Date: May 15, 2007
Partners for the day: Pete Kitlas (text) Mike Holmes(images)
Site(s): Various, Free Day
Museum(s): Various, Free Day
Time Spent on Each Site: Did we mention it was a Free Day!
Weather: Hot and sunny with highs in the low 90s.
Loud yells of “Pete! Pete! Wakeup!” disturb my pleasant slumber.
“What could you possibly want?” I replay in a half dazed tone, “Today is our free day. It would be much appreciated if I could get some sleep. It is only 9:00 and I was not planning on waking up until 10:00. This must be really important”
Caleb Chaplain and Lizz Sigler turn towards each other each motioning for the other to speak and tell the story.
“Well…” Lizz mumbles.
“You see…” Caleb continues.
“Oh for Athena’s sake, just get on with it!”
“Ok. So we seem to have a slight problem. We have just received a phone call from Liz, Kelsey, Kyle, and Ray. Apparently they are eating at a cafe down by the coast.”
“Jeepers! This is a problem. A cafe at 9:00 in the morning! What could they be thinking?”
“Peter, your sarcasm is not appreciated at this hour. Will you please let me finish? Josh and Mike told the group that they would meet them at the café at 8:30, but they have still not shown up. Josh is not in his room and nobody is answering when we knock on Mike’s door. To top it all off, Lizz overheard that people are complaining of two American tourists who are running around the city in an attempt to find the ghost of Ataturk. We think this might be Josh and Mike.”
“The ghost of Ataturk?”
“Yes. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk: a revolutionary statesman, founder of the Republic of Turkey, and its first President. Ataturk was born in the Ottoman city of Selanik which is now modern day Thessaloniki. It is rumored that the ghost of this great political figure still roams around the city”
“I now see how this might be problematic. Does Professor Rutter know about their disappearance?” I inquire.
“I would be surprised if he did not know. He seems to know practically everything that happens on this trip.”
Of course at this very moment Professor Rutter walks into the room. This is just my luck. Now instead of getting a sufficient amount of sleep, I am going to have to spend my day chasing after Josh and Mike who in turn are chasing after a ghost of Ataturk. Where would they go first? The house of Ataturk would be a good guess, but the guide book says that it is closed.
“Professor Rutter, I’m sure you heard that nobody is able to find Josh or Mike.”
“Yes I have heard. I told those kids not to leave the hotel. And now it seems like the venture brothers have gotten themselves into a little mishap. Ghosts? You have got to be kidding me. They are not even real! Do you think it would be possible for you and Ben to try and find them? I do not want to get a phone call from the Thessaloniki police department telling me that they are holding two of my students in jail for trespassing on an archaeological site; especially when they are just looking for a ghost. It might be understandable if they wanted to jump a fence to get a better look at the architecture of a particular building. But trying to find a ghost is just absurd.”
“Ben and I will do our best, but I can’t promise anything”
I quickly run to Ben’s room, wake him up and tell him the situation. As Ben fumbles out of bed I run back to my room, brush my teeth and get dressed. Fully clothed and ready to go, I grab the Blue Guide, run back to Ben’s room and knock on the door.
“Give me two seconds, I’m almost ready”
As I wait for Ben to get ready I skim through the pages of the Blue Guide and find the map of Thessaloniki. It is a huge city and I have no idea where to start looking for these venture brothers. What are the major sites? I guess we should try Vardar Fort, Agios Dimitrios, the Acropolis, and the Rotunda. They seem to be the highlights in the Blue Guide.
“Come on Ben, let’s go”
Ben finally comes out of his room. We make our way down the stairs of the hotel, out the door and start heading to Vardar Fort. When we arrive all we find is a park enclosed by the old, restored walls of the fort. Unfortunately, these early Byzantine walls do not tell us anything. Nobody is around the park. All is quiet here. Ben and I quickly move to our next stop: Agios Dimitrios. This is the largest church in Greece. It was originally built in the 5th century, but was destroyed by the fire of 1917. I have a good feeling that this might be where Josh and Mike are because there is an underground crypt beneath the apsidal area of the church. What better place for a ghost hunters to go?
Ben and I arrive at Agios Dimitrios and quickly make our way to the crypt. We search through the underground area, but find nothing. Fiddlesticks. On to our next stop: the Acropolis. The most impressive feature of the Acropolis is its large walls that stand 7.6-12.2 meters high. The remains are mostly Byzantine and date to the fourth century. We run along the walls starting from the Chain Tower and passing the Gate of Anna Palaeologus which was first opened in 1355. We make our way along the south walls of the Acropolis, but find nothing. This is getting frustrating. Where could they be? We have one more site to go to.
