In December 2013, I travelled to Thessaloniki with my wife to receive the grand prize in a photography competition organised jointly by the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography and Cedefop, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training. The award brought us to the city and gave us time to explore its streets and history.
Founded in the fourth century BCE, Thessaloniki became an important Mediterranean port. Roman monuments, Byzantine churches and Ottoman buildings reflect its many layers. For centuries, Greek, Muslim and Sephardic Jewish communities shaped the city. Much of its Jewish population was deported and murdered during the German occupation in the Second World War.
Between our commitments, we explored markets, small restaurants and side streets. We visited the White Tower, Aristotelous Square and the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born. On a sightseeing bus tour, the ticket seller recognised me from a local news report about the photography prize. His interest in the award and in photography turned an ordinary encounter into a lasting memory.
These photographs record Thessaloniki as I experienced it in December 2013: its monuments, everyday life and unexpected meetings. The prize was the reason for our visit, but the people and streets made the journey memorable.