Thessaloniki, Greece 2018

I recently visited Thessaloniki, a city in the North of Greece, for 4 days. One of my best friends, Milly, is currently living on the island Samos; and we both had some free time, so it was the perfect opportunity to see each other and have a little getaway. 

We stayed in a studio booked through Airbnb, which was tiny but perfect for us for the short stay and was good value (£100 for the 4 days). The city itself is cute, and has plenty of historical monuments to offer. We were located about two minutes from the Arch of Galerius and Rotunda, which are original Roman structures from the time or Emperor Galerius. The general vibe is quite interesting because the Great Fire destroyed much of the city centre in 1917, so in amongst the Ancient landmarks, the city has a modern European layout. 

The remains of the Palace of Galerius, within the Navainou Square

On the first day, we walked along the waterfront and got a hot chocolate and spent most of the time just catching up, which was super nice. Because it was a Monday, anything touristy, such as the White Tower, was shut (worth noting!). But that was fine because we were both in the mood to chill anyway. 

On the second day, which was sunnier, we were able to explore some of the monuments a bit more. We walked to the White Tower which was also on the waterfront, where there is a museum and a great view at the top. We weren't able to understand much of the content in the museum as it was all in Greek, but then we chose not to use the headphones with English audio so that was expected! The view from the top was beautiful, with a great view of the Aegean Sea and the city too. 

That night, we went out for dinner in a Greek restaurant called Lola Ouzeri. We (well, mostly me) wanted to find some proper Greeeeeek food and this really hit the SPOT. Whilst a lot of their menu involved fish and meat, it was generally vegetarian (not very vegan) friendly, which was perfect for us. We had a traditional Greek salad, Grilled Halloumi, Baked Feta in Filo pastry, Aubergine with Tzatziki and probably more, and it was beaaaaautiful. 

The next day was very sunny, so we spent the day going for a walk, up through the old part of the city, towards Trigonion Tower, and the Walls of Thessolonika. Like the White Tower, we were able to walk to the top of Trigonion Tower, giving us a breathtaking view of the city. On the way, we went into the Hagia Sophia, one of the oldest Byzantine churches in Thessaloniki, which is full of mosaics and paintings inside dating back to the 11th Century. 

After taking some time to take in the views, we made our way down and back to the apartment, and went out for dinner again that night to another Greek restaurant, this one called The Rouga, where the food was absolutely insane. It was in this super sweet little lane full of restaurants, which almost looked like a film set as it was so clean and colourful. We sat outside, which was nice, and got loads of food again, including Kolokithakia tiganita (fried and battered courgette), baked beans (ugh amazing), potato with feta, filo with fennel, and a salad with fig, pistachio, orange, balsamic dressing and gruyere cheese. And some freshly squeezed Orange juice to drink. Oh. Ma. Gosh. 

Also in both restaurants we got free desserts!

The holiday felt like it went so quickly; it was such a special time with one of my favourite people. I probably wouldn't return back to Thessaloniki for the sake of experiencing the place itself again, just because I prefer a beach rather than a waterfront when in Greece, BUT am very grateful I was able to take a few days and experience it nevertheless!