A Xeno's View of Greece and Greeks Pt. 4: Ελλάδα Μου (My Greece)

I am a Philhellene. I am totally in love with the country of Greece. Not the politics, the corruption and rampant cronyism, the government's support of people like war criminal Slobodan Milosevic and terrorists like the PLO, the high unemployment rate, labor strikes, and bankrupt economy or any of the other countless day-to-day worries that any country faces. But rather the physical beauty of the landscape of Greece, the overwhelming sense of history and timelessness that I feel whenever I am there, and the spirit of the Greek people. I have visited three times, staying for a total of around 11 weeks. With my wife and our two sons, we have been to all corners of this beautiful country and there is no place we have been that I would not recommend to people. Greece has something for everyone. From our base in Athens, where my wife's family lives, we have gone east to the Aegean and the island of Samos. From here we cruised to Turkey to see the magnificent Greek ruins at Ephesus. We have explored the Attic peninsula, visiting Kaiseriani and much of the greater-Athens area, Rafina, the beach at Loutsa, and up to the island of Evia.  Beautiful drives along the Saronic Gulf coast lead to the mega-yacht-filled Flisvos Marina, and on through exclusive Glyfada to take in the stunning views from Cape Sounion and enjoy the small secluded beaches along the way. We have driven north, past the snow-capped Mt. Olympus and through the rugged Vale of Tempe to the waterfalls of Edessa; to Greece's second city, Thessaloniki, and then to Kavala and the beautiful green island of Thassos.  We've driven west from Athens and crossed the Corinth Canal and the spectacular Rio-Antirio bridge to visit Lefkada, Kefalonia, Ithaki, and Corfu in the Ionian, and Ioannina in the northwest, stopping at places like Arachova, Nafpaktos, Arta, and Parga on the way. We visited Piraeus, took a ferry to Aegina, dropped in on ancient Elefsis, Corinth, and Delphi. We have been to every prefecture of the Peloponissos, seeing Diakofto, Kalavryta, Patra, Killini, Pyrgos, ancient Olympia, Gialova and the amazing Voidokilia beach on the western side of the peninsula. Heading east we enjoyed the waterfalls at Polilimnio, drove through Kalamata and the wonderful mountain roads across the high, Alpine-like Taygettos range to Sparti and on the the fantastic Monemvaia, with it's close, dark medieval streets full of tavernas and shops. We finished off the Peloponissos visiting Epidavros, ancient Mycenae, and our favorite place in all of Greece – Nafplio.

If there was one place in the world I could live it would be this little port town in the Argolis surrounded by olive groves, mountains and beaches. Greece's first national capital, the old town of Nafplio is filled with tiny streets full of shops and cafes, bright flowers and sleeping cats. The harbor front is protected by the island fortress called the Bourtzi, and is filled with tavernas and cafes where you can have a fresh seafood dinner or a 2-hour frappe. By night the tavernas on the small side streets come to life with impromptu table-side concerts as families celebrate life with one another. Their children run and play safely through the pedestrian streets long into the night as the adults eat, drink, tell stories, and sing the songs their parents passed down to them. The marbled Syntagma Square is ringed by cafes, and all is presided over by the imposing figure of the Palamidi, a Venetian fortress atop a hill, floodlit at night and appearing as a halo over this idyllic spot by the sea. A short walk around a point of land brings you to Arvanitia Beach, where you can spend the day swimming in the warm waters, lying on the pebbled beach, and people watching. I feel at ease in Nafplio, relaxed, at home, despite the fact that I've only spent a total of 9 days there during three visits. It holds some of the fondest memories I have of Greece, and I will return there on every visit I make.

Many people write off Athens as a noisy, dirty city that they only visit for a day to see relatives and to use the airport to the east or the ferries in nearby Piraeus to get to "better" places. I love Athens. And I love that I get to see it as an Athenian sees it by virtue of my wife's family living in the section of eastern Athens called Zografou. I get to see real neighborhoods, shop at the weekly "laiki" or street market, and eat at real neighborhood cafes and restaurants. I get to enjoy the night air on the taratza, away from the noise and congestion and tourists downtown. And I get to travel throughout the city – when I'm lucky - on the back of my brother-in-laws' motorcycle. (Our oldest son, on his first trip to Athens at age 5 got to ride with his Theo on his motorcycle. Needless to say, this was the highlight of his entire vacation, and he took every chance he could to ride again on our most recent trip.  Our youngest rode too on this trip, but was a little less enthusiastic) My first view of the Parthenon, perched atop the Acropolis, came from the back of a motorcycle. As a lover of history, sights like this are almost overwhelming the first time they are viewed. I really can't take it in enough – the scale, the beauty, the antiquity of it all. And this type of thing is EVERYWHERE in Greece. Subway stations, beside the train tracks headed to Piraeus, under the sidewalks (with plexi-glass viewing areas to look beneath the surface), in fields as you drive around Attica or the Peloponissos. The backdrop for much of this is the mountains that rise around Athens and extend to points north and west. Then there's the sea that surrounds this beautiful land, in myriad shades of blue the likes of which you have never seen before – unless you've been to Greece. There's simply nothing not to like when it comes to the splendor that is Ellada.

Σας ευχαριστώ για την επίσκεψη (Thank you for visiting)

Todd



Next Month – Part Five: "Play That Funky (Greek) Music White Boy…"