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Thessaloniki 3
Sep. 18th, 2007 10:54 amMore Byzantine churches, gold-tessera mosaics of the saints and an overpowering smell of incense from the burning scented oils. The Roman Forum (signposted, of course, as 'Roman Agora'), with well-preserved covered shopping mall. Following the traditional habits of Englishmen and climbing the steep street by the main walls to the Eptapyrgeon (seven towers, though I could only see a couple of them and you couldn't get inside) of the Byzantine walled bit right at the top; the Eastern Empire being no slouches at military matters, the view even from the bottom of the watch-towers was quite astounding.
The Archaeological Museum of Thessalonika, which had good artefacts (some really spectacular filigree-gold grave goods from about 300BC, high-class mosaic entranceways from upper-class Romano-Macedonian houses, a few glorious portrait busts) and really rather good expository text; it helped to have wandered around the city for a few days and figured out roughly where the sites were on the ground. Lots of models of what buildings would have looked like.
A cruise around the bay, wandering along the sea-front at sunset and encountering the old lady who feeds all the stray cats of this part of town, roast fish for supper and back to the hostel.
The Archaeological Museum of Thessalonika, which had good artefacts (some really spectacular filigree-gold grave goods from about 300BC, high-class mosaic entranceways from upper-class Romano-Macedonian houses, a few glorious portrait busts) and really rather good expository text; it helped to have wandered around the city for a few days and figured out roughly where the sites were on the ground. Lots of models of what buildings would have looked like.
A cruise around the bay, wandering along the sea-front at sunset and encountering the old lady who feeds all the stray cats of this part of town, roast fish for supper and back to the hostel.
