The optimism of northern Greece
This country has a tremendous capacity to regenerate. I felt it, once again, during a visit to Thessaloniki. The city itself seems to have gained the confidence and extroversion it had lacked, which had been holding it back.
The business hubs that have been created by large companies, the dynamic Greek export companies that are doing very well, the new hotels and restaurants that give Thessaloniki a very lively character, the important events being held – all these things together have given a great boost to the country’s second largest city. The biggest evidence is the neighborhoods and buildings that were run-down a few years ago but which have now acquired a new vitality. Obviously, there is still much that could be done. Thessaloniki has many opportunities that are waiting to be explored.
But I also visited the city on the occasion of the Gastronomos magazine awards, and I confess that once again I was thrilled to see people from all over the country step onto the podium to receive an award with incredible modesty, respect for tradition and pride in what they do. They reflect that part of the country that is quietly and professionally creating something new. Whether they are making honey, loukoumia or pastourma based on their great-grandfather’s recipe, they combine something completely modern while still holding on to the thread of tradition linking them to their family and homeland. These are not people who complain, nor are they miserably waiting for some deus ex machina to solve their problems. They fight and succeed, they love their work and make a living out of it. I wish we could clone and produce more of them.
Finally, I went to Thessaloniki to visit the University of Macedonia’s experimental school in the district of Neapoli, as part of the Junior Achievement program that promotes entrepreneurship in schools. I found there teachers with passion and enthusiasm and lots of smart students. I left with the belief that this new generation will definitely produce something better, optimistic and ambitious that will make a difference in the country. Young, confident children who know what they want and will get it.
A good friend of mine who believes that, after the Second Coming, only Thessaloniki and Halkidiki will remain intact because they are paradise, often tells me that “a visit to northern Greece every now and then will do you good.” Of course, I’m not blind, I also know the other side of this city: the tendency toward regression, the conspiracy theories and the introversion. But there is vitality, creation and a new generation that is not giving up. And I think that my friend is right, and I shall follow his advice more regularly.