When Ben and I reach the Rotunda we do not find Josh and Mike. In fact, we are confronted with a large crowd of people walking around the streets shopping. We cannot get into the Rotunda because it is closed for the day and call it quits in terms of our search. Ben and I walk back to the hotel with feelings of defeat running through our veins. As we walk up the stairs Lizz and Caleb come down to meet us.
“You have got to see this!” Caleb proclaims.
Caleb and Lizz then lead us up to Mike’s room, whose door is now open. Ben and I walk into the room and look in the bathroom to find Josh and Mike playing NASA with a Dixie Cup and the bidet.
“Have they been here the entire time?” I inquire, relieved that Josh and Mike are safe, but frustrated that Ben and I just ran around the entire city looking for them.
“Yes” replies Lizz with a smug grin on her face, “They have been here the entire day and the entire group knew they were here”
“Well I guess I cannot complain that much because Ben and I got a great tour of the city and saw all of the important monuments while you guys sat in the hotel during this beautiful day. It looks like we actually got the better end of this trick! At least we didn’t have to sleep on slatless beds this time!”
While the events in this story are completely false, many people in the group did travel around the modern city of Thessaloniki looking at the major sites. Unlike Athens, Heraklion, and Istanbul where we were given walking tours on our first day in the city, we were left in Thessaloniki to explore by ourselves on the first day. This was nice as we were forced to get out that semi-trusty Blue Guide and find a way to explore the city on our own.
Josh stands before the remains of Thessaloniki’s Roman forum, a testament to the city’s former status as first the capital of the province of Macedonia, and later the residence of the tetrarch Galerius. Excavations in this area have recovered an odeion , a pair of stoas, and a long double cryptoporticus.
The interior of the 5th century basilica of Aghios Dimitrios, which is the largest church in all of Greece. Although the structure was once heavily decorated with splendid mosaics, a fierce fire in 1917 destroyed the vast majority of the artwork and reduced the building to a smoldering shell. It was reconstructed between 1926 and 1948.
Mike poses by the martyrium in the crypt of Aghios Dimitrios. Saint Dimitrios was martyred by Galerius in the 4th century A.D. while under arrest in a Roman bath which once stood on this site.
Despite the heavy destruction of the 1917 fire, surviving bits and pieces of the old mosaics may be seen throughout the church. Here is one such fragment, located in the upper northwest corner.
The back of the Rotunda, an enormous monument which is the oldest building in Thessaloniki. It was originally constructed as a mausoleum by Galerius in the 4th century, but instead found itself converted into a church by Constantine. The minaret was constructed when the building was used as a mosque during Ottoman times.
Although the cavernous interior of the Rotunda is currently undergoing intense reconstruction, small fragments of its former glory are still visible. Pictured here is a beautiful mosaic which graces the barrel-vaulted ceiling of one of the wall’s eight recesses.
The Arch of Galerius, built to commemorate the emperor’s victories over the Persians in 297 A.D. The arch was constructed on axis with the entrance to the Rotunda and the imperial palace in a grand architectural scheme meant to glorify the emperor.
Mike stands within the baths of the Imperial Palace of Galerius. The mosaics before him are representative of works which once covered the vast majority of the building’s floors.
The palace has been splendidly converted into a tourist site in the past few years. Wooden walkways allow one to stride over the original mosaic floors and excellent signs explain to the visitor the function of each room.
Josh poses before the
White
Tower, the famous symbol of contemporary
Thessaloniki. Originally part of the fortification circuit, the tower was converted into a prison by the Turks in the 18th century. It gained the nickname
Bloody
Tower in 1826, when scores of janissaries were massacred within its walls under the orders of Mahmud II. The present name originates from the whitewash which was applied to its walls as an act of purification after the attainment of Greek independence. The whitewash has since been removed, and until very recently the tower was the site of the
Byzantine
Museum. Unfortunately, the movement of the exhibits to a new museum means that the building is currently closed to the public.
Pete approaches the
Chain
Tower, a 16th century circular keep located high on the acropolis of
Thessaloniki.
Just hanging out and shaking off the constant stress of the trip is always a great way to spend a free day. Here Liz relaxes by watching
South
Park episodes on her computer.
Meanwhile, Brooks attempts to catch up with his life during one of those few times when we actually have internet access.
Kyle stares longingly at the menu of his dreams while looking for a place to eat lunch.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Thessaloniki truly is a bustling metropolis. A bustling metropolis is not complete without a couple of things. One of these would be a University. Thessaloniki is home toAristotle
University. Another of these is a Wendy’s. There is a rumor going around the group that a Wendy’s exists in
Thessaloniki. We have a feeling that a lot of the group might try and find this Wendy’s at some point during our stay and enjoy a classic American hamburger. Greek food has been great so far, but there is only a limited amount of choice involved. Every Greek restaurant has the same five options. Many of us are craving some more diversity in our diet. A nice burger might subdue this yearning.
