Strolls & Reflections

Strolling Around in Omonoia

Strolling around in the city as a flaneur was a first-time experience that I can describe as interesting and edifying but also overwhelming. Starting my walk, I felt “lost” by the massive volume of information I was constantly exposed to. Everything around me seemed both interesting and trivial. The city of Athens is a vibrant place full of people moving around at a pace that can be very well described as frantic. So, it was hard for me to just let go and observe. What helped me was the small detours I took though the alleys and narrower streets that expand through the city center and around Omonoia. What mainly caught my attention was the differences hidden beneath the obvious similarities, regarding both people and structures. I saw small stores where people were working or cafes where people were relaxing, I got myself thinking about their differences. Why people of seemingly the same roughly age who live in the same city engaging in such different activities or routines during the same time of the day? Regarding the buildings in those narrow streets, most of them seemed old and relatively small something I was expecting considering where they were built. Their condition on the other hand was totally different. I could see beautiful little buildings seemingly abandoned next to others of the same period very well preserved most of them serving a different purpose, some were houses other cafes and some were churches. I found it very interesting as to why those buildings were abandoned, I wanted to learn more about their history and to understand what their purpose and function was before they were deserted. Walking in a slow pace and observing everything around me didn’t provide me with any clear answers regarding the city but it raised a number of questions that can guide me towards an “answer” and hopefully gain a deeper understanding of my surroundings, their purpose and history.

Submitted by: Stavrogiannis Christos

Stroll to Sepolia

Our walk yesterday (July 11^th) was interesting since we moved by foot and covered a big distance which gave us a good opportunity to see and discover places of Athens I ‘ve never seen or knew existed. I encountered a synagogue of the Jewish Athenian community, in the same road where the museum of ceramic art is and all these next to the ancient Keramikos cemetery. I continued strolling following mainly the smaller streets that led to Sepolia. I encountered a number of everyday life interactions and activities , people with shopping bags returning home , usually older people interacting outside of their houses sitting on plastic chairs next to an old and quiet rusty table playing cards and chatting intensively over a cup of  coffee, beautiful ivies covering a number of houses that I passed by all left me an impression that Athens might not have changed that much since the 50s and 60s from what I have learned from the cities depiction of that era. People in more secluded or smaller neighborhoods seems to interact and communicate in a way that doesn’t fit with what I would expect the interactions to be in a big city. Our walk ended when we reach Plato’s Academy. A placed of great significance, as I have learned yesterday, but with almost nothing left to indicate that importance. No actual remains can be seen where the Academy was once built, no efforts for promotion have been made and also the part of the modern city of Athens that was built around the academy is one of the poor parts of the city with nothing than some scattered signs indicating the place where the academy was build. After a very interesting and informative tour to Plato’s digital museum, through which I discovered the actual importance of Plato’s academy as the first university of the world, I was thinking why wouldn’t anyone focus on preserving and utilizing this site of great historical importance improving at the same time the socioeconomic status of the surrounding area.

Submitted by: Stavrogiannis Christos

Stroll to Municipal Library

Our last stroll from Panepistimio to the municipal library of Athens was mainly interesting for me for its beginning and destination. The walk until there was in places I have already walked before, of course now it was different as I was paying attention to details I would normally ignore but, what caught my attention the most was the point we began our stroll. I consider the area around Panepistimio station to be one of the most beautiful spots of Athens, moreover it is a place that three significant and imposing neoclassical buildings of Athens are located. The National Library, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Academy of Athens, this “neoclassical trilogy” constitutes the area a pole of attraction for tourists and a place of historical and contemporary significance for Athens. From there until the municipal library what also struct me was the “dramatic” changes that occur between just a few steps. Especially from the National Archaiological Museum towards Larissa’s Station. The impressive area in front the museum was full of people that seemed to be “separated” by police forces from the streets connecting to 28^th Oktovriou, streets that seemed to be part of a blighted area, so close to the so well-kept space around the museum. Our destination was the municipal library a place that has a massive volume of literature regarding Athens. Very revealing and interesting for me was the fact that I got to view first-hand how an archive is. I have never before visited the municipal library or even new where it actually was (even If I have been to Larissa’s Station) which made me think how little I knew about the city I live in.

Submitted by: Stavrogiannis Christos

Strolling Incognito in Omonia!

