E anastasia

Cristache Gheorghiu

Anastasia Novel

Athens, 2013

2

3

I wandered among the gods; Toward the men I must come back Ion Pilat

Miami, S.U.A, 2000 In Florida, the sky is never blue, like in Greece; humidity makes it grey. The clouds permanently cross the sky, even it does not rain as frequently as threatening they seem to be; and when they do, the rains are short. If you are not outside to see, after several minutes, you are not longer have the possibility to know what happened, as water had evaporated, because of the warmth. The humidity increases the unpleasant effect of the warmth. In London, your glasses steam when you entry in a shop in a winter day; here, it is the opposite: it occurs in full summer, when you get out from a space with ear conditioning. And ear conditioning runs almost everywhere.

The real benefactor of Florida is the Ocean. It is the one that offers you the greatest pleasure, at least from physically point of view, but the psychically also; just sinking in its water, you recover yourself after any stress. Its waves,

4

parallel with the tape of the road, were tenting Anastasia.

She had only few kilometres to drive up till her house, when the mobile telephone sounded. She does not like to talk at the phone, especially when driving, but it was her son calling. She must answer. He never calls her without a serious reason. Ah, if the caller had been one of those women alleging to be her friends whether she accepted them to speak hours, she surely would not have answered. Even a few minutes ago the telephone sound several times. She was just thinking what a plague the telephone became, because of those people wanting to talk not having anything else to do. But her son was. The ocean could wait as well.

-

Yes, Kostas. o Mom, come home immediately. Dad has been shot.

What are you saying about? Let me stop the car; I am in traffic. o Do not stop. Come home.

What happened? Where is the dad? o At the hospital. He is in coma.

I will arrive immediately. I am close by the house.

Still, she stopped; was not longer able to drive; her hands were trembling. Fotios was in a trip with his friend on the hunting land of the club of which 5

he was a member. She had told him not to go in this trip without sense; it is Sunday, the season for hunting is closed and they should enter there like poachers. But Fotios was too determined for being persuaded.

She needed more than one minute to recover herself. Still, she must go home to see what happened, so pluck up courage and left. She arrived and, surprisingly, her bad condition was almost out; just driving – that of which she was afraid - calmed her. She closed the car and enters the house normally.

Only when she enters the living room the worry came again. Kostas was like a statue and Vicky, her daughter, was on the floor in shock, real or simulated. Kostas said he had received a telephone call, from which more persons talked – Mike among them, his father’s friend – and that, from the whole the flurry, he understood that his father was shot and he is in coma now in the hospital. Which hospital, where he was wounded, who fire? He did not know more.

In very that moment she realized that all the responsibilities were on her shoulders, that she was alone and must keep her lucidity. She cannot cry. The Fotios’ friend, the one along whom he went in the trip, must know more. She called him.

In obvious state of excitement, he confirmed that Fotios has been shot in his head and even himself 6

is easily wounded: “We was transported here, at the emergency hospital, by a helicopter.

Anastasia, I lost my best friend. You must come immediately at the hospital, to do all the best for him, as I do not know he will survive long time�.

They lived in Miami and the hunting field was north to New York, one hour of driving from the airport. The hospital must be in the same area.

She had to solve some administrative problems, first to obtain the ticket for flying to New York and talk with a friend woman to take care of the house and Nicky. Kostas had suddenly became a mature person and told her he is determined to go along with her at the hospital. She succeeded, and several hours later they arrived.

At the hospital, besides the doctors, two guys from F.B.I. were waiting for them. Their task was to be sure that it was an accident and not a premeditate crime. They said that, on the hunting field, besides Fotios and his friend, another member of the club was there for hunting birds, though the season for birds was closed. He missed the first fire but, following the fly of the bird, he shot again, just when the bird was about to get down among the trees. Instead of the bird, he has hit Fotios and his friend.

From the doctors she learnt that the bullet entered through Fotios’ face, below the eye, and stopped in the bone at the back. Consequently, his 7

brain is flooded with blood and it will take very long until the haemorrhage will stop. Now, he is in coma, in intensive therapy, in a very critical situation. Maybe, he will survive, but needs much good luck.

Contrary to the appearance, Fotios was not a rich man. Now, as a vice-president of a small navigation company, their financial position improved. They were able to buy a house in Coral Gables. Still, it happened after a long period of missing and hard life.

His father inoculated him the passion for hunting and now he was pride to show to his friend the estate to the club of which he was a member, a very large one. He had other passions as well: the flowers, for example. At home, he has a lot of orchids. But nothing was to be compared with hunting. And now, just it, the hunting, the one that gave him the greatest satisfactions . . .

8

Limnos Island, Greece, 1955 The smell of newly-baked bread, especially when you are a little hunger, may be more appetizing as many others. The old Constantinidis used to do pastry as well; this was his trade. Now, he must go on with working – even sporadically – for maintaining those two little grandchildren of him, orphans. He baked two times a week, sometimes three, according with the orders of the shop for which he worked when he was active. The owner appreciated his products and was happy to sell them.

He lived upstairs, but their wonderful smell was to feel at the grand-floor too, where it incited Anastasia’s nostrils. The pastries were good to eat, as they were sweet. But the smell of newly baked bread aroused the whole her body. This is why, from time to time, she used to go upstairs, where the old man, with a smile on his lips and light in sight, gave her some of his delicatessens.

Though her appearance on the world was expected, her parents have not experience for growing up a child. They were educated people, but young and exaggerated severe. Without a special reason, her mother had forbidden her to go upstairs. For those three years old of her, it was difficult for Anastasia to resist, so she used to slink up now and again, when the mother was out of doors.

9

Everything was all right, until one day, when, coming down, at the foot of the staircase, the mother was waiting her. Without saying a word, she took her by the hand and pushed in the bathroom. Only there, she said: “When your father will come, he will take care of you” and closed the door. The bathroom has not a window, the light could be turn on from outside, so she stayed on darkness. She does not know how long; there was not any guide mark. Usually, her father comes in the twilight, and the previous scene occurred before noon. She heard him first quarrelling with her mother. She didn’t distinguish the words. At her ears only strong sounds were arriving, those characteristic for a violent altercation. Finally, the door was opened. He was visible nervous and – as he did not want other complications – took his belt and leather her up till she swooned. The only justifying phrase was: “You will not want to go upstairs again”. In that day she did not succeed in eating.

In the next morning, the parents were alarmed.

After an agitate night, with convulsions and shouts, now she was in a burning fever. They were concerned about her health and thought to call for a doctor. They were only for a few years in that small town and did not know many people. Though he was an advocate, he did not work in the law system, but in a bank, so he was knew only in financial circles. His wife, instead, was very active 10

in women circles. Inside of medical world they did not have many acquaintances. This why they appeal to that paediatrician doctor who took care the child in her first year. This one promptly came and promptly supposed what had happened. When he tried to undress the girl, for be sure that his supposition is real, the parents opposed. The doctor assured them that, from somatic point of view, there is nothing grave; the fever will goes out. But – with the risk of losing a client - he added that, from psychically point of view, such happenings could have undesirable traces on the child. The girl will never forget this happening.

It maybe seems odd, but the one who should have better sentiments was not her mother. The maternal love had in her case a degenerated form, turned into aversion face to her own child. She was a beautiful woman. Fully aware of her qualities, she had a really cult for show off them.

Up till a limit, it is natural to do this way. Who would not do it? But she frequently exceeded this limit. Those who knew her in intimacy tell that she used to speak hours with herself in front of the window. And there were windows in every room of her house. In society, she was a very agreeable person; in family, instead, she behaved stern and authoritative. Nobody remembers of seeing her smiling. She was unpleasant all the time.

11

A possible explanation is the fact that, before marrying, she loved a young boy and was loved by him. The boy’s mother opposed of the marriage, without saying why. It seems that she intuited or knew something. But, to remain low-spirited whole life because you married with other man and to avoid the responsibilities as wife and mother, this indicates a special psychological character. We cannot speak about love in her case.

Did she revenge herself on her own daughter?

Nemesis – the goodness of revenge – used to punish the crimes, namely bad acts, with the aim of conserving the order, the balance of the society.

On Anastasia she was revenging without reason, as the girl did not make grave mistakes. Homer said about „divine justice”. Anastasia’s mother was not divine at all.

Her father was more reasonable and it is almost inexplicable how his wife exercised such a great ascendancy over him and beat the child with inadmissible cruelty. He could confine himself with something easier, even normal would be to understand the whish of a child of only three years old and be more indulgent. But the theory, according with the parents must explain what a child is good to do and what is bad to do, works only the case of normal parents.

12

For the moment, the happening had some consequences on the parents: the scare moderated them for a while and diminished the stress on Anastasia. Her life improved for a while. Several weeks she did not received not at least a slap on her face of those of which she used to receive before several time a day. She was aloud even to go outdoors, in the courtyard behind the house, small enough and uninteresting.

Instead, the interdiction of not having friends was kept with authority. It is odd, as mother had a strong wish of socializing; not as to have friends, but a public, audience, as many attendances to admire her. She was beauty, intelligent, but just her wish of astounding made those who could become her friends to withdraw. Maybe just her failure made her to forbid the friendship of her daughter with other children, by simple jealousy.

Father tried, in his style, to ameliorate the situation: he bought for Anastasia a little dog. His gesture is almost characteristic for him. Instead to solve a problem correctly, he try to soften the consequently of un-solving it.

Anastasia grows fond of the dog. Its name was Lucky. They became inseparable friends, even during the nights; they used to slip together. They used to communicate unilateral by word of mouth and bilateral by looking each other. The problems were solved as soon as they were related to the 13

partner. The good feeling were amplified and the bad one grown dim. Lucky was the perfect friend that never disappointed her.

But, the real change occurred one year later. Her father received a job of vice-president at a bank in the Crete Island. Consequently, they moved there.

*

*

*

All men in her family were educated people. Still, for a better understanding of their philosophy of life and the consequences on Anastasia’s evolution, we must take account by the social conditions and the mentality of time and space where they lived in.

Her paternal grandfather, Afanasie Antoniadis, was graduated from the Kapodistien University in Athens, economic section. He was born in Nafplio, in Peloponez Peninsula.

Unlike most Greek localities, which have an old history, Nafplio has a new one: it was the capital of the first independent Greek state, Hellenic Republic, at the beginning of the War of Independence, since 1821 up till 1834, when the king Otto, the first king of Greece, decided to move the capital in Athens.

Anastasia’s grandfather married with Elena Grigoriakis and had with her four children: three daughters and a boy, Anastasia’s father, Manolis Antoniadis. This one was also graduated from the 14

Kapodistian University in Athens. Like his father, he was probably pride, because the university wears the name of that who was the head of the independent stat, Ioanis Antonios Kapodistias.

After graduated, he left Athens for working in Astacos and then on the island of Limnos, at Agricultural Bank. Limnos Island belongs to Greece since 1912, after the first Balkan War. Several years later, about 18.000 Russians landed here, for avoiding the persecution of the Bolsheviks. Most of them died of hungry and ills. The island was implying in many wars, due to its geographic position, controlling Dardanelle Strait. Anastasia says that her grandfather was a rich man, having among other businesses the monopoly of matches, but he sold his businesses in Suede, where he thought to be more secured. The history of the island suggested him many reasons to be prudent.

Still, this was a bad idea. It is difficult to know today if the culprit for losing his fortune was himself or his followers. Sure is the fact that his fortune was squandered. Maybe the Civil War was the culprit? Perhaps! We do not know why the fortune of Anastasia’s grandfathers dispels. Sure is she did not benefited by it. We only know that her father, after graduated the University, left Athens, for working on an island, though general trend was inverse. People used to leave the islands and came in Athens, all the more, as they were close by Turkey. But the main reason was the economic one: Greece was fully provided with helps from abroad, the investments were in bloom and the 15

capital of the country derived advantages of all these. As a young graduated, he preferred a good offer in province. In the same time, he married with Despina, from Athens as well. Both of them must left the capital, the city where they spent their childhood, where they had friends and a particular way of life, wholly different in comparison with that in an island.

They had resided close by one another, next to Platia Gyzi. This is an area wished by anyone, relatively not far from the centre, but in a quiet district. At their youth, the distances were much smaller than for an adult, so that the track up till Syntagma or Omonia, where dancing saloon and public housed where at very turn, seemed a trifle.

There are a few bus stops, but, for their young feet, only a quarter of an hour of walking. But the great pleasures were just beside their houses. The entertainments in public houses, with noise and moving, are nice between fifteen and twenty years. But when you want to be with your girl/boy friend, you will look for a more peaceful and discrete snug nook. The beautiful park “Pedion Areos Gardens� was just in vicinity. A few people knew it as well as they did. Every alley was stepped on hundreds times. But more wished is the hill about, a kind of a park as well, divided into fragments at its foot and almost wild toward the top. Opposite to the appearances, Athens is a city on hills. Only down, on the great avenues, the ground seems plate. As you turn off a little, you 16

start to climb much more you thought before.

Some streets are so abrupt as you wonder how cars can circulate on them. The town was built on the rocks. And still, the vegetation is abundant. It is the merit of the municipal administration, of course, but of the citizens too. Every house and almost every apartment in blocks of flats has vegetation throughout the year. There is plentiful of flowers during the winter as well. The Athenians have a particular cult for them. The island where they moved is as rock-like as Athens, but the preoccupation for vegetation of their citizens is much smaller. Consequently, only the rock is to be seen.

In Athens, the both youngsters wandered the same areas, but not together. They had different friends. Their marriage, arranged by the parents, was hastily decided and executed, followed by the departure from Athens.

Quitting Athens, all the advantages that enjoyed their youth disappeared. The transition since youth to maturity, with its troubles, occurred suddenly.

If, before leaving, they were in the middle of the family and friends, now they were alone, among unknown people, with lots of obligations, not knowing how to solve them. There were no one to seek council from; the uninterested friends disappeared. We may suppose without doubt that, from psychological point of view, this change affected both of them and the unpleasant 17

moments was not few. And, for making everything more complicated, the sheet cherry on the top of the fancy cake appeared: a child.

The beating given to Anastasia by her father and some of his ulterior decisions were not entirely of him, but influenced by his wife.

18

Crete Island, Greece, 1956-1966 In Crete, they had a large house, only for them, in the neighbourhood of which an orchard of fig-trees was. For Anastasia, the orchard was like Heaven.

There, she could play freely, without friends, but without her mother’s permanent presence too.

Lucky remained her single friend. They used to sleep together and care of one another. With him, she learnt the silence. Her mother speaks a lot, but communicate a little. With Lucky she is not able to speak, but they understand one another by looking. They simple stay one by the side of the other and each of them knows what the other is thinking. Maybe there were not just thoughts; sometimes they were only feelings, because, yes, they felt the same.

