Thessaloniki and Northern Greece

In Thessaloniki we met with Professor Wisner and learned about the history of Thessaloniki and Greece and American relations. It was very interesting to discuss the way Greeks think of America, and our people and politics, and compare it to Americans and how they view foreign policy. I think as a superpower, we citizens sometimes don’t realize the impact our foreign policy has on people all over the globe, because we have really tried to separate personal and politics in the states. For instance, before coming to Greece I had no idea why Greeks were angry at America because of Macedonia/FYROM.

Artemis also led us on a two part walking tour of the city and we learned that Thessaloniki was built in layers. They literally just built a church over an ancient village. We visited the Church of Saint Demetrius, the Patron Saint of Thessaloniki, and got to see underneath the church where there once was a town and baths.

The White Tower of Thessaloniki was used as a prison during the era of the Ottoman Empire. Today it serves as the landmark of the city. One evening I had the opportunity to visit the old castle walls and see the view of the entire city. It is amazing to me that the white tower was connected to these old walls as they are so far apart now. On Dimitrios Gounari Street we also saw The Arch of Galerius, built in 298 to 299. A road that ran under the arch used to connect the Tomb of Galerius and the Church of Agios Georgios.

The most amazing part of Thessaloniki was our trip to Vergina to see the Tomb of Philip the Great. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside the museum, but the whole experience was wonderful. The town became internationally famous in 1977, when the Greek archaeologist Andronikos unearthed what he claimed was the burial site of the kings of Macedon, including the tomb of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. It is amazing to me that for thousands of years, this site could be undiscovered, and then just 40 years ago a great find was discovered. Because the site was buried under a man made hill, it was perfectly intact, and had not been plundered, so the artifacts like gold crowns and crystalline couches were still there. This was absolutely m favorite museum of the trip because everything was very easy to follow, even without a guide. The museum was very peaceful.

On our last day in Thessaloniki, the group trekked to Kalithea, the most beautiful beach of the whole trip. Kalithea is on one of the 3 peninsulas of Halkidiki between Northern Greece and Central Macedonia.