Sallllonika. The letter “l” may not be the only thing that sticks up to the roof of your mouth for long, as it takes bougatsas with custard, cheese and minced meat, koulouria, the flavours of the Ladadika and the entire city along with it.
Salonika is a city that’s beautiful, a city that’s magical, a city that’s erotic. A city that for all its many flaws, namely its lacking public transport and excess of conservative opinions, can offer you everything and make your university years- and why not the rest of your life as well?- magical and unforgettable, full of new acquaintances and friendships.
Lately, the bustle in the streets may be limited and the shops empty, with most university students studying for their exams, others still not back from home and others taking care of their safety- given the circumstances- and not going out. Even so, one thing’s for sure; behind the box-like windows of the blocks of flats in the City Centre, in Faliro, in Ano and Kato Toumba, that we see with our own eyes or through Instagram stories, right there live people craving for fun, people with dreams, with hope for the future. They are tomorrow’s scientists, tomorrow’s musicians and artists.
In Salonika you can, quite literally, do anything. There’s nothing missing. The possibilities are endless and, as a result, you usually end up not knowing where you really wish to go.
You want to go for a coffee? In every corner of the city, from Evosmos to Krini, from the West to the East, as well as the Ano Poli, there must be some café local coffeehouse to sit and study, chat with your friends or enjoy the sunset mirrored in Thermaikos. Just one piece of advice. Don’t make the mistake and fall into despair if you find no table available on a Saturday night in Mitropoleos or Nikis Avenue. They may be the top choices but they’re not the only ones. There are plenty of student coffee shops in Melenikou, Rotunda and Svolou Street where you can have just as much fun!
Are you in the mood for food? Where do I even start. There are countless restaurants in Ladadika, tavernas with lavish meals in Peraia, Kalamaria, Panorama and Ano Poli. Tavernas perfect for students in Bit Bazaar. My favourite spot? The intersection of Pavlou Mela and Paleon Patron Germanou Street. Otherwise known as the crossroads of taste, where you can enjoy your brunch with a rear view of the Hagia Sophia Church on the one side, and the loukoumades and crepes on the other, and burgers in a further corner, with your friends as company who, as the years pass, become family by law (if the cap fits!). And just as you’re about to leave and start walking towards Tsimiski Road, oh la chou, there’s the tempting aroma of profiteroles.
Let’s put coffee aside and talk entertainment. Even though lately Salonika goes to sleep a bit earlier, given the music ban and time restrictions in entertainment venues, they don’t call it the city that never sleeps for nothing…it really never sleeps. The rakadika and rakomeladika around the Rotunda and on Manolaki Kiriakou Street are full of university students every day of the week. The bars and clubs in Ladadika, on Valaoritou Street as well as its neighbouring streets and alleys are packed, with music and dance going on until the early morning hours. Which proves that, in spite of the problems that plague the city, in spite of the uncertainty for the future, students along with residents of the Nymph of Thermaikos, are still enjoying themselves and having fun, as only they know how to do.
There’s no doubt Salonika is a large village. A large village where everyone knows each other. And if you get lost in this large village, don’t worry, it’s hardly difficult to find your bearings once more. You need only head south, spot the sea and the rest is easy.
As long as you live in Salonika you may feel nostalgia and melancholy at once. Nostalgia over the good times you’ve had there that are not coming back. Melancholy over whether you’ll manage to make your dreams come true and make the real reason you’re there worth the while…