The father’s transfer from Limnos in Crete was, without doubt, a progress. Psychological, if Limnos, considered to be Hephaistos’ forge, could mark a child’s psychic, Crete is known thanks to the feature film “Zorba, the Greek”, in which Anthony Quinn acted. Mythology? A whole literature! As about Aphrodite, Hephaestus’ wife, she could be a concurrent for any woman. We do not think that Anastasia made such connections at her age, but . . . who knows? In time, she has learnt many mythological legends and even important events in the history of the island. She forgot some of them, did not understood very well 19

the meaning of others and why they are so important; finally the film is that what remained inside of her heart, but this occurred much later, when she was being in foreign countries. Maybe, this is why, her Greek proud soul, fiery and full of life, so well rendered in the film, imprinted in her mind; it recalled about her country. She knew it was made after a book, she knows even the author’s name, Nikos Kazantzakis, as he was born in Crete, but she never read it.

Unfortunately, Anastasia was born with very poor eyesight. She had great problems with her eyes the whole her life. From Crete, she used to go in Athens every month for therapy, beginning with the age of six years. When the school started, she was not able to see what the teacher was writing on the blackboard. From this reason, her father engaged two home teachers. The school was useful only as auditory exercise.

Anyway, no matter of these considerations, Crete is the largest island of Greece. There are a lot of things to see and learn there.

During the Second World War, the island had a lot of sufferings. With its geographical position, in the middle of Mediterranean Sea, it was expected. The towns were strongly bombs. In the meantime, they have been rebuilt in great measure, though their architecture was without rhyme or reason. Now, there is a strong American military base on the 20

island. The north coast, instead, is an almost continue string of summer bathing resorts, visited by many tourists, and summer is there almost permanent. The picturesque of the island is inside of it, in the mountains. All of these could not interest Anastasia, at her few years old, when she came here. Later, Mythology and historical sites would have been on her understanding, if someone had taught her. The multi-millenary history of Greece begins just here, and Knossos is only one of the most known sites.

They did not stayed just in Heraklion, the capital of the island, but in Malia, a resort on the north coast, a little toward East. For Anastasia was even better. Heraklion was at that time a town with recently built blocks, ugly and with tangled streets. Anyway, she would not go alone. For visiting monuments she was too small; she would not understand much. Mali, instead, was all she need. The locality is small and relative peaceful, if the noise made by the tourist does not disturb you.

A child disturbed by such noise did not born yet.

Music was to be hearing permanently. The near beach has sands just good for playing on and, surprisingly, the mother likes to go there and, sometimes, took the child with her.

*

*

*

From Anastasia’ diary 21

“In Crete, I liked the beach. I was seeing it as soon as I went outside, in the way toward the centre of the town, if looking at the right. It was a pity that, in this place, we never see the sun over the sea.

Since morning till night, it was on the other side, over the mountains. I liked the beach because it was very coloured, with many umbrellas: red blue, green, yellow; all colours. The most beautiful were the orange ones. I would go to the beach every day, but they could not let me go alone. I used to go only along with my mother and only when she wanted to take me. I never knew when she wanted and when she didn’t. Anyway, I was very happy when she did, as I could play in the sand.

One day, though it was very warm – in Crete is even warmer than in Limnos – mom wanted to go in other locality, where every year, in August, when it is the warmest, there is a festival of raisins. Its 22

name is Sitia. I do not know why we need to go there, as raisins are to be found here as well. But, as mother’s will is out of any commentaries, the three of us left: mom, daddy and I, plus other two families, each of them with two children. They were grown up, talked and laughed each others, ignoring me. I do not know how much they enjoyed themselves, but I liked a lot. Not the raisons. Those ones were like ours. As a matter of fact, I did not eat many of them. There were there lots of things much more interesting. People ear different there. But the most I liked just the people. All of them used to laugh, speak and cheer. I never saw such much cheerfulness. Maybe they were a little under the influence of the wine. My parents and their friends drank too, but they were not so joyful. They do not know how to enjoy? Maybe!

23

We visit also a theatre in the open air, in a place named “Venetian Fortress�. There, I

only

because

stayed

obedient

there

was

on

the

chair,

nothing

for

understanding. They only were speaking words. After a while I slept. When I woke up was already at home.

In Crete, the most and the most I liked the birds. They were coming in huge flocks.

Not all the time; only now and again. On said they were migratory birds. They do not want to stay here, only pass by.

Sometimes, they did not stop at all. I liked most the look at how they were crossing the sky. There always was one of them in the front, leading the others. Even the soldiers at parade do not walk so nice.

*

* *

The years went on, the girl grow up, some things began the change. She visited even the ruins of the palate in locality, a centre of Minoan culture, not 24

as large as that at Knossos, but evocative enough for provoking everyone’s interest. The inhabitants were preoccupied by politics of that time; the past did not interest them. The helps from abroad and how to use them were their main topics in everyday talking. They thought they were modern people, but they had archaic mentalities in fact.

The adults’ preoccupations could not interest Anastasia; she had her owns. Her parents’ philosophy concerning the children was limited at the idea that, besides the school, they can allow to have a hobby.

They chose for Anastasia the swimming. She had a good body for sport and, for swimming, there is not need good eyesight. After several trainings, the coach said the girl had a good hand to be ahead. The expectations were confirmed and, after five years of serious trainings, she was a good swimmer, a possible candidate for the following Olympic games. But an accident occurred; she wounded herself at shoulder and haunch. It was not very grave, but her father scared and forbidden her to go on. (On does not know if the decision was entirely of him.) The girl’s first great dream crumbles away suddenly. She needs some time to forget.

*

* *

25

Before reaching the age of fourteen, Anastasia’s father communicated her an important decision for her life.

-

My daughter, now, as you finished general school, we will send you in England for your education. o Why? Why must I leave?

It was not useful to insist. She only cried, realizing there was nothing to do and that, behind the father’s decision, the mother’s sentence was. A few days later, she received the confirmation. In a moment of sincerity, father said directly: “forgive me for taking this decision, but the mother is very sick”. She was not sick at that time of something special; it was her ill of all along: the schizophrenia. She cried again. Maybe, her father had a different opinion: with such a mother, the child could not have a normal life; far away from her, Anastasia has a better chance. The life will show if it was a good decision or not.

On the territory of nowadays Greece and particularly in islands, many Christian saints were, even the apostles. Some of them had there all kind of visions, reaching the highest point with that of the Saint Joan on Patmos Island, on the base of which he would write “Apocalypse” in the New Testament. On does not know what vision Anastasia’s parents had. Probably they thought it was of a good augur.

26

The preparations did take long time. It was clear the decision was not a recent one, but long ago thought. Soon, she left.

*

*

*

It was a calm day. Even the water of the sea seems to sleep in the arms of the gulf. Only the moving of some aeroplanes in the blue sky shows that life did not cease; at least there, up, something occurs. There was not a single cloud. It was warm. Maybe a little too warm, but a light breeze, which had just begun, made the atmosphere even pleasant. It was in harmony with Anastasia’s mood. Now, she found comfort and was quiet. Tomorrow she is to leave.

This happened one hour ago. Meanwhile, the breeze turned into wind; the water begun the swing itself. The wind, blowing stronger and stronger, became a real storm. The waves were rushing upon the seawall as if they wanted to manifest their protest because it was in their way.

Anastasia’s contemplation turned into a test of resistance. She tried a while to cope with it. To defy the wilderness of the nature was a little pleasure now; it doesn’t matter more than people’s one. It was fortifying her feeling of fighter, especially because, after the last events, it seems she will need it. The sea became more and more foamy and was blowing up drops up to 27

the high cliff. You did not know what – the wind or the wave – was roaring. A really uproar was. Black clouds had invaded the sky and were flying faster than the aeroplanes.

Finally, she leaved, after came to the conclusion that she resisted enough for the test of will.

In the morning, she found that none of drop of rain fell. Everything was only spectacle. Like in the life: much noise for nothing. Sometimes! Other time is the contrary: when you do not expect, it rain out of the blue. And how it does . . . *

* * At the airport, the mother came back immediately the airplane takes off, wanting to return to her preoccupations. The father, instead, tried to look for a while the bird going away, as if he wanted to scan not only the space, but the time as well.

28

United Kingdom, 1966-68 Anastasia arrived on the airport of London with a small plate hanged at her neck, with her name on it, destined to the aunt Louisa to recognize her. So far, it was well. The stewardesses behaved amiable with she. Even the passengers were affectionate, wondering by her solitary travel at those 13-year and a half as she had. Only their questions – too many and a little embarrassing – were uncomfortable, but only at the beginning.

Now, she was almost sorry the travel would finish.

She did not make problems if her aunt won’t recognized her; she got already accustomed among the strangers, though – curiously enough, till then, she lived alone most time. To recognize her aunt by herself was not possible, as she never seen her.

She only knew that the aunt will take care of her in the following years. As her parents did not spoil her, the change might be auspicious.

In the crowd after the landing, she had not time to wake up, when someone pulled her by the arm out from the stream of people. “So, you are Anastasia!” Of course, she was!

Unlike the passengers in the airplane, the aunt seems not to know how to smile. She was looking like her mother not only from this point of view.

Maybe there are some differences, she thought,

29

hoping they will be favourable. Maybe she will get rid of beatings, at least.

At the airport, the aunt did not come alone, but with a man, of course her husband. Nobody told her about him, but now Anastasia found normal for her aunt to have a husband. He seemed to be a good man, but he did not talk.

They drive a lot and enter the house immediately.

She saw almost nothing around. Even to eat she could not. She was not hungry. There will be enough time tomorrow, to enlighten. Maybe it will be well. She wants it so much . . .

*

* *

At the beginning, she thought she will live with her aunt, but, a little late, she learnt that was wrong.

The aunt was her mother’s sister. She was born in Lyon, in France, from Greek parents. They still lived there. How they arrived in Lyon is a long story. Their father was born in Smyrna. There is not a more wrong place and time for a child’s birth. The echoes of “massacre in Smyrna” persist even today.

But, as it is told, “every evil is toward the well”.

Those who rescued safe and sound left Smyrna as soon as they could; some closer, some farer away, 30

according with their possibilities and preferences.

All of them left to France, where Anastasia’s grand-grandmother had some relatives. The Anastasia’s grand-grandfather had businesses in Smyrna; he was ships owner and dealt with commerce. He was a rich man and had a nice and large house. Now, all these were of the past. They were succeeded to leave, because – thanks to his social position – he learnt a moment sooner what will happen and fly in time. Their son, Dimitrie Tsandakis, Anastasia’ grandfather, had just finished “Aroni” school in Smyrna, one of the most famous, the same from which the Aristotle Onassis graduated. In Lyon, Dimitrie married Sophia Sakelariu, also from Smyrna, from where she had left in similar conditions. After he graduated the Faculty of Low in Lyon, the both of them left to Greece, where Despina, Anastasia’s mother, was born.

The aunt and the uncle adopted the Anglican religion. For the grandparents, the religion was a real problem. France was Catholic. Those two variants – Catholic and Orthodox – are at the opposite poles of Christianity. The Greek people preserved the initial idea of Christianity as a religion of poor people, offering them a psychological support. This is how they are even today one of the most faithful nations; in those four centuries of Turkish occupation, the Orthodox church was their moral support, a real psychological medicament.

31

At the other end of Europe, German tribes, christianised by the Wulfila, as they were conquering territories left defenceless after the collapse of Western Roman Empire, imposed the their Christianity with the sword. The military leaders built fortresses, turned later into citadels and castles, becoming the feudal lords of the Middle Age. There, in the Occident, the priests have distorted the Christian religion from its initial role. As economic situation was more and more prosper in Occident, in opposition with that in Eastern Europe, the priest became arrogant. The divergence came to its apogee in 1054, when the Great Schism occurred. (A French intellectual, after a visit in Armenia, exclaimed with proud “Look how far the Catholicism had arrived�. It is hard to imagine a greater ignorance. First, Armenia is not Catholic, but Orthodox. More then it, it is one of the cradles of the Orthodox Christianity. Our French man confounds the Catholicism with the Christianity and thinks that it was born in France.) Without doing a comparative analyse of those two branches of the Christianity, we must keep account that any religion must be judged for its consequents, not only for its intentions. What the Catholicism brought? What the Orthodoxy brought?

How our Greeks felt in Lyon is hard to learn. They kept their religion, the reason of which they permanently felt to be different face to the people 32

around. That’s why, probably, Anastasia’s aunt, along with her husband, adopted Anglican religion, as soon as they came in the United Kingdom. *

*

*

After nine months Nobody was born after nine months. This was the necessary time for the aunt to fulfil the formalities for interning Anastasia in a boarding school for children with special problems, most of them from other countries, with other mother tongues.

It was clear the aunt did not love her. She used to talk with her husband in French language, in the presence of the girl, about her problems. At the beginning, they could talk in English as well, as Anastasia’s knowledge would not allow her to understand, but they did not want to risk. They spoke French very well, as they were born in France and spent there their childhood. Also, they knew Greek language as their mother tongue, but they were in England for many years and preferred to speak the language of the adopted country. But, in the presence of Anastasia, they talk the language of which she had no chance to understand. What is the meaning of it? Besides the lack of sincerity, the evidence they were conscious of their incorrect attitude.

33

In school, the lessons were less aimed to prepare for life the girls, giving them necessary knowledge, but to fill their time with something. They were children the parents of which did not want to deal with their education and were not interested in their future, or cannot do it. Some lessons were compulsory, as English language, others at choosing, as music or painting. For Anastasia, the equitation offered the most satisfaction. It happily combines her inclination for sports and love for animals. Lucky, her first pet was now only memory, but one of the most powerful. She could not keep a pet in the boarding-school and used to cry every time she remembers Lucky. Fortunately, not far from the school there was a horse stock farm. She chose to go there. Her love for animals convinced the staff of the farm and they accepted her. Soon, they even loved her. The equitation is not only sport; the attendance of the animal is just more important, the only one that creates an affective relation between man and animal. The thoroughbred horse strives to do what the man orders, as he understands what the horseman wants and want to make his pleasure. This desire exists, because a communication relationship had set down between the two ones, but also a sentimental one. It is not possible to create this intercourse on the saddle with the horsewhip, but alongside the horse, side by side, taking care of it.

The name of the horse that she received was Atlas.

She would prefer to baptize the horse by herself,

34

but it already had a name, and it was even a nice one.

Horseracing was one of her greater pleasures and satisfactions, as much as it occurs in a sad period of her life, a very sad one, of the banishment. She was alone – or almost alone – the most part of her life. She was an interning pupil, in a boardingschool, during the adolescence age, when children have the greatest need of friendship, of love and direction of the parents. In school, she had not friends. Her handicap was a minor one in comparison with the other’s ones.

As she cannot stay all the time at horse stock farm, at school she chose to do painting. There was a lady giving them some indications, but the most of time she let the girls to do what they want, with only condition to be quit. Anastasia’s feeble eyesight was not a major impediment; in painting is not necessary to see very well. One day, the lady even remarked her originality, probably just because of her weak eyesight. They painted hundred times those several subjects that they had: the trees in the small park close to the school – when it was nice weather – and those few objects in the room, the same for years, in the same position, as the girls was not allowed to move them. It was natural, because every child would put them in a different position, which was not possible, but surely a good reason for quarrel.

35

She wondered many times “Why her parents sent her there?� Their ration seemed to her more and more evident; in Greece, they would be shamed; all the relatives, friends and acquaintances would condemn them for aliening their child. If the father had the excuse of the work, the mother had not only one reason to care of her single child, except an uncommon selfish. Being in England, one may suppose she has better conditions face to those in Greece. They could not learn the reality was not quite so.

