13th May - Happy Mother's Day
While staying at Angelos garden I had pre-booked some accommodation in Thessaloniki so at least I knew where I would be sleeping at the end of the day. The weather had improved, which meant it was hotter, so I was looking forward to arriving reasonably early and changing into shorts, a shirt and thongs to see a bit of Thessaloniki.
It was another good ride on the way up the Sithonian Peninsula towards Thessaloniki with very few cars and some great views out over the coastline.
The Sithonian Peninsula looking good.
The GPS worked fabulously and led me through the little lanes of Thessaloniki and I arrived at Colors Rooms and Apartments in an 'interesting' part of the city. On first impressions there was some graffiti, some derelict buildings, empty shops and a few people wandering the streets that, I know I shouldn't generalise, looked a bit dodgy so I was interested to see what Colors was like once I arrived and checked-in. Colors is really good accommodation and I was pleasantly surprised. There was loads of space to throw all of my gear, nice hot shower and comfortable seating and sleeping. Colors may have seen the potential of the area and got in early.
It was Mother's Day in Australia and I managed to get Skype up and running and catch mummy at home to wish her a fabulous day. The wonders of modern technology.
I was soon freshened up and ready to head out to see some of Thessaloniki, Greece's 2nd City.
Colors Rooms and Apartments with dedicated parking.
I had read about a few restaurants, cafes and bars that were worth visiting in Thessaloniki so I thought I would get an early idea of what was around.
I soon found Kitchen Bar which is located on the water's edge of the port looking across to the city centre. It was here that I really noticed a major difference between Australian (at least) and Greek culture. Here I was in a beautiful restaurant bar overlooking the water on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon and I would have been one of a very small handful of people not drinking (as slowly as humanly possible) some form of coffee drink. It seems the thing to do is drink a coffee drink, typically made with Nescafe, that may have sugar, ice, water or milk, that could have been blended, shaken, stirred or poured into large glass, at a glacial pace. I have since learnt that this can be the precursor to having a beer or other alcoholic drink perhaps 5 - 8 hours later.
I enjoyed my beers, the view and to my surprise, and I think that of most others at Kitchen Bar, the distant passing of the Olympic Flame. Seeing the Olympic Torch passed by answered my question of earlier in the day as to what all of the Police were doing on the streets and at the intersections. The Olympic torch was briefly in town.
The Olympic Torch passes by in the distance.
After I had smashed my beers (in a relative sense) I moved on to see more of Thessaloniki. I knew I would walk along the waterfront a little later so I headed to see some of the inner streets and lanes. I was soon very impressed with the streets and their neat and tidy appearance with their lining of lush green trees. The streets around the centre of the city were mostly narrow with impressive active retail shopfronts addressing the footpaths.
One of Thessaloniki's city centre streets.
It seems that not only are the streets very well arranged and ordered the protests are too. As I wandered the streets I encountered a reasonably small protest making its way through the city centre. I stopped to take a picture or two of The Metropolitan Church of Saint Gregory Palamas when the police and protestors arrived en masse.
Protest seems to be well under control.
It seems as though everyone was well behaved (although a young fella who was sliding his scooter around fell off in the middle of the road) as they gathered near the Church and the leaders of both sides seemed to briefly discuss what would happen next when the busses arrived and all of the protestors gladly hopped on the busses and departed. It is possible the protest was about places for university students.
Protest must be over - they all leave on organised buses.
I continued my wander of the city and headed to the White Tower. The White Tower was formerly an Ottoman fort, garrison and prison that was part of the city walls. It is also infamous for being the location for a massacre that gave the tower its earlier name(s) Tower of Blood and Red Tower. The tower was whitewashed after Greece gained control of the city in 1912.
The White Tower with Admiral Votsis
White Tower
It was time to move on. I headed back towards the hotel via the cafes, bars and restaurants along the waterfront and stopped off for another 'coffee' or two.
As I got closer to the hotel I started to appreciate the location much more. My first impression was being reinforced although it was also added to by the extra detail you can pick up while walking the streets. There was much more going on in the area, with many little shops selling bits and pieces for a range of creative pursuits/professions (art and craft supplies, fabrics and fashion, musical instruments) and also some manufacturing and musicians practising somewhere on the upper floors of the buildings on the street of the hotel.
