Thessaloniki, Greece

Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece is located in the northern part of Greece and which is the capital of the Central Macedonia region. There is about 300 000 people in the municipality and 800 000 in the urban area. The city is considered to be Greece's cultural capital due to its festivals, events and vibrant culture life. Thessaloniki is also where I flew when going to Serres on my Erasmus.

The statue of Alexander the Great. The Greeks and North Macedonians still debate over where he was from

World Cube Statue

Arch of Galerius, or Kamara, built in 4 century AD

The Arch of Galerius, or Kamara, was built in 298-299 AD and was connected to the Rotunda (next picture). The original construction had three arches, now only two are left and a small part of the third arch.

Rotunda, built in the 4th century AD. The minaret was built during some point at Ottomans time, from 1590-1912

I was walking around the city and saw a church looking building - Rotunda. I peeked inside checking if they want money for the entrance but they did not so I walked in.

The diameter of Rotunda is 24,5 m and walls are more than 6 m thick. That is the reason it is still standing after those many years and earthquakes in Greece.

The Rotunda's (or informally called Church of the Rotunda) cylindrical structure was built in 306 AD and it is the oldest church in Thessaloniki. It was initially a mausoleum, then used as a church until Ottomans empire took over and converted it into a mosque. They also added a minaret to the structure. In 1912 Greeks took the city back in the Balkan War and transformed it back to a church again. Now it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a couple of days during the year it is used as a church.

The altar with the remained wall paintings

The highest peak of the done is 30 m high

Ceiling decorations

The first time I arrived to Thessaloniki, I had to stay for the night in a hostel as my flight was later in the evening and there were no buses to Serres after that.

Cute kitty sleeping in my hostel :)

Another time I went to Thessaloniki was when Flo came for a visit and we went to Starbucks. Classic Greece experience I know.

New name what up

I bought a large coffee and this is how much we got. Why did I pay extra for L when I got a M size. Me being too shy, I said nothing

Being typical tourists, we went to McDonald's before Flo's flight and ordered for 30 €. We ofc went to gyros and other Greek cuisine places many times too

Leaving Thessaloniki for the Christmas break and the ground was whiteish. Every ca 4 years it is very cold in Greece and they have snow. It was winter of 2018-2019 when that happened

Most of the times when I was in Thessaloniki it was because I was flying to another country and as Thessaloniki has an airport, I used it a couple of good times. I also stayed in Thessaloniki some nights, but most of those times were because I arrived late so I could not leave to the destination. I saw everything what there is to see in Thessaloniki which you can see in one day. Thessaloniki is not that big city and there is not that much to see as well. If you are in the neighborhood, sure go have a visit but to go there specifically, I would not do that.

Okt - Jan 2018-2019