Working Remotely in Athens: Museum of Cycladic Art

The last thing we checked out before leaving Athens was this fantastic museum. The Museum of Cycladic Art is a private museum, and focuses on the artefacts found in a concentrated area of the Greek islands.

Working Remotely in Athens: Excavation Museum

After checking out the Acropolis Museum, we went underneath the building. There's another museum just under the building, and it's actually an archaeological dig!

Working Remotely in Athens: Acropolis Museum

Upon returning to Athens, we wanted to visit the Acropolis Museum. Given that we visited the Acropolis the other day, we wanted to check out this museum as well to learn more about the site, as well as the artefacts that are found within.

Working Remotely in Athens: Piraeus

We wanted to spend the day in Piraeus. The weather was fantastic, after all. So after checking out this Orthodox cathedral, we continued our walk outside.

Working Remotely in Athens: The Holy Trinity Cathedral

One day we went to Piraeus. This is the port of Athens, and we wanted to see the sea. So we took the metro all the way to the end, and eventually we got to the busy town centre. But before we headed to the seashore, we stumbled upon this rather large and imposing church, the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Working Remotely in Athens: The Panathenaic Stadium

Yes, we also went to the ancient stadium in Athens. I definitely remember being here back in 2005, yet for some reason, I don't think we went inside. All the photos I have from that first visit were taken from the outside. So this time, we went in.

Working Remotely in Athens: The Acropolis

Yes, if one hasn't been to Athens in 20 years, then I suppose one would once again visit the Acropolis. It is the city's most well-known landmark anyway, and so even though I absolutely remember visiting it in 2005, I made it a point to visit it again this time.

Working Remotely in Athens: Lycabettus Hill

Perhaps it is a common activity to go upwards whenever one is sightseeing. One wants to go to a summit to see the lay of the land, after all. So when we were in Athens, we climbed up Lycabettus Hill, which is the tallest hill in the Athens metropolitan area.

Working Remotely in Athens: The Ancient Agora

After checking out a very intact temple, we just continued on exploring the surrounding ruins, as after all we were inside the Ancient Agora.

Working Remotely in Athens: The Temple of Hephaestus

We arrived in Athens on a Saturday, and it was rather late for sightseeing. So we just found our apartment, checked in, and went out for grocery shopping and then dinner. But we did go sight-seeing the day after, on Sunday. And the first thing we decided to see was the Temple of Hephaestus, in the Ancient Agora.

Working Remotely in Athens

A few weeks ago, we decided to go to Athens for a week, primarily to escape the cold Berlin winter. We rented an apartment for the time we were there, and I have to say, it was a trip that was totally worth it!

Tantalized in Thessaloniki: Hagios Demetrios

For my last post from Thessaloniki, let me show you the Hagios Demetrios. This is a World Heritage Site, included in the Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonika. This church is the main sanctuary dedicated to the patron saint of Thessaloniki, Saint Demetrius.

Tantalized in Thessaloniki: The Arch of Galerius and Rotunda

I have previously said that Thessaloniki is a Byzantine city. There are plenty of artifacts that one can find from this period, such as these 4th-century monuments in the center of town. These two structures used to be parts of a bigger single structure, but nowadays only the arch and the round building remains.

Tantalized in Thessaloniki: The White Tower

If there is only one thing one would see on a visit to Thessaloniki, then it should be the White Tower. In fact, when I attended the conference hosted by the local university, this was the one sight they planned for the conference attendees to check out as part of the conference program. Hence, I saved it for then, and joined the rest of my colleagues in visiting the tower, which was narrated by a local tour guide.

Tantalized in Thessaloniki: Atatürk Evi Müzesi (Atatürk House Museum)

Before I went to Thessaloniki, I had an appointment with my hairstylist. I chat with him, and so I told him that I was heading to Thessaloniki. He happens to be Turkish-German, born in Germany but raised in Izmir. He speaks German and Turkish both fluently. He told me that if I am heading to Thessaloniki, then I should pay a visit to the Atatürk House Museum. He said that Atatürk was born in Thessaloniki, and the house where he was born is now a museum.

Tantalized in Thessaloniki: The Museum of Byzantine Culture

Thessaloniki was the second largest and wealthiest city of the Byzantine Empire. No wonder there are plenty of Byzantine artifacts in the city, plenty enough to devote a full museum to them. The Museum of Byzantine Culture was perhaps the best museum I have seen in the city, and I definitely learned a lot. Here are some of the pictures.

Tantalized in Thessaloniki: Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

I only spent a day sight-seeing in Thessaloniki, as the rest of my stay was spent attending the conference that I had a talk in. However, in the single day that I allotted to see things in the city, I definitely have seen a lot. I have shown a few pictures in the previous post, and this time, I am showing pictures I took in perhaps the most interesting museum in the city, the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.

Tantalized in Thessaloniki: The Thessaloniki Cityscape

Remember that back in May, I went to Greece for a conference? I was in Thessaloniki for a couple of days, and I did take an extra day for myself, so that I could explore the city for a bit. So I arrived two days before the conference, and had a full day by myself, exploring the city. As I said before, I had a good impression of Thessaloniki, which was a city full of Byzantine treasures. The people were also friendly and going out and about the city, which somehow didn't suggest that they had a financial crisis at that time. Anyway, this post shows you some of the places I have been to, while the following posts will focus on the major sights that I have seen during that brief stay.

The Greek Paradox

Back in May, I was in Greece for a few days, for a conference. It was overall a great time, and something that I didn't expect I would enjoy. See, before I flew in, there was talk in the news that Greece only had weeks before it would declare bankruptcy. Money would run out. I didn't really know what that meant, so perhaps I was getting worried more than the usual. See, I even planned escape routes. What if there would be massive protests while I was there, what would I do? I wasn't in Athens, I was in Thessaloniki. So I thought, heck, if I needed to get out, I could if needed even take a bus from Thessaloniki to Sofia and cross the border into Bulgaria. Yes, there were escape plans that I had in mind. Though to be honest, I was surprised with what I saw.

Thessaloniki!

Good news, boys and girls, in a few months I will be heading to Thessaloniki!