Their activities were those of filling the time, according with the inclinations and possibilities of every child. Not a minute for history, physics, geography and other similar ones. Mathematics?

God forbid!

On Sundays, though the children were of different religions, they used to go at the Anglican Church near the school. It is so not because one wants to convert them, but from practical reasons: the staffs of the school were not so numerous to lead every child to his church and there were not churches for all the religion confessions. As all girls wear uniforms, in church they seem to be Anglicans. But, in their minds, just the uniformity raises some questions, knowing they were different. Still, they keep the questions for themselves; anyway they would not receive answers. Only one of them, a little solitary girl, seeing Anastasia like her, took the courage: 36

-

-

I know the difference between Christianity and Judaism is the first recognise Jesus Christ as Messiah and the others don’t, but do not know what is the difference between Orthodox and Catholic churches. o I do not know much on this topic. I am Orthodox, but my aunt in London is Anglican.

She never explained me what is the difference. Only from their conversations with other persons I learnt a little. We should enter the history, but, for being honest, I do not know much. Actually, I think there is not any difference of the doctrine. It is politics, economical interests and ambitions.

I supposed so. If it is politics, let’s it aside. Anyway, I am not conversant with this subject.

*

* *

From Anastasia’s journal From the time being, I try to forget my trouble. For a long time now on, I will be far away from everything my life was, with its ups and downs. It’s true, I used to got

beatings,

was

reprimanded

almost

every day, but there were my plays, my dog, the animals I loved. My schoolmates ignored my, due to my weak eyesight. The

37

most of them! Not all. I felt that some of them had good feelings face to me.

What will be in the future I do not know, but I have not reasons to be very optimist.

My aunt and uncle, the only persons that I know, do not seem to be very delighted with my coming. They probably think I will be a burden to them. Maybe it is only an impression of the first moment. I will see. They have not children, are not too young, and I am a novelty in their house. The uncle is distant, but the aunt is just sour.

I remember that, in the school in Crete, not all the children behaved badly with me. I felt that some of them wanted to close by me, but did not dare. I did not see well, cannot participate in their plays and was isolated. Most children did not take into account my presence; they avoid me. This is in the best case, as others were

38

not timid in pushing me, if I was in their way. There were good children as well, wanting to help me, but they did not know how to do it. It’s true, I did not know too how to close by them. I was feeling handicapped and isolated myself, like a hedgehog, though I had not spine.

All these memories produced to me a thought: I want to become a nurse or – why not – a doctor or a psychiatrist.

Neither my schoolmates nor I knew how to communicate each other. I thing this is a problem of psychology. I will like to help people. It will be great to become a doctor, to treat people’s sufferings, to heal them.

Maybe it is too much for me. There are many years of learning, and they sent me here, at this school without perspectives.

My parents are eager me finish the school, marry me and get rid of me. If I say I want to follow a faculty, they would think I am joking or – God forbid – I lost my mind.

39

Maybe in psychology

I would succeed

easier.

Now, I notice that only animals really are wanting

for

sincerely

communication.

Horses and dogs have the feelings hard to found in men. *

* *

As every Sunday morning, in column, two by two, with a lady in front and the headmaster behind, the girls were walking to the church. Not far away from the school, a gentleman fell down on the street. First, he propped up to the wall, and then he flowed himself down along the wall, until the whole his body became a cluster on the pavement.

He seems to be conscious, but his muscles or something else did not obey to his will. Only one passer-by stops for several seconds, said something but the gentlemen did not answered. He took his hand, lifted it a little, then left it back and left.

All the other passer-bys did anything else but avoid him, like the lady in front of the column and the girl following her. Only Anastasia detached herself from the group and went close to him. He was not drunk; did not smell. He was even well dressed. He 40

was not a beggar. Certainly, he was ill. From the back of the column, the headmaster shouted: “Anastasia, enter the row”. And, if she continued to stay close to that man, he repeated: “Anastasia, enter immediately in the row”. Instead to follow the order, she rush back to the school, where she knew their doctor did not leave, yet. Surely, he must know what must do. She caught him just when was ready to go. Panting, she said him that somebody lays on the pavement and need medical care.

She came back alone to the church. There, nobody gave her attention. Still, from the lady’s look and, especially, from the headmaster’s one, she understood that a punishment will be. She was expected for a beating, as she used to receive at home, but it did not occur. Only the next morning she was told that, in the next week, she would not be allowed to go to the farm. She preferred a beating. She had even a vast experience with it.

Not to meet her friend, Atlas, the only one that she had, was a punishment much too hard. Yes, Atlas was not even a horse. He was Atlas, that of the books, the one who keeps the Terra on his shoulders. The Terra? Now she feels he support the canopy of heaven that is falling.

*

*

*

41

During those four years when Anastasia was in that school, the horse and child soothed their souls each other. She was caressing him, talking in Greek, the only loving language. Her great friend begun to understand the words accompanied by caresses. In this way, the banishment and solitude passed easier.

The animals never disappointed her. Even since a child, the contentment came from the animals.

Their sincere, disinterested love warmed her soul, made her not to feel alone. They offered pure love and gratitude, while the men repressed her, because she did not see well. This handicap should make her parents to be more loving; particularly her mother should be more delicate with her own child. It was not at all this way. Anastasia was treat with harshness, roughly, even beaten and, finally sent abroad in a distant country, with another language.

42

Crete Island, Greece, 1969 During the summer holidays, Anastasia used to come at home, in Crete Island. Not always! In the first one, she noticed that nothing remind of her childhood. There was not a single trace, not a sign.

She knew that Lucky had died; so she was told.

Still, it was expected to find at least a plaything forgotten in the loft. Nothing! The cleaning was absolute. Only the smell of lemons and the warmth of the island were saying she was at home.

One time, before leaving again toward England, her father said: -

-

When you will finish the school, I will marry you. I have four adequate men. Every one would be a good husband for you o But I will be too young for marrying.

You will have eighteen then, a good age for marrying. o I do not have this intention.

She had sixteen years then, and the proposed partners were over twenty, one of them even thirty. It was not even a novelty in Greece. On the contrary, in antiquity it was even the adequate difference between husband and wife. Since then, some customs were changed, but not all of them and not throughout. The Greeks are remarkable people for their tenacity with which they preserved some and hurried up to forget others.

43

Unfortunately, the choice was not always inspired.

It is true, none of the old civilisations lasted endlessness and then we do not wonder that the differenced between past and present are negative. Unpleasant is merely to remark the Greeks kept pre-eminently their flaws. Among them – not an important one – is their loquacity.

Here is a joke with millenary age: in a barber’s – the place of many talks – the barber asks the client: “How do you want to cut your hair?” The unexpected answer amazed the witnesses: “Silently”.

Roman people, even if appreciated the Greeks in many respects, had also some negative remarks on their behaviour. There are lots of expressions like “Ad Kalendas Graecas” or “I am afraid of the Greeks even when they bring presents”. The first one contains a small joke, also multi-millenary: in Greek language, the first day of the week is Δευτέρα, namely the second. (The first is Sunday, God’s day, in Greek, Κυριακή.) A statement like „I will pay in the first day of the week” may be interpreted as never, because the first (πρώτο) does not exist in their calendar.

Until to be married, the school offers her a respite. Although they did not learn history, she knew that her country, Greece, is full of important events happened in the past and it would well to know something about them. Some are real, some legends and the last ones are even more 44

interesting, as every legend has a moral. Crete has even very many. She has to take advantage of the vacancies and informs. It was not easy, as father is busy with his job and mother is preoccupied only by her own person; she has not time and disposition to care of the child. Still, Anastasia had to insist.

Finally, the father made time to go with she in Museum of Archaeology in Heraklion, the largest town in the island.

From Anastasia’s diary In museum, dad but especially the guide showed me some frescos, about which one said they was made one day between 1600-1400 BC. (As we are now in 1689; it means that at least 3368 years passed since then, if not 3568. This is a very long time. My playthings of two years ago already disappeared. How is that these stones resisted so long?)

There are many frescos representing horses and horsemen. I like horses. Some of them seems wanting to jump from the fresco and

45

come to me. I say to them to stay there; they are too old; over three thousand years. The name of one of those frescos is “The Prince of Lily” and decorated a queen’s apartment. (It means that people of that time had a queen. Why Greek people do not want to have a king? If they had had a king, they would have had a queen as well.) What liked me most was

“The

jump over the bull”. I keep it in memory because of its subject somehow sportive, though it is not an Olympic contest. The men must to face the bulls coming angry toward them, to catch the bulls by the horns and jump over them, turning head over heals. The fresco represent a very big bull in comparison with the men; one of them catch the bull by the horns, the second is jumping with his legs up, over the bull, and third stays aside, like an arbitrator or, maybe, a supporter.

46

But, honestly, I liked the best walking outside. This is so, because I do not want to stay inside. In school we stay inside almost all the time, except when I go to the

horses.

impressed

There me.

It

is was

a

fort,

built

which by

the

Venetians (I do not know what they are, but do not seem to be Greeks.) Dad said that, in 1648, the Turks attacked the fort.

These ones were our enemies of old time.

Those in the fort resisted up till 1669.

(More than my age) Thirty thousands defenders died, and much more among the assailants: a hundred and twenty eight thousands. For all that, finally, the Turks occupied the fort.

There is also a long defending wall, where it is more coolness; in the middle of the town it is hot. It was better inside of a park, with the name “El Greco”, namely “The Greek”, in Spanish language. This man was born here, in Crete (not just in

47

the park). He was a painter and left for Spain, where he doing well.

From the Mythology, I learnt that Zeus, the greatest among the gods, when he was a baby, her mother hidden him in a cave, not far from here, because Cronus, his father, used to eat all his children.

This was so, as he was prophesied that one

of

his

children

would

take

his

throne. The mother deceived him and gave to eat a boulder instead the child.

The story says that Cronus symbolized the time, which eat the days. There is here something I do not understand quite well.

If he had not eaten Zeus, it means that time would have stopped, which is not true. Or, maybe, he lost only one day, and afterwards his wife, named Rhea, born other children, up till Zeus deposed him.

We do not know who make the days now.

For not dieing by hunger, Amalthea, a goat, suckled Zeus. Though the milk of

48

goats is not as good as the mother’s ones, Zeus grown up fast and sound. One day, peppery like any boy, Zeus broke one of Amalthea’s horns. When he grown up, sized with remorse, made a constellation named

“Constellation

of

Capricorn”.

Probably the expression “the horn of the abundance” came just from this story.

I did not visit Knossos, as it is out of the city and we had not time. One says there is a large palace there. I would like to see it, even if, now, it is not like as it was in the past. There is a nice story about it, especially because it is about a woman.

Ariadna was her name. She helped her lover, Theseus, to get out from a labyrinth.

He went there to kill a monster with a head like bulls and human body. This is why people named him Minotaur. Minos, because this was the name of the king and taur, because this is the Greek word for bull. It would have been easy with a

49

mini-taur, but this one was strong and only Theseus was able to kill him. For not going in the country, the king ordered a great architect to build a labyrinth just under his palace and closed Minotaur there.

Unfortunately,

Minotaur

needs

human sacrifices. Theseus killed him, but he would not have been able to go out from the labyrinth if Ariadna had not gave him a ball of thread to mark his way. Theseus saves people, but he would had died too without Ariadna’s love. *

* *

Yes, Crete, as cradle of Minoic civilisation, is full of mythological names, beginning with Minos himself. Crete is connected with Daedalus, Icarus, Ariadna, Theseus and many others. Maybe less known is the myth according with Minos was appointed by Zeus to be the supreme judge for dead people. The place of the judgement was a crossing like a Y on a lawn. From there, a way was toward the “Happy Men’s Island” and the other toward Tartarus. Those who were to be judged must be come necked, namely dead. The judgers 50

must be in the same situation, in order to “look with their souls to the others souls, far from his relatives, after they left on the earth all their jewels, so that the judgement to be correct”.

Of course, the myths are stories and, like stories, we do not believe them. But, as any story has a counsel, the myths must have one. For us, Mythology is even today a kind of philosophy “en miettes” (in bits), as French people would say.

But, before crumbs, it was a whole piece. Aristotle said, “The lover of myths is somehow a philosopher”. With the meaning of lover (filo) of wisdom (sofia), Anastasia is part of this category as well. Still, somebody would explain her its subtlety, the deeper meaning of the story.

51

United Kingdom, 1970-71 When Anastasia finished the school, her mother and aunt arranged a meeting with Fotios. They liked him, or at least so they affirmed. Anastasia was less delighted. She thought he is too direct, sure of himself, even rude. But she married at her father insistences: “I do not want my daughter to work; not a single woman of our family did. Fotios is the single suitor for you, so that you must marry him.” And she married.

Not to work does not mean to stay for a song, to do nothing. It has the meaning of do not have a job, not working out of doors. Inside, instead, women work hardly. The custom dates since the antiquity, when women did not go out from the house not even for the shopping. The husband made all purchases. It’s true that he was only negotiating. One or two slaves used to transport the shopping. Sophocles synthesised the Greeks’ opinion about women’s role in the society thus: “A man’s life values more than a thousand women’s life”. The birth of a boy was a joy. A newborn girl could be killed and nobody condemned it. Often she was put in a basket and exhibit in a visible place, maybe someone will take her. If this case, she became a slave. For all that, inside of the dwelling, the wife was the real master of the house. The only condition was to become a wife.

The alternatives were: hetaira (courtesan), slave or premature dead.

52

In the meantime, the Greek’s mentality changed, but it still has some ancestral remains: as they have not slaves and most prices are no longer negotiated, they left the entire activity of supplying on the women’s shoulders, so that they carry the shopping bags from the market, no matter how heavy the are. In the rest to time, they must be mothers and housekeepers. They are condemned to fulfil all domestic endless works, like their forerunners, the Danaides, obliged to full up a cask without bottom. Even if they did not kill their husbands, I do not wonder to want it now and again. Only the Danaides did, not on their own initiative, but because they were said it must do.

Or, maybe, this is a remain of an older faith. Éa (she) was the Babylonian god of wisdom and knowledge, the creator of first people, while for Semite people, El (he) - symbolised by an old man with beard, possible with horns, representing the force and fertility - is a peaceful god, which prefers the rest, slip and even drinking. But the time of Bacchus is over, so that, now, the men are content with a coffee. Greek coffee. Not because it would exist, but the patriotic pride climes it. It is in fashion to drink “café frappé”, even during the winter, as it last more, thanks to the ice in large quantity, which must to thaw.

To smooth down Anastasia’s forehead, her father said a joke:

53

-

-

One says that, if you want a husband wise, nice and rich, you must marry three times. o The question is: in which order?

I think the first must be rich, to introduce you in the society; the next must be clever and, finally, a young and nice one, to caress your old bones. o I think the first must be clever, to teach you.

When you will enter in the society with the second, the rich man, you need know what to do.

In this case, you may marry only two times, as you are clever by nature. o Thank you!

For nothing. I made a compliment to myself; your are my daughter.

