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Caption: Thessaloniki Hometown tourism project
Caption: A brand new digital camera, time off work and a ticket to motherland. Add a generous 'sprinkle' of friends and family... and there you have it; the perfect 'recipe' for the holidays.
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Caption: Cultural wanderings
Caption: Thessaloniki, north Greece, is a truly unique city that intricately marries its thousands-year-old multicultural heritage with its current state.
The number one place to get an idea of the cosmopolitan urban centre this city has been throughout history is undoubtedly the White Tower.
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Caption: The most famous landmark of Thessaloniki. Its dinstictive cylindrical shape dominates the waterfront overlooking the Thermaic Gulf.
Picture of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Caption: Built during the early Ottoman period, it was a notorious prison and a site of executions during the Ottoman rule, resulting in its former name of 'Tower of Blood' or 'Kanli Kule' (Red Tower in Turkish). Its current name came to be in 1890, when the Tower was whitewashed by a convict in exchange for his freedom.
Picture of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Caption: The exhibition inside the Tower spreads in six storeys, drawing a comprehensive portrait of the city's history from its founding to the modern era.
Picture of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Caption: Tip: Don't forget to enjoy the view towards the sea from the small openings on the thick wall as you climb the stairs to the viewing platform on the top of the White Tower.
Picture of Thessaloniki
Picture of Thessaloniki
Picture of Thessaloniki
Caption: Viewing platform view. 😆
Picture of Thessaloniki
Caption: View towards the Upper Town and the Byzantine and Ottoman-era fortress.
Picture of Thessaloniki
Caption: Next stop the imposing Rotunda
Thessaloniki
Caption: In December 2015, for the first time in nearly 40 years, the UNESCO listed monument was freed of the scaffolding used for maintenance and restoration purposes inside it following the strong earthquake that shook the city in 1978.
Picture of Thessaloniki
Picture of Thessaloniki
Picture of Thessaloniki
Caption: The entrance of the Rotunda
Picture of Thessaloniki
Picture of Thessaloniki
Caption: Details of the preserved mosaics
Picture of Thessaloniki
Caption: Inside the crypt St Demetrius basilica
Thessaloniki
Caption: Devoted to the patron Saint of the city, the church of Aghios Demetrius has a long and rich history but perhaps the most interesting part of it is the underground crypt which was re-discovered after the 1917 fire that destroyed almost completely the church. It now houses a permanent exhibition, consisting of paleo-Christian and Byzantine sculptures and church artefacts.
Picture of Thessaloniki
Picture of Thessaloniki
Picture of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Caption: Read the whole story of my 'hometown tourism' project here: https://traveljukebox.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/hometown-tourism-project/
Find me on Instagram: metaxia_y
Thessaloniki
Caption: #stellerstories
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