Today not only marks our second to last day in Greece, but our first full day in Thessaloniki, and what a day it was!
Our day started out by meeting with the operational manager of El Greco, the hotel we were staying at. We asked about his experience in the hotel industry and how recent events like COVID-19 have effected the business. He told us about the work he does day to day, making sure to satisfy guests and overseeing everything that happens in the building. He also told us about the origins of the hotel, as it started out as a mansion of neo-classical art in the 1930s before the owners moved to the hotel industry.
Eventually, we asked about the hotel's 3 star rating and whether or not they were interested in becoming a 4 star hotel. After some back and forth with us confused as to why they seemed put off with the idea, we were met with an interesting answer that I never considered. The operational manager explained to us that Thessaloniki, unlike other areas in Greece, mainly get costumers from Eastern Europe and the Balkans. He also explained that these countries tend to have weaker currencies than Greece and as such they can find the country very expensive to visit. This means that visitors to Thessaloniki will most likely go for the highest quality they can without breaking their wallets, evening out at around the 3 star hotel price range.
I found this interesting because while most would want to advertise and spend money expanding to accompany high-paying guests like Europeans, they choose to work with the large portion of lower-paying guests from the Balkans. This means they don't have to spend much on expansion and maintenance while also having a vast market of people without competition from bigger corporations that tend to charge more.
Our next activity was a historical Tour of the town and its monuments. We learned that Thessaloniki was very prominent during the times of Roman rule, with ancient structures strewn throughout the city. Our guide even said that because there are so many things buried under the modern city, Thessaloniki has no metro system and the current construction of it has unearthed over 300,000 structures and artifacts! We also learned that the city later became a center for the Ottoman empire after the Romans and they constructed walls and towers to protect the city from invasions. Examples of this are the white tower, the Heptapyrgion Fortress and the Byzantine church of Agios Dimitrios.
The white tower was originally part of the walls that surrounded the city during the Ottoman Empire. The tower is right on the beach and while its name is the "White Tower", it originally was the Red Tower due to all the executions that would happen on it.
We then came across an unlikely surprise... a pirate ship. Historically, we were told that piracy was big in the area centuries ago but to see that being used as the theme for the boat was kind of jarring and pretty funny. The boat would take on passengers and sail around the coast of Thessaloniki for about an hour and return and, had we not had to continue the trip, we probably would've gone on.
We then went to the Heptapyrgion Fortress, which was situated on the tallest part of the city. From there
we could see everything, so learning about how it was used as the Ottoman's centerpiece for their fortress makes sense. Getting to see this felt so unreal because hearing or listening to it in a book is one thing, but to be there to witness it is something else entirely. Standing at the peak and seeing the overview of the town really made that history feel that much more impactful.
We next made an impromptu visit to a well known bakery in Thessaloniki where we got to speak with the owner about their experience. They were actually the brother of the founder and helped with the family business acting as a manager and learning the recipes. They market themselves as the home of the Trigonia, a Thessaloniki staple pastry that comprises of dough folded into a triangular shape and baked, then filled with cream and glazed with honey. These pastries were amazing and I even had it as the highlight of the blog, putting it as my title image. In all honesty, this was the best dessert I ever had and I could stay all day in the bakery, but we had to leave for our final destination.
On the last stop for our tour that day, we went to the Byzantine church of Agios Dimitrios. The church was built in the 4th century BC over Roman baths and then it became a church for the Byzantine empire. The church is dedicated to the patron saint of Thessaloniki and was filled with beautiful art and iconography of the eastern orthodox church.
We also got a peek of the Roman bathhouses that lie underneath the church. They are considered a sacred place because it is said that the body of saint Demetrius was buried under the church and going down there, we see the fountains and baths. We also saw a lot of the ancient Roman architecture and it was interesting to see how the city rose and built on top of itself over time.
Overall, this trip has been incredible. To learn about the culture and history in Greece, from their Greek/Roman architecture to their early Muslim and Christian influences from the Ottomans and the Byzantines, to the food and the people it has been nothing but breathtaking. I would love to come back one day and see more of the culture that I did not get the chance to and maybe try some more amazing sweets!
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