THESSALONIKI: the glorious heart of northern Greece

   Aline Dobbie

Thessaloniki…. A name that conjured up an exotic ancient place that was in my imagination for years. I first visited Greece as a teenager but that was to Athens and the surrounding area, yet here is Greece’s second city with all its antiquity now a beating heart of culture, cuisine and heritage with the diversity of people that have come through millennia. I fell in love with it.

Let us explore the name first. It is said that the name which initially was Salonika to most Greeks was bestowed on this conglomeration of villages and towns by Cassander, King of Macedonia who had married Alexander the Great’s half-sister. He named it after his wife. This king however was the man it is thought might have poisoned Alexander IV the young son of the great Alexander who had died whilst out of Greece when still conquering the then known world. The nearby small town of Vergina is a must see for the royal tombs at Aigai and I will come to that shortly. I merely seek to show the vital importance of this ancient city and its environs.  Thessaloniki moreover was always a city, whereas Athens at one point was severely diminished by war and challenges, Thessaloniki retained city status throughout as in those days 7,000 were considered a big population, but now it is approximately 1.2 million people.

We flew into Makedonia airport and were soon assimilating the architecture and indeed the obvious archaeological remains of the city en route to our hotel. Thessaloniki lies on the northern fringe of the Thermaic Gulf on its eastern coast and is bound by Mount Chortiatis on its southeast. The metropolitan area of the city extends around an area of 1,455.62 km2 (562.02 sq mi), which includes many beachside and hilly suburbs, while its densest part, which makes up the urban area of the city and what Thessalonians usually refer to as the "City of Thessaloniki", can be divided roughly into 3 parts, the north-western, the central and the south eastern.

The central part, corresponding to the region that is inside the Byzantine walls, forms the oldest part of the city and is divided in two parts, the central commercial and historic city centre, where most tourist sites and interests, entertainment and educational facilities are located; and Ano Poli (also called Old Town and literally the Upper Town), the heritage listed district north of Thessaloniki's city centre that was not engulfed by the city's great fire of 1917 and was declared a UNESCO heritage site.

The city centre is bounded by the sea in the south, Olympiados street in the northeast (from which then the upper town begins), Bardariou (aka Dimokratias) square in the northwest and in the southeast by the University campus of the Aristotle University and the facilities of Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre.

Most roads in the city centre are either parallel or perpendicular to the sea. A simple rule that helps the visitor is that if a street goes downhill, by following it, it will lead you to the sea.  For me, I found the great marine parade outstanding and an area to which I gravitated and no wonder, with its iconic White Tower, the wonderful statue of Alexander the Great and the intriguing sculpture of The Umbrellas!  On a Sunday morning, nothing nicer than being there and observing the city dwellers all enjoying their exercise by walking, running, cycling with families, maybe fishing or just sitting looking out to the great gulf with its huge commercial vessels. Any day is interesting but on a Sunday morning I have always found that one touches the heart of a city when observing locals and how they organise their precious leisure time, whether it be attending church, or gathering in cafes for breakfast, or walking their dogs, or in the very smart hotels.

Saloniki which is how I think of it, is a queen of the Balkans in my perception and with its stunning cuisines and delicatessen shops and cafes and very smart restaurants people are buzzing around.  Truly these places are a joy and intriguing too because of course some are new and very chic, but others are older and reflect the taste and times of the glorious past.  Tragically, in 1917 there was a great fire which wiped out so much of the great Edwardian architecture, but thankfully quite a few great mansions and blocks of flats do still exist and have been renovated. There is some very dull architecture that replaced after the conflagration and in 1978 there was also a big earthquake. Thus, Saloniki has to constantly redesign itself as it has done since about 315 BC.

There were the Macedonians, followed by the Romans in 168 BC and then 20 years later becomes the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. In 42 BC Thessaloniki is declared a ‘free town’ a civitas libera.  By the 3rd and early 4th centuries in AD the city has become the eastern section of the Roman Empire under Caesar Galerius Maximianus. His palace and his famous arch are there to remind us of this fact and the enormous Rotunda which so resembles the pantheon of Rome.  By late 4th century AD the town has become the administrative centre of Macedonia and the Byzantine emperor Theodosius builds the fortifications of Thessaloniki.

