Time in Thessaloniki

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We arrived in the sea side city of Thessaloniki, Greece at 6am after a 9 hour night bus. We were feeling confident after conquering Istanbul and planned to take a taxi to our hostel to recoup before exploring the city. Our first obstacle came when the taxi drivers could not read our address as it was in English and not in Greek.

We were tired , cold, without internet or the ability to write in Greek lettering..What to do..We waited three hours, found an internet cafe and translated the address...success.

Our hostel was amazing..it had walls which was a massive improvement on the last hostel. We also had our own kitchen so we were able to cook one night, something we have all been missing.

We had initially intended to go to Athens, but due time constraints we decided on Thessaloniki. This was the correct decision it turns out as we found out from a group of dejected American travellers who were unable to see any of the sites in Athens which were closed due to the their current financial situation.

Thessaloniki is a laid back city with a beautiful waterfront, it almost felt like Townsville minus the crocs and sharks. The most famous building in Thessaloniki is the White Tower (see pictures below). There are many ruins plotted around the city and a number of museums and churches which we visited.

Having developed quite a sweet tooth in Turkey we needed to full this void..we discovered ‘Ble’ the most amazing bakery I have ever seen, needless to say we visited frequently sometimes twice a day. I figure I will enjoy these treats before returning to pig intestines...

We have just arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria after another midnight bus, however this time we did have our hostels address written in Bulgarian ...lesson learnt!

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Photos

Roman Market and Theater
Ruins standing at the Law Court Square.

The Rotonda
Erected in A.D. 306 as the Pantheon or Mausoleum of Galerius. Under Theodosius the Great it became a Christian church with only a few additions or alterations. Its mosaics are unique for the era (4th century). Located on Dimitriou Gounari street

The Palace of Galerius
(300 A.D.)

Roman Market and Theater
Ruins standing at the Law Court Square (Dikastiria).

White Tower
The White Tower is a defensive structure dated to the 15th century. Later, it was used as a guard's quarters by the Janissaries and as a prison for those who were convicted to death. It was built on the place where an older, Byzantine tower once stood. This Byzantine tower connected the east wall of the fortification of Thessalonike (the part preserved today) with the sea wall, which was demolished in1866.

White Tower
The museum in the White Tower contains various collections of sculptures, frescoes, fragments of mosaic floors and wall mosaics, icons, coins, inscriptions, pottery, glass and metal items

A view from the top
A view from the top of the White Tower.

A view from the top
A view from the top of the White Tower.

White Tower
A view from the top.

Comments

[Chronis Polichronis]

Religious tourism in Thessaloniki
Hello, I would like to add that Thessaloniki is the place where not only Roman remainings exist, but also many churches and monuments built during the Byzantine era. These churches such as Agios Dimitrios and Agia Sophia are considered two of the major symbols of Eastern Christian Church. Moreover, Thessaloniki is one of the largest cities Paul Apostle preached during his journey in Ancient Greece. I have the honor to maintain a website with a lot of information on Thessaloniki and Macedonia in general which, if anyone is interested in having a look at, is hosted on citybreak-thessaloniki.com Thank you, Chronis