Touring Thessaloniki, Greece

On our cruise around Greece in February, we stayed overnight in Thessaloniki which gave us another day to explore this interesting town. We toured the White Tower on the first day and on the second day, we toured the Arch of Galerius and the Rotunda. 

The White Tower was built in 1430. It had a number of names including the Lion Tower and the Tower of Blood when it was used as a prison.


Inside the White Tower, there are 92 very long steps.


I've always enjoy seeing artifacts from the Roman Empire and when I heard there was a Roman Quarter, I wanted to see the ruins. Sadly, the ruins weren't kept very well through the ages but the Arch of Galerius was somewhat surprising. The carvings were still very clear and intact.  

The original Arch had 4 pillars and 8 arches. Today, there are 2 pillars and 1 arch.  



The Rotunda was built by the Romans as a house for worship. It has a diameter of 24.5 metres and has walls that are 6 metres thick. The Rotunda used to be connected to the Arch of Galerius by an elaborate road.



The height of the Rotunda is 30 metres.


Across from the Arch of Galerius, there is a small church surrounded by condo buildings.


The Church of the Holy Apostles.


Interior of the Church.


Aristoelous Square. It is the main square in the city and was built in 1950.  


After our history tour, it was time to try out some local foods. We found a restaurant on the promenade and went in. There were tables outside on the sidewalk but we wanted a more quieter ambiance. We were curious about a dish called 'saganaki'. It sounded Japanese and not Greek. There was saganaki prawns but because of Cindy's intolerance for shrimp, we ordered 'saganaki mussels'. When the dish came, it looked like a tomato based sauce on mussels but the taste was really good. A whole slab of feta cheese went into the sauce.


Have you been to Thessaloniki? My friend George Christopolous was born in Thessaloniki. If you've been there, please drop us a comment. For more information on churches, click here.











Location: Thessaloniki, Greece

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