Fast forward to the 5th to the 12th centuries and poor Thessaloniki is raided by the Goths, the Persians, the Arabs, the Turks and Bulgarians and then in 1185 AD the Norsemen occupy the city.  Interestingly, the Frankish domination of the city then ensues, and one should recall that Normans and others travelled down as crusaders to Jerusalem bent on destruction and bigotry from which vile acts we all suffer the consequences to this day with inter religious antipathy that has festered ever since.

From 1300 to 1430 ensured the golden age of the city with great financial and social and intellectual growth – a veritable flowering of this great place. But, sadly, the counterpoint for about five years was a Zealot Movement and then the town surrendered to the Venetians who were very swiftly followed by the Ottoman Turks.

When the Catholic Monarchs achieved the riddance of Islamic control in Spain they also were keen to expel their Jewish population and the Sephardic Jews sought sanctuary in Thessaloniki. The Ottomans were practical people and knew how hard-working Jews were and welcomed them to the city. So, in fact we now have a great centre of Christians, Jews and Muslims all living and co-existing side by side in their respective parts of the city.

Walking around on a thoroughly delightful walking tour organised by Epiculiar we were shown the old back streets, the little shops still doing business, the smart cafes that offer meze and wines or coffee and sometimes tea (Oh do I like my tea!). We looked at old, new, youthful and aged. We went into a wonderful Patisserie called Konstandinidis where we were supervised attempting to make glorious filo pastry cakes which were totally yummy (well the ones previously made by the professionals were!). Go up to the city walls and walk down and one can see how this whole city has evolved. Enter small neighbourhoods and observe the locals all intermingling at their favourite cafes…. this is a city with a wealth of shoe shops and other high fashion too.

 We had some stunning food and I sound a bit greedy, but anyway I love Greek food and when it is taken to the heights found in restaurants like Grada Nuevo and Christofer and others then I just want others to know! One of the many legacies of Thessaloniki’s cultural melting-pot past is its strong culinary tradition. It has come to be regarded as Greece’s gastronomic capital, home to a banquet of Mediterranean flavours. The city is crammed with busy tavernas and mezedopolia, Greek tapas bars which serve a cornucopia of savoury delicacies.

Its two excellent main markets, Kapani and Modiano are food heaven, crammed with fresh vegetables, meat, fish, delicacies, herbs and spices of all shapes and colours, plus lots of little stand-up eateries. We just contented ourselves with small tokens of our time there when we visited, but one of them, one of them …… was a pot of crystalized oranges which are an absolute favourite with us, to be eaten with a small spoon, or ladled onto good yoghurt.

Despite its rich history, Thessaloniki refuses to be locked in the past. It has a modern, cosmopolitan feel, a busy cultural life with 30 museums and galleries, including the State Museum of Contemporary Art, which houses the Costakis Collection, one of the world’s best collections of Russian avant-garde art. The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is considered one of Greece’s most important museums. Its collection includes important artefacts from the local area and wider northern Greece.

I just loved sitting in the Garden Terrace restaurant high up on the roof of the Electra Palace Hotel and soaking in the morning sunshine, there is a swimming pool too, busy people all eating a massive breakfast and looking out on to the calm water of the Thermaic Gulf where some sculls were practising their rowing. If you consider a City Break in Thessaloniki there are about 180 hotels from which to choose, but my advice is choose from four stars upwards to ensure a gracious atmosphere that enhances your visit. To my mind if you can spare five days you would really enjoy this city and its surroundings.