She thought that, if her father had introduced her in the society, she could marry only one, with a young man, but she refrained, so her father spoke on: “Anyway, the moral is the same: marry with Fotios. He is not very rich, but not in the least poor. He is graduated from the University, so he will manage. And he is not stupid; I think he is even intelligent.�

Fotios was born on the Hios Island, in 1945. His father was a navigator. After the disaster in Smyrna, not only the Greek’s patriotic enthusiasm suffered a shock but also, due to the change of population, Greece received over one million from Turkish territories. Besides the crowd of the Greeks from provinces, which invaded the towns after the independence, these ones added, people without elementary means of existence. The

54

economic situation of the country was lamentable, but it was improving fast, when the Second World War and especially the Civil War followed and has put again the country in difficulty.

The emigration, knowing by the Greeks for the previous years, seemed to be again a solution. In England, he has an uncle, left earlier. With his help, Fotios left in England, where he hopped in a great fortune. In London he graduated from the University, specialised in economics.

Fotios was a handsome man, so Anastasia’s parents’ decision – because they decided - was not too bad. The girl accepted, though it was not her choice. Anyway, her opinion was not taking into account.

Hios, where Fotios was born, is one of the places in which the natives claim to be Homer’s grave. An other place is Ithaca, where he was born. There is not a single prove in this respect. The heap of stones, declared to be his grave, was never studied, so that nobody knows if some bones are under them, which is very well; if they had done it they could have destroyed the legend. Homer – if he really existed – was an exceptional poet and reciter. At his times, what we say to be literature – from the letter, namely the written sign – was conveyed orally, by such talented men, who must have exceptional memory. At the poems learned from the forerunners, they added their original 55

contribution, so that the question if Iliad and Odyssey are entirely composed by Homer is nonsense. They cannot be the creation of a single author.

Today, any adolescent would be pleasant to recognise himself in Homer’s hero, Ulysses: brave, intelligent, strong. Odysseus adds to the first qualities the disposition for travel, knowing, adventure, especially if a Penelope is waiting for him at home.

Like Penelope, Anastasia always waited Fotios to come back, even if his adventures were not like those of the famous hero. Moreover, the last time, instead of defeat Cyclops, he remained with a single eye and, instead to fight with the opponents for regain his position close by his lover wife, Anastasia was that has to fight for keep him alive.

Tall, handsome, having a degree, Fotios was lionized by most women. As for him, he did not neglect the opportunities. Only Anastasia hoped that, as husband and father, he will not take advantage of them even for the Greeks, men’s liberty has very large limits, unlike the women’s ones.

The time proved that she was right. Besides the negative impression from the beginning, she had numerous opportunities to remark many others: he was ladies’ man, intemperate, loving more hunting 56

and fishing than his own family. As a matter of fact, he neglects his family almost all the time.

Life proved that Penelope was the real hero, namely Anastasia, and not Fotios.

For the time being, they married. There was not a great party. As a matter of fact, there were not many people to invite. From Anastasia’s part, hardly came her parents. Greece was in the period of the “Colonels’ dictatorship”. From Lyon the grandparents came. From Fotios’ part the mother and uncle came; they lived just in London.

Friends? She did not; instead he could fill a large saloon with them. He must explain them and excuse with the reason it will be a limited, intimate party. And so it was. Those a few closed friends strived to be decent, though sometimes one could guess their bachelors’ jokes.

57

Swiss, 1971 For Anastasia, what followed in the next days was a really honeymoon. As a matter of fact, only after the wedding party she had the possibilities to know London, and Fotios proved to be a competent guide, really expert of the places; less of the museums but more of the life of London. Anastasia learnt latter that here, in the museums, there are inestimable values, collected from throughout the world, including her native country. But she never saw them. Instead, she saw Swiss. Her grandparents from Lyon bought for them two tickets for a cheap trip, as present for their marriage.

They left with a noisy group of youngsters. The most were students. There was also a leader who did not seem to be a student, but all of them listen his advices. Fotios and Anastasia must listen him as well, as their program was common and he was the one knowing what they had to do. He was the guide of the trip.

They had not time for gather documentary evidence. Everything happened so fast . . .

Between the little wedding party - when they received this trip as present – and the day of leaving were only eight days, full with other activities. (The true is we cannot know how they would pass the time, no matter how long it would been.) This is why, on the route to Zurich, they 58

had several bewilderments during the talks with the others from the group. These ones knew very well the program of the trip; knew what they will do every day, what they will visit and what they will see there. You nearly can wonder why they go there, if they knew everything before.

-

There are over fifty museums and a hundred art galleries in Zurich. o And we are to visit all of them? !?!

They began to get afraid. The group was very homogenous; all of them were students with the same preoccupations. Only Fotios and Anastasia do a discordant note. Now, they were wondering how the trip would be with such a company. But they were merry, communicative, not at all freakish, so that there were some hopes.

If we start from the origin of the word museum, we thought it would be a place where all arts patronized by the Muses meet. But the meaning of it is more large now and we have “Museum of clocks”, “Museum of pipes” and lots of others, though we do not know that such muses to be existed.

Our heroes’ stress ceased when they arrived. The city seemed to them more beautiful than everything they had seen before. Not only the architecture was different and extremely nice, but also the way in which people care of their 59

dwellings. There were flowers in most balconies, though the summer passed long time ego. Artesian wells were overall and show windows compete with the most elegant in London.

Their great chance was the short staying in Zurich.

Excepting the sightseeing of the city – very nice and interesting – the visits of the museums and all king of “tourists’ spots” were for them a really ordeal. Fotios was uninterested and Anastasia did not understand much from the guides’ explanations. Too much historical information, the relevance of which seems useless. She wondered: what would be the importance of something occurred hundreds years ago? St. Peter Church remains in her mind, because she had said that it has the biggest clock on a tower. It has 8.67 meters. Till then, she thought that in London is the biggest. As a matter of fact, about many things she thought those in London are “the most”.

The last day in Zurich was for shopping. They had not much money – Anastasia never had – but it was a pleasure to look at the show-windows and even to visit some shops. She was surprised hearing the shop assistants speaking several languages.

Anyway, it was a more relaxing day in comparison with the previous ones. When they left Zurich seemed a relief. She knew there are here some of the very powerful banks in the world, she heard that – in order to be safe – many of rich people from other countries deposed money here, but 60

they died and money remain in Swiss banks. So, she was not entirely ignorant, she thought. Still, the trip begins just now. They will see Swiss and not a city.

Travelling through Swiss really was relish. Before leaving, they had a surprise. In the previous evening, together with some students from the group, they proposed to celebrate with a glass of bear, a local speciality, in the bar at the ground floor of the hotel. At their group, two Polish guys, together with two young ladies, added. They tried to go at the restaurant, but all places were taken.

Very angry, they enter the bar, already drunk with vodka from own resources. Hearing about a celebration, they decided all people must drink champagne. Hardly they succeeded to go to bad.

Changing the drink, the Polish men needed to carry by hands in their room. The surprise came in the morning. Next to the bus waiting for them to transport to the train station, the bus of Polish tourists was and its driver was no one else but one of the boozers. He seems to be sober, but the alcohol was not completely eliminated in those few hours. The French adage “drunk like a Polish man� is true. They did not go as far as the train station, but in a trip among the mountains.

From Zurich, they travelled by train. She never rode by train. In Greece she used only ships and cars, big or small. In England, she saw trains going along the highway, but she did not have the 61

opportunity to use them. The novelty grown dim immediately she saw the landscape. The localities, very nice, were like those from the books for children. She hardly accepted they are really. The mountains were covered with snow. She never dreamed something so beautiful and what she was seeing was even real. At the foot of the mountains everything was green, with very many flowers on the balconies of the houses.

In meanwhile, they learnt their destination was Vevey, a very small town, the real aim of the trip being the mountains close to it. But not far away Lausanne was, a name that has not need more explanations; she was said that it is well known all over the world. The headquarter of the International Olympic Committee is there. Not the piece of news that the locality in which they will stay annoyed her, but the ironic way in which a boy said it, together with other information.

Among them, the fact that the locality was mentioned for the first time by the Greek philosopher and astronomer Ptolemy, who gave it the name Ouikos. It was a detail and she was not obliged to know it, even if she would be a very educated girl, but that mischievous boy reproached her: “How is that; you, a Greek lady do not knew it?” Other information was interesting and useful, yet. So that, “One for all and all for one” is the motto of Swiss (Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno).

62

She expected at least the hotel to be a big one, but was surprised when saw that it not bigger than a house. A big house, but still a house. In fact, there were two houses, as their group needed more than one. The bigger house had a restaurant at the ground floor, where all of them will eat.

The other house, a little smaller, had only a large living, but it was even nicer for this.

Next day they walked around. The great trip, a climbing on the mountain, was to be in the following day. They will leave early, as the day will be a long and hard one. It would better to be on the top of the mountain before the noon, when – because of the warmth – the snow melt and the risk of the avalanches is greater, though they will walk on a safe path. The idea of an avalanche is inciting; it would be great to see a real one, not only on the TV. Still, it would be dangerous, so it’s better without them. After the breakfast, they will receive from the restaurant a small package with food, as they will be back only in the evening.

With them will be a professional guide for mountains.

At the small bar of the second small house, some natives came. One of them, close to the third age, is in the centre of attention, and the other one is his yes-man. The topics are, of course, picked up from the happenings on the mountains. He seems to be an old alpinist. Now, he is telling how, after he climbed using a fissure, he must traverse the 63

wall of stone toward another fissure, for continuing the climbing. The crossing was of about ten meters long. It was possible on something like a narrow slab of grit stone. It was inclined outwardly and had only 50 centimetres large. He must creep only with the half part of the body, the other hanging over the chaos. The risk to slip outside was great. He must advance like a snake, with small movements, wary and very slowly. If he had slipped, he would have fell. The single optimistic thought was the idea that other people passed by there, so it is possible. Besides, in the middle of the crossing there was a piton stuck in the rock. He started! Little by little, he took the courage. One meter, two . . . it works. Finally, he arrived at the piton. Here, surprise! The piton is not fixed in the rock. He can take it out with his had and put it back. It must be stick, he thought, so takes the hummer, strikes the piton and noticed there is not the smallest chance. The rock is compact. He thought to recuperate the piton – maybe it could be useful – but only then he realised that the one who left the piton there did it with a reason. Which one? To laugh of those like him? On him, the piton had a beneficial effect: gave him a hope and courage, raised his moral. So, he must leave it there. The continuation of the crossing was much easier. It was a climb that he wanted for a long time. The route is a symbol for any professional alpinist from this area.

64

All the listeners in the bar were full of admiration, although, in an undertone, one can hear whispers saying that the guy was not just a professional alpinist and that he only uses some subjects wanting to be in the centre of attention. And, if someone gives him a glass of cognac, he would have a lot of other stories to tell. The real alpinists are not talkative. The difficulties of a route, the emotions, satisfactions, shortly, their feelings during the climbing need a huge talent and, finally, people would not understand them.

The natives spoke different languages, without someone to translate. It means they understand each other, even if everyone used his mother tongue. Anastasia heard her grandparents from Lyon speaking one of these languages. She does not understand, but recognise its musicality. This is French. The other languages are German and Italian, she was said. She liked the most how the Italian language sound.

A student from the group gave her more information about Swiss. This time, he was an honest boy; there was not a smallest irony in what he was saying. He realised that Anastasia is inadequate educated, but she is not guilty for that. On the contrary, she wants to know, and he informed her decently. It was just pleasant to do it, as Anastasia immediately understood the signification of the received information, spontaneously making intelligent connexions 65

between the new notions. It was a pleasure to talk with her.

Most interesting was to learn that, though most modern countries are constitute on national criterions, and some other want to make now new countries, Swiss is a confederation constituted on the base of some common values of more nationalities. It seemed her to be the most intelligent governing, though she heard there were disputes not always solved in agora. Even in religion, besides Luther and Calvin, in Swiss, Zwingli was one of the parents of Protestantism.

He was killed in a fight against some Catholic cantons. She could see that not always the religion has spread by peaceful persuasion.

They woke up early. Even if they did not do, the guide knocked at every door for be sure that all tourists woke up. Of course, the great problem was the dressing the equipment. They took it from London. One of the suitcases was full with the footwear and clothes necessary for a trip on the mountains. They never used them; only tried on in the shop. Now, it was more than amusing, and Fotios was fretting useless, harrying Anastasia.

Finally, they finished, though something else could be improved or at least studied how it would be better. A surprise came at the restaurant: there was nobody there, except the attendances relieving the tables. At the question “Where are

66

the others?”, the answer let them without words: “They had already left”.

Fotios was smiling silently. He killed two birds with one stone: it was a lesson of punctuality for Anastasia and got rid of the climbing, for which he has not a little desire. In the last years he did not walk a hill; as for the mountains, he saw them at distance. He was Londoner hundred percent. Much more agreeable would be a walk in the area and, in case of need, to see some of the housed inside.

Of course, where the access is permitted, like in bars or restaurants.

It was too early for such visits, so they began with a walk. It was an opportunity of observing that here, like in any other locality, there is a big clock on a tower. In this way every citizen knows the time, no matter where he is. Nobody could excuse his lack of punctuality by saying, “I did not know what time it was”. And the Swiss’ punctuality is recognised, as well as the quality of their watches.

They were in the centre of Europe, where the industry and commerce on large scale was born.

The lack of punctuality is considered not only an offence of the partners. Punctuality is a necessity.

Without it, the industry cannot work. No matter how Greek she would be, Anastasia has to imagine that, for assembling a machinery, each piece must be there at the right moment. Its lack stops the whole course of fabrication. The society is like a machinery as well. Each person is a part of a 67

mechanism, which works only if every part fulfils his role. The reciprocal consequence – as hard as real – is evident: the faulty pieces are removed and replaced with some good ones. Anastasia assimilated the lesson. She will be a very punctual person the whole her life.

They learnt that in Vevey lived for a while many personalities, like: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Oskar Kokoschka, famous Austrian painter, Victor Hugo, Graham Greene, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Russian novelist, Le Corbusier, known Swiss architect, the actor Charles Chaplin, Polish novelist Henryk Sienkiewicz and many others, too many for such a small locality. Remarkable is that the native people are proud with those who visited their town.

68

Australia, 1972-74 All in all, the trip offered to Anastasia nice days, lots of novelties and, maybe, Fotios seemed more agreeable now. In England again, they had to solve some important problems, one of them even urgent: that of the dwelling. In the house of her aunt it would impossible. Fotios lived in a small bachelor flat, at the last floor of a tall building.

The expression “bachelor flat” is just adequate: only a boy without obligations could stay there.

Now they were two and possible three in short time. The trip seems to be productive from this point of view as well.

The second problem was that of Fotios’ job.

Although he was graduated, he was contented with a small salary. Now, the hope was again from his uncle, who helped him so far and played a role even in the arrangement of their marriage. This would not be a difficult problem to him, as he was a man with many relationships. Not only in England; even in Australia. Yes, even in Australia.

There he found a job for Fotios. Why not in London?, nobody knows. But, after a trip in Swiss, why not to go in Australia?

