Arrivaderci Athens!

Coffee with Zoitsa

In the AM I met up w/my former student from Farm School days who had somehow -- total luck she says -- been plucked from Thessaloniki to be K. Karamanlis' personal assistant back in 1979. First he was Prime Minister and then President of Greece until his death in 1998. Now Zoi works in the offices of the New Democracy political party -- the current party in power, a rather thankless task. We had coffee at the Grand Bretagne (her treat!) and got caught up after many years. 

It's chilly here in Athens, and people are holding off turning on the heat. Going to be a long winter, but first the Polytechnical School Incident commemoration tomorrow. I passed some riot police on the street next to the Parliament; they didn't allow photos. TV is announcing Metro and street closings for tomorrow afternoon, as they batten down the hatches. Sorry I am going to miss the historic the intersection of old political milestones and the current financial crisis.  Meanwhile, TV news has brought more bad news to the Greek people: electric bills will increase up to 20 per cent this coming year..

Lunch at Soultana's

Visited this afternoon with Soultana, another second cousin from Naoussa on my father's mother's (Pauline Xanttopulos') side. A specially-prepared lunch included stuffed vegetables in egg-lemon sauce, some boiled chestnuts and homemade kataifi. According to Soultana's plan, I spoke with all of her siblings in Naoussa and Verria by telephone. Manoli runs a Flokati factory in Verria. His mother Alkinoy was one of my favorite people; his daughter Alkinoy is a Facebook friend. The world, for better or worse, is getting smaller and smaller..

I have waddled back across town, via 2 buses and the Metro -- and I'm now a Greek public transportation expert, helped no doubt because I speak the language. Ran into a group foreigners at the intersection across from Parliament with signs saying, "Out with the Neo-Fascists"; they were surrounded by riot police, but all was peaceful as far as I could see. On TV I saw a Mikis Theodorakis who could barely walk, but who came out to lay a wreath at the Polytechnical School just the same.

Soula and I had gone through photos that are around 90-years-old, and she gave me a few -- including rare photos of my father's father and pictures of my father in ethic dress before he left for the U.S. Progress on the family tree front!

Anna, Boula and Maria

They are waiting upstairs for me and Soula -- some sort of a family gathering, all the people from my generation and their kids, etc. I now have a large support group in Athens, and many of them live in the same building! Taking more pictures...

Off to the airport at about 4 AM to catch an early plane to Rome, thanks to a ride from Maria. Thus my excellent Greek adventure will come to an end. It was my chance to rekindle associations with both my roots and 10 years in Greece...and with a promise to come back again in the not so distant future. Opa!
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Athens

Splurged on a taxi from the bus station to my father's cousin's house in Paleon Faliron yesterday. I have known Soula for a long time, but haven't seen her for many, many years. Her mother and my father's mother were sisters from Naoussa in Macedonia (Northern Greece, not the former Southern Yugoslavia)..

Soula Theophilou was born in Naoussa, moved to Athens under duress of the Civil War which took her father's life, married Mario Chrysopoulos, and spent 8 years in Salt Lake City while her husband (civil engineer) was going to school. Her uncle Michael was a top policeman here in Athens during the aforementioned Polytechnical School incident. Marios died in a tragic accident in Chalkidhiki some years ago. Soula welcomed me with open arms and had prepared stuffed cabbage and individualized Naoussaiko pita for lunch -- what a mensch!

Thea Soula & her Naoussaiki Pita

We reminisced about family stuff, me taking notes on my family tree sheet and hoping I'll be able to read them later. We were joined by her niece Maria, and we went out for a stroll -- rather chilly last night down by the waterfront, unlike the Southern climes I had just left. Maria had taken her summer vacation in Kiparissi, what a weird coincidence! We drank tsipuro, a strong, clear ouzo-like beverage that they prefer because it is purer with no hangovers.

People in the suburbs seem a bit detached from, if not disdainful of, the political turmoil in Central Athens. They want to know about the Petraus Incident, which seems to be much-discussed with rumors I have not been aware of. Maria, an archaeologist, has produced some family photos for me to look at.

