May 17: Laura and Katherine Reporting

Date: Tuesday May 17, 2005
Partners for the day: Laura (text) Katherine (images)
Site(s):
Museum(s): FREE DAY!!!!!
Principal Buildings/Monuments:
Weather: Hot and sunny with beautiful blue skies

Today was a much-appreciated free day in the booming city of Thessaloniki. Except for Nkosi, who woke up inexplicably at 7:30 AM, most of us remained in bed till 9:30 or 10:00 as Caleb, Ben, Peter and Neha had to recover from their night out of the town. When we all finally did get moving, there were stops at the Laundromat, the ATM, and the grocery store before we all headed out for the day. Ben took the time to visit the Museum of Jewish History, which he said was really interesting. Caleb and Peter both hung out in the hotel and napped. The girls all got lunch by the waterfront before Katherine, Neha, and Jackie went shopping nearby. Katherine even managed to pick up the first Harry Potter book translated into Ancient Greek! Overall, it was a relaxing day for all of us.

Having spent so much time in Athens, it’s been a change to be here in Thessaloniki. Athens is Greece’s largest city with 4.5 million people, about half of the entire population of Greece. Thessaloniki, on the other hand, is the second largest city, with around 500,000 people. Having been to both now, it’s interesting to compare the two. Not only is Athens a larger city, but it thrives on tourism. There are hotels, travel agencies, and souvenir stores everywhere, catering to the needs of foreign visitors. The small kiosks on every corner sell postcards, guidebooks, key chains, and plastic Parthenons in addition to food, drinks, and newspapers. And everyone in Athens speaks English; I have yet to run into a person in Athens who hasn’t spoken to me in English. And every sign is in two languages, making it exceptionally easy for English-speakers to get around Athens. And because of that, there are foreigners everywhere in the city. It wasn’t so pronounced when we were first in Athens in March, but the last two days in Athens, I really noticed the number of tourists. The city is flooded with them: people reading guidebooks, taking pictures, checking maps, speaking a plethora of languages, etc. Even the internet cafes were crowded with American students.

Thessaloniki has a much different feel to it. Tourism is not prominent and as integral to the city. The kiosks on the corner have no postcards and stores sell everyday items, not cheap souvenirs. People do speak English still, but not everyone. You hear much more Greek and the street signs are all predominantly in Greek too. It’s a little easier to get lost here than in Athens, consequently! Walking around, there aren’t hoards of tour groups and tourbuses, but mainly just Greeks, going about their daily business. We stick out much more here, while in Athens we blend into the many other tourist groups.

This is understandable, of course, as Athens has some of the most famous ancient ruins in the entire country. These monuments are part of the fabric of that city: while walking through the flea market, you pass the ruins of the Agora. While walking through Plaka, the Acropolis towers above. While enjoying the National Gardens, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch are right next door. It is impossible to escape the classical past of Athens – it confronts you at every turn. There are parts of Athens that aren’t so touristy, of course, but overall, the city is a magnet for travelers. Thessaloniki is quite different. It has its share of Byzantine walls and churches, but there isn’t any famous classical monument like the Acropolis or the Agora. Whereas Athens is tied to its past, Thessaloniki is more like Athens’ port-city, Piraeus. Smaller cities with impressive waterfronts and ports, Thessaloniki and Piraeus are more grounded in the present, without an entire industry based on their classical pasts. Greeks bustle back and forth working, eating, and socializing, minus the flocking tourists. The upscale clothing stores, bookstores, and music stores aren’t sharing space with little touristy shops flaunting ouzo bottles in the shape of Athena. Whereas Athens has a lively, very important tourist trade, Thessaloniki is more introverted, concentrating on the present and the native, Greek population. Having experienced Athens already, it’s been interesting to experience a different kind of Greek city.