And they left for Australia. On the way, the plane made a stop in Singapore. Some information about the town they learnt during the fly, from a bookleaf, founded in the pocket from the back of the chair in front of them: an insular town-state, near 69

to Malay Peninsula, highly urbanised, (more land was artificially created), independent now, but under British sovereignty in the past, hosted a trading post of East India Company, the world's fourth leading financial centre, and the port of which is one of the five busiest in the world. The confronting with reality, when they got down from the plane, was one of a different nature: in a few seconds, they were completely drenched. Because of the perspiration. The warmth was expected: Singapore is close to the equator. The humidity was that took them at unawares. The sky is grey and the sun hardly could be seen. The town is like an anthill. There is in Europe the belief that people in the areas close to the equator are lazier, because of the warmth, unlike those toward the poles, more active. One explains in this way the advance of European civilisation face to the other continents, like Africa. Also, people in the southern part of Europe are less hardworking than the others. Well, Singapore – and not only it – proves the idea is a false one. People from here are hardworking and lively. Today, Singapore is one of those “four Asian tigers” and the third highest per capita income in the world. The explanation of its development could be even the former British domination. It is that offered to the inhabitants the opportunity of learning what they have to do and they applied the lesson as soon as the favourable occasion appeared. It was here, in Asia, the place were the adage “If you want to help someone do not give a fish; but teach him 70

how to fishing” has appeared. Helps received other people as well, but the effect was according with people’s mentality, which use it usefully or on the contrary. The stop was a short one.

Finally, they landed in Sydney. Nice, very nice!

The building of the Opera, with its original architecture, was to be seen from the aeroplane.

They have to visit it as soon as possible; it is included on the List of World Cultural Patrimony UNESCO. In the first four days, they will stay at the hotel, where they reserved a room. Four, because after three day, the hotel gives one for free. In meanwhile, they will have to rent an apartment, the hotel being much too expensive for their budget. For the time being, the single desire is a good slip. After a travel so long, you cannot want anything else.

As expected, but they did not know, the slip was short. The difference of the meantime zone, the so-named jet-leg, made its effect. After less than three hours, they woke up. Until the morning they made plans. The office, where he must go, and the shops she want to visit – only for seeing, in the lack of money – will open much latter. So far, everything seems to be very nice, and the perspectives even delightful. A single thought troubles them: will they adapt to the warmth of Australia? In their short visits in Greece it was 71

embarrassing. They were used with the climate of England. In Australia it was much warmer. But, as other people support it, they will do too.

Making plans over plans, the night passed easier.

Now, the great day is to follow.

And the great day passed. It would have been better if it had not been. When she was eager to recount to Fotios what wonderful thinks she saw in the city, he not only did not let her, but tell her to gather all things, to pack up the baggage, as they have to fly to Perth in few hours. His job will be there, at the other end of Australia. So he was said in central office, in fact the single one, as the second is to be set up now, by Fotios, in Perth. It is he the one who must do it. Their justify was that the majority of the ships come on the western coast of Australia from the eastern coast of the American continents, as well as from Europe and Africa. Fotios will deal with the Greeks who travel, want to be engaged or have different problems.

-

And when they will visit Opera and the others from Sydney? o In vacancies.

And, with the room in hotel reserved for other three nights? o The hotel belongs to a company that has a net of hotels and already transferred the reservation in Perth, where it has another hotel.

72

This is the situation! Maybe, all evil is for better.

There, he will be alone, without chiefs, which is not bad at all. He will be able to make the program as he want. And Perth is a very large city.

It is the capital of West Australia. It is not only an important economic centre, but also an ideal place for recreation. The wonderful beaches on the seaside of the ocean are famous. It has many universities; even if they are not interesting for Anastasia and Fotios, but it proves that the city is a civilized town. There are lots of places to visit, especially now, after the wedding and the trip in Swiss, as they got used to visit spots.

Why they must leave from England to Australia is harder and harder to know. First, England used Australia as place for deporting the prisoners of civil law. It was impossible to escape from there.

It’s true, later, the continent was considered as a new beginning, because there a different society starts to develop there. English people, even some rich ones, used to go in Australia, and particularly in India, for gaining more money. But, there were other times. Fotios’ uncle was wrong when he evaluated his nephew’s possibilities. It’s true, there are Greeks in Australia, as throughout in the world, and Fotios would dial just for them: for Greek emigrants working in the navigation. This would be his job. Unfortunately for him, it was not a way to make fortune. He was deal with poor people or in difficulty.

73

Greek people are known for the dichotomy of their sentiments: the well and evil are in equal proportions in the same person and do not mix each other. Sometimes a Greek is kind and affectionate, sometimes is acrimonious, without intermediary situations. In commerce, they compete one with others pitilessly, but – when some patriotic topics appear, they join as nobody else. Speaking about the Greeks from England, it is famous the Churchill’s retort, when they claimed to for Cyprus: “The Greeks let give us back the Baywater district from London and we will give them back Cyprus”. The number of Greeks in Baywater is overwhelming. Pan V. Vandores wrote it in his book “Greece with gods and without”, a very nice one. From the same book we learn that, in London, there are seven daily newspapers and numerous periodicals, four printing presses, eight hotels, twelve cafés, twenty six hairdressing saloons, thirty six commercial offices, ninety shops and many others. The book was printed in 1978, so the author information is just from the time when Fotios left England. Of course the competition among the Greeks is bitterly and it would not be easy for Fotios, though he is a Greek as well. Still, to leave in unknown with a wife pregnant seems a gesture at least hazardous. *

*

*

74

A white cloud like a parachute is moving from the offing of the sea toward the continent, as if it hurries away of something and is eager to land on a safe place. When it nearly arrived, it crumbs itself in smaller and smaller fragments and, in the end, it melts in the blue of the sky. It was the last from the army of clouds of last evening, black and threatening. Not a single drop of rain had fallen, but the strong wind frightened Anastasia. She did not slip well from this reason. Surely, on the sea, she thought, it was terrible, maybe a hurricane.

And if – wind or hurricane, what it would be – make a tornado and it, the tornado, will sweep the land? She is here, near to the sea. It’s true, there are buildings around, but there are a lot of things on the balconies and among the buildings. The wind can turn them in projectiles. This is just the danger of the tornados: the object-projectiles carried by the wind with speed. Even in case of the tsunami, not the wave make the greatest damages, but the objects brought by the water in its withdrawn, which sweeps everything in its way, like an avalanche. In our human world is the same.

Resist only those who are strong and stay well on their feet. The others are took by the wave and strike what they meet in their way. They are the real destroyers, not the wave. The wave is the cause. The effect is the same, even when the cause was wanted to be a good one, as . . . the heaven is paved with good intentions. The Christianity as well, firstly a religion of poor people, born from the wish to offer a good chance 75

at least in a future life, known the horrors of Inquisition. And later on, the people’s equality in the face of the God, became equality between people, and from here, to the idea of democracy, followed by others like socialism, communism, with their leaders: Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin . . .

And the course goes on . . .

-

-

Ah, I forgot the mild on the fire. Now, I have to work with cleaning. Fotios will drink tea, as he does not like the milk smoked. It’s good that he is slipping yet. Last night he came late from the . . . office. o Good morning, darling.

Good morning. Did you wake up, finally? o Would you make to me a coffee? I hardly open my eyes.

At the beginning, the warmth of Australia did not trouble her. It was almost warm as in Crete. The discomfort appears when the row of torrid days is too long, and here it seems endless. In fact, we should say torrid night not days, because the days are easier to support. During the nights, instead, you cannot slip. And if you don’t have a good rest, the day becomes harder. Everything went acceptably up till the seventh month of her pregnancy. The last two months turned her existence into an ordeal, both days and nights. In each hour she was wondering if she would be able to carry the pregnancy up till the end. She consulted a doctor and learnt she will have a boy.

Of course, Fotios was glad. She wanted a girl, to educate her, as she had not the chance. On the

76

other hand, it is said that boys are easier to bring up. Besides, maybe Fotios will love the boy more than a girl and it would be a reason to make him to stay more at home, as she is not sure that he works all the time, as he pretend to do.

But, till to give birth, the warmth is insupportable, and they cannot afford to put ear conditioning. It cost too much for their income, insufficient even for a modest family.

To make time to pass easier, Anastasia remembered that, in school, she learnt how to paint. She did not allow buying oil colours, but she could use watercolours, much cheaper. As a matter of fact, in school they painted only with watercolours. Of course, she would like to work with oil colours, as the great painters did. Maybe she will succeed sometime. Sure she will succeed, but not now. At the first sight, watercolours are a minor kind of paintings, while the true paintings is that with oil colours. She supposed it is difficult, though there is a question: “why the painters want to do something difficult, while they have the possibility to do the same on a easier way?� The difference between watercolours and the oil ones is the medium in which the pigment is solved: water in the first case and oil in the second. The water dries immediately, but a single drop of water, fell on the finished painting, destroy it. The oil needs several days to become dry, but the painting is more resisting. The painters chose the 77

oil with optimal length of drying in order to can work on the painting, mixing the colours or laying coats over coats. So, it is much difficult to do good paintings in watercolours, where you cannot improve or correct them. What you did first is done. If it is good, it’s all right. If not, you must throw it, before anyone else to see what you done.

It’s true you cast only a piece of paper. The idea of painting seemed to Anastasia a genial one.

Fotios will never know about her new passion.

Still, a new problem appeared: around the house there are not trees and in the house she has not objects like those in school. Now, she found that she does not know how to paint other things. She thought it will be easy, but it isn’t. In school, the lady did not teach them how to do it. She was content if they stay in silence. For every object she must find a way to paint. And there are lots of objects. But, she has time and will succeed.

She does not cherish illusions to sell her future paintings. Although they need money, she realizes that she is not enough skilled. But it is a way to pass the time and, for the moment, this is what matter. In the future, who knows? Maybe she will become famous.

What stroked her is the naïve painting of the aborigines, totally different of that of Europe.

Those pretending to be professionals, as they followed some lectures in a school of art, 78

advanced the word naïve. Unfortunately, the school, besides several useful things, bordered students’ freedom of creation and make them imitators of the teachers. Noah’s Ark was built by a dilettante, Noah himself; Titanic was built by professionals. It is true, in that case of the aborigines, there is not a person, but a people and his culture.

At the first sight, Anastasia does not like the aborigines’ paintings, even the colours are nice. It is amazing how these men found in nature colours so living and so strong. The design is special. She realizes that it convey some symbolic messages.

Every figure says something what she does not know; it is inspired of legends or make reference to them. She is discontented that does not understand. In fact, it is expected: it is the culture of a people about which she knows nothing. A remark is still clear: unlike the Europeans, the aborigines did not want to imitate the nature.

Their painting is elaborated, have a symbolic content, and is full of messages addressed to those knowing the legends, their faith. The symbols were elaborated in the past and are renew permanently.

These paintings cannot be appreciated al long as you do not know their legends, their mythology.

Only when she will understand the message will be able to make the first steps toward what their art really is. In order to feel as they feel, she should have the same faith, to be as inveterate of the

79

truth and value of their legends as they are, which is impossible.

On the other hand, she thought to the visitors in the museums in Europe and even to herself. The medieval European paintings is in a great measure one of the church, in face of which the tourists formally say without conviction “Wow, how beautiful!”, but they do not understand the message of the painting, what it represent, because the majority of them do now the Biblical parabola illustrated in that painting.

Something is sure: we like or not, the aborigines’ art is a true one, of a value much greater than our modern one. The power of creation of these “naïves” is impressive.

Finally, she gives birth. In the world, Kostas appeared, a nice and sound boy, looking like his father. For the beginning, the life of his parents, especially that of the mother, became suddenly very difficult. Fotios was outside almost all the time, but – with all his efforts – the incomes were less than modest. Anastasia, alone and without experience, managed with difficulty, though she saves money as much as possible. She even began to sew clothes for the baby, though she was not skilled for it.

For all that, when the situation became desperate, they must renounce at the dream of Australia.

80

From England none help came; on the contrary, Fotios’ mother, moved there after her husband’s decease, asked for money, and her lover son used to send. The single salvation could be Greece, where they could live for a while. From there, Fotios will search for another job. *

* *

The Greeks are not, as we would tempted to think, some family’s authoritarian heads, judging after their presence in society: alone in cafés, taverns or playing backgammon in parks, while the women do shopping, bring up children and fulfil all domestic works. In reality, the women take the important decisions. Men’s presence in public places, even when they claim to do a small business, is only an abandon of the family with its problems. It is interesting to notice that in many cafés, there are carpets on the floor, even in some of those arranged in front of the buildings, on the sidewalks, but there are not carpets in the kitchens. In the apartments the cold floors prevails, by marble or imitation. In the most cases, the men’s “business” is limited at a tiny shop without clients at the ground floor of the building, without selling, a shop that should be closed before to be open. He stay there permanently, alone or playing backgammon with a friend. The family has other financial sources. When there are more men, they talk about all kind of thinks, 81

sometime politics. Usually as less they know, as passionate and harsh discuss. If they had had more information, they would have arguments and would talk more peaceful. In fact, they are poltroons and cowards.

Anastasia’s father obeyed to the decisions of his wife, a woman wishing to control the others’ life, not for their interest, but for her pleasure. He removed her own daughter, because her presence was incommode for his wife. For Anastasia, the socalled education in England was in fact banishment.

Fotios put his trust in his uncle and wife’s hand, being married by them. Once married, he was not much interested in his family. The women, yes, but not particularly his wife. The old mentality, according with a wife is mother, housekeeper and stay at home was perfect for him. And, as he was a man of success to women, it seemed odd to him to renounce at his main pleasure.

Their departure from Australia was decided by a woman too: Anastasia’s mother, having as single motivation her wish to control the life of the newborn nephew, although, in short time, she will not want to know about him.

It’s true, their financial situation was precarious and there was not other perspective, not even an equivalent one, no way a better one.

82

Greece, 1974 It seems that the Greece in which they came had the same houses, but not the same people. It is a way of saying that the houses were the same. Each time when she came at home during the vacancies, there were to be found some new and very nice houses instead of those modest old ones. Greece was blooming year after year. Now, just this evolution stopped. But what strikes her more was people’s attitude: they seem to be scared. In short time, she learnt what happened: it was what we today say the “colonels’ dictatorship”.

After centuries of privation, the Greeks had believed they are the representatives of democracy and their fundamental right is to be against; against to the neighbour, to the friend and, particularly, against anything means order, finally against to the government. They did not understand that Zeus made order in Chaos and not the contrary. They confound democracy with anarchy. Besides, because of the insidious Soviet influence, the communist opposition created insurmountable problems to government. Arthur Schopenhauer wrote in “The Fundaments of Morale”: “The poor man will not recognise that the social inequality has as cause the inequality of merits”. These poor in spirit not at all.

Confident in themselves, as an effect of their victory against the Turks – for which they deserve 83

all praises – and because the investors are interested in their country, the Greeks thinks they are very keen. Unfortunately, keenness without culture produces in most cases only indiscipline.

You must understand what happens around and why, for judging correct. Only in association with education the true intelligence show that anarchy, as a produce of the indiscipline, does not help and that, on the contrary, as a member of an well developed society, he can realize himself on an upper level.

Civilisation is a word in the social area. Clever is not that who knows many thinks but that who understands how they work. The Greeks do not know how thinks work in the modern society. They consider themselves to be over such considerations.

