Have the wheels come off Greece in crisis?

The wreck with no wheels in the Monastiraki flea market is a poignant but spirited symbol of Greece in crisis

WE hadn’t been to Athens since 2012, at the worst point in the Greek crisis, when the city was teetering on the edge of disaster, with austerity, demonstrations and social unrest. I wondered how it would seem now and if the indelible Greek spirit would be trashed, as some reports have led us to believe. But in a narrow street in the Plaka, just under the Acropolis, we saw the kind of feisty, maverick attitude that we have come to expect of Greeks, and admire. It involved a woman driver.

Greek motorists seem to have lost none of their desire to park ‘creatively’, where they please, whether it’s over pedestrian crossings or on pavements, or up trees, if it were at all possible. Outside a popular taverna on an intersection, a policeman was writing a ticket for a car parked completely over the corner of the pavement, blocking the way for pedestrians. What followed was a spirited exchange after the woman driver rushed out of a nearby shop to fight with the young cop (not a traffic warden but a fully equipped cop with ‘astinomia’, police, written on his jacket). She had a stream of excuses for the perilous parking – but he wasn’t having any of it. The parking, he told her, was illegal, and that was it. She started yelling back at him. He told her not to shout. People began to mill about, watching. Outside diners also stopped eating to check out the dispute that went on long after the parking ticket was written and handed over with a flourish.

I marvelled that crazy parking was still a sight in Greek cities (it’s notorious in Kalamata in the southern Peloponnese), despite all the new restrictions and the soul-searching of the crisis. I was also impressed at the woman’s aggressive front with the cop. You don’t see it often in Britain, where you’d probably be arrested for causing an affray or some such thing.

View over the rooftops of the Plaka towards Lykavetos hill

 

Athens, and indeed much of Greece, is now showing signs of crisis fatigue, it’s true, and anger as well. The streets of downtown Athens have a skint, neglected aura about them. There’s still graffiti gashed over buildings and while it’s often an arty emblem of the recent troubles, in other cases it’s downright ugly, especially scrawled over some of the old classical houses, as we saw in the Plaka, that don’t deserve angry art. There are more migrants about, that’s true, and people are still begging, which is sad, though no different from any other major city. What made it exceptional here was the number of older women we saw begging and holding up cardboard signs. One said, “I am a Greek woman and I am living in poverty. Help me.”

Graffiti art or just vandalism on an arty scale?

We heard tales of stress and frustration from shopkeepers and from friends who live and work in Athens, that the crisis has hammered their businesses, with endless taxes and cuts to wages etc, despite what the international media might say. I told an Athenian friend, who has his own business, that we had read reports in British papers that the Greek economy was finally improving and Greece was “turning a corner”. “Yeah,” he said, “turning a corner into a gremos (ravine)!”

A restored iconostasis, church screen, in the Byzantine museum 

But the Greek establishment is still showing stoicism and a ‘business as usual’ attitude in the face of hardships, and has not stinted on cultural events/concerts/exhibitions in Athens. The museums are absurdly well managed and serene and among the best in the world, surely, which is an enormous feat in troubled times. The Acropolis Museum remains one of my favourites for its sheer beauty and serenity on the  elegant pedestrian walkway, Dionisou Areopagitou. The museum has a cathedral calm  inside. On one floor is a dazzling display of Athenian sculptures of young men and women like the almost perfect Peplophorus (530BC) with her braided hair and shoulder brooches.

The Parthenon Sculptures from the pediments of the building, and the Metope panels are arranged on the top floor, the few that were left after Lord Elgin’s infamous heist, and which are not now languishing in the British museum. The Byzantine Museum is often overlooked but is inspirational, with its early Christian artifacts and wealth of Byzantine icons. The only complaint was that there was just too much splendour for one visit and it will need another.

One of the narrow streets of the Plaka with the Acropolis above

I have always loved Athens from my first visit there in the 1970s on a working holiday. The city had a vastly different vibe then, of course, an exotic Greek and levantine mix which I wrote about in my second travel memoir, Homer’s Where The Heart Is. Syntagma Square was then a sociable meeting place in the city, a tree-lined space with outdoor cafes. Once the heart of this city, it has sadly become, because of the years of crisis and violent demonstrations, the focal point of discontent, understandably so, as it’s situated opposite the Parliament building. But the rage somehow lingers, or perhaps it’s just the maelstrom of humanity going in and out of the metro station, or just loitering about, that makes it feel edgy and it’s true to say it’s not everyone’s favourite haunt in the city.

Further down towards the ancient Agora lies Monastiraki. This also had a different vibe once; a colourful place full of traditional craftsmen and a far cry from the tourist hub it is today, with a slew of shops selling Greek goods, mostly made elsewhere. But it’s entertaining and there are still a few old shops left, like the wonderful old bouzouki shop on the main street.

 

Chairmen: Repairing rush-bottomed chairs in the flea market

The flea market here is worth a visit. Like a frenetic version of Steptoe and Son’s yard, without the knackered horse and cart, it teems with junk and the odd treasure, if you’ve time to sift through all the gaudy stuff first. More interestingly, amid all the tat, people are beavering away. We saw two guys with hands like grappling irons repairing rush-bottomed chairs with lengths of dried rushes, and it was no easy job, judging by the sweaty gleam of their foreheads, but it was fascinating to watch.

