonas in June in front of his house in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-biggest city.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The Jews of Thessaloniki were mostly Sephardic ones, who immigrated to the city, then part of the Ottoman Empire, after 1492 to escape persecution in Spain.

NPR: Jews In Greece Mark WWII Nazi Deportation

The city's exuberant student population keeps things lively, and Thessaloniki has excellent nightlife and cafes, plus an array of appealing hotels and restaurants.

BBC: Driving Greece's modern ancient highway, the Egnatia Odos

Today, the Jewish community in Thessaloniki, which until the early 20th century formed a slight majority of the city's inhabitants, numbers fewer than 1, 000.

NPR: Jews In Greece Mark WWII Nazi Deportation

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) Jewish residents of this northern Greek city on Saturday marked the 70th anniversary of the roundup and deportation of its Jews to Nazi extermination camps during World War II.

NPR: Jews In Greece Mark WWII Nazi Deportation