Thessaloniki

It has been more than a year since i returned to Singapore! Kinda gave up blogging about my European adventure.. but meeting up with the friends i made on exchange over the weekend gave me an extra push to blog on!

After saying our goodbyes, we left Athens and arrived late at night in Thessaloniki. Thessa what(?) you might ask! This city might sound ulu (secluded) but it was actually a really important city in the Byzantine times. The Apostle Paul even wrote a letter to the Thessalonians.. check out the New Testament of the Bible!

Thessaloniki is the 2nd largest city in Greece. Population of 900000+ according to wikipedia. It used to be the co-capital of the Byzantine empire, together with Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). Obviously this place is full of Byzantine influences..

We arrived at night, checked in, then left to look for some food. Oh and we saw Messi tear Man U apart in the Champions League Final.

Back in our little hostel, i made use of the face mask that Aunty Priscilla gave me (we met in Switzerland remember?). A little bit of pampering helps keep the skin moist and supple! hahaha..

The next day we started exploring the city.. starting with the Arch of Galerius.

Just past the Arch was this Rotunda, the walls must have been 10 metres thick. Apparently it served many purposes over the years.. from being a place of worship to a fort/weapons storage place.

Byzantine orthodox churches are famous for their Icons, or sacred pictures of the Holy family or the Saints. These are used in worship together with the use of incense. Really elaborate furniture and mosaics.

Modern Thessaloniki feels like a slow and relaxed place, with cafes lining up beside the waterfront. We took the long scenic route to the White Tower of Thessaloniki.

 

The Tower is now a Museum, and students have free entry (i love that about Europe!). A spiral staircase brought us through several levels. Each level showing different aspects of Thessaloniki's history.

The story goes, that the White Tower of Thessaloniki was used as a prison.. and a prisoner was asked to help to paint the whole tower in exchange for his freedom. He painted the whole thing white and was set free. (?!) It doesn't seem as white now.. haha.. but google it and you'll find the whiter pictures.

From the top we can have a look at the city from a high point. It isn't clear from my pictures, but the remains of old city walls from the Roman days can still be seen.

Enjoying iced coffee at the Byzantine Museum's Cafe

No pictures allowed inside (this was secretly taken).. but the Museum is actually quite nice. I learnt quite a bit about the Byzantine Empire. How it was actually the Eastern Roman Empire.. and how the Ottomans conquered Constantinople.

Thessaloniki was a short but interesting stopover. Our eventual and most anticipated destination was Istanbul!

(Look out for the next blog entry!)