MONDAY, JUNE 3
It was an easy last day in Thessaloniki (except for a panicky dash back to the apartment because we left the straightening iron on in the gorgeous apartment owned by a woodworker whose work was everywhere).
We saw inside the Hagia Sophia Church (we didn’t make it inside the day before). A dark church, painted to look as if it were built of dark green and black marble, the golden mosaic frescos are outstanding, ah-worthy. I snuck some photos (you aren’t allowed to photograph inside) that don’t do the church justice…but provide a tiny glimpse.
The boardwalk follows the sea, passing the port, the city spreading out around it. We wanted to walk it as far as our legs would carry us, to the opera house, six kilometer from our starting point near downtown. Considerable distance was added when we rushed back to the apartment (itself half an hour walk from downtown), but the day was bright and encouraging. Passing sculptures (a favorite was the umbrellas!) and parks, our landing point was The Yacht Club bar, Ciel, and a nice destination at that. Great view back to Thessaloniki, and the patio sits over the water.
All over Thessaloniki, there are electric scooters, owned and operated by Lime. They cost one euro to rent plus .16 euros per minute. People buzz all over on them, using the bike path beside the boardwalk, mostly. For our return downtown, we were one of those buzzing people! Squished together on one scooter, my arms shaking from the pressure of holding us up, we moved embarrassingly slowly. My arms only lasted to the White Tower where we returned the rental and used our legs again. If we’d been able to get two scooters (we couldn’t because of a credit card issue)…oh, how fun!