The ancient Tower of the Winds

Plaka is a place where the ancient rubs shoulders with the slightly more modern – the Byzantine

The streets of the Plaka are still worth a few hours of wandering about for their sheer eclectic mix of ancient sites (like the Tower of the Winds), Byzantine churches, classical houses and coffee shops. There are only a few traditional shops now selling more authentic local goods here but one small gallery at least sparkles with stylish Greek pieces, like small painted shutters with an olive motif, for wall mounting. The Tsolias Art Gallery is run by a genial, chatty guy called Michael Tsipa who, together with his wife Maria, design and make all the artworks.

Due to a slow morning, he was more than happy to talk about Athens and the crisis, and came out of the shop with us to bid us farewell, which was a refreshing change from my shopping encounter a half-hour earlier with the old crone of a proprietor outrside one of the gaudier knick-knack shops not far away. With the pretence of a welcoming handshake, she grabbed my hand with the speed of a black widow spider and tried to haul me into her cluttered lair, and I couldn’t shake her off and had to shout loudly like the woman receiving a parking ticket. What the shopkeeper had in mind for me is anyone’s guess, probably a blue and white cheesecloth shirt circa 1975 and a bust of Pericles in faux marble.

The view of the Parthenon from the roof garden of the Herodion hotel

But despite the pockets of stress and tat, Athens is still a fabulous city and still has a strong community heart. From the dining room of our comfortable hotel, the Herodion in the Plaka, where the breakfast banter was supplied mostly by loquacious Americans swapping notes on the day’s proposed itineraries (bless them!), or in the case of one guy, reading out unremarkable morning emails from his tablet for the benefit of everyone in the dining room, I caught a glimpse each day from our street-facing table of a small coffee shop, one of the many that have mushroomed no doubt during the crisis. It was nothing more than a wedge of paved land at the end of a row of apartment buildings with a small ground floor café and a couple of tables outside under the trees.

Every morning a small group of Greek residents of different ages would gather to shoot the breeze and a have a laugh over their tiny cups of Greek coffee. It was a nice little scene and I enjoyed the seeming conviviality of their lives despite the gloom of their economics. From all the years I have been visiting Athens, I have found this aspect of the Greek character comforting, that their joy of life is on the whole irrepressible. I hope that will continue to be the case. And that even though the wheels may be off their cart, they still have the front to park the wreck wherever they please!

  • The Herodion Hotel, Rovertou Galli Street is a friendly hotel near the Plaka with a great dinner menu if you can’t be bothered to trail out for a meal, and hearty breakfasts. There is a great rooftop restaurant/bar operating in the summer season with a view of the Acropolis. www.herodion.gr
  • Tsolia Art Gallery, Kyrristou 17, Plaka (2130 449337)
  • For more information about Athens do check out travel writer Matt Barrett’s city guide http://www.athensguide.com

On a sadder note

It is with great sadness that I have to tell you all that our dear Jack Russell terrier, Wallace, passed away in August, aged 16. He was such a huge presence in our lives and a dear companion, especially during our four years in Greece where he never ceased to entertain us with his crazy antics. He will be sorely missed by Jim and me  but I hope that his memory will live on in my books and continue to entertain readers.

In my next few blogs I will be writing about the rest of our recent trip to Greece: the island of Poros and the southern Peloponnese.

If you have liked any of the books please think of adding a small review on Amazon sites which is always very welcome. Thanks for calling by.

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Interview with writer Effrosyni Moschoudi

 

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Effrosyni Moschoudi

This week I am delighted to welcome Effrosyni Moschoudi to my blog to talk about her writing and her unusual spin on myths and mystery, and her life in Greece during the crisis.

Thanks for joining us, Effrosyni. Tell us a little bit about yourself and when you started writing. 

I was born and raised in Athens, though my mother’s family come from Corfu, an island I still have strong links with and which has been an inspiration in my writing. Having studied computer science, I worked for 20 years in IT in the hotel and airline industries. In my early 30s I spent two-and-a-half years working in England. After losing my full-time job in Greece due to the crisis, I decided to start writing full-time.

I have been writing all my life! I have vivid memories as a child, sitting on a stool before my open bedroom window, looking up at the starry sky with a notepad and pencil in hand, writing poems about the beauty of the sight. In my 20s I started writing love poems and I also set the foundations for much later, when I finally wrote my debut novel, The Necklace of Goddess Athena, published in 2014.

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This is a novel with an intoxicating mix of Greek mythology, time travel and romance, set in Athens, which became an Amazon #1 best seller in the Greek and Roman category. What is the book about and what was its inspiration?  

The story is about two young time travellers from Ancient Greece, Phevos and his sister Daphne. They arrive in modern-day Athens, not knowing why their mysterious father Efimios, an unsung hero of the ancient world, has sent them to the city. They only know they are there in the service of the goddess Athena and they will be guided by certain signs. It is only when the pair become involved with two orphaned siblings who live in the foothills of the Acropolis, that the reason for their time travelling becomes clear, as they set out to uncover some ancient family secrets.