During my first strolling in the city of Athens (Omonia), I find it very easy to become a flaneur and observe like a face among the crowd. Not being from Athens made it quite easy to be flattered and amazed from almost everything that I saw. This flirtation was combined with the constant feeling of curiosity regarding street names, buildings, as well as statues.
As I was walking, I had the tendency of looking upward, and that’s why the first thing that grabbed my intention was balconies of buildings of classic architecture. I noticed that the first-floor balconies of the buildings had quite a lot of space. Whereas the balconies of the second floor and above were in width smaller the size of an adult foot. Also, another thing that was fascinating was that the balconies were all decorated with amazing curved designs. And I was shocked to realize that curved decoration was found even at the bottom of the balcony not only at the sides. While my attention was absorbed from the many different shapes of balconies and the designs on them, I noticed that some of those amazingly designed balconies were part of old building (classical architecture) and were now function as bank or shopping store for clothes. Moreover, a corner-building was rounded with a rounded shape balcony; something that in my eyes seemed so odd and out of the ordinary (it reminded me of an igloo).
While I was mesmerized by the designs of the balconies and of the building, I found myself very disappointed when I got annoyingly distracted by the loud noise of the cars at Stadiou street. The traffic and the loud corns of the impatience drivers signaled the rapid and full of distractions life of a capitalistic city. Apart from the noise, the one thing that made me want to change paths was the disgusting smell of some roads. Omonia is the place where a lot of the refuges and homeless leave; so, as the streets of Omonia is their “bed” it’s their “bathroom” too. Athens ‘center has many homeless people, mainly due to the many refuges that have come over the years. It is a pity having the Athens Center with a smell of ‘ouria’ covering the streets of Omonia. Cities should open their gates to refuges, but make sure that they can provide at least adequate care and services in order such extreme conditions of poverty. Last but not least, in the main street called “Stadiou”, a small track had parked illegally blocking half of the sidewalk. Such an illegal parking becomes a distraction to that a passing pedestrian. In a social space this illegally parked track becomes a “physical threats” that distracts people’s mind and deprives them from the opportunity to absorb the city itself.

Written by: Anastasia Nikolaou

Strolling Incognito in Acropoli!

Walking at Dionisiou Aeropagitou street is an amazing experience itself. The eye cannot manage but to automatically gaze and admire Acropoli. The mind though will travel among the admiration into the place of wonder and question; why to destroy such a monument; as I like to call it the “heart” of Athens. Some people support the reconstruction of the monument; whereas others argue against it. An opinion is to offer the ruins of the monument the minimum maintenance. Another option is too move towards the reconstruction accepting the risk of constructing “a half-new monument” since the identically is definitely unattainable. History shows that such answers are given by rolling classes. In other words, the decision, on whether the reconstruction of the Parthenon should be done or not, will be made by the those in power and will be based in criteria unknown to us.  – I consider the criteria to be mainly unknown because the “truth motives” of a governmental decision will not be published into any newspaper or website. Those truth motives might stay hidden under the face of the “published lies”
When the eye and the mind is clear from thoughts regarding acropoli; a new observation can take place. In my case as a flaneur the observation come out to be very strange and peculiar. It was a graffiti (figure 1). Walking at dionissiou aeropagitou and apostolou pavlou streets the eye will not find rather than very few graffities; whereas at omonia half of the walls are covered with them. The graffiti that grabbed my attention was a Centaurs holding a pitcher (κανάτα – in Greek). Centaurs are anthropomorphous with a half man upper torso and half horses lower body. What to me seemed very strange, odd and unexpected was seeing a centaur holding a pitcher. In ancient times, man would use pitchers to drink wine. Mythology has taught us that centaurs were wild creatures affiliated with war and flights. They are mainly illustrated in pictures with very muscular torso holding their arc, like they are ready for a fight (see figure 2). Whereas, the graffiti depicts a centaur that enjoys the moment by “probably drinking some wine” while having a friendly and peaceful attitude.

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Written by: Anastasia Nikolaou

Strolling Incognito in Sepolia!

Strolling incognito at Sepolia neighborhood is a totally different experience than strolling in downtown Athens. Being far away from all the touristy places and the traffic, allowed my mind to relax and observe without being constantly pulled back to “reality”. I mainly walked in small streets surrounded by housed and flats. Some of the old people were sitting at their balconies having quiet conversations. In the ground level of a flat, a few elderly women were talking maybe “gossiping” (about the gossip of the neighborhood); sitting on pillows that had placed on the surface of their plastic chairs. They reminded of imagines that I am mostly used on seeing in roads and neighborhoods of villages. Although the neighborhoods at Sepolia are engaged with crime and poverty, I caught myself feeling safe. People were also walking relatively calm no clues of being hurry. I was surprised to come across with many supermarkets and minimarkets but only one coffee place and not even one restaurant. The area seemed not to have “life” – life of young people walking around going for coffees and bars to socialize. On the one hand, this neighborhood seemed like a place where you can isolate yourself. On the other hand, it seemed like an area where people know each with their small names; an area where you say good morning to a stranger on the street.

Written by: Anastasia Nikolaou

Strolling Incognito in “the heart” of Athens!

I was again strolling at the center “the heart” of Athens; where all the traffic, the noise, the impatient drives take place. It’s where capitalism lives! People were rushing – not a sign of patience. It seemed like they didn’t have to look towards the direction of where they were going – it seemed that they were in the middle of a routine; a routine that they can do it with close eyes. Their minds were probably occupied by thoughts of the “routine”. It almost seemed like they were present but at the same time they were absent. They had totally abandoned the city, they were not interacting with it, they were using the building and the streets, but they were not observing it or at least enjoying it. They were simply going from point A to point B. This made me think that people have totally forget to relax and wonder, they have become machines and robots.