We drove to Vergina and were awe-struck by the magnificent tombs of the members of the Macedonian royal family; the tomb of Philip II the father of Alexander the Great was intact when discovered in 1977 – that is just 40 years ago!  The museum is excellent underground and comprehensive and Vergina is an attractive small place, and I just kept imagining Alexander the Great in his youth having to take on the mantle of his suddenly dead father – murdered perhaps on the cunning instructions of his own ambitious mother. Alexander provided a fitting burial for his father and then was crowned king and changed the course of history.  Then perhaps drive to Veria which can rightly boast of 2,500 years of history too. At Veria the Apostle Paul conveyed the message of Jesus to the people of Veria and the Thessalonians, and again one stands on the spot where that is thought to have occurred and it is impressive; again, we were lunching nearby in a splendid restaurant called Grada 12 and were truly delighted with the food.

On our return journey, we were told by our knowledgeable Guide that she knew of the Indian Cemetery on the outskirts of Thessaloniki. We found it and paid our respects. I am always deeply respectful of the CWGC – the Commonwealth War Graves Commission who maintains these cemeteries worldwide. This is neat and poignant for this writer who is a daughter of the Indian Army with a father who served in the Second World War.

During 1912 The Greek army seized the town on October 26th after five centuries of Ottoman occupation. At last, Thessaloniki became part of Greece, but here lie cemeteries of the great conflict of the First World War.  Then having survived the great fire events move on to 1922-23 and as a last stage of the Greco-Turkish War the agreement on population exchange between the two countries sees Thessaloniki receive hundreds of Greeks from Asia Minor. Indeed, on my recent trip I met many people who said that their parents had come out of Asia Minor, so in their minds it is still very current.

Then we have the appalling horror of the German occupation in 1943. Nazi Germany took a massive number of the city’s Jewish population and sent them to Auschwitz. At the time of the German occupation, the Jewish population was about 50,000. Within a week ... Two thousand Jews were assigned to forced-labour projects for the German army The Nazis deported more than 45,000 Jews to Auschwitz Birkenau. For those of us who have visited Auschwitz to pay respects this is a truly horrific fact.

Now, however, we are hopefully in the sunlit uplands of the 21st century with greater understanding of the horrors of religious and ethnic enmity and Thessaloniki stands through all those centuries as a reminder a bastion of how our world should work together and prosper.

If the reader wants to stay in a resort like atmosphere then I would also consider the Hyatt Regency which is situated near the airport but runs courtesy transfers to the city all the time and of course to the airport. It has wonderful pools, garden areas and lovely cuisine too.

We, however, went on to have the pleasure of a very quick trip to the Halkidiki region south of Thessaloniki and spent a night at the idyllic little town of Olympiada.  That was the name of Alexander the Great’s mother, she of the great ambition…. Alongside this charming town which is just like a big village right on a beautiful bay is the stunning archaeological site of ancient Stageira.  Stageira is the birthplace of the great Aristotle. Aristotle a giant amongst thinkers of the ancient world was commanded by Philip II of Macedon to teach his son…. Alexander the Great.

Aristotle was born in Stageira in 384 BC. His father was Nikomachos, a doctor who served the Macedonian king Amyntas, and his mother was Phaistis. When he was 18 years old he went to Athens to study in Plato’s Academy for 20 years until the death of Plato in 347 BC. Aristotle taught Alexander for three years until 340 BC. Thus, you see the relevance and how it all fits in.  This archaeological site was only unearthed in 1991.

Those reading this might not have an interest in history but one cannot do such a city and its regions justice unless one respects and understands it great ancient past and how it stands proudly today as Greece’s Second city. Truly, Thessaloniki is a place of Many Stories but One Beating Heart. https://photos.app.goo.gl/31N9ucU81AWcjGKb2 My gallery of the visit.

Now that Greece is welcoming tourists and travellers once again from this month post Covid 19 I urge a trip to Thessaloniki and Halkidiki - it will repay you with beauty, awesome heritage, great cuisine, relaxation and a warm Greek welcome.

[email protected]

www.tha.travel

www.thessaloniki.travel

www.epiculiar.tours

Aline Dobbie

(the photos are all by me)