Thessaloniki,

Thessaloniki (pronounced as thess-ah-lo-nee-kih) is the capital of Greek Macedonia and the second largest city in Greece. While more commonly known as Thessaloniki, some locals also refer to it as Thessalonica or Salonica, but they essentially mean the same place. Majority of the city's tourism comes from domestic travels.

16 June 2013: Flying in budget from Rome, it was the first time R and I step foot into Greece - and indeed it was outfitted with historical symbols of their glorious past. In the city, it is hard to miss out on the White Tower by the waterfront, Ottoman structures and Byzantine walls in the Upper town area. There were also peeks of grand structures such as Byzantine churches, 5th century churches and Roman palace ruins. Generally, it was a laid-back town with lots of sunshine, and extremely easy to get around. The Greek letters were slightly daunting at first, not to mention that we knew nothing in Greek to get around (much less read the puzzling letters) except how to call someone an asshole and persuade that 'I have balls the sizes of planets' (Thank you Pavlos for the useful Greek lessons). But fret not as most city areas tend to have English translations and most locals are also able to converse in English. 

The first thing we did when we got off our flight was to be thrown into a public bus - being packed like sardines was an understatement! Adding on the woes of the June summer heat and my heavy backpack, thought I was gonna collapse in the bus. Took in gulps of air whenever someone dropped off at their station, which seemed to help with the air circulation. Not to mention, the bus station names were in Greek alphabets hahaha, but we miraculously got off our stop (with R as our wonderful human compass, nothing is impossible) and walked some distance to our apartment. Hello Greece!

For accomodation, we stayed at Monastiriou 135, Thessaloniki, Makedonia Thraki 546 27 booked from Airbnb under Georgios. His profile still exists but the listing is currently not available, it was a lovely apartment and Georgios was a great and hospitable host who ensured that we were comfortable during our stay! We started gallivanting from our apartment building:

Summer in Thessaloniki was hot! While it wasn't as humid as tropical Singapore climate, I believe I had gotten as much sun in 1 day as I would have had in a month of London. We stumbled across a bus that took us around town and hopped on for a ride - at a worthy rate of 0.80 euros per pax for 1 route. We later found out that this was the Thessaloniki Bus Service, that also had a 24-hour ticket for unlimited routes at 4 euros each, and you could purchase from Ticket offices around the city (e.g. convenience stores, kiosks, etc.)

The loop duration was about 70 mins, and frequency of 40 mins. It takes you around the main features of the city: Archeological Museum, Church of Agia Sophia, Church of agios Dimitrios, Byzantine Castles, Galerius Arch (Kamara), Aristotle's Square and the Port area. It was definitely worth the cool break to rest our dear feet.

The bus was located in the vicinity of the city's most famous landmark - the White tower. Albeit the pure image of its name, the tower is actually bathed in blood from the 1820s where ottoman Sultan Mahmud II massacred rebellious elite troops of Islamicised Christian boys. Upon the Greek's reconquest in 1913, the tower was whitewashed to be rid of its grim and haunting past. Believe that there was a museum that presented more of the city's history, but we gave that a miss and decided to walk about the waterfront instead. Read more about the architectural landmark here.

The waterfront is lined with modern cafes, booming with locals frolicking in the evening sun and soaking in the sea breeze. Quite relaxing I must say, but of course the view came with a hefty price tag for drinks (especially those with an unobstructed view). There was also a restaurant party boat that was enticing us to come onboard, pretty nifty idea no?

Walking by the waterfront was definitely one of the most enjoyable highlights in the city, it exudes such a simple yet alluring combination of the sea breeze, low-lying developments and an unobstructed view of the horizon ahhhh.

A stone's throw away is the Aristotle Square. As the main city square of the city,  it is buzzing with activity and quite a big difference from the old town area. The square is located on Nikis avenue along the city's vibrant waterfront, and was designed by the French architect Ernest Hébrard in 1918. Since then,  many of the buildings surrounding the central square have been restored and renovated from their earlier glories. Now, it's filled with locals hanging around snacking on sweet treats, feeding the pigeons plump and the occasional balloon vendor - like any good European piazza.

Walking deeper into the city center, you'll find the Paleochristian template of Panagia Halkeon and the historic Ottoman building of Bey Hamam.

On hindsight, cycling along the waterfront would have been pretty fun!

Stopping by for dinner at one of the restaurants.

And of course feasting on greek gyros and souvlaki  (mostly grilled meat platters) while washing them down with Mythos beer!

Walking around the neighbourhood, lovin' the widespread use of wooden furniture and random graffiti in alleyways.

Look at their very own Club Koko! Reminded me of the one in Camden near our Carpenter Court :P

Walking aimlessly and trying to spot where we had wandered to.

Chancing upon beautiful gradients in the sky, little joys that I really cherished every time I'm overseas - seeing the horizon! It's quite hard to get an unobstructed view of the sky in Singapore, with all the high rise buildings and skyscrapers enveloping the air space. Doesn't it just exudes a timely reminder for us to just slow our pace down for nightfall?

Sentiments aside, the Modiano market is one of the most traditional (and signature) markets of Thessaloniki. Located in the heart of the city, the market tradition has not wavered through modernity of supermarkets and hypermarts. In fact, the market has been part of city life for close to 80 years! It was established in early 1930s, and consists mostly of food stores selling spices, dairy products like cheese and milk, produce, fish and meat. Trivia: being in Greece for some time, you'll also slowly start to realise that Fish isn't considered Meat. You'll occasionally also find a tavern (their term for a restaurant) and some cosy eateries.

You can easily located the market, as it lies between 2 major streets of the city center - Vasileos Irakliou Street and Egnatia Avenue. The small shops and cobbled streets does really remind me of the Parisian flea markets in the open! And closer to home, it was reminiscent of our Singapore wet markets, minus the chaos. It's mostly open in the morning, where the air is crisp and cool before the afternoon sun unleashes its wrath.

And not to mention these Thessaloniki sweet treats which we kindly bought a box for Pavlos and his family, as well as a small packet for the train ride to Athens. Definitely a must-try for those with a sweet tooth, but try not to eat them all in one seating. We didn't know what they were so we chose them randomly, some had flaky pastry bits to my delight!

Back to the waterfront, had a hard time choosing a perfect place to nest; but settled with a glass of juice to fuel up on Vitamin C!

Looking at these old pictures is definitely digging up the nostalgia in me! Could literally feel the summer heat in the air while looking at our Thessaloniki adventures, and how we really needed some cool air amidst the suffocating heat in Day 1.  Oh the things that Google never tells you prior to the trip. Sidenote: But check out our happy sun-kissed skin, which pales in comparison to my indoor office complexion heh.

 If you're planning to visit the city, this mini guide may be useful. And of course, for unique (and yet comfy and hospitable) stays around the world, check out Airbnb! We've tried it in many countries and they always turn out to be such a great experience, especially with great hosts :)

Till my next travelogue, ciao ♥