Walking at Asklipiou Street I saw the statue of Gregory Ksenopoulos. Ksenopoulos (1867 – 1951) was a novelist, journalist and playwright. The “negatively interesting” thing with that statue was that his eyes were painted with red paint. At first, I question why would someone want to vandalize such a monument? What is the personal again out of ‘destroying’ something that belong to the public at large? Although all those thoughts were going around my heads, I stand in front of the statue looking directly to the red painted eyes and I thought: at least now “he (Gregory Ksenopoulos) can’t see the capitalist Athens” – that “ugly transformation of our Athena!”. Maybe everyone can close their eyes in front of the rationalization of what we have become as a society. Maybe everyone can lock themselves in their routines and false belief that they are comfortable and safe in them. For a change to occur people need to leave their routines; leave their comfort zones; deconstruct; collect information and then reconstruction a “better” system of beliefs values and norms.

Written by: Anastasia Nikolaou

Bizarre stroll

Getting off the Metro station in Acropolis, at first, it seems like a regular station, however, if you observe like a flaneur you will witness one of the findings of the excavation when building the Metro, the Byzantine sewers very well preserved. Even though it is a big exhibit, many people missed it because it is a common thing for the people in the capitals to walk always in a hurry bypassing many interesting things. The stroll on Areopagitou street was fantastic! While walking on the street you get to see the Acropolis and the Parthenon, the Herodion Atticus and many neoclassical buildings which are either inhabited or have become public services. What was really awkward for me, hence the bizarre word in the title, was the mix of the buildings that come different eras. On the one hand, you could witness marvelous manors and on the other hand you could see derelict buildings attached to them, destroying the whole beauty. While advancing to Thiseion (which was wrongly named Thiseion) we saw the summer cinema which has a fantastic view to the Acropolis during the night time. I can’t think but wonder if anyone could stare at the movie, or, the Parthenon. Then, we reached the Monastiraki area where we saw the street markets filled with old furniture, statues, chandeliers, things of the past that people in the 50’s or 60’s thought were useless and now everyone wishes to buy back and in a high price. After we rested, because even flaneurs are humans, we saw the ancient ruins of Athens near the train rails left unattended unfortunately and continuing to decay…
by Skartsilakis Emmanouil

Omonoia Stroll

I have never imagined that by walking in a slow pace i would be able to witness so many things that i did not observe before, and trust me, they were many. With Anastasia we saw that all the central streets were named after very important people that played a role in Greece’s development. Omonoia at first glance is a weird area, neo-classical buildings mixed with old buildings that are monstrosities, abandoned manors next to modern buildings or vice versa. The smells were totally mixed. Because the area has a lot of refugees, they own shops where they cook their cuisine which is not similar to ours, thus, at first the smell is weird but it attracts you because it is not bad! However, all that nice smell you seek to find where it comes from is quickly substituted with the smell of urine which comes from abandoned places that exist there. We also witnessed many statues, poorly preserved unfortunately, of people that we did not know but we found out that had a role in the development of Greece too. Out of the blue, interesting arcades emerged which were almost summoning you to walk in and discover new things. We were also amazed that many public services and banks were located in neoclassical buildings. On the one hand it is a pity to see such a beautiful house not to be a house anymore, on the other hand, these services protect them and preserve them. Being a Flaneur i believe it opened our eyes to a new world.
by Skartsilakis Emmanouil

From Sepolia to Digi-Plato

Sepolia, as we have heard from others, is a place which is not easily approached. It is said that it has notorious neighborhoods filled with gypsies or drug addicts/dealers. Having reached Sepolia seemed a bit scary in the beginning due to the brain wash we sustained, however, we saw something entirely different. New buildings, coffee shops, supermarkets, parks and generally a suburb that is evolving and developing. Of course, there are still areas in Sepolia that need maintenance. As we where strolling, we sat to a beautiful park mesmerized by its beauty. Our task was to find the digital museum of Plato (if only he knew that someday he would be digitized!!). The task became a mission because it was a bit difficult to discover the museum. There were no signs and even with the help of technology, it still was tricky. When we arrived at the museum, I was thrilled with all the things we could learn about Plato! The academy he built was there in digital form (since the original academy of Plato built by his disciple, Aristotle, was long gone) giving you the opportunity to absorb all the knowledge you could get. While wandering, we saw the famous painting of Raphael which represented the Academy of Plato and we found out very interesting things regarding the techniques and the hidden meanings of the painting!! Later, we experienced Plato’s Allegory of the cave (long story short, the allegory was created to show to people the effect of education and the lack of it in our nature) in an interactive way. It is a shame that the State does nothing to appoint such historic figures and areas. If they could create a replica of the Academy of Plato, everyone’s soul would benefit from its sight.
by Skartsilakis Emmanouil

Road to enlightenment

Our final stroll took place at the Public Library of Athens. Before we reached the library, we had the chance to walk through streets that had something significant to show us. For example in Solonos street, behind Law school, exist statues of important people of Greece, like, Kostis Palamas, a famous poet, author who helped develop poetry in Greece. He was also nominated for the Nobel of Literature 14 times! Near his statue, should be the statue of Athena that has a miniature of the Parthenon on her head which represents that she is the patron god of the city. Unfortunately, it was vandalized and it was taken in order to be restored. After that, we walked through the Polytechnic school of Athens which is also famous for the uprising on November 17 in 1973 which was the date that the people tried to overthrow Greece’s military dictatorship. Near the Polytechnic school we saw the Archaeological museum of Athens which hosts many interesting and ancient findings in a very good condition. Our last stop was the Public Library. In my opinion it is located in a not so welcome area and also it is not an area easily approached. The moment you step into the Temple of knowledge you forget everything! We were able to see the Archives and then we had access to a room that had many interesting books regarding Athens from all kinds of fields. It was a fascinating experience! We managed to find valuable sources for our essays and for our mental cultivation. It is the Mecca of knowledge!
by Skartsilakis Emmanouil