To a certain extent, the ignorance and the facility with which they are attracted with the communist slogans has as cause the lack of intellectual tradition. It seems odd this affirmation face to the people on the culture of which the European civilisation was founded. It must be explain.

Because of the Turks, two migration of Greek intellectual occurred: - at the collapse of the Byzantine Empire; - after the War of Independence.

84

In the first case, the reason of emigration does not need too many explanations; it is easy to be intuited. It is true that those who left sowed the culture in Europe. The Renaissance, of which the Occident is so proud, was achieved in a great measure by the Greeks that flied by the fear of Turkish yathagan. They brought the culture first in Italy and then throughout the world. By them has benefited Occidental Europe, but not the localities from the nowadays Greece territory, which were already part of the Ottoman Empire.

In the second case, the revolutionists accused the intellectuals by collaborationism with Turkish authorities. The most were in the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul and proximity. From this reason, they could leave anywhere in the world, except Greece. Again, Europe was preferred and America.

After such a great spoliation, it was expected that it was hard for Greeks to self-governing. He was an oppressed people in the past and is easy to be manipulated today.

In consequence, they arrived in the situation that a little order was necessary. Unfortunately, those who proposed to do it – the colonels – proved that they are not good administrators, and what they did after the military coup d’état was only a dictatorial regime. They did a certain order, but

85

some actions were exaggerated. This was the reason of people’s fear.

A job for Fotios? Absurd! Back to London, at the uncle that helped so far.

It is not clear why, this time again, the uncle did not find a job for Fotios in United Kingdom. Thanks to his relationships, he found one in New York.

Anastasia remained with Kostas in Greece and Fotios left to New York, to undertake his job and find a house for the family.

He had not acquaintances in the United States of America, so that he must manage alone. He succeeded and, before the winter, he came to take Anastasia and Kostas in the “New World”. For Anastasia, new was Australia too, but particularly the United Kingdom at her less than fourteen years old. Why America has to be newer than the others she will have to learn latter.

86

New York, 1975-1984 It is not that New York of view-cards and albums.

That is Manhattan, a district of the great town, its centre. Here, where they will live, the town is a normal one, like those from Europe. The house is a little unusual. It looks like with those from Australia, but Europe as well. It has the grandfloor by masonry (bricks and stones) and the floor by wood, with the roof very sloped. Not so much as those from Swiss, but almost. During that trip Anastasia was strike by the novelty and beauty of the landscape, now she was wondering about the utility of this style of building. The explanation is to come a little later, when she must clean the snow in the front of the house, to can get out in the street. When it brighten up and thought she get rid of the snow, that of the roof fell just in front of the door, so she must work again. Such snow she never saw till then. In Crete it never snows, in the United Kingdom is colder than in Crete and more humid, but the snowfalls are insignificant, and in Australia you may complain of warmth, not of the snow. How people from Manhattan succeed to drive with such of snowfalls is a mister, as she moved only in her district. She visits Manhattan only a few times, as a tourist.

Like most people from the United States, they wanted to buy a car. Fotios especially. A second hand one, as they do not own money for a new one. People advised them not to do it. Neither of 87

them knows how to drive. Fotios rarely went out from London and when he did it was by busses or train. As for Anastasia, she used to go only as far as the horses stock farm – less than two hundred meters on a lateral street – and one a week toward the church, in row, with all the girls and teachers.

An old car could breakdown just when you do not want it and they do not know how to repair the smallest shortcomings. Anastasia was surprised to learn that nobody would help them on the highway. People do not want to loss their time – time is money – but, in the last years, they are afraid of robbers, who simulate a breakdown and, if you stop, they plunder you, maybe will run with your car. Besides, unlike the rest of the country, where – due to the long distances – every adult has at least a car, in New York the car owners are less than a half of the population. It is simpler to move by buss and especially with metro, without troubles, tantrums and ambushes.

For the beginning, as expecting, they came up against serious financial difficulties. They were alone, without relatives or friends. They must buy everything, from broom and dust pan, with the Fotios’ modest salary, like in Australia, with the difference that his income had a certain stability this time and the possibility of increasing in a future not too long. But, till then, they must think over the last cent. Anastasia began to sew clothes not only for the child, but also for themselves, the adults, for inside.

88

As a trouble never comes alone, Anastasia became pregnant again. Of course, a child is reason of joy, but not in such moments. During the antenatal period it was still well; here it was not as warm as in Australia. The great difficulties appeared after the birth. First, she had a great joy. The child was a girl. They baptized her Nicky. Now, the mother was busy with the child, Kostas was still small, Fotios working out of doors, the disaster was total.

The victory – Niki means victory in Greek language – if it is to be one, will be very remote. *

* *

But, as people say, the man does not know how much he is able to suffer. There were hard years.

What count is that they went. Now, they have American citizenship, Kostas attends the school with good results. His classmates call him Kosty.

Even Fotios’ salary increases. Not as much as they hoped but, anyway, it was much better. Nicky was a little too capricious, but she was still too young to make problems.

With goods and evils, the children were those who give sense Anastasia’s life. To the inherent difficulties of bringing up children, in her case the financial problems and the absence almost total of the father added. Only her love for children compensates them. She would not touch them with 89

a slap and even that small reproofs necessary for their education, like “it is not well to do it” she would want to not exist. Her love for children would be sufficient. She is amusing even today of some nice happenings. In the day when they celebrated Nicky’s two years old, the girl said: “Mom, when I will grow up and will be a boy . . .”.

If her brother was elder and was a boy, she is to be like him at the same age. Some years later, when the daughter of another family was to marry, Nicky remarked: “How well was for you, mom, to marry in family with dad; the poor Eleanor – this was the bride’s name – must marry with an alien”.

Or another time, several years later, when their financial situation improved a little and was able to go in a small trip on the mountains, the four of them crossed through a small canyon. After a turn, on the narrow road, more path than road, a huge boulder was. Dissatisfied, Kostas asked his father for explanations. He loved very much his father and the rare presence of him made him more valuable. Now, the father, proud to can show his knowledge, lectured him a speech about the effects of the erosion and, to be more convincing, he gives as an example o rock being up to them, about to fall.

-

Look at that rock above us. It is in equilibrium now.

Between it and the wall, there is a crack. In time, the crack will increase because the rains. During the winter, when water will freeze and will dilate, the

90

-

rock will loss its equilibrium and will fall, like that one. o And now, where it?

Who? o The equilibrium.

If something was lost, it means it must be sought and found. Logical, isn’t? Kosty, thinking that it is a good moment to show his superiority, said: -

Speaking about lost thinks. A drunken man was looking for something on the pavement, at the light of the street lamp. A kind passer-by asked him: o Did you lost something? o Yes, my watch. o Ah, we fist find it.

After one minute or two, as there was nothing on the side-walk, he asked: o Are you sure you lost your watch here? o Not here, a little further on. o What do you look for it here, then? o Because there is light here.

In school, Kostas learn well. She, Anastasia, went to all the meetings with the parents. She was also proud for her child success, but not this was the main reason. She was convinced that her simple presence would make the teachers to take account that Kostas is not a leaf in wind, that somebody is interested in his education. As for the child, this one will know that what he does is important. The effect was visible in his attitude: he was sure of himself, proud of his achievements and eager to

91

know more. Shortly, he was a good boy, and Anastasia was happy to notice that she is able to do something important in her life. *

* *

-

Hey you! Do you know why the Greeks got beating at Smyrna? o ?!

Because they were frankincense.

Kostas doesn’t like the insipid jokes of his classmates having as subject his Greek origin.

Usually, he answer sharply, but this time he did not found a reply and his fellow mate allows to go on his tirade: -

Why do you look at me like a dying duck in a thunderstorm? Do not you go to the church? Do not you heard about smyrna and incense?

This is a joke: both smyrna and incense are aromatic substances used in religious celebrations.

They boy seems to know more about this subject.

Scenting a favourable atmosphere, another classmates enter: -

He runs away from the church as the devil from incense (another specific expression).

92

This was too much. Kostas feels that he will blow up if a hard reply does not come to him immediately. An alternative would be to jump and blow him with the fist, but the subject was serious and a beating is not a convincing argument.

Besides, he goes to the church, though not every Sunday and only obliged by his mother.

Fortunately, his friend, Patrick, came to help him.

Patrick is not his name, but a nickname, due to his origin. He is a Scottish boy with red hear, always ready to prove those who thought themselves to be trueborn Americans they are ignorant. He intervene with seriously: -

Smyrna is the tree the bark of which they extract a perfumed substance, used in religious ceremonies.

Probably there this tree grows up. o In Mythology, Smyrna was the daughter of a king – I forgot his name – abused by her father. Because she wants to commit suicide, the gods took pity of her and change her into a tree. From the bark of it Adonis appeared.

This was the reply of Andrew, the “scientist” of the class. Usually, he put an end to any talk through well-informed interventions.

-

Ah, Adonis, this was a young nice man; all women were falling in love with him.

It would not be than a girl’s reply. She was Myra; beautiful, but a little ninny. She does not like Kostas, because he said to his friends – and she learnt – that in Greek language the word moira is 93

read mira and means destine. From here, they issue more ironies, all on the theme “God forbid me for such a destine”. But Andrew was there: -

-

Adonis was a god, not a certain boy, and the girls were Aphrodite and Persephone, two goddess fallen in love with him. In order to solve the problem, Zeus decided Adonis to stay four months a year with one of them and another four with the other. In the other four months he might do anything he want. o To go to other goddess.

The meaning of the legend is the death and renew of the nature, represented by Adonis, who enter four months under the earth during the winter, to Persephone, and get out in spring to Aphrodite.

Kostas was saved. It would be nonsense to continue the discussion, so he went away discretely. Usually, after such interventions, Andrew remains alone. *

* *

-

-

Mom, when we will go in Greece? o I do not know. When we will have money.

It means it will last a long. o Do not become naughty. You could see how much I strive to save money; I sew clothes for you instead to buy them, we do not go anywhere also to save money and you want to go in Greece. What did you think at it so suddenly?

My classmates ask me all kind of things about which I know nothing and they reply “What kind of Greek are you, if you do not know such a simple thing? o And they, how they know?

94

-

-

-

From books, from their parents . . . o You can read books as well, even if we do not have them, but there are libraries.

There is an hour to go from here up till the library. It means to lose the time on the roads. o But the school, it has not a library?

It has, but it is poor. The true is my classmates do not know much, but they learn some things and ride the high horse. I would want to have reply and shut them down. o You will. I want as well to go. You realise how much I want to review Greece. We will overcome. Just a little more and fortune will smile us. We have come here alone, without relationship, nobody helped us. We must buy everything with the modest salary of your father.

He told me last Sunday, when I was with him fishing, there is chances of improving it. o May it please Got to grant it!

We will have money to pay the tax for registration at the tailoring courses. If I will have a diploma, I could sew clothes for other people and we will have a supplementary income. o To attend a course would be all right; to work for money, I do not the father will agree with it. In his opinion, the mothers must stay at home.

This is the old mentality of Greek men. Here, we are in the United States of America. o Yes, but we are still Greeks.

We will see!

The passion for tailoring was not quiet new; she inherited it from her mother. Here is a sample.

One day, a new big and nice shop was open in their town. As her mother liked to see at show-windows, 95

saw a very nice coat and skirt. Even if she did none intention of buying something and much the less that costume, probably very expensive, she enter and tried it. All onlookers admired her. It was exactly her size. We must say that Anastasia’s mother had a nice body, worthy of a cover girl.

The saleswomen asked her if to pack it up, or she will go with the costume put on her. She answer that she will think if to buy it or not and left. From other shops she bought stuff, lining, buttons and the rest of materials, in order to make a similar costume. At home, she drew from the memory the model and, in two weeks, she finished a costume similar with that from that what she saw in the show-window. She put on it and went to the shop.

Of course, they admired her again and asked her when she bought it. She proudly answered: “I did not buy it; I made it by myself”. One of the shop assistants said: -

I can’t believe it. It is exactly our model.

But I really made it.

And, as there was nothing to add, they asked her if she want anything else. “A blouse for this costume” was her answer. You can imagine how proud she was.

Finally, after many years, they went in Greece.

Tailoring courses she followed as well, even one of culinary art. As for their capitalization, to gain money sewing for others, her son was right.

96

*

* *

-

-

-

Mom, dad took you like Zeus carried Europe and crossed the continent from Southeast toward the Northwest? o Do you begin to read from Mythology?

I have begun formerly and do not read; I gather evidence. o Bravo!

I have just read that Zeus fell in love of a nice lady.

As she was timid and coward, but loves animals, he turned himself into a bull and, in this way, he was able to draw near she. When he was near enough, he seized her and took her away. They landed in Crete, but you left from Crete to England. In a picture on shows how the bull swims with a girl on his back. You have flied, isn’t it? o I was nice, but did not see well. Still, not so bad for confounding a bull with a man. I love animals. That’s true. To England I flied alone, with an aeroplane. The bulls able to fly were not at that time. Maybe in the meantime people had invented some. Yes, I left alone, very lonely. Your father was to young then to take me with him. As for flying, he used to fly . . . like butterflies, from a flower to another.

Look what puzzles me, and this in not from Mythology, but from history. In Crete, from you are… o I am not from Crete; I am from Limnos.

O.k., I know it. From Crete, where you spent your childhood, . . . o Up till thirteen year and a half.

So: there were in Crete human settlements of 3-4000 people as early as in Neolithic.

97

Of course, it was Crete where the oldest European civilisation developed.

The problem is: these settlements, besides the fact they were very large for that time, they were very strong fortified. It means they had strong enemies from whom they must defend. The question is: for what those people want to fight? Today, on invokes all kind of pretexts: religion, ethnicity etc. But then? o The fight for resources.

I do not think they did not have what to eat. There were not so many people like today. When I am thinking to primitive people, I imagine settlements of several tens, maximum hundreds of people, but it seems that it was not quite so. o When the Trojan War was?

A little later, about the end of the Bronze Epoch, which means between 1600 and 1100 BC, but it was not in Crete. As a matter of fact, we do not know where it was, whether it was or it is only a collection of stories. Anyway, it was in a different epoch. I am wondering why people since Neolithic fought each other. o Read about it and, if you will learn, let me know. o

-

-

-

Fotios laid down his suitcase and the umbrella on the entrance hall and enter the living room with a preoccupied air. He have not a hat, as it is not longer in fashion even in Europe, all the more so in the United States. People a bit well-to-do circulate by cars and needn’t hats and overcoats, so these presence would humiliate them; they would put a label of poor man on the bearer. Even those less rich use busses or metro, so they can adopt the approximately the same clothes, especially in the cities. Outside of the towns, because of the long 98

distances, even the poorest people use cars or busses. Fotios has not a car, as he lives in New York.

But with the umbrella things are very different.

Fotios came from London and the umbrella take part from the compulsory clothing of every respectful man. Each Londoner has an umbrella with him in any day, no matter how sunny it would be. Fotios had came from London and – one knows – the English people are conservative. So, he do not renounce to carry an umbrella, even if in New York it does not rain as frequently as in London and the custom of bearing an umbrella does not exist here, but he wants people to notice that he was a Londoner.

