zebec

In 2014, Mrs Z and I traveled to Greece. The trip was primarily a return to the isle of Folegandros, to gift some enlarged copies of portraits to the locals whom I'd once photographed there back in March '92. During this same 2014 trip, we also visited Athens, Patmos, Samos and Santorini. This long photo essay will start with a 25 shot overview of Athens. We'll throw in some Greek music throughout here, in order to break things up. Enjoy. *metaxi mas: 'between us'.

Urban Athens: note ANTIFA in bottom right.

Kallisperi street school: girls running wind sprints during phys ed class (Makrigianni district).

Anafiotika neighbourhood. Built by folks who came to Athens from the tiny island of Anafi in the Cyclades. Name means ''little Anafi'.

Taverna sign in Psyrri district.

Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Have you seen this missing dog?

Door grill at Benaki Museum, next to French embassy in Kolonaki district (superb gift shop). *will show some shots of its contents here later.

Ironic shadow.

Tweeners peer into pond at National Garden in Syntagma district.

Trio of archaeologists at National Archaeology Museum use high tech. *will show some shots of its contents here later.

Lovely lantern.

The rippled marble path of the 'Iera Odos' Panathenaic Way beside the Parthenon. Like waves during sunrise.

The Asklepeion cliffs area beneath the Acropolis. *more shots of the sacred site here later.

Mythical masks---can you name them?

Plaka chairs and tables.

Not all history here is ancient. A pair of posters from the Greek Civil War of the late '40s.

as above

Athenian pizza delivery.

Metamorphosis church interior.

Roof tiles.

Funky newsstand.

Kaisariani Monastery, an underrated local site *more shots from this here later.

Street art in the funky-boho Exarchia student district--protest central.

Locals relax near the Beule Gate.

End of part one. Time for music.

zebec

The great Yannis Kotsiras has incredible range. He does pop, rock and folk all equally well. Here is an example of the latter, 'Manaki Mou'.
Sung like he meant it, yeah?

zebec

And secondly, the equally great George Dalaras singing one of my all-time fave songs live, the traditional Cretan number 'Osso Varoun Ta Sidera' ('As long as the shutting door echoes'). I always imagine it sung by say, some innocent Cretan farmer who'd been rounded up in a Nazi reprisal, imprisoned and waiting to be hung. Famed travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor once worked with Cretan resistance to kidnap a Nazi General then whisk him off in a Brit submarine. One imagines the subsequent reprisals and those waiting in their prison cells.
'As long as the shutting door echoes,
as long as the iron bars clash...'

zebec

Bring on the clowns! Here is yet another attempt to find a link for that song which works, this time a more modern one. Fingers crossed. Again.
Listeners will melt when he begins to sing @ 0:49.

Adelaidean

Always enjoy your photos, zebec.

HappyTrvlr

Thanks for taking me back to Greece with your wonderful photos!

zebec

A young soldier solemnly carried the national flag up to the Acropolis.

He was part of a specialized morning ritual team.

Their job was to raise the flag.

The pavement catches sunrise.

One of the best times to visit the Acropolis is right at sunrise opening. Extensive renos have been underway for years. Here we see harnessing at the base of a column.

The Parthenon symbolizes the birthplace of democracy, a fact that has special meaning just now, yeah? Are those broken pediments at the top also symbolic?

Powerful forces continue to distort democracy and

try to twist it to meet their political ends.

That storm still is a long ways from clearing.

But hope springs eternal, even during a pandemic.

Archaeologists stand atop to discuss how best to maintain the Erechtheion porch and

its substitute Caryatids sculptures (415 BC).

The local stonework reveals different materials, and maybe different epochs.

Fluting and detail on shorter column.

Tourists read about the hallowed monument.

The Parthenon's Doric columns have flawless form.

This is thanks to cleverly-curved concave and convex features, all designed to create an optical illusion.

One of the 3D metope carvings, in this case a horse head.

Wet marble section reveals interesting colours.

The Parthenon was dedicated to the goddess Athena.

Visitors find differing degrees of restoration.

