For a country that has in its count 6000 islands, Greece is more of the sea than the land. As the Greeks Simply dive into water from any island, Land, taking a swim in the salty water of the agency, they fried themselves on their bronze look baking in the glory of the sun. While he helps them with their tan, they cool off by staring into the blue waters that surround all their islands. On the mainland, the port towns of Greece have a story of their own to tell, Galaxidi is a pretty little town, that is marked by yachts, boats and extremely pretty houses that have within them courtyard filled with bougainvillea. The azure blue waters play host to several sea creatures, but also to the ultimate land creature that loves to swim, man. The safety is of the agency makes man fearless to die from any of the rocks of not just the island, but also the coastal port towns to dive into the waters. Diving into the waters at Galaxidi made my day or should I say the trip, the balmy salty waters of the sea provide the best cure for the tons of walking that the rocky terrain in Greece! While coasts are plenty in Greece, what with over 6000 islands, the coast of the mainland is very different from those of the island. In Galixidi, the hotel accommodations are very quaint and cosy, if not for beautiful. Our hotel had an award-winning breakfast spread and we could see why, the table set with the choicest of fruits, juices, cheeses, sourdough bread was a vision to watch. It reminded me of the Russian painting, the Girl with peaches, by Valentin Serov, for its light quality. It is my favourite painting and the setting was also just a favorite.
Nafplio on the other hand is a port town, but it also was the first capital of Greece, yes the first capital of Greece after it’s liberation from the Turks. When the Turks left Greece in 1830 Naz plier became the capital. It’s a beautiful city which is quite vanishing in its outlook because of in national, and one can find rare colours and combinations which are quite stunning to look at olive green paired with a pistol pink on a building is quite rare but red and white is quite classic and you’d find all of this in this beautiful coastal town of Nafplio, the way its buildings are built and pay still colours that are that are used on its elevation. Each of the colours on the elevation are handpicked, the windows and doors complement the elevation beautifully in national and one can find rare colours and combinations which are quite stunning to look at Olive green, paired with a pistol, pink on a building is quite rare, pets red and white, white, classic and you find all of this in this beautiful coastal town of Nafplio. Today it is mainly a tourist town, functioning for six-months in a year in full swing as the cruise ships dock bringing in hordes of tourists. Our hotel owner is a hotelier half of the year and a carpenter the other half! Seasonal professions as the climate or the season demands, and its interesting to note how tourism affects the city or rather country in totality.
Tourism is seen to be the main source of the GDP, one into which every town of Greece is seen contributing into, every person’s livelihood is somehow connected to the tourists who visit, and sometimes in throngs! The tourists buy, eat, pay for experiences and that runs the economy of Greece, the cruise ships are a main source of Income. Athens also a port town, and the capital is sprawling, it is a megapolis. When standing atop the Acropolis the city stretches far and white, mostly in white in literally all directions. The city, also nicknamed, “the city of protests” sees a huge number of protests, mostly on Fridays so the weekend can be claimed. However hard the Greek ancestors worked on their bodies seems to be lost over the years, including weird ways of marrying in the family, yet what remains is the atrociously beautiful genes that the Greeks still have to this day. Golden haired, sun-kissed, evenly proportioned, the pharmacies and beauty stores dole out a myriad of products, for before-sun, during-sun and after sun exposure. Why even the clothing retailer Zara had an entire hair product range for after sun exposure! While Athens main forte is its patron Goddess Athena, it has the Temple of Athena, and those of several other Gods and Goddess that have crumbled in time.
Due to its vast proximity to Constantinople and the various fights in the region between Christianity and then the newer Islamic religions, the architecture of Athens felt the tremors of war distinctly. While Rome is the epicentre of Catholic Christianity, Greek Orthodox Christianity is the state religion in Greece, and unless otherwise specified, every baby born in Greece is considered a Greek Orthodox child. The Unified Christian religion split due to political and cultural differences as the empires of the Romans moved to Constantinople and back. Power, a driving force in life, also was the reason why several centuries ago the various city states of Greece fought with each other, the states of Athena and Sparta for example. While the Athenians were grand in their beliefs and tastes, wanting to enjoy the rigours and splendours of life while chasing a life of value, Spartas believed in a more stark outlook, marred by less, in everything, including the number of purposes. There are mythological tales on how Spartan babies were eliminated in their sole purpose of wanting to only retain strength among their kind, one that could fight for their land unrelentingly. When 300 spartans faced the Persians and died fighting, the epitaph read, “here lies a spartan!”. It meant to show how dedicatedly and bravely they fought, faced the enemy and lie in valour. Known for their terse and brief behaviour in language and life, another instance read that King Philip of Macedon sent a message to the Spartan army in 345BCE: “You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city.” The Spartans sent back a reply: “If”. Their Laconic reply is also what Laconia is known for. Greece is the centre of the classical western world in more ways than one. Its not just the language, it is their philosophy and outwardness, since the land was infertile, they had to look outwards to the sea. Their mythologies are filled with stories of courage and provide a pensive into the ways of the human mind.
Every part of the country, however small it is, is known for a diverse set of stories or Gods, who are relatable. Nafplio boasts of a castle, as does Mycenae, as does Nafpaktos, these citadels or forts so to speak overlook the sea and were centres of Naval power. But these forts built on top of hills overlooking the sea are just what we would find everywhere in the world as centres of security. The sculptures in Brass and Gold, the Mycecean gold are extremely beautiful from what we see through literary descriptions, yet they have been melted and used by the Christians in the buildings that their built later in their times, like that of the Hagia Sofia and others. Therefore what remains in the Mycenean tombs are the terracotta ones that may not have been of any use to the plunderers. Atop all of these buildings, the bastions of Nafpaktos, Nafplio, one is treated to extravagant scenes of the azure blue Mediterranean sea with the clear blue sky and its perfect luminousity. The glitter of beaten gold of the Myceneans shine bright, as does the soft feel of the beaded Komboloi in Nafplio, the stark pastel cotton cloth that is breathable against the harsh sun the country receives, the terseness of the olives and the gaiety of its oil makes this part of the Mediterranean so effortless and utterly natural. With no need of adornment and rich in its personality of the stories of its past or its legends, Greece has no place or space for pretence. The starkness of nature and truth in Beauty is not for the tales but in full-bodies blue blood in the oh-so-blue country!
Vedasri Siddamsetty 