Acropolis, March 2007

A walk in my neighborhood park, in downtown Athens. Enjoying the view, the peace, the silence.
James Corsi

Wake-Up call

Slogan on the wall in Dafnomili street:

"Can we not wake up?
must we eternally, dear friends
die in our sleep?"

Phileon Café at corner Skoufa / Lycabettusstr, Kolonaki

There you were sitting,

Reading, waiting, thinking

Insofar as I came but did not arrive

As I was gone already before I came

And so I programmed my terrible loss

Only felt when you, my love, no longer

Are sitting there but I, hungry for news,

No longer read newspapers but my heart

Beating away always listens to your heart

Now so far away but still I listen for faint sounds

Reminding me of your presence once sitting there.

Hatto Fischer

Lykabettus stairs

Stairs cast in magical light,

The dog waiting there

While the shadow seems to peer

Who may descend besides Nothingness

As if Duchamp’s naked beauty

Had vanished in the Athenian maze

No more to be seen once she left

The dream at the top of the stairs

Wondering if Vermeer’s blue

Would make her return one day

To the Lycabettus hill in search

Of her own self having gone astray

In some other light and glare

Of a man becoming a woman

To outpace her destiny

Fixated at the bottom of the stairs

And still waiting in the Phileon café

In expectation of the book

To have been completely read

So that life could begin again

By climbing up to greet the sky

Finally coming down to words

Saying nothing more, nothing less

Then desire for love on this very day

Is needed foremost and not alone.

Hatto Fischer

KERAMEIKOS cemetary

Kerameikos cemetary is one of Athens' most beautiful, historically wealthy and impressive sites, yet it is also highly underrated. My first visit there was a nocturnal one, in August on the night of the full moon, when (every few years) the municipality bestows us with the opportunity to experience the magnificence of the ancient past - and its juxtaposition with the present - in a silvery light. The photos in this blog are from a very recent visit I made with a friend, who as a resident of Plaka, also had always intended to visit but never yet been. We were both delighted by the walk through the Spring-explosive nature that surrounds the marble (funerary) sculptures . The museum there is also very well-maintained, nicely laid-out and modern. The site is located at the bottom of Ermou Street. Entrance is 2E.

Ti Varaei?

This was on a wall in central Athens in Neapoli, just outside Aghios Nikolaos church. Literally it means "what's beating?". I'm not sure if it's advertising / promoting some form of artistic event, as it's is a new trend in Athens to spray paint the name of exhibitions etc onto streets, walls and posters, or if it's a general message to the world at large! AA

Athinas Fish Market

On a recent visit to the Athinas fish market I was fascinated to discover that the hall of fishy food has been nedecked with a row of television screens!! A fish-stall owner told a friend and I that each stall owner paid around 1000E for the screen, and the reason for these TVs is to bring the "new technology" vibe into the place, to show that fish sellers are just as "modern" as everyone else! What was wrong with those lovely white mobiles of fish hanging from the ceiling?? Why can't we at least get away from trashy, distracting, media messages while we're eyeing our red mullet or weighing our octopus? Bah, humbug! AA

THE EUROVISION BUG

God bless Eurovision! Yes, I might mean that sarcastically but I must confess I am of the Eurovision generation, which means I grew up watching it. I love to mock it and snort at the outright tackiness of this musically village idiot song competition, but deep down I love it! I love the blinding colour, the insupportable need it creates in one to imbibe drinks that barbie would drink, regardless if you are man or woman, it is camp and flamboyant and represents the remaining innocence and - every single day of the year apart from Eurovision Night - the inadequacy of 'Advanced Europe' in truly facing the brunt of modernity with a grayly rather than gaily adult mode de faire.

