Inside the Ayía Sofía
Thessaloniki, Greece
January 19, 2009
Thessaloniki, Greece
January 19, 2009
It took a couple of attempts to get a look inside the Hagia Sofia in Thessaloniki. Despite the hours posted outside, the doors seemed permanently shut to the public. This was to be my introduction to the loose relationship the Greeks have with time. Eventually I happened by at the right moment. Unlike it’s considerably more grand namesake in Istanbul, the inside is free of scaffolding and provides an unobstructed view of the recently restored mosaic under the central dome. Or rather, it would have if there was better lighting. Perhaps the caretaker hadn’t gotten around to turning the lights on yet but the only light source was the afternoon soon streaming in through the windows.
