A Semester in Athens

Monday, March 23, 2015

The Rotunda

The Rotunda, built in the early 4th century, is an ancient impressive Roman monument inscribed in the World Heritage List of Unesco. It was probably first constructed as a mausoleum for the Emperor Galerius, who had his seat at Thessaloniki at the end of the 3rd century and the beginning of the 4th. It was part of the impressive building complex which included the Galerius Palace (Navarinou Square), the Hippodrome, the Arch of Galerius (Kamara) and other buildings in Thessaloniki. Rotunda Thessaloniki. Originally, there was an impressive street lined with massive colonnades that joined the Arch of Galerius and the rest of the Galerius Palace with Rotunda. The cylindrical building initially had an internal diameter of 24.5m and 30m height, while the walls are 6.3m thick and inside have eight apses (recesses).

In the end of the 4th century, the Emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395), was baptised as Christian in Thessaloniki and converted the mausoleum into a Christian church. As a result, the sanctum and parametric aisle were added and the western gate opened to become the principal entrance instead of the southern. The Christians decorated the walls of Rotunda with a mosaic of unbelievable variety of colors, while the figure of Christ was depicted in the center of the cupola in a shining sphere, in the colors of the rainbow. Unfortunately, only little can be seen now of this composition. However, below the cupola, bands of angels, martyrs and the saints of early Christian times are depicted and preserved in a significantly better condition. The church was dedicated to Christ or the Archangels and during the 10th-12th centuries was the cathedral of Thessaloniki. During the Turkish occupation, it was turned into a mosque and the minaret, which stands in front of it, was built (1591). After the liberation of the city (1912), the building was re-transformed into a Christian church under the name of Saint George (Agios Georgios). Finally, the name Rotunda prevailed due to the cylindrical shape of the monument. ~source

More Snaps of Thessaloniki

Aristotle overlooking the square

Easter offerings at one of the local shops

more snaps from the Central Market - who needs supermarkets?

butchers and fish mongers - this guy was so funny posing for me;
he smiled a big smile when I acknowledged him!

The Central Market in Thessaloniki

These photos speak for themselves. I just love taking pics in the Greek markets!

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Walk-About Thessaloniki

yeah...now I have your attention!
This town has more sweet shops than...well, I don't know where!
Actually, all the places we have been are well-populated with sweet shops and bakeries...
it is a wonder that obesity is not an issue in this country!

Happy Birthday, Kyle! Aristotle wished him a happy day, as well
(he's the statue in the background)
It is good to be 20.

this was a cool square that fronted onto the sea - beautiful!

yes, I would like a Paloma, parakalw

we are homesick - our favorite restaurant is the TGI Fridays where we enjoyed real hamburgers and food with some kick
(the wait staff was surprised that I ordered the 'Brave Texan" burger with jalapenos...haha! Yummy!)
Look closely at this place mat - headers in English, text in Greek!

*shaking head*
I have no words for this.
All I can hear is Alex Michael laughing...

I think my coffee addiction has doubled...

the famous and iconic White Tower of Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki (Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη [θesaloˈnici], also known as Thessalonica or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Greek Macedonia, the administrative region of Central Macedonia and the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace. Its honorific title is Συμπρωτεύουσα (Symprotévousa), literally "co-capital", and stands as a reference to its historical status as the Συμβασιλεύουσα (Symvasilévousa) or "co-reigning" city of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, alongside Constantinople.

The Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area extends over an area of 1,455.62 km2 (562.02 sq mi) and its population in 2011 reached a total of 1,104,460 inhabitants. Thessaloniki is Greece's second major economic, industrial, commercial and political center, and a major transportation hub for the rest of southeastern Europe; its commercial port is also of great importance for Greece and the southeastern European hinterland. The city is renowned for its festivals, events and vibrant cultural life in general, and is considered to be Greece's cultural capital. Events such as the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival are held annually, while the city also hosts the largest bi-annual meeting of the Greek diaspora.

Founded in 315 BC by Cassander of Macedon, Thessaloniki's history spans some 2,300 years. An important metropolis by the Roman period, Thessaloniki was the second largest and wealthiest city of the Byzantine Empire. Thessaloniki is home to numerous notable Byzantine monuments, including the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as several Roman, Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures. The city's main university, Aristotle University, is the largest in Greece and the Balkans.

Thessaloniki is a popular tourist destination in Greece. For 2013 National Geographic Magazine included Thessaloniki in its top tourist destinations worldwide, while in 2014 Financial Times FDI magazine (Foreign Direct Investments) declared Thessaloniki as the best mid-sized European city of the future for human capital and lifestyle. ~wiki

The Little Town of Ambelakia

High in the mountains of Northern Greece is Amelakia, a small town that made it big for a short period of time, traveled the world, brought the world back home, then settled down into a small little town again. Here we visited an old church (there's a shock!) and the mansion home of the head of the cooperative, Mr. Mavros (who changed his name to Schwartz for ease of travel). Click on this link to read more about this little town that did.