Finishing with churches you could visit in Thessaloniki I shouldn't forget to mension Panagia Acheiropoietos. It was build in the 5th-century and is the only church from Thessaloniki's early Christian days to have survived pretty much intact, without the restorations and renovations that have changed the characters of Ayia Sofia and Ayios Dimitrios. There are mosaics of floral and vine motifs interspersed with birds and 13th-century frescoes showing some of the 40 Martyrs. The missing martyrs were probably obliterated when the church was converted to a mosque in the 15th century after Salonika fell to the Turks.
But appart from museums, archeological sites and churches there more relaxing things you could do and visit in Thessaloniki. Probably one of the most famous landmarks of the city is the waterfront, with Nikis Avenue being a particularly famous promenade here, stretching along the waterfront and heading in an east-west direction, between the port and the White Tower. Nikis avenue is lined with an enormous number of bars, restaurants and cafes and it lines the city's main square, Aristotle square.
Aristotelous Square is probably the largest square in Greece and appears rather like a bottle in its shape, as opposed to an actual square. This area is the heart of the city, and all big events are happening here. There are plenty of open cafes and restaurants that you can visit (however the prices in Aristotle square and in Nikis avenue are very expensive; for example a coffee is around 6 euros, a beer is 7-8 euros (330ml!) and a glass of whiskey is 9 to 12 euros!!)
A block away from Aristotle square is Modiano market. The roofed market was built in 1922 by the wealthy Jewish merchant Eli Modiano, whose handsome family mansion (at 68 Vas. Sophias) is now the home of the Folklore and Ethnography Museum of Macedonia. You can easily spend a morning in the glass roofed market that covers an entire square block and happily wandering from stall to stall admiring the fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, flowers, spices, and baked goods on sale. If you get hungry you could get a bite one of the small tavernas that are based in the maarket (Unlike Aristotle square and Nikis, food and drinks are quite cheap in other areas of the city). Next to Modiano are many flower shops that give a special colour to the area, and the Turkish old baths Giahoudi Hamam.
If you like shopping the major shopping district of Thessaloniki are Tsimiski, Venizelou, Agias Sofias, Ermou, Mitropoleos, Egnatia and M. Iossif St. All these streets are in the centre of the city and in a couple of hours you can walk around them (taking your time of course).
That's for today. I will update the sights of Thessaloniki section again because I have quite a few more to list. Here is a link with the position on the map of some of the sights I listed (unfortunately it crashed halfway and couldn't list everything-I will do this soon).
No comments:
Post a Comment