20 Mar 2015

Thessaloniki

Arrival

I reached Thessaloniki after an early morning start (04:30h) and a short flight, during which I was effectively comatose. Every damn time I promise myself not to take flights at such a god-forsaken hour, but this one was half-price. And since flights are for future-Arne to enjoy but for present-Arne to pay for, the former ends up getting screwed over by the stingy latter…

By the time I left Thessaloniki airport, I was only half-comatose, so it didn’t take me very long to realize that Greece was not anywhere near as warm and sunny as I had expected. Partially due to my still-dormant metabolism but mostly due to the frigid weather I was almost shivering at the bus stop. When the bus got close to the city centre, it also started to rain. There is a very special feeling of “oh…fantastic” when the mediterranean paradise you expected turns out to be cold and rainy.

Lesson 001: Research the climate and weather of your destination. Really research that stuff. Think about what it means. Adjust your expectations and daydreams accordingly. You will still be grumpy but at least you’ll be right.

Another aspect of this feeling was the less than scenic route from the airport towards the city centre: While those outskirts are rarely very pretty, these particular outskirts seemed surprisingly destitute. Not in a “Oh my god, these people need help!” kind of way. More in a “Damn, I wouldn’t want to share a currency with those guys” kind of way. More on that later though.

The city

The more central parts of Thessaloniki consist of an old town up on the hill and a newer part right on the bay. The old town, where my hostel was located, is exactly what you imagine when you think about the Mediterranean: Low houses, lots of narrow roads and passages and plenty of inclines to climb while cursing between clenched teeth. Mostly a residential area, the old town also contains tiny cornershops, small restaurants and the remnants of Byzantine-era fortifications and walls, some of which are easily 8-12 meters high. Coupled with the steep hill they are positioned on, the view down on the city and coastline is quite special (or at least it was on that one day the sun was out):

The areas near the promenade are very different indeed: They are all composed of multi-story buildings laid out on a grid of roads running parallel or perpendicular to the promenade. Here, Thessaloniki looks like most modern cities with loads of apartments, thick traffic and shopping streets. Sprinkled in between are churches (such as the Hagia Sophia or the Hagia Demetrios), excavations and other hints at the city’s glorious past, such as the White Tower:

The promenade east of the White Tower connects to parks and playgrounds while the section next to the city centre is seamed with bars, cafes and restaurants. Near it’s western limit, the wharf, the promenade leads up to the poshest part of town. Branded stores, expensive restaurants, luxury food stores, the lot. Going out here was a sharp contrast to, say, Berlin: People were properly dressed up, even the hipsters. Properly dressed hipsters: Take note, Berlin!

What I did

I ended up staying in Thessaloniki for 5 days, sleeping at a lovely hostel in the east-most part of the Old Town. There I met two Teaching Assistants from the US who were working in Austria. While the unpredictable weather kept us from making long-term plans, we made good use of our time exploring the city, its cafes and some of the museums.

We even made it to the beach during that one sunny day. 12°C water temperature, so it was definitely more of a plunge than a swim. The white dot in all that cold-looking water is me (if you look closely, you can see the enjoyment on my face…see lesson 001 above.)

Apart from that, I paid my dues in terms of visiting museums and doing the usual “oooh” and “aaaah” at most ruins and important sites. I won’t bore you with the details. Besides that, I spent a fair amount of time sitting in a cafe, slowly coming to terms with the idea of traveling for a year. Who in god’s name thought that was a good idea?

Until next time,
Arne