Tremor stroll

Friday , 19th of July approximately at 14:10. While getting ready to get out to have a coffee with my friends, the tremor began! For the first 2-3 seconds i was not panicked because i am somehow used to the earthquakes, however, it became a bit stronger and things started falling down and it reminded me the shocking earthquake of 1999. Telecommunications went down and i could not contact my family to tell them that i am ok. So, i decided to meet with my friends at Syntagma square and start flaneuring! Literally EVERYONE was on the streets, roaming around, others crying, others panicking, others laughing. As we were walking down the Ermou street we saw shops closing for a while for safety reasons and we avoided proximity to derelict buildings in case a new earthquake might occur.  After we had our coffee, we went to Monastiraki square, which is known for the abandoned buildings it has, to see whether everything was ok there! No dramatic damage was witnessed, contrary to what the news were spreading. The only thing we saw and was dangerous was the cross on the top of the church which was leaning and the police secured the area to protect the people in case it collapsed. We overheard what people were saying while watching the leaning cross, some were saying it is a sign, some were saying that it is only natural for this to happen since the church looks abandoned! We went with the first approach! The fire brigade came afterwards and removed the cross. Daily routine seemed restored and then we decided to leave. My senses were heightened during night time since i live alone but finally i was able to relax and sleep.
by Skartsilakis Emmanouil

Strolling towards the Municipal Library of Athens

Walking towards the Central Municipal Library of Athens, we had the chance to see in Patission avenue the Polytechnic School, the Archaeological Museum, and the external side of the train station “Larissa Station”. 

As we started from Panepistimio station, we left from Solonos street, we turned to our right in Patission avenue and then finally to the left in Ipirou street all the way down to Ioulianou where the train (and metro) station is. As I am not used to walk but rather use the car in such quartier of athens, the distance in my head seemed longer than it finally were. We easily found our way by observing the architecture and roads of Athens. 

By walking in Patission, the avenue which goes from Omonoia to Anw Patissia, it was quite noticable that this part of the city was not the cleanest one. Parks between the Polytechnic school and the museum were neglected with garbages on the soil. I believe this area should have the attention that its deserve, to make the life of its habitants and workers more agreeable.  
 

The Municipal Library is also a little jewelery which is not highly noticeable if you don’t have any electronic devices with you.

Before entering, we were asked to write our names and address in a book, something that I liked! It reminded me our archival research with Kimon Friar. I imagined possible writers who might have passed in the past in this library, a place where I was. Perhaps the names of famous writers are signed in this book! 

I really appreciated the fact that all the books for Athens were assembled in a room. It makes the research easier and it is also like it displays some respect towards the capital of the city.  

by Marion Polemis

Astro-Archaeology of Athens

How much Astronomy and Archeology are related?  

Astronomy borrowed from Greek mythology in order to name planets from our solar system and it is also related to ancient Greek archeology. Going beyond our Earth barriers we notice mountains much higher than Everest, such as the Olympus Mountain in Mars which is the highest mountain of our solar system. We also have Jupiter, the largest of all. We know that it is the reason why Earth exists today. 

Names in Astronomy are not attributed for no reason. When we combine the knowledge of Greek myths and how the personalities are represented in the sky, it immediately makes sense.   

Greeks of the Antiquity had impressive knowledge of mathematics, geometry, architecture, and physics. Τhe Parthenon, the temple of Athena is the proof of such knowledge.  

Greek mythology has been used in Astronomy but also for a representation of symbols in songs such as a Rembetiko one “Londra, Parisi, Athina” were it describes how much Athens is beautiful and is a seducer to the Gods themselves who descend in Plaka to drink retsina (a greek wine) and then drunk in the night, go to sleep in the Parthenon.  

by Marion Polemis

Poverty coexisting with Wealth!

The word “poverty” can be pictured by a homeless person laying on a dirty street right next to an abounded building. BUT that is not the only picture that depicts ‘poverty’ in the real world. Societies are able to define poverty mainly because of the existence of other social classes that enjoy a better standard of living with certain luxuries and other class which are able to at least adequate cover their basic survival needs. Having that being said, in a real world, poverty is surrounded with wealth. So, a homeless person can be sleeping or begging outside of a restaurant where other people having lunch/dinner and entrainment themselves under the sound of a live band or simply under the joy of company. And such picture depicts what we call “social inequality”, which is the base up on which rolling classes found ground to construct and promote[1] the capitalist way of living. The line that shouldn’t have been crossed is the perception of social inequality as a social ‘norma’. For example, people’s absolute acceptance of the natural coexistence of poverty and wealth, can be viewed as a sociocultural ‘problem’. The above picture indicates an old car with broken windows that doesn’t function anymore (poverty) right next to a glamorous probably new car (wealth).

