Most
of the Greek tourism ads feature pretty much the same thing – sparking seas,
sun-kissed islands populated with bronzed, improbably long-legged beauties clad
in micro-kinis lounging on a pristine beach or sitting on a bar stool gazing
adoringly at some Adonis-like bartender mixing a lethal multi-coloured cocktail
that will be adorned with a pink umbrella.
 |
| The Image That Launched 1,000 (Cruise) Ships |
These
ads must pay off because many of these islands ‘enjoyed’ a record number of
tourists arriving by plane, ferry, private yacht or enormous cruise ships that
deposited thousands of slightly dazed passengers (‘Tell me again just where we
are, dear’) on islands like Santorini or Mykonos for a few hours every day.
However
effective these ads may be, they tell only part of the story of the attractions
of Greece. Yes, the seas are sparking and the islands are appealing. Too often
overlooked, however, is that mainland Greece has much to offer.
We
recently spent a fascinating week in northern Greece when we visited the cities
of Kavala and Thessaloniki. Now, telling many Greeks that you are spending time
in the northern part of the country generates the same reaction a New York
hedge fund manager would get if he said he was taking a vacation in North
Dakota instead of the pretentious playground of the Hamptons. My wife, for
example, received a puzzled text message from a friend on one of the islands
favoured by Greek A-listers. “What in the
name of Zeus are you doing in Kavala?”
What,
indeed. After a short flight to Thessaloniki and an easy drive on an almost
empty motorway surrounded by fertile farm land we arrived at Kavala to join
friends from Istanbul at one of the best hotels in Greece, the Imaret. The
Imaret was built in the early 19th century by Mohammed Ali, an
Ottoman Albanian born in Kavala who rose through the army and later moved on to
found the dynasty that ruled Egypt until 1952.
Located
in the old part of Kavala, the sprawling building is a beautiful example of late-Ottoman
architecture with graceful domes, several courtyards, pools, and
arched-walkways. An imaret was a
multi-function building serving as a soup kitchen, school, and refuge. After
the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in the 1920s the imaret was used to house Greeks who
arrived from Turkey. The building is still owned by the Egyptian government and
was carefully restored to its current state about 15 years ago.
 |
| One Of The Courtyards In The Imaret |
The
old town of Kavala with its steep cobble-stoned streets retains much of the
Ottoman architecture – so much so that we heard a Greek tourist remark that
entire area reminded him of one of the Turkish soap operas that Greek TV loves
to show.
The
trip was particularly poignant for our friend Ahmet because his family
originated from Kavala. He had brought a picture of his family’s home hoping it
still existed. One of the waiters at the Imaret took one look at the picture
and said it most definitely existed, right next to the school he attended.
After trudging down one hill and up another past the magnificent aqueduct built
by Suleyman the Magnificent we found the house that is now owned by the Greek
government.
 |
| Suleyman The Magnificent's Aqueduct Leading To Kavala's Old Town |
That
very satisfying discovery was compounded during a visit to the Tobacco Museum –
still filled with the rich scent of the region’s basma tobacco – where we found a picture of his grandfather who was
one of the leading tobacco merchants of the day.
Ancient
history buffs will want to visit nearby Philippi, renamed by Philip II of
Macedon (father of Alexander the Great) in 356 BC, but perhaps better known as
site of a battle during the Roman civil war in 42 BC following the
assassination of Julius Caesar when forces of Marc Antony and Octavius defeated
the armies of Caesar’s assassins, Brutus and Cassius.
After
a couple of days of light sight-seeing and delicious meals of fresh fish
followed by Turkish sweets we headed back to Thessaloniki to meet other friends revisiting the past. One of the first things to strike you about
Greece’s second city is how vibrant it is compared to Athens.
Perhaps
this is due to the city’s progressive, outspoken mayor Yiannis Boutaris, who
does not fit into the stale, sclerotic Left/Right rhetoric of most Greek
politicians. Thessaloniki was once one of the most cosmopolitan cities in
Europe with large Jewish and Turkish Moslem communities living alongside their
Greek Orthodox neighbors. During World War II about 56,000 Jews from Thessaloni
were deported to concentration camps. Today the once-thriving Jewish community
has been reduced to less than 2,000. Most of the Turks left after the Balkan
Wars or during the forced population exchange in the 1920s.
 |
| Much Can Be Settled Over A Bottle Of Wine And A Good Meal |
Boutaris
has made a determined effort to attract both groups back to Thessaloniki. He
calls the Turks ‘our brothers’, and
his efforts have generated more than 100,000 Turkish visitors to the city every
year. He has also made special efforts to attract the Jewish community and has called the deportations ‘the darkest moment’ in Greece’s history.
The
friends we met in Thessaloniki are Jewish with deep roots in the city. As we were
having dinner in a lively neighbourhood one of them commented that our table reflected
the rich cultural heritage of Thessaloniki with Jews, Moslems, Greek Orthodox
and even a Protestant (me) all sharing in the ‘bonhomie’ of the occasion. It was a good reminder that breaking
down barriers with good food and wine is much more effective way to heal
ancient phobias than building imposing walls.
