Corinne Crawford
The walk itself was pleasant enough, and by the time I arrived I mostly just needed a shower and some quiet time to feel like myself again.
The apartment turned out to be one of my favorite places I stayed throughout my travels. The balcony overlooked a park, which meant there wasn’t another building directly in front of me. The view stretched across the rooftops of Thessaloniki all the way down to the sea. At the same time, I was still within easy walking distance of nearly everything I wanted to see.
The host had stocked the apartment with thoughtful extras: bottled water, coffee, bread, butter, and a handful of other provisions. It felt welcoming immediately.
The tour turned out to be excellent. Thessaloniki is one of those cities where history is layered on top of itself, and it’s easy to walk past major sites without realizing their significance. We visited the Roman Agora, once the commercial and administrative heart of ancient Thessaloniki. We stopped at the Arch of Galerius, a triumphal monument built in the early 4th century to celebrate the Roman emperor’s victories over the Persians. Nearby were the ruins of Galerius’s vast imperial palace complex.
We also visited the magnificent Church of Saint Demetrios, dedicated to the city’s patron saint, whose crypt dates back to the early Christian period. At Hagia Sophia, inspired by its more famous namesake in Constantinople, we admired the beautiful Byzantine architecture and mosaics. The guide also walked us through the bustling market districts and recommended a few places where I might catch live music during the week.
One thing I really wanted was a beach day. Thessaloniki sits on the water, but the best beaches are outside the city. There were excursions available to Halkidiki, the famous three-pronged peninsula known for some of the most beautiful beaches in Greece, or boats that crossed the gulf to beaches on the far side of the bay.
Naturally, none of it worked out. That seemed to be the theme for this trip.
The day with the best weather happened to be a day when the beach boat wasn’t running, and I didn’t feel like committing to a ten-hour excursion to Halkidiki. Once again, I found myself adding another destination to the growing list of places I’ll have to return to.