I think the book derived from my desire to explain to others the essence of ‘Greekness’. I can imagine that Greeks may seem insanely quirky to the rest of the world, seeing how loud we can be, how huge our food culture is and how devoted we are towards our parents and children. I sought to write a fantasy that bares the Greek soul. My story’s backbone is the Greek triptych, ‘Country, God, Family’. This is what defines us as a people and has saved us in difficult times. My main character Efimios, from ancient Greece, is a symbol of this triptych.

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An old photo of the popular West Pier in Brighton

 

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Ayios Gordios beach, a typically idyllic location in Corfu

Your second novel, The Lady of the Pier (The Ebb), is set in England and Greece. Why did you choose these two different locations?

This book combines my love for both Corfu and England. It is set in Brighton in the 1930s and in Corfu in the 1980s. The part of the story concerning one of the heroines, Sofia, who adores her grandparents and their village in Corfu, brims over with autobiographical elements as I used to spend my summers there. As for Brighton, I became fascinated with the West Pier and its history during my time in England. I felt it was a shame that this magnificent landmark no longer existed and I wanted to bring it back to life through my story.

You obviously have a great love for Britain and a superb grasp of the language, but as a native Greek what makes you want to write in English?

Ever since I was little, I had a huge affinity for the English language. I watched a lot of English and American TV series and wanted badly to speak it. I started private English classes in Athens when I was 10 and from the beginning the language mesmerised me. I started writing poetry in English in my teens and when I finally started writing my first novel, it made sense to write it in English. Besides, the book market is miniscule in Greece right now, so writing in English as an indie author has given me more creative opportunities.

Greece has recently experienced a disastrous five-year economic crisis. How has it affected your life and work?

The crisis has seriously affected my life, as it has everyone’s. Five years ago I lost my job at Athens Airport, where I was purchasing Airbus parts for an airline. Although the home budget for my husband and I has now shrunk, and with it our social life, travel and fun outings, we lead a comfortable life and still enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

We have not been blameless as a nation, however. There has been a huge amount of corruption in this country and ineffectiveness in the political system and the public sector, which has to be fixed. In a way it’s as if the country has suffered from a serious disease and the current situation (with austerity and reforms) resembles a painful healing process. I think the country will come out of the crisis stronger than before.

Most foreigners adore Greece and many have come here to live, and to retire. What do you think it is about Greece that still attracts them? 

Actually, I have first-hand experience of this! My husband Andy is British and has lived in Athens since 1999. It only took him a couple of years to decide that he feels like a Greek, even before he learnt enough Greek to communicate properly. His family visit us occasionally and they all adore Greek food, the beauty of our islands and the open-heartedness of the people. We have many foreign friends who feel that way about Greece as well and plan to retire here. When I was living in England in my thirties, I loved the place and the people but I missed the summer heat and the landscape here. I couldn’t live outside of Greece again.

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The unspoilt local beach near Athens where Effrosyni often swims in the summer

Where do you currently live in Greece and what makes it special for you? 

I live in a quiet, picturesque town with a tall mountain range on one side and the seafront on the other, about 20 miles from Athens city centre. I spent time here with my family as a child, so when I married it made sense to live here. It’s idyllic. I can look out my kitchen window and see the places where I used to play as a child back in the 1970s. That is precious to me beyond words. The other benefits are of course that the beach is close by, which is wonderful in the summer.

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Tell us a bit more about your latest book?

My latest book The Lady of the Pier – The Ebb is part of a trilogy and was published in 2014. It’s a historic tale and also a tragic love story set in two time frames, in England and Corfu, with two very different heroines, Laura and Sofia. Laura has ambitions to become an actress in Brighton’s West Pier theatre and is drawn to two very different kinds of men. Sofia is also searching for love and is lured by the charms of a flirtatious British tourist on holiday in Corfu. Although the women are separated by time and place, they are connected in mysterious and, occasionally, paranormal ways. I am currently working on the second and third parts of the trilogy which I plan to publish this year.

You have a new website. What will readers find there? 

In my new website, http://www.effrosyniwrites.com, readers will find information about my books, including downloadable free excerpts. It also has a blog, with author interviews, book reviews and tips for indie author.

Where to buy Effrosyni’s books:

The Necklace of the Goddess Athena

Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I5GXHCO

Amazon (UK) : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00I5GXHCO

The Lady of the Pier – The Ebb 

Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LGNYEPC

Amazon (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LGNYEPC

Connect with Effrosyni  

Blog: http://www.effrosinimoss.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoreffrosyni

Twitter: https://twitter.com/frostiemoss

Thanks for spending time with us Effrosyni and I wish you great success with your writing career.

Things Can Only Get Feta

For details about my two travel memoirs (Things Can Only Get Feta, and Homer’s Where the Heart Is) recounting our adventures in the Mani, and for reviews and articles, please visit the Greek books page on the www.bigfatgreekodyssey.com website

A new edition of Things Can Only Get Feta has been published. Visit Amazon UK to buy the Kindle version or the paperback version.

If you like the book please think about leaving a review on Amazon. It will be very much appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by.

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