This morning I am taking the tram to central Athens to meet up with a former student of mine who used to work for Konstantine Karamanlis when he was president of Greece. Eager to see what's going on downtown. We are meeting at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...
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The Economy + Related Security Alert

Bulletin: Have just received an email security alert from the U.S. State Dept -- warning US travelers and citizens that large demonstrations will be taking place Saturday afternoon (11/17) in Athens and other towns, marking a famous uprising against the Junta in 1973. Students were killed at the Polytechnical School -- can you say Kent State? It didn't bring the Junta down, but they didn't last another full year. I remember those seminal incidents well..Leaving Athens for Italy Saturday am (where there are reported floods in Rome), will miss all the excitement...

People here are very upset and worried -- they have evaporating funds, big unemployment, more cuts coming under the new set of austerity measures required to get the next loan disbursements, things to pay that they cannot afford. One-half of the 1.2 million unemployed have already lost their health benefits. Some doctors are working underground health networks to help people, especially with medications. A woman saw a well-dressed man in the streets asking for 1 EU towards fulfilling a prescription -- she gave him 15. I didn't quiz my relatives on their economic situation per se -- but it didn't seem all that great.

Stamatis Family Homestead

Two nights ago, while we sat under the tree in front of the Stamatis family homestead, I spoke with a man helping my relatives do some work on the house (a day laborer, specializing in tile work and the like). I mentioned the 2 volunteer olive pickers and was told the day picking rate was 40-50 EU a day last year; this year it is 20-30. He said people would take 20 to put food on the table. He had not worked enough months to be able to pay his taxes, and now he had no money for his vehicle registration (essential for him to get work). So he would drive without renewing it. "How many people can they put in jail," he exclaimed.

A neighbor sitting in was worried that the world thinks all Greeks are lazy and corrupt. Anyone who thinks that's the main reason for this financial disaster needs to take a deep breath and think again. This is a real situation affecting real people in real time - and we Greek-Americans need to help, not castigate. Not to mention that things ain't so hot in our own country!

Meanwhile: Still on the road to Athens, and during our 15-minute stop in Tripolis I was reminded of my Yiayia Sarris again. She always made us put toilet paper down on the seats of public bathrooms. The Tripolis bus station has clean bathrooms downstairs, but actual no toilet seats. So I did the right thing :)
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Leaving Koroni :(

Koroni Peninsula

My day off was a good one if not that restful. Visited the ramparts again as I had learned that the peninsula extended down past the walls. Did not think I'd ever seen this before. Then down the new road past my uncle's house to the beach to see many apartments rented during the summer. No road there when I first visited 50 years ago -- only vineyards, tomatoes and goats!

Later I splurged on grilled octopus for lunch, with okra and giant beans. Lots of oil involved...Later in town I noticed a sign proclaiming Koroni the Capital of the Mediterranean Diet according to Unesco -- who knew?

Botoula Varvarakis

Now It's almost 8 am on Thursday, and I am waiting for the bus to Athens having just ate an excellent spinach pie from Bakery Rachel. The baker said he'd been there since 3 am...My cousin (3rd) Botoula just whizzed by on her motorcycle, and here she comes back with a snack for me from the same bakery. Is this going to be another "slap-on" day?

Sad to leave, as I have really enjoyed my stay. But now the bus is maneuvering back into the side street and up around the church; if you are a car, you will wait your turn. And we're off...passing by hotels (some sort of bridgework being done), Koroni Camping, olive and other trees/flowers. There's a Sipsas Super Market; that family seems to own half the town (including my Diana hotel!). Most of the trip to Kalamata (51 km) is up the coast, which I had not been able to appreciate Monday nite. Now in Messini...