There was also graffiti - Banksy…..? or Dany?
The area around Colors Hotel seemed to be a popular location for small cafes and bars frequented by university students, artists, musicians and so on. It looks as though some parts have been refurbished while others are waiting for the right people to come along and put in another cafe, restaurant and/or bar.
What looks like an old theatre has some potential.
I had almost arrived back to the hotel when I noticed a wonderful example of a family relative parked on the street. The female owner purchased the 1954 BMW R51/2? only a week earlier and seemed to be showing a few friends the bike. She said it was expensive although she was happy to have such a beautiful old bike.
One of my ancestors parked up the road.
The day was drawing to a close, for me, and it became even more obvious that in the area around Colors the action doesn't begin until late. I was getting ready to head home and get organised for a quick dinner and off to bed when the many bars around the area were just starting to open their doors and put tables and chairs out into the streets.
I asked one of the places when people start arriving and he suggested around midnight, I asked when they might leave and he said never….or around 5 - 6 am. I hoped the windows in Colors were double glazed.
14th May
I hadn't taken Colors up on the offer of their Breakfast Basket so headed out to see what was on offer on the streets of Thessaloniki. I soon found a cafe with the Illy sign out front and hoped for a great coffee and something to eat. After an almost great coffee and a toasted ham and cheese sandwich I asked for another strong cappuccino to see if it would make up for their first attempt. When I saw him leave the other half of the strong espresso in a small cup on the machine I asked if I could have some of it…… I think they understood why I wanted the 2nd cup and why I asked for the little bit of the other shot to make mine stronger so they gave me the 2nd cup for free.
After the strong coffee I was ready to see what was lying around in Thessaloniki.
It doesn't take long in Thessaloniki to see the unearthed ruins and old churches that are still standing. Within the centre of town there are many significant sites that have been uncovered and those that remain very prominently above ground. It is interesting to see some of them so well integrated into the city and its activities while others appear to be yet to find their 'place' and 'role' in a modern city.
My first encounter - a small Church (sorry I am not very good with names)
Navarinou Square - Palace of Roman Emperor Galerius Maximianus
Navarrinou Square is surrounded by cafes, shops, small offices and residential apartments and is still undergoing excavation and discovery. Perhaps in time it will become accessible to the public or somehow utilised. Not far up the hill from Navariou Square the Arch of Galerius has been wonderfully incorporated into the footpaths and public spaces of the nearby Rotunda (Church of Agios Georgios (Rotund of St George) and the Church of Panagia Dexia.
The Arch of Galerius
Church of Panagia Dexia
From this concentration of historical and significant sites within the city centre I headed for the old city wall and the top of the hill that retains Ano Poli (the Old City). The old city wall remains exist quite close to the city centre and only a relatively short distance from the water's edge. After starting off in a fairly crumbled state they soon become solid and clearly defined running up the hillside to a tower.
The Old City Walls.
Walking up the hill alongside the walls you see several houses that have incorporated the wall into their houses or as a back or side fence. Roads now also pass through the wall and start as small lanes. With the old city wall no longer providing the same level of security as in the past some of the local residents have resorted to interesting measures to secure their properties…...
Marmaduke - A very large, soft and cuddly guard dog.
From the top of the hill it is clearly apparent the line the wall still takes and where it originally continued on to at the White Tower by the water.
The old City Wall extends almost to the edge of the sea.
Once at the top of the hill overlooking Thessaloniki you can walk around Ano Poli, the Old Town. Although a little difficult to find within Ano Poli there is the Church of Osios David from the 5thC. The old lady (looking after the place) and the two men (undertaking restoration works) who were there when I arrived informed me that this church and the mosaics within are remarkable because they are the only mosaics where Jesus is depicted before puberty without a beard. The mosaic is quite impressive and the Church is remarkably small and I was also advised that it is very popular for services and is always very full (there would barely be room for 30 people - standing). Unfortunately I was not allowed to take any pictures - even without flash - so the best I could do was the sign...
The sign for the Church of Osios David (no photos allowed inside).
Since this is the old part of town many of the 'streets' are rather steep and narrow. Many times I was amazed that there was a car parked outside a house when it seemed as the only way in to park there would have been to reverse for quite some distance, or drive up the stepped alleyway. Although the Old Town may be car free it is not particularly pedestrian friendly - you can't have it all.
