Thessaloniki

 Today we actually had a morning tour. So we were up dressed and breakfasted before 9am, then headed out to the buses

This was our view from our room this morning

Our first stop on our tour today was a 15 minute drive from our ship. This is now called the white tower as it was once painted white. It was one of the corner towers of the wall that surround the old city.

It had two other names before as its history is not pleasant. When constructed some where around 1450AD it was the guard tower of the eastern end of the city wall against the sea. (The wall sounding the lower city was torn down in the 1866, until they ran out of money for demolition.) When the Ottoman Empire retired it as a garrison, it became a prison. Then it became know as the red tower. After beatings, prisoners, the prisoners would be hung on the outside of the prison walls as a warning to not cause trouble. Their blood dripped (or ran) down sides of the tower staining it red. But it went to being called the blood tower after Sultan Mahmoud II invited  rebellious Janissaries (elite fighters) to a gathering in it in 1826. When the troops had all been escorted inside, the doors were sealed and archers from above massacred the entire group, so that the blood ran out from the tower to the sea. It went back to being a regular prison. When the sultan was due to visit a prison volunteered to paint the whole building white in exchange for his freedom so the Sultan would not be offended by the reminder of what happened there. That is how the story goes at least about how it went from the blood tower to the white tower.

From the sea walkway park you can see the famous Mt Olympus home of the gods

Also this statue was of Alexander the Great. Who succeeded his father, Phillip II, to the throne in 336BC at the age of twenty. He was considered the greatest and most successful military commander in history. By the time he was thirty he had created the biggest empires in history. It stretching from Greece to northwestern India. The town is named after his half sister and wife of king Cassander 

We then rode in the bus up to the citadel and went to one of the towers to look back down over the city

This is the view we saw. In the time when this was used as a fortress the there were no tree are buildings near the outer wall, so enemies could not use the cover they would provide.

When walking around we saw where the wall was built right over older Roman ruins

There were a few gates into the upper city

This shows how tall the walls were

This was the palace, the yellow building was added when it was turned into a prison and the prisoner moved from the white tower here. The guide mentioned the irony that originally this place was build to keep the people inside safe from the invaders. Then it became a place to put people to keep those outside safe.

Now our bus took us back to the lower town and the museum. Most of the lower town is newer than one hundred years; nature, wars, and the desire for new had most of the city demolished and rebuilt

Most of the things in this museum that we saw centered on gold and the riches. Also how it was displayed

The cloth is newer to display how the good would have been used

Reading up on this museum leads me to believe we only went through one section of it. It was primarily about gold found, mainly in burial places

We also got a quick education on how gold items were fashioned back then

Their were some very impressive pieces

As well as decorative 

One of the burial crypts. They had relief paintings inside

This was one of the most impressive whole containers found. It is bronze, but has not oxidized as much as most because it has a higher tin to copper ratio

More gold from the tomb of a ruler

Outside the entrance they had this partially pieced larger container

And this exquisitely carved grave

They also had an outdoor section of marble structure pieces

As we drove by they pointed out the telecommunications tower that has a rotating restaurant up in it. 

This is a piece of the old wall that can still be found in the lower old city

Arch of Galerius in the right foreground. You can see the rotunda in the middle background. The Rotunda is considered to be one of the earliest Christian monuments in the Roman Empire.They are from the early fourth century AD. Some of the sites have survived the modernization of the city

As they were extending their subways, they have found many ruins. They are trying to incorporate them into mini museums at the subway stations

Next we were on to the church of Saint Demetrios. He is the patron saint of the town. The church was build on an old Roman bathhouse in which Demetrios was held, tortured, and killed. He was a Nobleman and Roman Solider who converted and started preaching. He was born in 270AD. The original church was build in the fourth century. It has been gutted by fires several times, but always rebuilt using as much of the original church parts as could be salvaged 

Normally people are not buried in the Greek Orthodox Church or their courtyard, an exception was made for this man who was a powerful priest and his wish was to be buried there

Picture of the front. If you look closely, you will see signs of rebuilding using different materials and the enlarging of the original basilica

Picture down the  center of the five aisles

Altar

Some of the original mosaics that have survived occupation, fires, and wars

Shine inside the church to St Demetrios. There was a crypt area, but many were worshipping there and I did not feel right invading too much beyond the tour.

We choose to walk back to the ship instead of riding the bus.

The church from the park across the street

While walking back, we passed another set of ruins that had been uncovered. These were also ones they are trying to incorporate into a new subway station

They have a very nice park area that stretches several blocks from the church towards the sea

This church is from the 11th century AD

These are the lovely gardens surrounding the church. If you notice we are looking down from the street level to the church and gardens. This city, as so many bigger cities in this part of the world, has been repeatedly built upon the top of older cities

While walking back we notice this alcove from across the street. A little ways over there was a wide pedestrian walking and dining area. 

We choose this the small road down the alcove. It reminded me a bit of the middle eastern bazaars I have seen. It was fun to poke around and look at everything from clothing to household goods to butchers and groceries to toys and electronics in these tiny shops where the people were hawking their wares and joking with each other.

We ended our afternoon with a four o’clock tea on the ship

Fun, but I was not as in love with today sandwiches as I was two days ago. We are each trying new teas each time we go 

And of course I get a scone, which I am fast being addicted to.

The rest of our day was spent reading, relaxing, and in general being mellow. We went to the cafe on board the ship and got a light dinner. Mine was shrimp, mahi, and a couple of crab claws with a salad.

We also went to see the singing (evening performance) in the theater.

That was our day in this port.