A Place Called Space: Thessaloniki

Tuesday, 18 November 2025

Thessaloniki - the water front

Thessaloniki waterfront is a vibrant 5 kilometre promenade that offers stunning views, green spaces and recreational activities. It starts from the port and ends at the concert hall. It's a wonderful walk and we managed to do some of it every day, and did the whole thing twice. Every time it was a real pleasure.

We would start from here, the port, which was across the road from our hotel

past the Red Cross building

and this construction - I never managed to find out what it is

and then uninterrupted gorgeous sea

on our right the quay where we had our evening pre-dinner drinks, where the warship Velos is anchored and also, two museums

Some gorgeous buildings on our left

we called this the Wedgewood building

it is beautifully lit at night.

The red columns signified our approach

to Aristotelous Square

I would constantly stop to look at the wonderful buildings on our left

Bars and cafeterias all along this stretch, and they are always full: it's a favourite passtime for both locals and tourists to sit here

I spotted this on a balcony

We could see the White Tower in the distance

beautiful buildings and in between

side streets that are asking to be explored

We could see the White Tower, the hallmark of the city, quite clearly now

The present tower replaced an old Byzantine fortification, reconstructed to fortify the city's fortress some time around 1430. During the period of the Turkish occupation of Greece the tower became a notorious prison and the scene of numerous mass executions, most famously of the Janissaries who revolted during the reigh of Mahmud II.

The War of Independence against the Turks started in 1821 and slowly, Greece gained its independence. This did not happen in Thessaloniki until 1912. The tower was then substantially remodeled and its exterior was whitewashed. The White Tower has been adopted as the symbol of the city.

The gorgeous vaulted ceiling at the entrance. We did mean to go inside and climb to the top but every time we had various plans and kept putting it off. Never mind, next time.

We left the tower and walked back to the sea

on our left one of the many gardens in the area

Wide spaces and the sea beyond

looking back to where we had come from

The pirate ship that sails around the bay every hour

and here is the pirate himself

We did go on a tour with the Arabella on our last full day - it took an hour and it was fun

and the views of the city were good.

There is another boat that goes around the bay in the same way, alternating with the pirate boat

The statue of Alexander the Great

Another of the green spaces behind the statue

A trribute to the victims of the Tempi railway disaster.

On Feb. 2023, a head-on collision occured between two trains near the Tempe village. The collision, follow-up detailment and fireball that ensured killed 57 people; 81 were heavily injured.

Massive demonstrations, vigils, angry protests and clashes with the police have been occuring throughout Greece since. The investigation has so far implicated 43 state officials but also those who failed to carry out the necessary upgrades to the system. Most worrying though is the fact that the Ministry of Infrastructure manipulated the site of the accident by 'landfilling' the site immediately after the rescue operation. This is the dominant reason why the protests continue.