Many of you still don’t know me, because this is my first “blog”. My name is Damjan Kozarov and I am both a student in the city of Bitola and in the city of Thessaloniki. Today I decided to share my first impressions and experiences in these cities, so I can somehow lead the people who are planning a trip in Greece or freshmen students who are planning to attend University in Greece.
THESSALONIKI… The Ancient – Hipster city
Style – not the first word that popped into my mind when I arrived in the huge city of Thessaloniki. I was met by roadworks, a few drab apartment blocks, and not so good weather. But, as I dug a little deeper, I found plenty more – street art, colorful cuisine, characters that put their hearts and souls into everything they do, and most important place with one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.
Approximately 100,000 young people call Thessaloniki home, which mostly are attending the city’s universities. They spend their days studying, their afternoons hanging out by the sea, and their evenings drinking and dancing until the sun comes up. It’s a strange thing though… when I arrived the first few days, I barely saw anyone under 30. But how the days passed, I had the answer. As the sun sets and the lights switch on, the pulse of the city starts to be felt. The young people are now occupying the whole city (everyone with different styles), making new friends and hanging out by the sea as they slowly drink from the cold cocktails bought from the tricycle counters across the sea. But that’s not all of it, if you stray from the main avenues I bet you’ll find yourself in a labyrinth of streets of cool, colorful hipster bars all united at one place with names like ‘Piccadilly’ and ‘Casper’, that can leave you speechless.
The history of Thessaloniki is stunning. Thessaloniki is an eclectic city that combines ancient history with modernization. A mixture of Greek, Armenian, Ottoman and Jewish traditions, where ruins and ancient structures sit naturally among modern buildings. Although I find Thessaloniki and Athens very different from each other… Athens is like a charming and beautiful woman, the kind you can’t not fall in love with, while Thessaloniki is the kind of woman that’s hard to decipher at first, but once you get to know her – sparks all around!
Students from all over the world are gathered in this city. All of them learning new things and continuing their life adventures as the time passes. While walking by the sea you can hear all kinds of languages spoken, students exchanging details about different cultures and talking about the plans that will happen on the weekend. The perfect city to live, study and feel like home! Thessaloniki is a city that you fall in love with the first sight. The second largest city in Greece which has so much to offer; ideal for student life as well. Theatres, museums, cultural events, historical places, festivals, parades, sport activities and nightlife are just a few to mention of how vibrant the city life can be in everyday of the week. There is so much you can learn and see because every corner has history within.
Your student life cannot be hard when you are surrounded by polite, helpful and friendly people, when you live and study in a city which surrounds you with love. You will experience the Greek culture for which many tourists strive to take a glance at least once in their life. As a student you will have the chance to meet new people from different backgrounds, exchange experiences, broaden your cultural knowledge, and of course create new friendships.
Winter is coming
The real magic in the city of Thessaloniki happens during the winter period. The not so cold weather combined with the Christmas songs and the smiles that people are carrying will make your
heart feel warm – like you are at home together with your family. All the alleys and streets covered with colorful lights together with the big Christmas tree that is located at the center of the town, will give you a whole new experience in your life that you will never forget. Making late night walks by the sea and
enjoying your hot chocolate from the Mikel Cantina will take you back in time, like when you were a little kid. The happiness that you get from this city in winter is priceless.
Living in Thessaloniki for one year was really a new and good experience for me which I will never forget. That’s why I got myself a new hobby so I can try and share all of that experience with other people from around the world. I created a new YouTube channel called “VisualMKD” where I do short time-lapse videos. Down below is a short time-lapse video of Thessaloniki, which I hope you will check it out and enjoy it.
Thank you for all of your support.