Ano Poli -
Ano Poli
After negotiating the steep, narrow and winding pathways of Ano Poli I returned to the newer City Centre. Along the way I noticed another intriguing decoration on the balustrade of an apartment balcony…..
I don't know….?
Back in the City Centre on my circuit I entered the rather attractive Church of Agios Dimitrios. The Church today is the result of the restorations that took place after the Great Fire of Thessaloniki in 1917 that destroyed much of the Church and much of the City. I paused for a while and appreciated the calm,peace and quiet within the Church. I discreetly took a photo or two on the way out.
The Church of Agios Dimitrios (inside)
Further down towards the City Centre there are some well maintained Roman ruins. The ruins are of the Roman Market which was the centre for Thessaloniki's activities for around 8 centuries. Although excavations and restorations seemed to be completed the historic site was closed to the public at the time similar to Navarinou Square earlier on my tour. Perhaps I had missed the relatively early closing times they have in Greece...
The Roman Theatre was fenced off - no show for me today
I wandered back towards Colors Rooms and Apartments soaking up some more of Thessaloniki along the way. As Greece's 2nd City it sets a fairly high standard for Athens which I will visit later on my travels.
On the way back towards Colors I found Beerstore, which was on my list of things to see and do in Thessaloniki. Beerstore is a a very quiet place during the day with barely a trickle of customers buying from the wonderful selection of beers from around the world. I had read up on a few of the recommended beers and tried the Viven Imperial IPA, Septem Pilsner and the Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier (Wheat Beer).
I discussed the beers with the sole staff member who is a qualified auto-mechanic (who has never worked on cars) and clearly is interested and enjoys learning more about beers. He agreed that the IPA was not a typical IPA and we wondered if because it is 8% that the strength of the alcohol does not make it better and may be covering some of its shortcomings. The Septem was tried because it is both a Pilsner and also because it is Greek. I suppose it is a good Greek Pilsner…..The Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier is a pretty good wheat beer and in many ways seemed to be better that the much more common Hoegaarden. It was great to relax after seeing a few of the Thessalonik sights with a range of beers and discuss them with someone who cared.
I returned to Colors mid/late afternoon and decided I would try and see if I could get a www.blowingawaythedust.com.au stamp, or 'business' cards, or stickers made for the motorbike. There was a little shop quite close to the hotel who didn't do stickers in-house so they directed me a few streets away where I would be able to get the job done. On the way I also enquired about a rubber stamp and business cards - maybe another day…..
On the way through the streets close to Colors I noticed the below building facade that had been fantastically decorated:
Interesting decoration of the blank side facade
The sign maker was only about 300-400m way from Colors so it was easy to get to, and if I needed to pick something up in the morning it would be OK. I entered the workshop and asked if they could help me…..there were many blank faces……
I was directed to speak to a young woman, who appeared to be working at the computer, who could speak English. Both of us were a bit puzzled when it turned out that both of us were customers and between us we were organising the work for the company. The young woman was there with a friend and they were both doing a silver smith/jewellery design and manufacturing course. Of more interest was that the woman who helped me is a qualified architect who can't get work so is doing additional courses to develop extra skills. Here plan is to move to Brussels to undertake a Masters in the hope it will help with becoming employed in her chosen profession - this is clearly a common theme in Greece.
The fellas hard at work on my website stickers
With a bit of language assistance and with my level of understanding of fonts and sizes we managed to print off 12 stickers for www.blowingawaythedust.com.au. The method used was not what I expected with the black lettering needing to be manually aligned and peeled onto the white sticker background - I thought the computer would spit it out for us….So far the stickers have stuck and the lettering has also stayed attached. Not too bad for about 84E cents each (I suppose).
From my room at Colors I looked down to my recently stickered bike and..
saw what the birds get to see.
I headed out for dinner and decided I would try Beerstore again, since they do more substantial food in the evenings. The crowd around the bar seemed to be university students, and also either staff themselves, or friends with the staff working there. In talking to the staff it is upsetting for many of them that they know that they work one or two jobs to put themselves through university only to know that when they graduate they are unlikely to get work in their chosen professions. Many of them are looking to further study out of Greece in the hope of a brighter future…..while others accept that to stay means they must work in whatever they can find.
Perhaps the next election will help turn things around….