This school is very close to the sacred site. The students will learn about the brave young men who once snuck up through a crack in the Acropolis wall during the occupation, to tear down the Nazi flag and replace it with their own.

The newish Acropolis Museum.

Same from afar.

The museum reflecting its neighbour.

Powerful high-tech tools aid the crews working the site.

New replacement materials are sometimes necessary to

complete restoration tasks.

A table reflection.

A whirlpool reflection.

Framed image.

A feline archaeologist.

One of many views looking down from the top.

Final view of the Acropolis, reflected in sunglasses. *Next: Santorini.

zebec

Santorini soon come, but first a promised mish-mash of the Benaki museum, the National Archaeology museum, Kaisariani monastery, downtown et al. *The Greek god above looks EXACTLY like my cousin!

Historic loom.

Ancient Roman portrait of Lucius Nikonagus, convicted in 37 BC of taking too many photos while traveling in Gaul.

Athenian bar scene.

Public garden 'tunnel'.

Seen atop some Athenian roofs.

Archaeologist laying cable at Kaisariani Monastery. His team of attractive young assistants, male and female, all looked like they came straight from a modeling agency. We shared some good-natured joking about that and everyone had a laugh that sunrise.

Wall detail from same.

(from pamphlet) 'The Monastery lies in a verdant valley on the western slopes of Mt. Hymettus.'

In our opinion, this monastery is one of Athen's underrated sites.

Go early morn and you may just be alone there, except for the smoking hot archae...(sound of slap) OWW!!

Portrait painting of military hero.

An ancient nation almost always at war. With itself.

Painting of nautical scene, a reminder of Greece's extensive islands and coastline.

More maritime imagery, perhaps Piraeus?

Stylish downtown balcony garden.

Exarchia street poster.

More urban street art.

Aghia Nikodinos church.

Detail of wooden door on same.

Ancient Egyptian hair comb.

Ottoman parlour.

Stained glass window from same.

Portrait of Greek boy.

Painted vase with faux ancient imagery.

Downtown street sign.

Modest downtown private vineyard.

A Greek lime from a private downtown orchard..

Urban church.

Students wait to enter the Archaeology Museum.

Modern art installation.

Ancient warrior, perhaps Achilles?

Ancient Greek buttocks.

Ancient slaves lug warm water for someone's bath.

Very young Roman boy.

Very young Roman girl holding prized pet bird.

Lion statuary.

Bronze face.

African face (the young horse trainer).

Shadow of mythical half-human, half-bird statue.

Lovely woman statue.

Peace.

Gold cup.

Old bastard bets on dog fight.

Athena.

Wrestlers.

One of the most ancient objects in the museum.

Another very old object.

Downtown food market.

Detail from same.

The museum had those Mycenean funeral masks (e.g. Alexander the Great's father, Philip of Macedon), but it also had this more comical one! *In addition, the museum had that strange bronze discovery mentioned by von Daniken in his Chariots of the Gods', a sort of mechanical 'computer' item that has puzzled many with its sophistication.

See you soon in Santorini.

dreamon

Thanks for sharing, Zebec, you have a wonderful eye for subject and composition. It's such a long time since we were in Greece but I remember it so vividly. It's a place that's hard to forget.

geetika

I wholeheartedly agree, Zebec’s pictures are stunning and capture so many minute details and images the average person would miss! Thanks a ton for the pictorial and musical voyage, doubly welcome in these times…

plufmud

Zebec,

Your photos and the short clips are wonderful and informative. We are traveling to Greece next month and your photos of the Kaisariani Monastery have inspired us to visit it.
Loved the story about the soldier in WW2. Thank you for sharing your photos!

zebec

Time for some feminine touch in the music. This is Vicky Mosholiou. My Greek is weak---perhaps someone could translate the lyrics for us all?
I am done. The music

zebec

And now another lady singer. Eleftheria Avarnataki singing her 'Skies kai Chromata (shadows and colors)'.

*dunno about you, but 'relational memory' gets me every time that I hear Greek music. Like Pavlov's dog, I immediately taste tzatziki in my mouth!