Day in Thessaloniki

You don’t eat meat?  I give you lamb!

We made it across the border, past Albanian and then Greek customs, with lightning speed.  Lisa’s diplomatic license plates allowed us to bypass a long line of cars that were being carefully scrutinized, as the Albania-Greek border is somewhat porous and is known for trafficking in persons (TIP) and possibly drug smuggling (don’t quote me on that one).  There is also a risk, somewhat low, of transnational terrorism in Albania, and there is always a possibility that someone could slip across the border.  I was thankful that we didn’t have to wait!

The whole time I was in Greece (about 48 hours), I couldn’t get the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, out of my head!  I really need to find a copy and watch it soon.  Everything was so… Greek! The signs with Greek lettering (and a knowledge of the Russian Cyrillic alphabet is only a partial help… rendering appropriate the expression, “It’s all Greek to me…”), the music, the little old ladies clothed in black, or the Orange Fanta that was labeled ”Portokolada,” just like the family name, Portokalo (which, you will remember, means “orange”), of the girl in the movie…  Lisa and I were taking turns quoting lines from the movie.  But in all seriousness, Greece was fantastic.  First of all, they have great roads, have four-lane highways, and build long tunnels through the mountains.  This makes driving a lot faster.  Secondly, they have an Ikea.  (Anyone who knows me well knows that thanks to my Swedish heritage, I absolutely love Ikea… and yes, we did visit the one in Thessaloniki, since Lisa had to pick up some household items.  My heart swelled with pride as I guided my traveling companion on her very first visit! But no, we did not indulge in Swedish meatballs and pickled herring – not in the land of gyros, moussaka and souvlaki!) Thirdly, the food!  I couldn’t get enough of Greek salads with feta and olives, pizza, gyros, Greek yogurt with honey… but there’s really only so much you can eat in 48 hours L. Fourthly, Greece has, of course, an amazing and ancient history – everywhere you turn, there is another millennia-old ruin… after awhile, I’d see another one and feel rather blasé about it.  Wondering about a church in the distance that wasn’t on my map, I pointed it out to a souvenir shopkeeper and asked her what it was.  She looked positively scornful as she declared, “Oh, that church is new.  It is not on the map.” Later I figured out what it was and learned that it had been built in the 16^th century… very recently!! But I’m getting ahead of myself.

No translation needed :-)

After a good night’s rest in the hotel, located directly on a beach about 20 km south of Thessaloniki, Lisa and Cejdro headed to the beach where we’d gone swimming the afternoon before.  I, however, ventured out on my own to do some exploring. My parents had visited Thessaloniki a few years before, and so my dad spent some time doing some research for me on a good itinerary for me to maximize my time on my one day to explore.  I mean, he wrote up an amazing document that was detailed down to “…turn left on Via Egnatia, go three blocks and you’ll come to the Agia Demetrios church…”  Not only that, but he had researched how to get from the hotel to the downtown area, so I knew that I needed bus 73, then transfer to bus 2 at Ikea, etc.  The hotel concierge confirmed my dad’s instructions, so armed with a map of Thessaloniki and my dad’s tour guide, I set out.  At the bus stop, a woman with grey hair who appears to be 50-something was waiting, so I hesitantly asked if she spoke English.  She did.  People always say that they just speak “a little,” but I always marvel at how well people who have never been to an English-speaking country do!  This lady was no exception, and she was a God-send as she helped me navigate the tricky transfer (the bus numbers had changed), and we sat and chatted the whole way in to the center.  She lamented the state of the Greek economy and held out little hope of its successful turnaround.  She also told me that she was born about 70 km away, in the birthplace of Alexander the Great.  By the end of the 45-minute trip, Eva and I were fast friends and she gave me her phone number in case I ran into trouble or in the event that I ever come back to Thessaloniki. 

I imagine that Thessaloniki isn’t quite as impressive as Athens or some of the Greek isles, but it should be a high priority on anyone’s list of noteworthy places if they plan a trip to Greece! I won’t give you a blow-by-blow of my actual itinerary of my day, but my expedition did start out with a visit to two churches.  Since it was Sunday, I actually caught the end of one Greek Orthodox service at Agia Sophia church, and got to experience the beautiful a capella men’s choir and chanting by the grey-bearded priest wearing a long black headpiece. Baskets with large hunks of bread were placed all around the church; people were holding them and eating them from the palm of their hand; some were walking to the front to partake of the wine.  After the service was over, I walked around and, as unobtrusively as possible, snapped a few quick pictures.  Later, as I exited the church, I saw the universal symbol for no photos – a camera with a slash through it.  So glad I didn’t see that on my way in!!  J

My wanderings also took me to the Roman forum or in Greek, agora, meaning “gathering” (where the word “agoraphobia” is from – a fear of gatherings of people); archaeologists have revealed that the forum was not only used as a market area and meeting place for Roman citizens, but early Christians also met there.  As Thessaloniki was a stop on Paul’s missionary journeys in the first century A.D., it is conceivable that he spent time at the forum himself.  I also wound my way up narrow, hairpin-curve streets up to the ramparts- the ruins of the Roman fortress at the top of the city, where I was treated to a spectacular view of the Gulf of Thessaloniki and the city below.  Further points of interest were an old cemetery I stumbled upon, the Roman Hippodrome now surrounded by high-rise apartments, the Galerius Arch, and finally the waterfront, where the principal landmark of Thessaloniki stands – the White Tower, built in the 15^th century, if I remember correctly.  Nearby is a large monument to Alexander the Great. 

Fortified by a lunch of gyros and tsatziki, I explored the waterfront area, lined by cafes filled with locals and tourists, and was joined in the late afternoon by Lisa and Cejdro, who had thoroughly enjoyed their day at the beach.  We took a boat ride around the harbor and had a nice dinner (dolmas, shrimp, Greek salad, souvlaki…), followed by a stop at an ice cream shop and then a quick drive back up to the ramparts, where the evening view of the city was even more spectacular than by day.

The drive back to Tirana the next day was just as enjoyable as the trip to Greece;  it afforded many more opportunities to snap pictures from the car and catch a glimpse of rural life.  Overall, a very fun trip with great traveling companions!

Inside Agia Sophia

Ramparts...

View of the "new" church

Galerius Arch

Ruins of Hippodome

Alexander the Great

The White Tower

Portokalada!

Evening view from ramparts