My Celestyal Cruise Journey: Thessaloniki

🌸Thessaloniki, our first port of call after leaving Athens, proved why it's hailed as Greece's second city in Lonely Planet. 🌸Disembarking was effortless—ticket vendors had set up under umbrellas right at the pier, and hop-on-hop-off buses waited just steps away, minimizing walking. 💦The ticket included a map and audio headphones (plug-in jacks on the bus offered multilingual commentary—though no Chinese, so I relied on English). 💦The schedule was flexible; at landmarks like the White Tower, the driver paused for 10 minutes—ample time to snap photos before reboarding. ⭐The city's tiered terrain culminates at the Thessaloniki Walls, where panoramic harbor views unfold. En route, the bus passed a hillside cemetery before climbing to the castle. ⭐ Don't miss the 5th-century Roman baths beneath Hagios Demetrios Church—also a Christian martyr site—accessed through a tiny doorway near the altar. 🌈For brave souls, the open-top bus deck (despite the heat) revealed the most urbanized stop of our cruise: no skyscrapers, but straight Roman-era streets, traffic lights, and red-roofed neighborhoods defining this former Macedonian capital. #ThessalonikiWalls #HagiosDemetrios #GreekCruise