Anastasia has her problems so she does not pay attention to her husband’s full of importance attitude. Still, some common activities must be coordinated, so she comes him in reality: -

-

I received a letter from my father. o Really? I suppose something important happened as you tell me about it.

I do not know how important is for you, but for me it is. He is ill. o What is it about?

He said he has pains in the area of the heart. o This does not say much. Between nothing and very grave, anything could be. I feel paints too, particularly when it is cold.

Your paints are because of the rheumatism that you took from London, with its humidity. Daddy surely

99

-

-

has more than some feeble paints. He never complains, no matter how ill he was. Now, his letter has a different tone. Besides, our climate, in Greece, at least in Crete and Athens is dry and marine.

People do not have rheumatism there. He says he feel ashes when he get angry. o With a wife like your mother one wonder how he resists.

Good to you I am not like she, but maybe I will change myself. o Till then, let’s eat something. I must return to the office.

I am wondering why you came.

*

* *

Yes, Fotios used to work lot enough and would work more if one had asked him to do. In this respect, he was a serious man. He want to be a good professional and to be recognises as it. He wanted also to gain much money for the family and for his pleasures, some of them more important, especially for women.

100

Athens, 1985 The “Colonels’ Epoch” was over. Greece vigorously was coming to oneself again. The investments started to increase rapidly, and the helps from abroad allowed the people to built or rebuilt houses, buy cars etc. The tourism, one of the most important income sources of Greece was increasing year after year. Since 1981, Greece entered the European Union.

The colonels did not understand the epoch of territorial recuperations from the former Ottoman Empire was over. The modern Turkey is no the former Ottoman Empire, and the Turks are not those of the old times. But, the colonels wanted to be the followers of the Greek heroes and thought that it would be a good moment to take revenge after the disaster in Smyrna. But, what happened, in fact?

The former Ottoman Empire lost the most part of its territories. The damages reached the maximum at the end of the First World War, when it fought and lost along with Germany. Greece, instead, was in full course of recuperation the territories occupied by the Turks. Smyrna was already populated with many Greeks, so that they occupied it with the army. To want it was more than normal, not only from historical point of view. At that time, it was one of the most prosperous towns in this area. Athens, even if in 101

full development, started with only four thousand inhabitants, as it has in 1833, before to become the capital of the new independent Greek country.

Its economic and cultural role was insignificant.

Thessaloniki was another town in this area, just larger. It was wanted by Bulgaria too. Eleftherios Venizelor, one of the most important Greek primeminister succeeded to include it on the map of Greece only in 1913, following the Treat from Bucharest. For the moment, it was an aim much too far. Besides, the Greeks were in a small percent in the population of Thessaloniki: approximate 10%. The majority belongs to the Jews – over 50% - followed by Turks. In Smyrna, instead, the situation was different. There, the Greek community represented almost half of the population of the town, and people were not at all poor. On the contrary, three from nine banks, for example, were founded with Greek capital. There were also schools for Greek boys and girls. Nikos Themelis, one of the most appreciated novelists, in his book “Η αναζήτηση” (The Quest), eulogises the town for its cosmopolitism and its economic role at the end of the 19th century. “According to the most recent census, Smyrna had 155 thousand inhabitants: 75 thousand Greeks, 15 thousand Jews, 10 thousand Catholics, 6 thousand Armenians and 4 thousand people from various other parts. The rest, some 45 thousand, were Turks. All told the Turks were a minority. . .

Furthermore, Smyrna’s activities abroad gave the city an international air, a livelier rhythm and 102

many more prospects. The administration and commerce in Smyrna were in the hands of the Greeks. . . The cultural and spiritual life of Smyrna was in the hands of Christians of all kind.”

The Treat from Sèvres (10 August 1920) encouraged the Greeks to occupy the town, especially because Italian troops landed in Anatolia. The moment seems opportune. After obtaining the independence, since 1830 until the end of the First World War, Greece recuperated territories up till the nowadays configuration. The Greeks thought the evolution will goes on. It only seems. The Treat from Sèvres was never applied.

The Turks, instead, under the command of Mustafa Kemal – later named Atatürk, which means „the father of Turks” – said STOP. He promised to create a modern state and did it. First, he reorganized the army and, among other things, recuperates Smyrna, driving away the Greeks.

But, why the Greeks thought they had rights on all these territories? It’s true; they played an important role in antiquity, there. As a matter of fact, the antique Greek civilisation never was a state in the modern meaning of this word, but only fortress-states, which used to co-operate sometimes and – more frequently – fight each other. The Macedonian Empire was only a spark, which died out as fast as it appeared. Alexander the Great, though Macedonian, arrogate to himself the role of the representative of Athens and 103

wanted to conquer its traditional enemy, Persian Empire. It was not difficult at all, as this one was in an abrupt decline. It is very interesting and relevant that he did not want to extend his conquering toward the North. From the military point of view, it would be much easier. His glory, instead would be much more small. The Hellenistic epoch followed, which is another thing, anyway not a state.

The truth is the memory of the former Byzantine Empire is that that give the Greeks’ nostalgia.

After the collapse of Western Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire, named later Byzantine Empire, became a Greek one. Those from Occident used to call it just with this name: the Greek Empire. But there, in occidental Europe, after the first part of the dark Middle Eve, the economy, culture and political power started to blowing and the new states, appeared one after another as independent kingdoms. The Byzantine Empire, instead, was declining because of some internal reasons, like corruption, avarice, luxury and particularly by laziness, as yearly as before to be conquered by Turks. It was not hard at all for the Turks to vanquish them.

Later on, under the Turks, the Greeks from Constantinople (recalled Istanbul) and the surrounding area must be appreciated for the way in which they known how to protect their interests and – with meticulousness and perseverance – 104

made themselves useful for the Turks. We must recognize that, on the other hand, the Turks accepted their presence. The Ecumenical Patriarchy has its headquarters in Istanbul from the beginning up till today. Unlike the soviets, which forbidden religion and destroyed almost all the churches, the Turks did not do the same in Greece. The district Fanar from Istanbul was a nursery of translators, diplomats and intellectuals, and the Ottoman government used them in its interest and they served the Turks’ interests.

If the Greeks under the Ottoman occupation must be appreciated, we cannot say the same about those from Greece after the obtaining the independence, when their enthusiasm darkened their minds. They lost the patience and wanted to conquer what was already Greek. There were 350,000 Greeks in Istanbul. Smyrna was more a Greek town than a Turkish one, and this during the Ottoman occupation. But the moment in which the Turks said STOP to the decline had come.

For all that, the colonels did not realize the change. They thought to have the opportunity of enter into the history with a great achievement.

This time, the aim was Cyprus. First, they occupied it with the army. But the Turks were present.

What the colonels did not understand was clear for the Greek people, conscious that what had 105

happened at Smyrna could repeat. Consequently, a revolt followed and the dictatorial regime of the colonels failed. *

*

*

Fortunately, all these were in the past. Now, it is all right. A new period of prosperity for Greece came. The foreign investments come even more than in the past. New enterprises set up, new imposing buildings raise on the avenues of Athens, which grow up like the branches of a tree. What was a large city proved to be only a bud that was blossoming now year after year.

Maybe, for Anastasia’s father, it would be better from the financial point of view to keep his job several years more, though he reached the age of retiring. He thinks to be able to do it, but he did not want. He was feeling too tired. Malia, the small town in which they live was in fact a bathing resort, noisy enough due to the young tourists.

While they considered by themselves to be young, it was all right. But now, the situation was changed; the excitement of young people was no longer in accord with their rhythm of life and the discordance was irritating. Besides, he had not the motivation of supplementary earnings. Anastasia did not benefit by their financial support when she would need it. Now, their situation, even if is not of some rich people, is better than in the past and 106

their help would be insignificant. Drahma has a rate of exchange in dollars much too small. As for two of them, his pension will be enough.

Consequently, he did not wait for the second time.

He did it immediately. The first move was to look for a house in Athens. It was the town of his childhood. He left it for an island, while most people used to come in Athens. In the meantime, the city developed impetuously. He noticed it every time when he was coming in the capital. In the same time he remarked that people changed too. Besides many foreigners, the Greeks themselves were different, which was not just on his pleasure, but he must accept the change, even only because it means evolution, an evolution necessary for Greece. There is no way for the other islands. A few people remained there. Only the great ones are still populated, living from tourism. At their age, the agitation of the tourist is exactly what they do not want. Athens is the city where they will live from now on.

The question is: where? In what district? He knew the centre very well since he was young. It was blatantly enough even then. Now, the traffic on the avenues is infernal. It is not fit at all for two old people. The town extended toward the sea and the development goes on. Piraeus and Athens make a single town. There is not free space between them. The foreign trading companies built high modern buildings for their offices.

107

Among them, they feel stranger. The places where he used to wander as a child would be preferable.

From the Patission Avenue, after you pass beyond of Polytechnic Institute, the district on the right hand seems to be just nice. In fact, there are more districts. The most attractive seems to be Gyzi.

The same Gyzi of his childhood. The Alexandras avenue is still crowded, but after you go beyond the park, it is just pleasant: peaceful and civilised.

There he will seek for an apartment to rent for the beginning and, after they will move, he will look for one to buy. He must not be in a hurry. If he will be rush to buy immediately, he would be wrong. Et leisure, he will obtain the necessary information for a good choice. *

*

*

In the meantime, the Fotios’ financial situation ameliorated, Kostas grown up, so they can afford even to visit Greece. Not all of them in the same time. Fotios did in even several times, for solving some problems of his family. Now, it is the turn of Anastasia and Kostas. All of them enjoy, but Kostas is in ecstasy.

-

-

After the rain of last night, today it is an excellent day for a walk. The air is pure, cool and very clear.

You will be able to take photographs as you like. o I understand we will visit Acropolis?

Yes. Finally, the day has come.

108

You do not know how much I enjoy, mom. I will have the opportunity to close my classmate’s mouth.

I know you want it, though the visit of the ruins of Hellenistic Civilisation would be more than it for you. o Maybe it is, but I did not know how to tell you. We will go up till Syntagma?

We can do it. From there, we will cross the Central Park, then will visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus, pass by the Arch of Hadrian, cross Plaka and climb on Acropolis.

Let’s go! o

-

-

-

An hour later -

-

The Temple of Zeus drew my attention every time I pass by it from the buss, on the Vouliagmenis Avenue. I have read something about its history.

What struck me was it is characteristic for the history of the whole Greece, even for the Greeks themselves, for their mentality. o What do you mean?

It was built on the ruins of an older temple. They say that, here, there was an altar made by Deucalion himself, after the Deluge. Deucalion was a Mythological variant of Noah from the Bible, but it is the legend. What one knows is that the son of Peisistratos begun the construction in 515 BC, after the model of those from Asia Minor. A period of democracy followed and they stopped to work, as the Greeks did not want to consume their energy with it. In 174 BC, the king Antioch IV Epiphanies of Syria continued the works with a Roman architect but, after the king’s death, the works stopped again.

Only in 124 AD, so three centuries later, Roman emperor Hadrian resumed the building and inaugurated it in 131, so over six centuries from the

109

-

-

-

beginning. After the inauguration, the degradation begun. o One says the greatest destructions of the vestiges of Greece was made by the Christians from the Occident, during the crusades, though the aim of crusades was Jerusalem and not Athens, in order to take it from the Moslems power.

Theoretically. In reality, they were military expeditions with base intentions. As for Athens, you are right; the crusades did not affect it.

Constantinople was. It was the capital of Byzantine Empire, while Athens had lost its importance long ago. The Fourth Crusade was the most disastrously for Byzantine Empire. In the month of May 1203 the crusaders occupied Constantinople and, after it, divided the Empire in several small states. Only in 1261 the Empire was rebuilt, but it never regained its former vitality. o You are speaking like from books. I like it, but we where speaking about the Greece.

You are right. The crusaders did not destroy temples from Athens, but the crusades weakened the Empire.

Athens, Greece and the whole area of Greek culture from Hellenistic period were affected. o It means we cannot lay the blame on the occidentals for the degradations in Athens.

You said that Greece was part of Byzantine Empire – which we take pride with, because it kept the flag of civilisation during one thousand years – but, in the whole this time, Greek people did nothing for rebuilt or at least preserved these vestiges. On the contrary, the marble from the old temples was used for buildings, including stable, fences, pavements or all kind of pigsties.

You are right again. So it is. We also invoke the Ottoman occupation after 1453, but only the capital

110

-

-

of the empire fell then. The Turks were in Europe two hundred years ago, and from the former empire only Constantinople remained, as the last redoubt.

The famous Byzantine Empire had become an oriental one. It had degraded itself, slowly and without external help. If I think well, after the dismemberment of Macedonian Empire, the Greeks did not join themselves against a common enemy, as they did against the Persians, and made all kind of minor alliances and fight each other. It was easy for Roma to conquer the Greece step by step. Later on, the enemy was not of the Greece, but of the Romans. The Greeks were considering to be occupied. Their single preoccupation was to take advantages in the back of the Romans, but only as individuals and not as a nation. o I see you had documented seriously, but you speak as if you would not be a Greek. Do not you have a drop of patriotism?

Oh yes, I have and just from this reason I am suffering myself. I would like the history of my descent to be spotless. o This is not possible.

I know. What I want is to understand why it happen that way and not the other way and then probably I will accept some spots, the part less bright of our history.

In face of the Arch of Hadrian -

I had read in the guide that, on one side of the arch, is written “This is Athens, the former town of Theseus” and, on the other side, “This is the Hadrian’s town and not that of Theseus”, but I do not see any inscription. o The arch is a more grandiose variant of the former boundary marks. I remember an image from the book of history with a stone

111

-

-

-

-

on which it was written: “I am the landmark of the Agora” Here, the inscriptions were probably wiped during the time. It is amazing it resisted so long and it did not break down due to an ears quake. It is thin enough.

Probably they rebuilt it. I do not think it will resist long time because of the traffic on the avenue, just in front of it. I never seen such traffic nor in the United States, not even in New York. Maybe on some highways, but there are not houses there, not way for monuments. o You just discovered that Athens has something specific.

Yes, though it would renounce at some of them. o In my opinion, the access of the motorbikes would be forbidden.

Probably, there are people who cannot afford cars. o The municipality would develop the transport with common means. Look how much noise does some of them. There are youngsters making a proud with it. As they are not able to do something more intelligent, they think the noise is enough to draw the attention.

They do not care for disturbing. This is not a necessity. It is the lack of civilisation.

It is not the single case. Did you see a Greek to give up his seat in the bus to you? On the street, he rushes upon you. You are a woman but you have to avoid them. On the street, two-tree chatting men block the sidewalk and do not think the make room to the passer-bys. o Well, it’s good we have crossed the street.

We waited some at these traffic lights. Two ones for a single crossing, and they are not synchronized.

Look at this statue. It seems to be of a woman. Who is it?

112

I do not know. It’s a new one. What they wrote there?

Melina Mercuri. o After the colonels’ regime, she was the Minister of Culture.

A woman as Minister of Culture. o She was not the first. The first was Lina Tsaldary, after the women received the right to vote.

