THE WATERFRONT OF THESSALONIKI SNOW-COVERED: 2017 SNOWFALL
The waterfront of Thessaloniki – divided into the old waterfront, along the historical center, and the new waterfront, southeast of the White Tower – is the most vital area and the largest organized public space for recreational activities in the city. Along the 5km-long promenade, you can find many parks and gardens, monuments, art installations, outdoor sports facilities, playgrounds, a bike lane, and more. In this post, you can see a different aspect of the area after the snowfall on January 10 and 11, 2017.
Besides the almost total absence of snow in Thessaloniki during the 16 previous years (the last considerable snowfall was in December 2001), this occasion was even more unique because it happened to be the first snowfall for the city in the age of social media, smartphone cameras and drones. Also, since 2014, the citizens of Thessaloniki had once again access to their New Waterfront following its redevelopment that lasted for almost 6 years.
Despite the low temperatures, the paralyzed urban transport, and the slippery sidewalks, the people of Thessaloniki went out to enjoy the snow and at the same time, a large number of unique pictures and footage were shot and uploaded on-line, collectively documenting the snow-covered city.
Apart from the most popular subjects for photography along the promenade (the “Umbrellas” Installation, the White Tower, and the Statue of Alexander the Great), the highlight of our own walk, in the morning of January 11, was an impressive Grey Heron, that was wandering in the New Waterfront’s Garden of Water (see the pictures below). Not something you would normally see in an urban environment (unless you are in Amsterdam), but it seems that urban design together with Nature is able to transform the space of the city into something totally different.
The chances of seeing snow in Thessaloniki remain low. However, it snowed again just two years later (for pictures from the 2019 snowfall, including more areas of the city, click here).