• The old car depicts the poverty itself or the result of a society with poverty (people can’t afford fixing their car and thus they abandon it)
• The new car depicts the middle-class, which when compared with poverty is considered wealth.

The raised question: It is ‘ok’ to come across with social inequality and pass by it without even noticing it. But what if the eyes did notice it but the mind unconsciously decided to abound the ‘picture’ since there was nothing worth of observing in it[2]?

[1] The capitalist way of life was in my understanding promoted by targeting the unconscious of people’s mind. People were being promoted while they couldn’t grasp that something was being promoted to them. Maybe the major reason for the deep establishment of capitalism was the slowly and unconscious brainwash of the people.

[2] The fact that such ‘pictures’ of social inequality constantly appear in the everyday life may be a major factor of why social equality has become a ‘social norma’ and thus the unconscious of people’s mind believes that there is not something worth observing in it.

Written by: Anastasia Nikolaou

Athens “changes” Faces!

A city changes its face under the morning light and the darkness of the night. There are places that during the morning and lunch hours are walked up and down from people who are socializing, laughing or just simple rushing through. But when the night comes, those places might become dark areas where danger, threat and crime might be hiding.
A city can also change faces from season to season. In the photos below, you can see a small street covered by the darkness of the night. The light that you can see are only places during Christmas times. So, what happened when the lights are not there? How is that place perceived by pedestrians and people of the city? To some people and especially women this might be a no-go place. This might be considered as not a dangerous place for someone to walk through during the night. The imagination of what might be hides in the abandoned building will make the person turn from the other side. Maybe though, for men this might be an accessible place that hides no “danger”. BUT, this place may become a bullet point on someone’s travel list during Christmas times. Meaning that the over-consumption and globalization has the power to transforms a “no-go” place to a living “sightseeing” that everyone feels “safe” to walk through.

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Written by: Anastasia Nikolaou

First Stroll in Athens

Walking around the streets of Athens is not an easy task. The narrow roads bottlenecked with cars and bikes, the damaged pavements and the hot Greek summer are among the challenges that a flaneur has to overcome in order to explore and experience the city. One of my first impressions as soon as I got used to this urban environment was that Athens is nowadays a multicultural city, as refugees and immigrants are obviously a large proportion of its inhabitants. As a result, graffiti in languages different than Greek, restaurants offering various exotic cuisines and cultures from all over the world have flooded Athens. After this realization a question was raised to my mind. Athens is definitely changing as a city, but what is it changing into? As I continued strolling from Omonoia towards Stadiou street I reached Psiri, one of the nightlife districts of Athens, and I noticed that the main squares and streets are well preserved, scenic and full of people, but on the other hand the surrounding alleys seem abandoned to their fate, consisting of damaged buildings and garbage that no one seems interested to pick up. I felt more optimistic about the future of the city as later in my stroll I came across some beautiful statues of important people of the past, as well as neoclassical buildings that made me feel that Athens is maybe hiding a lot of potential for improvement. As I was reaching the National Historical Museum that would be the end of this first stroll, I noticed a group of tourists walking nearby and exploring the city in a similar way to me. Then a second question was raised to my mind. Do they feel that Athens was worthy of their expectations arising of its glorious past or are they going to return home with a feeling of disappointment?
By Ioannis Katsoudas

Sepolia- Plato’s Digital Museum

After meeting in Syntagma, Christos and I decided to not use the public transport, but instead walk all the way to our final destination, Plato’s Digital Museum. We made this choice as we were interested to explore how the cityscape gradually changes in this short distance of few kilometers between the crowded and touristic city center and Sepolia, a smaller and less well-known district of Athens. As we were approaching Sepolia I realized that the differences are significant to such an extent that it felt like I had reached a place that seems to belong in a different city and has stuck in the past. In this poor neighborhood the vast majority of buildings are old and not well preserved, while there is also an obvious lack of shops, offices and leisure facilities. Very few people were walking on the streets and the ones I encountered were mostly elders, refugees and immigrants, walking in a slow pace completely different from the rush that characterizes the downtown areas. Eventually, we reached our destination, Plato’s Digital Museum, although it was hard to spot it due to the complete absence of signs indicating the direction and existence of this place. It is difficult to understand why such an historical and important place is not promoted from the local authorities, which instead seem to try to keep it hidden from the public. And this is a shame, as the museum offers a great experience to the guests by using technology to showcase the historical and  importance of Plato’s Academy, the world’s first university, and to promote Plato’s philosophy and ideas that are pillars of the democracy and many other values of the modern society. By Ioannis Katsoudas

Walking on Liosion street

Having met in Panepistimio station, we start our walk by grabbing a bite and something to drink to alleviate the heat. In Akadimias street, one shop serves fresh fruit juice for extremely low prices, a byproduct of the recession. The shop is full. A similar shop near Monastiraki has higher prices, tenfold in fact as I recall. Selling 300 ml of orange juice for 50cents makes a lot more sense than 5 Euros. It is absurd. Our meeting point today is the municipal library near Stathmos Larissis. I decide to follow the most central street to our destination, Liosion street.

