Walking Thessaloniki

Little did I realize the city of Thessaloniki would have so much readily available history to discover just by walking its streets.  All I had to do was venture a few blocks in any direction from the hotel to find some unearthed treasure that was part of the modern cityscape.

I already mentioned the pedestrian walkway by the sea that was only a couple blocks south of the hotel.  I was drawn to this area before any other.  There is something so refreshing being able to put yourself in 'low gear' and take in an ocean view.  

I believe it was Easter Sunday morning when I was walking along the seawall and found a bench to relax and observe the activity in the harbor.  As I was watching my surroundings and reading from Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, I couldn't help think this view would have been similar to what Paul witnessed when he was here 2000 years ago.  Of course, the modern shoreline, shipping vessels and buildings that dotted the coastline would not have been in his view but, no doubt, the geography and harbor would have been.

Another day, I decided to take the walkway that led pedestrians further into the city.  It didn't take any more than 7-8 blocks before I came across an ancient Roman Forum that was discovered in the 1960s when the city attempted to construct a courthouse.  Obviously, construction stopped to allow the unearthing of this ancient agora and unveil its two Roman baths and a theatre for gladiator games.

Later on my walk, I came across a 4th century church dedicated to Saint Demetrius maybe 3 blocks north of the forum.  Researching this later, I learned the original façade was 4th century before other additions were constructed over the centuries.  The latest construction to the Byzantine church was in 730 AD.  As I walked around this complex, it struck me how it fits so well with modern-day Thessaloniki.  It sits between street corners as though it was built specifically for that location.

As with any historic building of this type, it has a detailed history that would take pages to outline.  Without getting too deep in the weeds, I will simply say this citadel survived approximately 500 years of the Ottoman Empire when it was used as a mosque, and then became a Christian church again when Greece was liberated from Ottoman control after World War I in the early 20th century.