Thessaloniki

I do not really know how to make Thessaloniki sound as spectacular as it really is, or as I think that it is. This has nothing to do with the fact that describing it is difficult, or that I do not already know a great deal about the city. It has more to do with the fact that to describe the city as it appears, which is the only way that I can describe it to you, is to paint the picture of a dismal, overpopulated, dirty city that few would find enticing.

While I will admit that not one of theses observations is false it is not what is important. The city is, for lack of a better term, alive literally all the time. Customary Greek days start around eight in the morning and go till three o’clock. At three most families would have a huge meal together and then till about six or seven there is a period of relaxation after which, the stores open back up and stay open until about 10. Dinner is late, 9ish, and low key, usually consists of a small appetizer type dish with wine. Much of the eating is done in restaurants and thus there are restaurants everywhere; “tavernas” are the most popular and serve old style Greek cuisine.

The nightlife in Greece does not then begin until about midnight and most clubs remain open until around six in the morning some even later/earlier. This nightlife is usually taken advantage of by the youth population and goes on every night . . . every night. One must understand that the youth culture here is in control of just about everything. The college students are highly political and shut down streets, the university, businesses, and public offices on a regular basis in protest of political actions. The government in Greece currently is on the conservative side of issues and so the college students are especially busy.

The adults seem to be very westernized and more and more jobs are taking away from the usual time table of events, however the elderly population is alive and kicking as they attempt to maintain the entire household. The family is very important here and even the children respect this. Sundays are my favorite days to simply go down to the coast and observe the people. The old men get together and gripe about the youth culture and politics over their game of backgammon and the mothers and draughts saunter down the walkway talking of fashion, boys, and food.

From my observations the people here are generally very nice and seem genuinely interested. However, they are not Latin America interested. I kind of expected to walk down the street and be able to say hi to everyone I saw but this is far from the case. The people seem to be reserved making it difficult to meet people.

The other thing that makes it very difficult to meet people is the language barrier. I have been told by multiple people that my language skills are progressing faster than average and between my “Greeklish” and the general populations English skills I can get anything that I need and I am very confident. This being said I might as well be deaf when listening to Greek. The people speak incredibly fast and the sound are completely different, needless to say I really miss meaningful conversation and I often wish that all of you were around to talk to, but you are not so I will have to learn.

The Aegean Sea butts right up against the city and is beautiful as long as you do not look straight down. One must remember that Thessaloniki is literally thousands of years old, imagine if Cleveland were that old; how would Lake Erie look? Luckily, all of the industry is concentrated outside the city and so there is really no smog and the air is fine except for the car exhaust, which considering that the country has only really become a car culture in the last twenty or thirty years, is not too bad.

The city itself is like a layer cake. I cannot really begin to explain it. I will try to take pictures and you can see a bit for yourself.

Please keep posting your comments. I have a lot of fun reading them.

“You will never be able to escape from you heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you’ll never have to fear an unanticipated blow.” -Coelho