Salonika

Waking up to the sound of sea birds and the breeze off the Thermaic Gulf was most pleasant. Because it was a holiday weekend, the city was very quiet. After breakfast, we headed out to walk through the Jewish Quarter and to the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki. The museum was closed, but the architecture in the quarter was well worth the walk. Next was the Aghia Sofiya, the largest Byzantine church in Greece. I find it unusual to be encouraged to take photos in a church, but that is what happened here.














From there it was up the waterfront to the White Tower.



A former prison, once known as "the Bloody Tower" during Ottoman rule, it is now a museum. It is undergoing restoration and its collections are elsewhere. Luckily for me, the ones I was interested in were at the Archaeological Museum or the Museum of Byzantine Culture.

At the Archaeological Museum we were treated to a wonderful display of exhibits, beginning with "Life in Prehistoric Macedonia" , then "Toward the Birth of Cities", and “Thessaloniki, The Metropolis of Macedonia”.



The musuem is newly renovated, well laid out, and extremely interesting. Amazingly, they permitted non-flash photos!


A gold Myrtle wreath.


Loom Weights.








I want to play this game!



More about the Museum of Byzantine Culture later!