#thessoloniki

[tobebuild]

Point of Balance, Thessaloniki Objects of Common Interest 2023 Stefanos Tsakiris

[babydollallthetime]

Despite a touch of bad weather, @clarkeuddgren and I had a fabulous time exploring Thessoloniki today. Greece’s second largest city, the Birmingham of Greece. #thessoloniki #centralmacedonia #macedonia #greece https://www.instagram.com/p/CVBekJQoEb8/?utm_medium=tumblr

[goseewander]

08.02.19 Thessaloniki, Greece

[helvetiacube]

Die regionalen Unterschiede in der gesprochenen Sprache sind ziemlich groß.

[hallsp]

I took a night-train from Belgrade in Serbia to Thessoloniki in Greece, via the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where I was woken at the border in the early hours of the morning by a “customs official” in plain clothes, recognisable only by his serious-looking torch, who informed me that my Bosnian marks, about €20 worth, weren’t allowed across the border and therefore had to be confiscated. Before I knew what was happening, he stole away into the night, never to be seen again.

We often talk of Western imperialism, and rightly so. But there were, and are, other forms of imperialism. The Ottomans captured Constantinople in 1453, after a fifty-three day siege. Five years later, they had secured the ancient city of Athens.

The Parthenon, once a pagan temple to Athena, and latterly a Christian church, was now a mosque.

I often find myself in something of a dilemma. As one Chinese traveler put it to me: all of the most beautiful cultural treasures are religious. It’s true.

From Westminster Cathedral to St. Peter’s Basilica to the Dome of the Rock, the most spectacular expressions of human culture are religious. Boundless time, energy, money, and talent have been expended erecting these glorious buildings. On the one hand, visiting these places and watching the faithful turn their attention to the sacred in their own peculiar ways, it’s marvelous. These differences bring such colour and diversity to the world. And on the other hand, it’s incredibly frustrating. Frustrating because, in my mind, , they also the source of endless conflict.

If you’re searching for the most cynical use of religion, look no further than the Greek Orthodox celebration of the Miracle of the Light.