The old covered markets in this ancient city.

Set on a crossroads between central Europe and the Mediterranean, between Europe and Asia.

I was visiting Kostas Kotsakis and talking at the university about landscape and archaeology. Pelagia Astrinidou took me on a tour of the city she knows so well. The covered central market in Athens, Varvakios Agora, is a favorite place of mine; so we went to Salonika's equivalent.

I ran through several rolls of Fuji Provia on the Leica M7 with a 50mm Noctilux - a favorite combination of mine because it deals so well with just this kind of ambience. It was quite gloomy so I wasn't expecting great images, but people were very open and friendly with us. There would be a look of surprise and suspicion followed by a friendly acknowledgement as people just got on with their business. I glanced at the developed film, saw little that interested me however, and filed them away for a few years. When I did get round to scanning them that wintry morning in 2006 came instantly back to me in those looks, so well caught here.

And the Quiddities - the textures and qualities of the meat and fish, the floors, walls, lighting. And this works well in color.

Haecceity - the sense of place created by all these things gathered here, in this way, at that time.

Physiognomies - the faces, and the history witnessed in the sense of place.