Walking through Thessaloniki the first days after my arrival, I had quite a lot of new impressions. Basically I think it's like that every time you visit a new country, a new city. However, as it is said, the devil is in the details. There was one specific detail that stood out,
The heart of the city.
You can actually see it several times, while strolling along the seaside and the port. To be honest, I didn't know the reason for this random sprinkling of tile hearts at that time. I found out later that it basically was, one could say, a symbol for Thessaloniki. To put it simply, it's a branding. Yes, it is there just for touristic purposes. A commercial in it's simplest form. I think you can even buy a t-shirt with THE heart on it. For fangirling reasons, I suppose.
I don't know why, but after knowing the truth (Yes. Big drama!), I was a little disappointed. Probably because the mystery was gone and the whole thing seemed like a big bubble, only made up for promotional reasons. However, with this whole concept behind it, I'm kind of in love with the idea it stands for.
The pebble pieces represent the infinite amount of stories.
Stories of the city.
Of the people who lived there 2300 years ago.
The people who live there now.
Thessaloniki is made of all these little bits and pieces. And seen altogether, like a mosaic, they become the heart of this city.
And now I'm part of these stories. And some of them, I will share here (again, not as regularly as I'd like to, but you have to take what you can get).
Stay tuned for more corny posts and pictures.
Beatiful article!
ReplyDeleteEven though I didn't notice those hearts along the seaside of Thessaloniki, I loved how you display the whole concept: the idea, the mystery, the reveleation part but the last bitter sweet feeling it leaves you with!