There is a notable change in the environment around as I approach Vathis square. There is a famous falafel joint here, best in the city for some; the picture turns increasingly less Greek, a variety of languages drift through the air, shop signs in letters that I cannot recognize. Past that this trend continues, I see a shop with a big sign reading “Russian café,” derelict buildings next to badly maintained ones, barber shops, coffee shops, clothing shops, some with signs of Arabic languages, some in Asian, some in Cyrillic lettering, some including Greek.

If someone was looking for the multicultural part of Athens, it might well be here. Only its here, far from the center, far from the monument market, far from the Greek and the tourist gaze alike. English seem to be absent; they are not expecting tourists. I notice a Greek café. I know that its Greek because of the plethora of Greek flags on its decoration and its tacky Greek name; also, because it made sure to mention it in its sign that it is in fact a Greek café. What could be the reason to brand a café so extensively with “Greekness”? The people sitting there seem angry, unpleasant. They have that look in their eyes, one word will make them explode. I wonder what they are talking about, but politics would be my guess. They experience their own reality. In their reality they might well be the minority in their neighborhood, they feel that they are losing their national identity, that their city is no longer Greek; could be called foreign, or maybe in their hearts even barbarian if they wish to dabble in classical Greek thought.   

Moving on we reach the old, derelict Sans Rival hotel on Liosion street. I only notice it when directly in front of it and it is breathtaking. Considering my nil knowledge of architecture and my love for corner buildings, this one seems to me like a masterpiece of another era. I wonder what its history is, was it forgotten and left to fend for itself like the rest of this area?

As we walk, a stranger taps my shoulder when waiting for a stop light. He notifies me that my backpack is partially open and that it would be wise to close it. This stranger is certainly not Greek, with broken Greek and brown skin. How about a positive story where the nationality of the actor is of minimal importance but is mentioned anyway to get you to put a color, a perceived culture and nation-tag to the person. I thank him, close the tiny opening and continue waiting for the light to change.

A short while later, we reach the municipal library and as we are a little early, we decide to catch our breath on the small park behind it. There are some people there some passing through with their dogs, a couple sitting there in leisure, listening to music from a smartphone. They are not talking, just staring in front of them, the music tasteless but who am I to judge. As the rest of the group starts arriving, my surroundings matter increasingly less as I start to focus on the task at hand.

Entering the library, I am greeted with a vast collection of records, news papers and books. Entering the room of the archive I see the overwhelming amount of information stored in cabinets with the narrowest of paths carved between them. For all this a lifetime might barely be enough. Through suggestions I find what I need for my research, in which I spend the rest of my time in the library.

Leaving, more than 3 hours later, I notice the couple sitting on the same bench, still listening to music, and I still haven’t heard any of them utter a word. Maybe a presence in the park makes them uneager to talk or silence is communication alone. Even though the harshest of break-ups is likely taking place, I like to imagine them sitting there for all this time, just staring in front of them and at each other, with only the sound of their favorite songs providing a soundtrack for their silence.

By Dimitris Nakos

Walking in the Triangle

During the first walk though Athens, I must admit I did not know what I should have looked for. 

Starting from Omonoia square, we went down Stadiou street before the first point of interest, an old abandoned corner building on Stadiou and Aiolou streets came into view. I must have passed in front of it a hundred times in my life but never noticed it. My first thought was that it was completely out of place compared to the buildings next to it, which conforms to my current view of the city as an historical and architectural collage, but also imposed a question onto it’s origin and history. Was it a neoclassical design? I can’t tell, but I assume. But it is in ruins, unused, filled with graffiti, when it could have been bank, a store, a museum, a meeting place. A testament to the unused spaces of this city. Moving on, a gargantuan graffiti poster of cooper cigarettes come into view high up on a building. A remnant of the past, I should wonder whether it’s presence is appropriate considering the law regarding cigarette ads and the difficulty this country has in implementing anti-smoking laws. We leave the main street and go towards Karytsi square. We come across the main building of the national bank of Greece. It’s imposing, modern style and it’s smooth walls bring a sharp contrast to the run down buildings we passed through mere moments earlier. This contrast may well be a glimpse of the current state of Greece on many levels. 

Walking down Aiolou street, we reach the Varvakios market. Meat, fish, fruit and vegetables along with a fair, bustling crowd and loud shopkeepers make our step hectic. We are no longer any kind of flaneur but instinctively rushing through the market, when everybody is running it is difficult to stand still. We stop briefly to see the lamb heads on display, all in a row. After leaving, we slowed down again. I noticed the shops around us, mostly selling food intended for household use. Honey, nuts and marmalade or mini-markets having the everyday essentials. We go towards Monastiraki on Athinas street.

I start noticing the pavement, the shops and houses. Many shops sell cheap clothing, or are run-down food shops. The buildings have all seen better days. The pavement is damaged in a many places, some spots have caved in on the street, maybe because of parked cars. Holes and cracks make walking more challenging, especially since the traffic is significantly greater and the pavement narrower. Water drips down from the buildings and I start moving closer to the road or hug the wall, although that is not always possible. Although this is not a new experience, it bothers and disgusts me a lot more today. As we move closer to Monastiraki, the pavement becomes noticeably wider and better maintained. We are walking on even ground again. The shops and coffee-shops are becoming more and more bright and inviting, the regal font of the hotel bar next to the metro is striking.

