Second Day in Thessaloniki

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We started the day by visiting Aristotle University and listened to two college professors explain how they prepare their college students to become teachers. We heard several things that Greece has in common with The United States, but there are a few differences. Right now the current debate is whether or not religion should be taught in the public schools and what history should be taught. The biggest difference for teachers here in Greece is that when they start their careers, they are appointed by the state to their position with no regard as to how far away this position might be from where they are living.

After that, we visited Peiramatiko Elementary School. We had a nice conversation with the principal and several teachers. The school was founded in 1913.

Next we visited The White Tower which was built in the middle of the 5th century A.D. At one point, this tower was used as a prison, but now it is a museum. As we walked to the top, we stopped on five different floors to hear our guide explain each display. When we reached the top, the views of the waterfront and city were beautiful.

Then we made our way to The Arch of Galerius which was a Roman arch that was built in the 4th century B.C. to honor the Roman Emperor Galerius to mark his triumphant return to Thessaloniki after defeating the Persians.

After checking out the arch, we walked to the Agia Sophia Church which is dedicated to the Wisdom of God. This church was built in the 7th century A.D. We were not able to go inside because they were closed for the day.

The last place we had to visit was the Museum of Byzantine Culture. The Byzantine Empire was from 330 – 1453. Christianity was established as the official religion and this led to the creation of new, splendid places of worship. All of the artifacts in this museum were on the early Christian Church and I won’t have enough space for all the pictures on this blog.

Finally the last arrangement for the day was dinner. I’m still a little surprised, but I ate my first fish meal ever. It was very good and there was no fishy smell or taste.

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Photos

White Tower
middle of 5th century

The Arch of Galerius
4th century B.C.

Agia Sophia Church
Dedicated to the Wisdom of God

Agia Sopia Church
7th century

Fishing tackle
3rd - 7th century

Jewelry from tombs
2nd - 6th centuries

The Good Shepherd
4th century

First Fish Meal
This was very good.

Comments

[Liza]

Thank you Jeremy!
Jeremy thanks so much for doing this blog. I love the detail you include and the captions on the photos - What an amazing time!

[Jessica]

Wow!
I'm very jealous of your wonderful trip. Thank you so much for keeping us all informed through your blog. I can't wait to see the rest of your pictures when you return home.