Before leaving Athens, Jarre and I went to nearby Monastiraki Square to meet up with our friend Rachel Marks, who is also studying in the city. There, we met Elias:
After first asking the ubiquitous question ("American?"), he proceeded to tell me how much he loved our music. Ringing endorsements of everything from Led Zeppelin to the Beastie Boys to Slayer followed, punctuated by many an "OK!" and "No problem". He even pulled out a Joy Division CD! Here I was, thinking: Hey, this is a pretty cool dude. Also, well-dressed for the sort of guy who seems to spend his time drinking heavily in public places and not shaving for long periods of time. Smelled a bit, too.
Then he started talking about immigrants. I quote: "Now, I am not a racist, but these Arabs, these Africans...they are dirty, you know?" Smile and nod. "Athens...she was so much better 20 years ago before...you know, they started showing up."
He also went on a tirade about how much he hates the Turks. When I asked him more about it, he said, "You know much about the war?" I explained that no, I did not know the details, to which he replied, "eh, no problem. It is in the past. Long time ago." Odd, for a guy who just spent 10 or 20 minutes bashing them.
On Tuesday, we went up to the Acropolis by the Pareanaic Way, the same which the ancient Athenians used to transport their sacrifices to Athena during the annual festival in her honor. Once outside the shop district, I found myself momentarily thinking I was in a very well-manicured Southern California. The weather is near identical and, but for the olive trees, the vegetation as well. We even saw a few prickly pears along the side of the path, though how they got there is anyone's guess.
We arrived (my Lewis & Clark ID card got me half off the ticket price!) and were greeted with this:
Inside, the Parthenon loomed:
According to Cameron, our soon-to-be Historical Studies professor, the Parthenon was fine -- practically in perfect shape -- until Mussolini decided it would be a fine place to store artillery shells. Predictably, they went off, and hence the present ruined state.
As we wandered between these ancient pillars, I couldn't help but think that those stones still standing have done so for at least 10 times longer than we have even had a country. We hold ourselves up as a police force and moral compass for the entire world, and yet, as a country, we are infants compared to a place like Greece. It's sobering, and somewhat worrisome.
Leaving the A-Crop (as we took to calling it), we picked up a few adorable strays. They followed us all the way down the mountain! I wonder if they are smart enough to realize that people dressed differently than the locals are most likely wealthy tourists, and therefore more likely to give them food. They must be doing something right -- they all seem impeccably groomed and well-fed.
Spent a few hours eating lunch at a small cafe. The Greeks (and, from what I understand, Europeans in general) have no sense of hurry whatsoever. I'm reminded of Douglas Adams' maxim that "Time is an illusion, and lunchtime doubly so."
Next time: More about this paradisaical little island. Τα λέμε!
No comments:
Post a Comment