Part 1 Athens
The trip to Turkey had been finalized when I decided to ‘add
on’ Athens…just one and half hours flying time between Istanbul and Athens.
All through my school years Greek Mythology
had been one of my favorite readings. I
loved the highly individualistic Gods and Goddesses, icons of various
attributes, with passions similar to ours but with astounding prowesses. Another
push came from ."Birds without Wings” by Louis de Bernieres
. A novel with the bitter struggle
between the Greeks and Turks as its background. There
are gory bits, and some wonderfully etched relationships which exist in spite of differences
in religion.
The sum total of all this was an additional three days to my
itinerary and the ticket was extended. It was a good decision.
Athens is a beautiful
city where the ancient and the modern sit very comfortably together.
I could find no signs of the economic crisis that the
country is going through.
The
sidewalk cafes and their hosts were cheerful…there were plenty of tourists...
..it seemed normal .
In
the midst of this normalcy is a phenomena that is the Acropolis ....
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with its temple of Athena Nike on a rocky hill, the
Parthenon temple, the Propylaea gateway and my entire reading came alive.
The view is spectacular ; the Mediterranean Sea is visible
and what a setting for a Maria Callas, John Elton performance.
I liked Athens. There are big busy streets and small
pedestrian friendly ones. I love to walk
and have the world’s worst sense of direction…but was always given directions
happily…accurately!
The Temple of Apollo ...the god of music who had
a daily task of driving his chariot to move the sun across the sky is in
Delphi.
Athens to Delphi is an approximate two hour drive on a road without a
single bump
I was given strange glances both by my guide and the
driver of the car when I kept complimenting them on their roads..the very clean
toilets..the efficiency at the ticket window..where they never seemed to be out
of change.
I think I was no different to my US buyers who
came to India and wanted me to stop the
car every time they saw a cow on the street which they felt they simply had to take a picture of.
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| Trying out the opening bars...before my performance. |
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| Delphi |
Two other memories that will remain are of Arachova , a charming mountain town on the way to Delphi..it is a ski resort..scantily populated at this time of the year because unlike India..everyone goes to the seaside for summer. Its town of carpet weavers, handicrafts..and picturesque eating places
AND that of
The Acropolis Museum
…a beautiful, beautiful home for what is not on site. Bernard Tschumi Architects have done a great job..the modernity of the
structure, fixtures, in no way quarrels with the exhibits..it just makes for
very comfortable and enriching viewing.with enough places to rest, audio
visuals and a great café.
Actually you need a complete day here. I need to go back!
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