The Monastiraki square is unusually empty, but it is a warm day and the square offers no protection from the sun. From the distance I see a great river of people walking on Areos street, pressumably towards Thiseio or the Acropolis. I had no view of the Flea market or Mitropoleos street, but I assume that they are hosts for similar traffic. We continue on Ermou street and turn in towards Psiri. We walk on a street that can only be described as gorgeous. On one had there are the typical Athenian run-down buildings, but there are lines with colorful flags between them, making for a great contrast in a street where you can’t help but look up. At the end of it there is a themed-coffee shop to greet us, which, while visually impressive, felt out of place to say the least. In hindsight, I do not believe that I have noticed anything else nearby, ever, even though that is an area I visit frequently. 

At that point we decided to start moving towards the national historical museum, as the meeting time was drawing near. On the way we passed through Psiri square, which, while relatively quiet then, would be bustling with activity later that day and arrived a bit early. We sat on the grass, in the shade to catch our breath. As we were waiting I noticed a middle aged man with a teenage boy entering the museum. A boy with his father or uncle, visiting the museum now that schools are over? There were other people going in and out, some tourists as well, but no groups. Organized tourism is probably more focused on the Plaka area.

The rest of the group started arriving and we went to an old bakery for a bite. While walking towards the bakery we shared a bit of what we saw, but I am not sure that I was seeing any more at that point. A tunnel leading to a staircase connecting two streets was pointed out. The tunnel filled with crafts shops, wood and metal, that I have never heard of before. Going towards the stairs I recognized a bar immediately below them, I was there two weeks prior and never noticed the stairs leading up. 

By Dimitris Nakos

Strolling in Sepolia

In this walkabout we met at the Syntagma station with our future meeting place being in the Digital Museum of Plato in Sepolia after a few hours. We decided to rush to Sepolia and do our walk there, but first, pay a visit to the parliament of Greece. Everything as it should be, numerous tourists taking pictures, the royal guard standing in their traditional uniforms, nothing I have never seen before. A man carrying bird food approached tourists, put the bird food in their hands and after a swarm of pigeons landed on them offered to take pictures. Some were amused, some terrified, some both. He never approached us, so I can only conclude were not his target audience.

Having left Syntagma we made our way to Sepolia. We stopped for coffee and something to eat at the first café that we saw. The employees had eyes full of inquiry, it was obvious we were out of place. The same group would be routine in the city center, but in Sepolia there was barely anyone around, let alone strange visitors. Making our way towards the museum I notice a lot of green, trees and bushes decorating the street, making the walk more pleasurable. The buildings are not free of the Athenian standards; I notice a seemingly “new” and well maintained five-store building opposite of a derelict shack in complete ruin. Through the broken windows, there appear to be blankets, sheets or some sort of fabric in the inside, whether people dwell here better to remain uninvestigated.

We make our way to Kolymbitirio Park where we catch our breath. Children voices from the building behind us break the silence of the environment. No cars, no people. I go and ask what the building behind us is, since there is no sign indicating its use and then look around. Around this park there is a school for children with special needs, the kindergarten behind us, as playground as well as the community swimming pool. I imagine the park bustling with children and their parents when the heat subsides.

The time draws near and it is time to move on to the museum. Finding it is certainly challenging, and a museum should never be challenging to find. We pass by a toy superstore, dominating the urban landscape, and finally reach the museum through some navigating, where we met the rest of the group.

By Dimitris Nakos

           

Strolling as a Stranger

The flânerie technique has deepened the way I have looked at new cities. Exploring a city has always been an attempt at being incognito for me. I did not want others around me to notice my observation of them or their city. To be alone in a new city and reflect on your surroundings has always been of great interest to me. However, this exercise has been without direction or ambition. The flânerie gives observation its purpose. Instead of seeing differences in society and merely making a mental note, I am obligated to ask questions to push deeper into the why behind the what. On this stroll through Athens I focused on collecting these observations and formulating questions to complete the process. I have come up with four topics to question and theorize their purpose. Building maintenance, street style, Italian shops, and street vendors.

Building Maintenance

            I noticed in downtown Athens that the exterior of most buildings is poorly maintained even if the inside had all the modern touch-ups and cleanliness that would be expected in Times Square in New York City.

‘Relics’ of the buildings architectural history can be seen on many of these buildings. These ‘relics’ are usually neoclassical and are a sign of high wealth in American architecture and would be cleaned and maintained to preserve this significance. The discrepancy between what these symbols mean in each culture could come down to how ‘exotic’ they are in each society. Neoclassical sculptures or friezes are a novelty in the United States where most buildings have been built in the past 50 years, while Athens’ rich history provides her with a plethora of neoclassical symbols that have been part of the city’s culture for hundreds of years. It is also important to note that many of these distinguishing features were not obvious to me and many were small features only seen if I looked up.

 Another discrepancy the building maintenance has to other cities is the buildings near tourist attractions. Most cities will clean up the surrounding neighborhoods or districts to attract more tourists to that area so that they can feel safe. Buildings that are right next to these tourist attractions are covered in graffiti tags and are not power washed. Many cities have these surrounding districts contain an inherent increase in property value because of its proximity to these areas which helps to keep the area clean, and a local indicated to me that this was indeed the case. So, it seems to follow that the absence of property owners with money is the reason for this discrepancy.

