Mad dogs and the like
Our flat overlooks the Aegean sea. The port of Thessaloniki doesn't seem that busy but there were enough craft to keep us mesmerised, particularly a cargo boat being tugged into dock. There's loads of pictures of the boats as Kevin has a new camera which he wants to get to grips with before our Christmas holiday.
The galleon ship is a tourist boat that you can have a free ride on providing every person buys a drink for 5 Euros. At night the galleon and other similar boats are brightly lit.
There seem to be Greek Orthodox churches on every street. Many are locked but have outside a handy bus stop sized building decorated in the colloquial hagiography and with tapers you can light in prayer.
Next up was Galerius' arch and the impressive rotunda.
The remains of the triumphal arch sit incongruously on the main street and once trams ran through it. On it there are reliefs celebrating Galerius' victory against the Persians.
Via a series of colonnades the arch is connected to the Rotunda, an impressive building built 1,600 years ago, possibly as a Mausoleum, but which has at different times been a church, a mosque (hence a later addition of a minaret) and now an occasional arts venue. The mosaics on the ceiling, partially restored, were stunning. (Plus Kevin got to try out the zoom on his camera.)
Next stop was the Haman Bey, or Paradise Baths which were shut for a fortnight but open again tomorrow.
Next the main square, cleared of buildings after the devastating fire of 1917, this area was designated to be the home of the courts and other admin buildings. It was part of a master plan of the great and the good (men) of the city to redesign the city with Parisian style boulevards and to creating housing areas based upon people's profession and income. There's nothing like a bit of social engineering....
Unfortunately, those pesky archaeologists found a Roman agora (forum) and odeon (amphitheatre) right where they wanted to build the new Courthouse. Battle Royale ensued and the plucky archaeologists won the day. So in a park, the Roman ruins are there for all to enjoy.
Our apartment is small and on the top (eighth) floor of the building. It just happens the building in front of it facing the sea is one of the least tall on the prom so hence we have the great view.
It has an old, small, and fast lift but the lift only goes up to the seventh floor.
There used to be a tradition of well heeled folk in Britain doing what was called "The Grand Tour" - not to be confused with the programme of the same name on Amazon hosted by Messrs Clarkson, May and Hammond. The Tour involved young men and women finishing their formal education with an edifying tour of the great classical sights of Europe to absorb culture, architecture and hopefully wisdom.
Not ones for beaches (or even spending too much time in bars.... honest!) we headed off with maps and guidebooks to see the classical sites like a couple of characters from A Room with a View. We're not going to pretend we know much about the area but Joan has been reading Mark Mazower's "Salonica - City of Ghosts" which (at some length) chronicles the history of the town - at different times dominated by Romans, Greeks, Iberian Jews and the Ottman Empire - as well as others. The town has been a melting pot and the very Greek metropolis it feels like now, belies a sad, rich and diverse history. A city hit by war, earthquakes, fire and Nazi deportation of the Jewish Community.
First up was the Eastern part of ramparts that used to curtain the city. Nearby was a fountain from the Ottoman period where humans and horses used to drink.
There used to be a tradition of well heeled folk in Britain doing what was called "The Grand Tour" - not to be confused with the programme of the same name on Amazon hosted by Messrs Clarkson, May and Hammond. The Tour involved young men and women finishing their formal education with an edifying tour of the great classical sights of Europe to absorb culture, architecture and hopefully wisdom.
Not ones for beaches (or even spending too much time in bars.... honest!) we headed off with maps and guidebooks to see the classical sites like a couple of characters from A Room with a View. We're not going to pretend we know much about the area but Joan has been reading Mark Mazower's "Salonica - City of Ghosts" which (at some length) chronicles the history of the town - at different times dominated by Romans, Greeks, Iberian Jews and the Ottman Empire - as well as others. The town has been a melting pot and the very Greek metropolis it feels like now, belies a sad, rich and diverse history. A city hit by war, earthquakes, fire and Nazi deportation of the Jewish Community.
First up was the Eastern part of ramparts that used to curtain the city. Nearby was a fountain from the Ottoman period where humans and horses used to drink.
There seem to be Greek Orthodox churches on every street. Many are locked but have outside a handy bus stop sized building decorated in the colloquial hagiography and with tapers you can light in prayer.
The remains of the triumphal arch sit incongruously on the main street and once trams ran through it. On it there are reliefs celebrating Galerius' victory against the Persians.
Via a series of colonnades the arch is connected to the Rotunda, an impressive building built 1,600 years ago, possibly as a Mausoleum, but which has at different times been a church, a mosque (hence a later addition of a minaret) and now an occasional arts venue. The mosaics on the ceiling, partially restored, were stunning. (Plus Kevin got to try out the zoom on his camera.)
Next the main square, cleared of buildings after the devastating fire of 1917, this area was designated to be the home of the courts and other admin buildings. It was part of a master plan of the great and the good (men) of the city to redesign the city with Parisian style boulevards and to creating housing areas based upon people's profession and income. There's nothing like a bit of social engineering....
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| New Boulevard |
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| Roman bath with individual baths |
By the time we reached the agora we had been out in the midday heat for four hours. Ice cream helped but we were both over-heated and tired. Mad dogs.....
After a walk back to our flat to cool down, we headed out again for dinner in a Veggie/vegan restaurant called Roots. Though there are big bars, there are still lots of little places with a handful of tables and quick delivery.
It was Friday night and all the young people of the city seemed to be out. They love their coffee here and hardly a beer or a wine was in sight as we walked to the restaurant. But on the way back, a switch had taken place and wine, cocktails and beer had appeared. Along with others we walked along the seafront, full of people, cars and motorbikes that seem to use the pavements as much as the roads. Boat bars sailed around the harbour with music. A buzzing place. We returned to our penthouse and watched the sea, the lights and the planes coming into land.
After a walk back to our flat to cool down, we headed out again for dinner in a Veggie/vegan restaurant called Roots. Though there are big bars, there are still lots of little places with a handful of tables and quick delivery.
It was Friday night and all the young people of the city seemed to be out. They love their coffee here and hardly a beer or a wine was in sight as we walked to the restaurant. But on the way back, a switch had taken place and wine, cocktails and beer had appeared. Along with others we walked along the seafront, full of people, cars and motorbikes that seem to use the pavements as much as the roads. Boat bars sailed around the harbour with music. A buzzing place. We returned to our penthouse and watched the sea, the lights and the planes coming into land.
Excellent blog.
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