When I started planning for this trip to Greece I expected to see a city with nothing but ruins, hummus and olives. I didn't really consider what the urban areas of Athens would look like. Walking around downtown I have noticed the way contemporary Greece is built around the ruins of old Greece. The juxtaposition of ancient ruins and urban graffiti is even more interesting to me that the ruins themselves.
The acropolis and the Parthenon are symbolic of the history of ancient Greece and images of the agora in ancient times reminds me a bustling city with vendors peddling oils, pottery, fleece and other goods. The city is still bustling today, and vendors still peddle goods but it looks nothing like the ancient city. Its like, every time I see ruins, I am pulled back in time, but only briefly because then I see modern graffiti tags all over the buildings and streets of the city. Most are political messages (not gang related) but they reflect the current economic crises and the extreme opinions of the locals here.
When I think about visions, I consider knowledge that I could not have from my perspective, knowledge outside of myself. I think about this when I walk around the city. What would I be experiencing right now if I was visiting Greece during the ancient times? The marble statues would still be in perfect condition, still painted, and the temples still standing undamaged. There would be no graffiti marring the buildings here-in fact, graffiti is now so common here that no one bothers to cover it. It has become a staple in the culture of young Greeks and a way to express their frustration regarding the economy, government, etc. Am I missing out by experiencing modern Greece instead of ancient Greece? I keep thinking about this and wishing there was a time machine I could hop on.
I have decided, however, that this experience now is more interesting.
I am excited to witness the ways in which this culture pays such respect to their history and their past. They won't demolish any sacred/ancient space to build a level road, but instead build around it. Sidewalks often have huge cutouts with ruins below and people randomly walking
by can stop for a few moments and look down into the past, preserved and beautiful. I can see proof of ancient culture all around the city,
but what is more incredible is this modern culture seated so closely to ancient sites. Its the best of both worlds-and somehow, the graffiti (despite the fact that I can't read most of it) creates the perfect accent to this mixing of cultures, old and new.
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| Ancient Ruins: untouched |
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| Carebear Dreamers |
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| Contemporary Graffiti: 1UP! |
When I think about visions, I consider knowledge that I could not have from my perspective, knowledge outside of myself. I think about this when I walk around the city. What would I be experiencing right now if I was visiting Greece during the ancient times? The marble statues would still be in perfect condition, still painted, and the temples still standing undamaged. There would be no graffiti marring the buildings here-in fact, graffiti is now so common here that no one bothers to cover it. It has become a staple in the culture of young Greeks and a way to express their frustration regarding the economy, government, etc. Am I missing out by experiencing modern Greece instead of ancient Greece? I keep thinking about this and wishing there was a time machine I could hop on.
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| Graffiti Art |
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| Church in the middle of downtown |
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| The sidewalk here was built right around these ruins allowing passersby to stop at look. |
I am excited to witness the ways in which this culture pays such respect to their history and their past. They won't demolish any sacred/ancient space to build a level road, but instead build around it. Sidewalks often have huge cutouts with ruins below and people randomly walking
by can stop for a few moments and look down into the past, preserved and beautiful. I can see proof of ancient culture all around the city,
but what is more incredible is this modern culture seated so closely to ancient sites. Its the best of both worlds-and somehow, the graffiti (despite the fact that I can't read most of it) creates the perfect accent to this mixing of cultures, old and new.
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| The modern city here was built around this old church. It is still used as a church today. |
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