I have seen tags and graffiti art almost everywhere I have been in Athens so far. There are some larger projects that are made by graffiti artists, but most graffiti I have seen are tags.

Churches and monuments are some of the only buildings I have seen that are well-maintained and free of graffiti and tags.

These observations have led me to a few questions about Athens. Do Athenians value the exterior of their buildings? Do Athenians see graffiti and tags as part of the culture of the city? The Greek government has been having issues with money recently, did the government maintain buildings and erase more graffiti before the crisis?

Street Styles

When I was walking around, the unevenness of the sidewalks and streets forced me to look down. I noticed that these sidewalks weren’t uniform. They changed patterns, material, and how easy they were to walk on. The streetlamps changed styles drastically as well. These changes were sometimes abrupt and very noticeable.

The abrupt changes in style has me wondering about there correlation to the growth of that neighborhood or street. If the style of street gives any indication to the people that lived there, the time it was built in, or the person in power when it was built.

Italian Influence

Many of the shops I walked past were noticeably Italian. This could be because of a variety of reasons. The close geographical distance to Italy, the shared history of the Roman Empire and the Greek influences it took on and thus Italy took on, or Italian investment in the Athens area. I think all play a factor in this, there is also a possibility that it was just the area I was in that had an inordinate amount of Italian shops compared to the rest of Italy.

Tourist ‘Vendors’

Strolling through downtown Athens where many tourists venture reminded me of what I have seen throughout my travels in touristy areas in cities. Vendors and scam artists target tourist targets through a variety of tactics I have observed. They always speak in English to catch the attention of people who don’t speak Greek and are more likely to be tourists. They also aggressively market their product or service. Getting in front of people and trying to force eye contact to get make tourists uncomfortable to the point of accepting the product or service to make the feeling go away. Their persistence has a greater effect on tourists who have less excuses to leave the situation.

By David Calvin

Graffiti in Sepolia

            The Sepolia is an area with historical significance, but not the same modern significance. The surrounding neighborhood is a signal of its lost cultural significance. Low-income residential without much graffiti seems like a paradox in the modern western city, but its true in the Sepolian neighborhood. This seems to indicate a lack of social life for the young people in the area and low interest in the surrounding community. Graffiti is a sign of delinquency and poverty, but also a healthy underground movement on the improvement of community. Public displays of dissatisfaction like graffiti is a way for those that feel they have no voice to have a way to communicate their message with the rest of the community. Whether tagging just to communicate disrespect for the current institutions or more nuanced art discussing specific problems, graffiti shows a certain level of care for the community. A low-income neighborhood without graffiti can present a city without complaint (not likely) or care (more likely) about their surrounding community. The Sepolian community is even more disaffected because the city of Athens is filled with dissatisfied graffiti. Sepolia is spared, and that seems to be a symptom of something going wrong in the community instead of something going right.

By David Calvin

The Unnatural Feeling of Mitrepoulos

            Mitrepoulos is the street connecting Syntagma to Monastiraki. It is the commercial street of Athens filled with branded stores and shops. It is the essence of American commercialism. Compared to the rest of the city it seems out of place and slightly unnerving. The street is fast and crowded, but not with the sense of purpose or sincere hurriedness, but with the hurry of consumption. The street is marketed towards tourists with most signs being in English and many of the clothing stores having more of a Western influence than what the modern Athenian wears. People are window shopping and reveling in their materialism. This atmosphere does not match with the normal atmosphere of Athens, which is normal for any commercial district of a city, but the lack of a commercial culture in the other areas where it is likely to crop up makes Mitrepoulos feel forced. The area around the Acropolis, the most touristy spot in Athens, has a more laid back atmosphere than Mitrepoulos. It is a section of Athens that is a slice of American Capitalism dropped on the city whose consumerist culture has not spread to the other parts of Athens yet.

By David Calvin

Panepistimio-Municipal Library of Athens: The Final Stroll

Our meeting point for this last walk was Panepistimio Station and we once again decided to walk all the way towards our destination, the Municipal Library of Athens. As we have gained a lot of experience from our previous walks in the center of Athens, our navigation in the city was easier this time. The area near Panepistimio is beautiful and, as I noticed, cleaner than most of the areas we have visited in our previous strolls. During this last walk, we admired the beauty of the central building of the University of Athens and we took a step back in time when we later reached the Polytecnic School, as we recalled the historical events that took place there during the Greek dictatorship. Our last stop was the library in Domokou Street, near the Stathmos Larissis Station. We had some difficulty locating the building, which seems almost hidden and the absence of any street signs indicating its direction wasn’t very helpful too. After we wrote down our names in the library’s records, were welcomed by the very kind and knowledgeable employees of the library. I found the archives very interesting, as I admired the huge collection of books concentrated in such a small room. Then, I started searching for material suitable for my research and I was very pleased when I found a two-volume book containing the history and every possible detail for the Athens Metro. When this last stroll came to an end, I realized that this process definitely helped me to improve my knowledge about Athens. I now look forward to strolling in the next city I visit. By Ioannis Katsoudas