Heroes fight like Greeks

There is no doubting that Thessaloniki is an impressive place. Positioned on the north-western corner of the Aegean Sea, it is a major hub and was founded in 315BC by Cassander of Macedonia. He named the new city after his wife Thessalonika, who was the sister of Alexander the Great. We took a short walk around part of the city after we arrived, there is no way we could have walked it all, and one thing leaped out – the Greeks may be among the most charming of nations globally, but you do not want to upset them. Winston Churchill said it during World War Two, not me:

“Hence, we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks.”

Thessaloniki Bay - the view from the hotel

This was after the Greeks had chased the Italians back across the Albanian border. Basically, Italy got nowhere with its plan to reach Athens and conquer Greece. The Greeks saw to that quite quickly, although at a considerable expense of human life.

There was a short and flat walk from our hotel along the very edge of the Thessaloniki Bay. The zone is used for general promenade, exercise, and social display by all age groups of the area. We saw the same on the walls of Italy’s Lucca. We wanted to find a local bookshop, which was not far, so walking seemed sensible. Ten minutes out and we encountered the statue of a young man, sword in hand, astride a rearing stallion. It was Alexander the Great, and although the peoples of the world may see his role in different ways - some think he was good, others bad, and plenty are indifferent, there is no question that he made a huge impact.

In his early years he was taught by Aristotle, who many feel should take the credit for much of what Alexander subsequently achieved. At the age of 20 years, Alexander became king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon after his father, Philip II of Macedon, had been assassinated. By the time Alexander was 30, he had created a huge empire, which stretched from the Balkans in the west to India in the east. He is said to have been a brilliant tactician. He died in Babylon, aged 32, most feel by poisoning, although the evidence remains hazy. However, there is no doubting that Alexander the Great achieved a huge amount in a very short time and has never truly been equalled. His was the first statue we saw on our short walk from our hotel and set the scene for what was to follow.

Almost beside Alexander stands a tower. It is round, described as a cylindrical drum, and 34 metres high with a turret at its very top. This is the White Tower of Thessaloniki and has been used as a fortress, garrison and prison. Although the tower was built well before the 12th Century and once guarded the city’s former sea walls, it is not a happy place and feels spooky.

Perhaps it is because it was once known as the Red Tower because of the many mass executions that took place there during Ottoman times. That perhaps explains why the Red Tower, the Tower of Blood, was renamed the White Tower in 1890. However, even with a change if name, to me the tower looked evil. I was glad to hurry past.

As if a statue of Alexander the Great and a site of mass murder were insufficient, a short hop away was another statue. All we were doing was taking a gentle stroll, aiming for a downtown bookshop, but violence and warfare had stepped in. My thoughts that Greece was a peaceful land had clearly been at fault. This time the figure was of a skirted young woman carrying a heavy load on her back, including two rifles. This was a memorial to the Women of the Pindos, farm women from this mountainous region, who would climb to higher than 2000 metres with enormous loads to resupply the men fighting at the front. On their return they would carry the wounded back to medical care and something approaching vague safety.

I have a friend and colleague whose grandmother was a Woman of the Pindos. She had been active throughout World War Two, although especially the Greco-Italian conflict, and had watched her house being burned down on three separate occasions. These women were not softies, but as hard as nails. They would work in all weathers and are the unsung warriors of the Greco-Italian conflict of 1940, and beyond. It is said that they carried Greece on their shoulders, an admirable description.

Directly opposite the statue commemorating the Women of the Pindos, stands another, this time a man, who is portrayed as a tall and dignified warrior. He is armed. His right hand rests on the handle of a dagger that, along with two pistols, is held by his belt. The warrior holds a third pistol in his left hand. The statue was erected by the PanCretan Brotherhood of Macedonia and is certainly impressive. It is of a man ready for war. Who ever said Thessaloniki was peaceful?

We made it to the main Thessaloniki bookshop in the end, Ianos in the town centre, although by then our concentration had been diverted. All we could ponder was war, of which there had been plenty in northern Greece over many centuries. Yet bookshops are good places to relax. I never seem able to enter one without buying something. Although my knowledge of Greek is sketchy, there is still something about a book that forces me to pick it up. We spent and easy half-hour in Ianos, perusing books we could not comprehend, yet it did not matter.

“Do you have anything in English?” I asked a smiling shop assistant.

All I received was a headshake. Not one solitary book was in English.

Did that matter? No. That was our problem, and nothing to do with Ianos.

***

Stayed at:

Makedonia Palace Hotel, Leof. Meg. Alexandrou 2, Thessaloniki 546 40

Tel: +302310897197

Web: https://makedoniapalace.com

Email: info@makedoniapalace.gr

Ate at:

Marea Sea Spirit, Margariti Lori 13, Thessaloniki 54622

Tel: +302310257696