The Politics of Traffic

In front of our apartment - yep, lots of construction!

U-turns, double parking, and pedestrians - oh yeah!

no, this is not a one-way street - but bikes use both lanes when clear as well as the center line when not...
also, there is a helmet law in Athens, however, only about 1/2 comply...

"If Americans drove as Athenians, there would be gridlock just from  the fender-benders alone. They do the most amazing dance of weaving cars, bikes, and even trucks and buses. Motorbikes use the center-lines as bike lanes and will pass at any given moment in the face of on-coming traffic with the expectation they can get back into the lane before they hit or get hit. One must be careful even at lighted cross-walks because some bikes almost disregard the  lights. People will even park with a portion of their vehicle still in the traffic lane. There is also little regard for actual speed limits in the main streets or in the residential areas. With all these hazards, I have not observed many accidents. I know minor ones must happen all the time, because the vast majority of vehicles have dents, scratches and obvious damage. Perhaps people tolerate incidents more because they know they are always pushing the envelope, too. I am so much more appreciative of traffic law enforcement now in America!"

Mosaics in the National Garden

Caught in the act! This is in part of the National Gardens, across from the Olympian Zeus...

The Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki

Our class was afforded a private tour of the Jewish Museum

The Jewish people had a rich history in this city until WWII

All the Jews were gathered and deported to concentration camps by the Nazis

The real gem of this museum was the docent, who herself was the daughter of a Holocaust survivor; she
walked us through rich and interesting history of the Jewish people here in this city.

There there was once a thriving Jewish population of over 50,000, 

today, there is just over 1,000 Jews living in community in Thessaloniki
(0.2% of the population).

This is a yellow star fabric cutting machine.

this photo completely captured my attention - notice the different emotions expressed in each of the man's faces
as they display their identification tattoos

"Don't focus on the number lost as much as the fact that these were all individuals with their own story and life."

The Last Sunday in March

Just a few snaps and thoughts from our last Sunday in March.

It is still kinda cold, grey, and threatening rain. Everyone here is pretty darn tired of it!

We grabbed a sandwich by an old church on Ermou and watched the people go by. A great opportunity to think of the bigger things in life like tradition, life, and what is edifying.

We sought out a sweet (our favorite - kreme pie), and headed for a sweet little cafe just off the main thoroughfare. Just a couple of business down from where we were sitting, there was a traditional Greek men's club meeting in a cafe dressed in their traditional costumes - very cool!

After enjoying a light salad and a cappuccino, we set our sights for home, We gave to some of our favorite needy, visited our favorite bread ring vendor, and watched all the people strolling along Ermou. This part of Athens I will miss.

Oh, and when we arrived in Syntagma Square, there was a portable geodesic dome set up. Wow! It was the European Space Expo and spanned the Square. We popped in for a quick look - it was a free interactive information expo. Pretty well done, too.

On our way through the metro station, we noticed the time - was it that late, already?? Spring forward for the time change from daylight savings to standard time took place today... So, we strolled through the National Gardens, exploring a few paths we hadn't been on before, and finally made our way out near Zappion. Along the way, a feathered friend posed for me. How nice.

The European Space Expo

one of the needy near the fountain

a couple of the traditionally dressed men

awesome traditional costumes

y'know, sundials don't work very well with no sun

one of many Eurasian Magpies - they are beautiful when they fly and have very long tailfeathers

 

along Ermou - yep, they were good enough that we put some change in their case

Climbing Philopappou Hill

OK, so all the other students have already been up this most interesting hill. 

Now it was our turn.

The Philopappos Monument (Greek: Μνημείο Φιλοπάππου) is an ancient Greek mausoleum and monument dedicated to Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos or Philopappus, (Greek: Γάιος Ιούλιος Αντίοχος Επιφανής Φιλόπαππος, 65–116 AD), a prince from the Kingdom of Commagene. It is located on Mouseion Hill in Athens, Greece, southwest of the Acropolis.

Philopappos died in 116, and his death caused great grief to his sister Julia Balbilla, citizens of Athens and possibly to the imperial family. As a dedication to honor the memory of Philopappos, Balbilla with the citizens of Athens erected a tomb structure on Mouseion Hill near the Acropolis of Athens. His marble tomb monument is still known as the Philopappos Monument, and the hill is today known as Philopappos Hill (Λόφος Φιλοπάππου). The Greek geographer Pausanias (Description of Greece, I.25.8), describes Philopappos’ grand tomb as a monument built for a Syrian man. The monument was built on the same site where Musaios or Musaeus, a 6th-century BC priestly poet and mystical seer, was held to have been buried. The location of this tomb, opposite the Acropolis and within formal boundaries of the city, shows the high position Philopappos had within Athenian society.

In 1898, excavations were carried out at the monument and in 1899 conservation work was undertaken. In 1940, archaeologists H. A. Thompson and J. Travlos conducted small additional excavations. Recent investigations have certified that architectural parts of Philopappos’ Monument were used for construction of the Minaret in the Parthenon. Only two-thirds of the façade remains. The tomb chamber behind the façade is completely destroyed except for the base. The Philopappos Monument was apparently still intact in 1436, when the traveller Ciriaco de' Pizzicolli visited the monument and wrote in his memoirs that the monument was still intact. The destruction of the monument must have occurred after this time. ~wiki

The views from this hill were fantastic. You can truly see how Athens is just a sea of concrete and humanity.

another tourist on the hill

in the foreground is the Acropolis Museum (can you see the people sitting with coffee on the deck?)
further, you can see the Marble Stadium and our CYA building (to the left of the stadium)

my sweet companion

the flowers are starting to come out!

on the way down the hill there is a grotto that was used as a sanctuary of sorts -
there was actually a rather creepy altar set up with offerings the day we were there

you can kinda see that altar in the back...it was covered with fruit, flowers,
and some sweet liquid that was attracting a lot of bees

Zappion and the National Gardens