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On Tuesday, we made our way to Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece.  Most of the day was spent driving, since it is about a 7-8 hour drive.  On the way, we stopped at Thermopylae, the site of the famous battle of the Spartans and the Persians which the graphic novel and movie 300 is based on.  There is a monument next to the highway and a plaque at the top of a small hill.  It’s not as awe-inspiring as you might expect.  Once we got to Thessaloniki, we went to dinner at a taverna where I had soutzukakia (like meatballs, but in a log shape) with yogurt sauce.  Delicious!!

This morning, we went to Vergina, the site of a tumulus covering three royal tombs.  The tombs are incorporated into the museum, which is very cool.  There is controversy over who is buried in which graves, so it is interesting to see how the museum has chosen to label and present this information.  After returning to Thessaloniki, we had some free time, so I walked around and explored the city.  I like this city better than Athens.  It may be that I’m just sick of Athens, but Thessaloniki seems more alive, whereas Athens is grungier and more depressing.  I walked by the Rotunda, the Arch of Galerius, the Agia Sophia church (which was closed), the Agiou Ioannou church and catacombs, Bey Hamam (Turkish baths), which now hosts art exhibits, and finally ended up at Modiano Market, where they sell fresh fish and meat as well as all sorts of sweets.  I love markets!!  Thessaloniki has my two favorite things about Greece in one place: open air markets and the sea.  Before going back to the hotel, I got some tsoureki bread covered in chocolate from a famous bakery- yum!! I sat by the sea eating my treat, then went back to the hotel, where we were meeting. 

We went to Osios David, one of the oldest Christian churches with a pre-Iconoclast image and then to Aghios Dimitrios, the church of the patron saint of Thessaloniki.  We went down into the crypt, the site of the Roman baths where St. Demitrios was killed.  For dinner, we went to a fish tavern for some fresh seafood.  We had four different kinds of fish and mussels!  They also had a guitar there, so we had a really great time singing songs.  It was a lot of fun.  Tomorrow is another full day of sightseeing.