Have bought my ticket (27.30 EU to Athens), and the conductor has verified that I can keep my #12 window seat. Enjoying the ride, more later perhaps..
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Koroni (11-13-12)

Breakfast spot on Koroni wharf

Sitting in the sun on the waterfront waiting for my coffee and splurging on a sweet -- dhipless, always a favorite when my grandmother was baking sweets (also melomakarona dry without the honey, which my yiayia couldn't fully understand -- but she made them anyway, even sending me a shoe box full when I was at Drew for a semester). The dhipla did not live up to my expectations (stale?), but it was the thought that counted. Enjoying the view and saltwater air -- even though some men near me are arguing about who knows what..

Koroni, I must say, is much more vibrant and interesting than Kiparissi -- even now in the off-season. Not as out-of-the-way and with more TV channels. The Greeks love to watch TV. 

On the bus I met a couple from England who had gotten a job via a website (either workaway.com or helpx.com) picking olives. They will stay for a month in nearby Charakopio working for their room-and-board. This morning I am wondering why in a country with 25 percent unemployment people are being brought from outside to pick olives..

My 5-bus 23 EU trip to Koroni still looks pretty good when you see how much gas costs -- can you say 1.70 a litre or about 7.65 a gallon? Don't think I could have made it here on 3 gallons of gas!

Took off by foot to begin revisiting my grandmother's old haunts. Have been here several times, so it was w/some familiarity that I proceeded:

Where my Yiayia was born!

1) Gate to Venetian ramparts, my grandmother was born in a homestead just inside that gate. You can see the outlines of the house against the wall. Apparently my relatives raise chickens on the property; they can't build anything because it is against a historical monument. I picked a few olive branches to bring home...

 2) Convent founded by a priest who was my grandmother's cousin. The abbess I had met (and who knew my grandmother), Christodhoulou, is long gone, and 6 nuns from Kalamata live there now. Beautifully kept-up with own gardens and sheep. Lit a candle in the church -- after putting on black apron to cover my jeans! -- and then bought some incense in their well-stocked gift shop..Should mention that my very religious, studious grandmother wanted to be a nun, but her brother wouldn't let her. Maybe this is why she was the one chosen by her father's brother Kosta to come to the States.

Convent gift shop

3) Cemetery, also up in the ramparts, where I ended up by accident -- but then came across the grave of mother's cousin Thanassis, who had been merchant marine and visited Stockton more than once.

View of Evangelistra from the beach

4) Church of Evangelistra with its miraculous icon containing a figure of Jesus' mother found nearby -- I wrote my request and dropped it in the box. In 1962 I swam with Cousin Thanassis by the rocks below the church property and near his father's house,  where we got fresh sea urchins long before there were apartments, public beach, etc.

Eleftheria Sayiakou

5) Found my mother's cousin Eleftheria at her home and we chatted for a couple of hours, which included a dish of quince/almond sweet she had recently made. Her husband is ill and made a 3-second cameo appearance. (We met again later under a tree near her paternal home at the gate leading to the church grounds. Her father had a little cafe place right there on the road to the church in the good old days. I showed her an old picture of him from one of my early visits 1969-ish. And, yes, Skeep, I am wearing a pea coat!)

Panayiotis Stamatopoulos

6) Spoke to an Old Geezer relative, Panayiotis Stamatopoulos, who has a little store near the hotel --newspapers arranged very neatly outside, inside it looks like Hurricane Sandy came by. But he did know my mother's godfather, Panayiotis Polytopoulos.

7) Lunch at a great restaurant near the school where I had youvarlakia and, yes, more horta! Have I turned green yet?

Just another  delicious stop on my horta hunt!

Phew! Quite a lot done today -- happy, and not willing to get back on a bus tomorrow. Called my cousin in Athens to tell her I am staying an extra day in Koroni. The Diana Hotel has served me well right down in the center of town -- yes, I think Koroni is now a town, not a village!

Tomorrow I am taking the day off -- more horta, more ouzo (at the kafeneion across the street which provides great mezedhes!), postcards to send, and perhaps a little shopping. And, to be on the safe side, a fresh Herald Tribune. Life is good! 

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