I was awoken by lots of roadwork noise this morning which I thought was rather rude so early in the morning. However when I checked the time I discovered it was already 8.30! It feels like I’m becoming more Greek everyday, late nights & late mornings!!
After a breakfast of leftovers I wandered to a local Καφενείο for a proper Greek coffee. Ένα Ελλινικο μια ολίγη, A Greek one with a little. So, I am asking for a Greek coffee with a little sugar. It, of course, comes black & in a tiny cup with a little something on the side & a glass of water. I absolutely love the coffee, it’s strong, thick & is almost a meal in itself!
It’s totally acceptable to sit on a coffee like this for as long as you like & so I stayed in the shade watching the world go by for about an hour…bliss.
I walked around the neighbourhood of Pangrati for a while, I was looking for a little book bag to carry my new Greek text books in & the hippy shop didn’t disappoint 🕉️ .
Meandering through the mix of apartment buildings, shops, cafe’s & green spaces I was struck by how many people there are outside during the day. Everywhere you go people are gathered to smoke, talk, drink coffee & just sit. There appears to be a rather relaxed air to the environment but the girls last night were telling me that Greece has the highest reported rates of stress in Europe. Looks can be deceptive I suppose, but after the conversation led to the relaying of the state of politics in the country it’s no wonder people are stressed.
Early last year there was a head-on collision between two trains in which at least 57 people were killed. This was the worst rain disaster in Greek history. In the year after the accident relatives of the victims collected over 1.3 million signatures with the aim of abolishing immunity for ministers & commencing an inquiry concerning the involvement of ministers responsible for train safety. The public have decried the lack of progress by MP’s overseeing a parliamentary enquiry into the crash & believe the government are covering things up.
Only this week it’s been revealed that a former Governor is being investigated over allegations that he ordered the crash site to be covered with gravel & concrete to hide evidence from investigators & that the wrecked train cars were removed from the site before investigations were completely carried out.
This is, according to Greeks, the final nail in the coffin for the corrupt Government that have been running the country for years. People have started to make noise about what they now know is happening with regards to the nepotism, corruption & failures of the Government to carry out, in this case, work on the railway safety system which was overlooked by successive administrations. The European Commission had referred Greece to the EU’s Court of Justice for failing to sign & publish an upgrade agreement & it was revealed that the EU had backed railway projects over the last 10 years in Greece worth over 700 million euros.
When you start to dig a little there are some unpleasant truths revealed about the country & those who are supposed to be running it for the good of its citizens. So whilst to a tourist, like me, things seem rosy, there is an undercurrent of deep unhappiness amongst the population. Still though people are friendly, welcoming & appear to be open hearted, however this week has been difficult one as people start to question how deep the deceit of its ruling bodies runs.
Anyway, that got dark, but important to talk about.
After my stroll I made my way to the Museum of Cycladic Art to look at artefacts dating from prehistoric times to the early Byzantine era. It’s all beautifully presented & some of the pieces are breathtaking, humans really are the most amazing creatures, we are so creative & practical. The museum showcases the socio-political development of Ancient Greece & the emergence of democracy. Beautiful glass objects & gold jewellery are displayed next to objects of war & marble figurines.
This amazing piece was as tall as me & carved from a single piece of marble. It depicts a woman & is an advanced form of the original statues which look like violins. The exact purpose of the figurines is unknown but it’s thought that they were used to adorn graves or as part of a burial ceremony. Much mystery still surrounds these enigmatic sculptures three millennia after their original manufacture.
These three glass vessels were all made in the 4-5th century BC, long before glass blowing had been invented. The middle one is a feeding bottle & commonly found in children’s burial sites. The attention to detail & colours are mind blowing when you consider how old they are.
I spent a couple of hours wandering around the museum before it was time to head off to Greek class for the third gruelling day in a row. It’s become glaringly apparent that I am very poor at Greek…however I’m not alone! There were 6 of in class & there was much laughter as we tried to shop, describe pictures & talk about the weather. I’m relieved that my life doesn’t depend on speaking Greek & I’m thankful (as I always am when I travel overseas) that I grew up speaking English because it really is the universal language.
Walking home slowly I revelled in the warmth of the evening & the excitement of being in a foreign city all alone. Athens really does come alive at night, it’s vibrant, colourful & noisy but walking through the national gardens you can almost forget about the city as you listen to the blackbirds singing the city into the evening.
This is Ermou the main pedestrian shopping street at 1815. As you can see it’s crowded & warm. Behind me is the Byzantine church of Panaghia Kapnikara in the square where Greek class is & in the distance is Syntagma Square & the Old Royal Place. This a city of contrasts…old & new, noisy & quiet, concrete & nature & yet all blended beautifully. There is a higldy pigldy nature about Athens that is so different from Adelaide where everything is laid out to a neat plan. Here one gets the feeling the city has just kept growing on top of itself without any prior planning or foresight & yet it works.
I’m unsure what the wattle & daub hut at the base of the tree is but it struck me as interesting! This Taverna is one of the oldest in the area & features live music some nights. There is a ‘beer garden’ across the road where revellers can enjoy a drink right in the heart of the residential neighbourhood…not too far to stumble home 🥴
Again, I’m unsure what tomorrow will bring but it’s going to be warm again & that makes everything εντάξει.