Today we definitely saw a completely different side of Greece. Unlike the breezy, warm sunny skies of Chania, Thessaloniki (nestled in northern Greece) greeted us with cooler temperatures and nonstop rain. On our schedule of events, we planned to go downtown and tour some of the many monuments from Greece's ancient history. While we dreaded walking in the rain, the magnitude of the history was well worth the shivers and soaking wet clothes.
Our guide for the day was a professor from AFS, Dr. Tryfon Adamidis (tree-phone). He began by explaining that in perspective to the entire country, Thessaloniki is a relatively new city. As soon as we exited the bus, we were greeted by a beautiful arch that remains from the ancient Roman Empire. There are very few Roman remains within the city, most are Byzantine. To put these monuments into perspective, the second picture you will see is the Rotunda which ages back to 300 AD. Tryfon informed us that many monuments are closed because of the current economic crisis in Greece. They do not have funding to pay for security.
The Rotunda was originally built as a temple for Zeus. It was only a temple for a short time before Christianity prevailed. It became Greek Orthodox, which is how it remained for approximately 1000 years. Then as the Ottoman took over, it became a mosque for 500 years until Greece was freed from the Turks in 1912.
Next we toured the St. Demetrius catacombs. The church was absolutely stunning. From the stained glass, to the gold decor covered sanctuary, and the jeweled chambers that held the bones and skull of St. Demetrius, the church did not disappoint. What appears to be the basement, was actually the ground level in Roman times. Due to natural disasters such as earthquakes, the city has been built up around it over the years.
Thessaloniki seems to be much more developed than Chania. Luckily, it seems like that also means that the driving is much more our style. For the most part, people have actually stayed in the designated lanes. I was a little shocked, however, to see how much graffiti is within the city. From shop windows, to overpasses, and even on the gates of the Rotunda, graffiti covers the city almost like decoration.
To finish off the day, we enjoyed a barbecue with students from Indiana State University. While the local cuisine is nothing short of delicious, I'm pretty positive we all felt refreshed to see a food that we recognized on the menu for the evening.
All in all, we are enjoying Thessaloniki. Hopefully the weather will clear up for our excursion to Halkidiki to visit Marianna's Vine and enjoy a wine tasting at Gerovasiliou!
-Kylee
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Read more from these students at http://bumpersingreece.weebly.com/
Find our more about the U of A Faculty-Led: Food, Agriculture and Sustainability in Greece program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/aggreece