I took the photos posted above at the bottom of Ermou St, next to the tram "bedroom" that was brilliantly decorated by 4 young Brazilian spray paint artists on September 22 (European No Car Day) in 2005. The dancers in the pictures are being shot for a videoclip of the Eurovision entry star, Charpel, whose latino-Turkish plastic jungle beat song 'Maria' and unshaven cheeky, sexy, macho waiter look are representing the Greek nation this year! This area is often used for advert and film shootings, and especially in the last year since what is now the park area that runs down to Pireos St used to be a row of croggy, rat-infested shops and bars. The No Car Day spray art designs run all the way down Ermou on the walls of the tram station and round the corner on its tall walls along Pireos, right across Technopolis. This big block of in-your-face fantasy worlds with real messages only serves to laughingly, poignantly underline the fact that people will pay more attention to what needs to be considered when it is bright with colours and heartfelt ideas. AA

Pangrati dozer

Another old house has been mauled in Pangrati, to be replaced by a generic apartment building.
One Friday morning, I saw this Stilpionos Street gem being dramatically bashed in by a dozer, with dust rising in the morning sun.

For a place so keen on history, Athens has a penchant for destroying its historic
buildings! I hope the dozers stay away from Pangrati's other "monokatoikies" - and there are some beauties.

Angelike Contis

TEA SHOP WISH

Soon after I moved to Thisseio, I was stunned to discover that a herbal tea shop was opening up in my neighbourhood! Peonia serves a broad and fragrantly inviting variety of herbal teas from Greece and China, Africa and India, amongst other places around the globe. It centres on the beneficial aspects of each herb, and its Zen mentality about curative herbs, oils, crystals and flowers is apparent in its serenely meditative decor and welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable staff. Above R is a picture of Maria standing in front of the boxes and boxes of natural medicines. The tea shop is ideal for a chilled catch-up with long-lost friends or for going to write your novel.

Filopapou Sunday eye-opener

Last bright and sunny Sunday I took my dog and set off with a friend for a walk around Pnyx Hill. I had walked around Filopapou several times but had never taken this particular path, so when I saw the view (pictured above) I was stunned! There were Lycabettus Hill and the Acropolis right next to each other, separated by a cypress tree. (As for the woman in the distance, she was apparently picking 'horta' for her lunch!)

TECHNOPOLIS towers

Technopolis is especially cool at night when it's lit up with blues, reds, greens and other neons. I especially love the red towers that from a distance look like papier mache because of the way they're lit but are actually brown brick. AA

PIREUS, poetry

On the horizon
I see the boats
Centering in the light
Before darkness
Illuminates the night.
As knowledge of blind people
Goes with the wind
And the touch of the grass
So often forgotten
By ancient warriors like Achilles,
Says Homer
For war and fighting
Makes men blind
But blindness of another kind
Close to the rubbish heaps
Of history.

As gentle the landscape appears
The ancient thought and wisdom
Speaks of times
When men did not listen
But ran the ships to the ground
Even though they had found
Once a long time ago
There the protection they needed
Against burning arrows.
It was the Oracle of Delphi
that saved the citizens of Athens
And yet at first they did not go willingly
For the felt to leave the city behind
Was but an act of betrayal
For which they stoned to death
The wives and children
Of the leaders who had decided
To accept that interpretation
To be safe behind wooden boards
Meant to be on ships
And not at home
So as to escape the burning arrows
And Marx added to this story
The further going thought,
Indeed the city was destroyed by the Persians
But not the memories of the people
By which they rebuild the city
And helped it achieve
Something standing out in time,
So then Pireus is that close to Athens
As is wisdom of survival
To knowing what to see and to interpret
In time to listen to words of wisdom.

Hatto Fischer 6.1.2007

THISSEIO Bella & Bobby

Bella (PICTURED L), with her amazing eyes - one brown, one blue. She is the 'sister' of Bobby, and they are inseparable! Both are savvy and street-cool but also sweethearts and most of Thisseio adored them. They are together all day long playing with the other dogs and Thisseio is their playground. Everyone loves Bobby & Bella, who are not strays, by the way, they go home every night after enjoying a day of freedom and fun! AA

THISSEIO Bridge

I love walking on this bridge morning and night - when you get to the end of it you get the lovely view of Kerameikos ancient cemetary right across you (well a little further up to the R), Gazi or Technopolis across Pireos Ave (L) and Lycabettus hill (R). At night it's even more stunning with all the glittering lights. I often just stand and stare!

THISSEIO, Eptahalkou St

On Eptahalkou St (which leads down to Pireos avenue) there stands Agios Athanasios Kourkoulis, a tiny little church with ancient roots. It's always closed, so I've never been inside...This picture was taken at Christmas time, hence the zig-zag of golden lights below it.