More Greek Adventures

Thessaloniki is HOT. Way too hot for pale princess like me. I am sunburned, freckled, and worn out from this heat. Everyone I walked past today was soaked with sweat. I nearly passed out from the heat. But after sunset and three liters of water--that's right, THREE--I am feeling much better.

The White Tower--taken
on my second day in Thessaloniki.


Yesterday I had the privilege of spending the afternoon with Dr. Mitakidou, the COST cooperative professor at Aristotle University. She took me down to the heart of the city on a driving tour and to lunch next to the Rotunda--a building originally intended to be the Macedonian emperor's mausoleum built in 306 AD. Since its construction, it has been occupied by the Romans, the Christians, the Turks, and the Christians again as a place of worship until an earthquake sometime in the 20th century. The building had fallen into disrepair but has recently been adopted for renovation. The building is circular (as the name implies) and full of ancient frescoes. I was taken aback by its magnificent construction for a building so ancient and how well the original architecture has been preserved over the centuries. The lunch itself was delicious. We had Greek salad, feta, roasted eggplant, fried zucchini with yogurt sauce, and split peas. I even tried the signature Greek beverage ouzo--a drink much different from Kentucky bourbon, let me tell you. 

From the top of the White Tower.

It was nice to go downtown for the first time with a native. It helped build my confidence to go downtown on my own today using the bus system. Its pretty scary to get on a bus heading to a place that you cannot read or understand and praying that it will get you relatively close to your intended destination. Of course, I didn't understand the system and made a fool of myself. I tried to get on the bus through the exit. The doors slammed in my face but then opened again. I hopped on only to realize my mistake and that I never showed the driver my ticket. My immediate thought was that the bus police were going to kick me off and how embarrassing that would be. Then I realized that there is no such thing as the bus police and that I am too old to jump to that kind of conclusion anymore. During my inner monologue about the hypothetical bus police, the bus started to move and I fell into a pole. Once I got my bearings and stood the bus stopped again and the doors slammed into me. It was incredibly obvious that this gringo grew up far away from the use of public transit. Or civilization for that matter. I'm sure I was an interesting form of entertainment to all of the other passengers on their Sunday commute to church.

Despite my difficulty getting downtown, the trip itself paid off. I toured the White Tower, the unofficial architectural symbol of Thessaloniki. Built in the 15th century by the Ottomans as a part of the fort and walls guarding the city, the White Tower has had a fascinating (and bloody) history. It served as a prison for many years and was referred to as the "Red Tower" in reference to the number of people tortured and executed there during the Ottoman occupation. I read that it was whitewashed by a prisoner in exchange for his freedom in the 

Thessaloniki from
the White Tower.

early 20th century, rechristening it as "the White Tower." Today the building serves as a museum dedicated to the history and achievements of Thessaloniki and its people. I climbed all seven floors of the building to the top where I was greeted by a spectacular view of the city and of the Aegean Sea. It was incredible to stand so high and see how wide the city is and how the buildings seem to climb up the mountains and hills in the distance.  I was reminded that as an American I have a very minute concept of "what old is." The city I was looking at had stood the test of time for over 2300 years and had lasted through multiple occupations--including those of the Turks, the Nazis, and of a military state.  In the United States, "old" refers to buildings of 100 years or more. That's nothing in Greek history.

After my tour of the White Tower, I went to a nearby restaurant--always a source of anxiety when you're a vegetarian and can't read the menu. But the staff was patient with me. I spent over an hour sitting in the sun, reading my book, eating grilled feta, and looking out at the sea. I'm really roughing it in Thessaloniki. 
School doesn't start until September 3 so for the next week I will be trying to hit as many museums and sites in Thessaloniki as I can. After that I am afraid that most of my time will be taken up with teaching and planning lessons (you know--work. What I am here to do.). I hope that everyone is enjoying the pictures and updates. If you have any questions, feel free to comment on the post or shoot me a message on Facebook. Thank you all for the support and the love! :)