And we said that women are kept in the house, far from the politics. o This is people’s mentality. The government strives to bring Greece toward the European standards. The electoral franchise is granted since 1952.

This time you impressed me. I did not know you are a feminist. o Do not be brazenfaced. I am not a feminist, but at least such simple thing I know.

I noticed that many men of culture were implied in politics. I wonder if they were affirmed in culture through the politics, or the Greeks appreciate the culture and have trust in these men. Giorgos or George Seferis, a poet, Nobel Prize laureate, was a diplomat, the ambassador of Greece in the United Kingdom; Constantin Tsatsos, writer, was the president of Greece and probably many others about whom I have not idea. o Bravo! You have learnt a lot of things about Greece.

In the United States, the actors are preferred: Ronald Raegan, Schwarzenegger. o That is so, because other people do the real politics.

At least, someone does it. o Now, we are in Plaka. Let’s visit it. Leave the politics. Here, at least there are not cars. o

-

-

-

-

-

-

113

-

-

-

I hope not to spend all the day here. o Why? You do not like it?

Oh, yes, it is just amusing, but you promised we only cross it in our way toward Acropolis. o And so we will. Look at this shop window, what nice handicrafts there are! We have to buy some for the friends in the States.

I hope not now, to carry them with us on Acropolis. o No, not now, though I do not know if we will find them other time.

Come on, mom, there are hundred here. What hundred, thousands. o O.k. So are you; never want to stay in shops.

I am not the only one. I think people working in tourism would organize city tours separately for men and women. Look to these men in front of you how bored walk through the middle of the street, while the women are glued on the shop windows. o If a tavern had been here, you would have seen all of them there.

Exactly what I said: city tours separate.

...

-

-

-

This building is very ugly, but I like they preserved at the grand floor this tiny church. A very interesting combination. o They did not afford to destroy it. It would be a pity. Look Acropolis! It is to be seen from here.

Yes, and just here there is a vestige of history. In the back of this tower a monastery was. The Turks destroyed it. Lord Byron used to meet here with his friends. It is written on this plate. o Byron? I know a poet Byron. Who is this one?

Do not you know? Our War for Independence had enthused a lot of people from Occident. Lord Byron,

114

-

-

-

the poet about which you said, came especially in Greece. o I did not know.

You have seen and liked the painting “Massacre at Hios” by Eugène Delacroix. That from the album or French art. o You are right: a French painter who chose a subject from Greek history.

Sure! At that time, the event was not yet history; it was a just recent one. It was Turkish revenge because they were losing in face of Greek revolutionists. Lord Byron died here, in Greece. o He died here for our independence?

He died here, but not fighting; he died of illness.

...

-

-

-

This little church is very nice here, in the middle of the street. o It’s true. It is a jewel of architecture in assemble but particularly in details. Look how meticulously they engraved all this stone, the framing of the doors and windows, the balustrades, pillars . . .

And its position in the middle of the street is great. o This is a proof that the Greeks knew this time to put in value the monuments.

Yes, the Christian ones. Mom, I see many old rachitic persons, suffering by rheumatism, have the feet deformed and many others. The women are particularly affected. I thought, thanks to favourable climate, all people are sound. And still . . . o Do not ask me.

O.k. I do not ask. I have read somewhere that, in Hellenistic period, it was in fashion to engrave on the sole of the sandals some inscriptions, which were printed on the dust of the road. One of the most frequent was “Follow me”. If the women had used it,

115

-

-

I could have understood; but the men, what the right with thy ask me to follow them? Maybe I do not want. o It must be one of your jokes.

The story with the inscriptions is true. The interpretation is mine. o In antiquity, the women did not walk on the streets like now. Look here something that does not seems to be recent, but nor antique. I do not know what it is, but all tourists take photos.

Because it is very decorative. It has not an explicative plate. It seems to be a door, or a gate.

...

-

Till here, Acropolis looks very human. You climb among the tables of taverns smelling of fish, beer and others. o It is nice. I like it. Someone from Romania told me that, on the outskirts of the former Bucharest, on the way toward the place where the executioner waits for those who were condemned of death, there were a lot of pubs. The charitable people used to offer those who were to die a glass of wine. In this way, as near as they were to the place where their life will reach its end, they were more and more merry.

...

-

From here, the antiquity begins. o We should begin with Acropolis, in the morning, when it is cool, not now, with the sun over the head.

116

-

-

-

-

In this way you will remember that Propylaia represents a gate, something like a ritual of passing from the common world toward the . . . tell you what . . . you know it better.

Let’s say the world of gods. Anyway, there is nothing upper, and down you have all you want. o Or do not want.

Even the sea is to be seen at the distance. o And here, we have an olive tree. Its presence among the stones is odd.

It would been so if it had grown up alone. It is planted and maintained carefully. They say the goodness Athens herself would strike with her stick this rock and from it this olive tree rose. Since, people care of it. o It’s nice, but I know another legend. The inhabitants of the town wanted to choose a protector and organized a competition.

Poseidon and Athens participated. Then as now, two of them need to obtain the vote of the citizens. Poseidon offered a horse or, from other authors a spring, symbolising the drinking water. Anyway, his present did not impress them much. Athens offered an olive tree. This one was unknown then and she won.

I think it is the same legend, and this is the place where the contest occurred. o So it seems.

It is very interesting to me the method of choice: through the contest. o With the difference the decision belonged to the citizens and not to a jury, which jury…

A real democracy! o And that rock probably is “Stone of Ares”.

This is the place where the gods judged Ares for his bad behaviour.

117

-

-

-

-

It was not here where the Areopag used to keep their meetings? o You can believe it. The Areopag, as supreme law court, existed between seven and five centuries before Christ. If this is the place it is hard to think. It was composed by nine personalities of great competence. The all of them were too old for climbing the hill up till there.

Maybe they were carried by a lectic or something similar. o The judges. Maybe. But those who were looking for justice surely must climb by foot.

An excellent opportunity to think about how difficult is to obtain justice.

I liked the path. It was an oasis of silence between the agitation from down and that on the top. o Especially because there was not a law court to judge you here.

Today the judgers are down. o Sometime very down.

Good point!

*

* *

There is crowd of people in this area, during the aestival season. Except it, Stone of Ares is a good place for meditation, and what comes in my mind now is that of the Nietzsche. “Great, very great, huge, but limited is the number of the elements from which the universe is composed. And then, the length of time being infinite, a moment must come, in which all possible combinations being exhausted, those which already had been will

118

begin to repeat themselves. Over a number of years, of course immense, but limited, at the foot of this rock, other man like me will conceive the same idea, and again for infinite times in the future; and, as before this moment, an eternity of infinite centuries flowed, at the foot of the same rock where I am now, an infinite of myself conceived the same idea: “The Eternal Returning of all things from the universe”. Seized by this great idea, Nietzsche noted with his characteristic arrogance: “The beginning of August 1881, at SilsMaria, at 6500 feet above the sea level and much upper than all human things”. I would note as well: ”December 2012, at a few steps from the sea, above some human things, under more others, so among them”. As for Nietzsche, even if his idea did not crossed the minds of an infinite others before him, it was affirmed by some Greek philosophers with some centuries ago, not speaking about the oriental philosophy, where “The Eternal Returning” is a fundamental doctrine. From Anaximandru to Anaximene and so on, through orphic and pitagoreic philosophers, we arrive to Empedocles, which – besides those four fundamental elements of the universe (water, air, earth, fire) – affirmed that two fundamental principle exist: the HATE and the LOVE, which succeed each other periodically, life being possible only when they coexist.

119

This idea likes me, maybe because I do not know from where hate and love come to us, though they really exist. The idea is not entirely lost.

Be merry, as the sadness will last forever!

The same stars always will turn round in azures.

From bricks, made from you body, don’t be afraid, Other palaces they will build for stupid men of note.

Omar Khayyam wrote these verses in “The Eternal Change” and I have to ask for excuses because my poor translation.

Of course, we are the adepts of the contrary idea: “unlimited progress”. Here, I have some doubts.

First, what do we understand to be a progress? Not only once we noticed that what seemed to be progress at a moment proves to be regress later.

Maybe the expression “unlimited evolution” would be more adequate, if the sense of the evolution is not specified. It may be toward up or down. So, we cannot know today what tomorrow will be. And then, why take the trouble for doing anything? Of course, the evaluation of the trend, knowing the past, would help us to meet the future more prepared. This is at least a pragmatic idea.

For all that, a doctrine that last centuries and still makes the base of some religion, like the Eternal Returning, cannot be ignored. Phoenix bird symbolizes just this idea: she born again from her own body, burned on a stake prepared by herself.

It follows that what we may want for our 120

civilisation is to burn as soon as possible. The problem is it must prepare his stake, but it seems that we work hardly for it.

In oriental religions, the cosmogony has not only the sense of the primordial creation, unrepeatable. On the contrary, it is repeatable.

In Greek language, cosmos means world, universe, Terra, human globe, people, society. But cosmos has the meaning of ordering. When we say that God made the cosmos, we must understand that he made order in Chaos.

Something is true: the earth is that where people come back.

Those that introduced the history were the Judaism and especially the Christian religion. Time is no longer repeatable. Only God created the Universe. As for the people, the Doomsday will come, when everything will have its end. The time becomes lapse and received a sense of the flow. It is neither reversible and nor repeatable.

I think John Milton, when he entitle his works “Paradise Lost” and “Paradise Regained”, involuntarily, suggested me an idea: the oriental conception about the origin of the man - as a fall from the endless Universe and returning after a number of purifying transformations - could be reduced to only one life.

121

Mediocre people always sought for answer impossible to find at several questions, as fundamental as useless: how the life appeared on the earth, man’s origin etc. Between monkey and God’s work, the philosophical variant is the oriental one.

If we are to become pots and mugs, then, looking at this glass, I think it was a fairy, a nice girl, sensible to my caress.

And the red wine, subtle suitor, assures me that it is true.

Otherwise, it would not turn round in my hand.

Some taste maybe it would have, but there is not grape to give me this magic.

It is from the fairy. She give birth this miracle for me.

My variant is that in every person realizes a synthesis in certain moments of his existence.

According to the accumulation of knowledge, he builds a new personal conception about the life and world. Further on, accumulating new knowledge, he improves his conception, modifies his personality. He passes through deferent stages.

His soul does not enter into other body; that man becomes a different one, with other personality.

What we lost and what we regain? The life! Where it comes from? What is so important? Our problem is how to live it, not what it comes from.

122

*

*

*

In the same evening, at home -

-

Mom, I learnt what that door near Roman Agora is. o The one that you took photos as all the tourists?

Yes, and my photo is very good. o And what you learnt about it?

It was a theological school, built by the Turks. Later, they used it as jail, during the War of Independence.

There was a plane tree in the court, from which many Greek patriots were hanged. After the War, the Greeks used it in the same aim, hanging the Turks. As an effect, the place became a damned one in the Athenian people’s minds. In 1843, the poet Achilleas Paraschos forecasted that, one-day, the tree would be struck by the thunderbird and its remainders will be cut and used for fire. In 1919, the prophecy was carried out exactly: the tree was struck by a thunderbird and what remained was cut and burned in fire. The building was demolished, except that door that, in meanwhile, got aesthetic values. We do not know if it was hazard or the demolishers intuited the artistic future of the door. I think the second hypothesis is illusory. As the space must be fence, it was more commodes to preserve a part from the old wall, including the door. o It’s true; it is a door in the middle of a wall of stone.

And a very modest one. It is a proof that aesthetic values are rarely projected; more often they are results of the hazard. The onlooker’s sense is that who confers aesthetic values. o I knew that I have a clever child.

123

* * * Yes, the remark of Kostas’s mother was correct: “Greece was part of Byzantine Empire – which we take pride with, because it kept the flag of civilisation during one thousand years – but, in the whole this time, Greek people did nothing for rebuilt or at least preserved these vestiges.” Of course, the explanation is the ignorance. But first, for ignoring the values of something, they must replace that something with other thing. The Greeks had abandoned their faith in gods, the Mythology, and adopted the Christianity. We may suppose the Byzantine state played a role. A proof is the Olympic Games and the Oracle at Delphi were forbidden not only abandoned. But there are opposite examples as well: - in the former USSR, the religion was drastically persecuted, but people remained faithful even without churches; - on the American continents, Catholic church imposed its religion, but the natives, though were obliged to come at church every Sundays, kept their old faiths up till nowadays.

How is that the Greeks adopted the Christianity so rapidly? The question is more interesting as they abandoned their creation, the Mythology. Even now, other people try to make a mythology with a

124

few legends, while the Greeks had a wonderful one.

The answer is the Christianity is a Greek creation as well. Its principles, Christian philosophy, were creating in time, even before Jesus Christ. There was not the problem of adopting a stranger religion. They already had these conceptions before. For example the Bible say that people are equal in face of the God; it means they are equal each other. Here is a democratic idea. Well, who invented democracy? Of course, the Greeks. Then, Christianity is a religion for poor people. Its purpose is to give to people a hope, if not immediately, at least in a future life. Greece was under Roman occupation and they had not an immediate alternative.

Adopting Christianity as a more advanced variant of Judaism is easy to understand. Still, for Greek people, the replacing Mythology – their own creation of a huge literary and philosophical value – with the New Testament provokes bewilderment.

Maybe, some of them thought Mythology is only a collection of stories, not just a religion, but why they need a religion based on other stories? On the one hand, the New Testament, partly elaborated by themselves, was a possible answer to the frame of mind of the population under Roman occupation and in a precarious economic situation. Christian religion made its debut as psychological support of poor people and the idea of the equality in face of 125

the Divinity and future happiness were perfect for their wishes. Plato was one who wrote about a future life that can give them the happiness, but also he implanted the doubt on their situation after death. They have to refrain from bad facts in this life, for fear of punishments in the future life.

On the other hand, if Mythology was original, the Old Testament took a lot of ideas from other religions.

The renunciation of Mythology and free adopting of Christianity by the people in the first stage denote the weakening of social order, of the state. Later, the imposing Christianity by the state, denote that, this time, the state changed the philosophy of Christianity. In Occident, it was simpler: there, in France or Spain, for example, there was not a mythology worthy of mention.

For our amusement, here is a nice cosmogony from Yucatam. People from this peninsula suggested that the man was made from tortilla (maize porridge). In the first variant, their two divinities, Tepeu and Cucamatz, made the man from dust, but this one dissipated itself, because of the inconsistence of its composition. They tried again with a variant by wood, but these men multiplied themselves in bad forms and the divinities had to eliminate them through a deluge. Only in the third variant they succeeded, using Indian corn (maize), making a paste from it (tortilla). They made not one, but four men. Still, there was a small 126

deficiency: these men were too clever. For fear of they would want to become gods, Tepeu and Cucamatz “darken their minds with a cloud, grew foggy their eyes, limited their horizon and then, lulling them asleep, created four women, settling in this way the definitive people’s destine, the human condition as we know”.

In a mythology from New Zeeland, the god Tane makes a woman for himself. After a while, he gives her as a gift to the first man, created by the god of war, Tu. From this primordial couple the other men was born.

There are many cosmogonies, as people’s imagination is rich. I would nickname them cosmofantasies. Still, all of them are variants of few schemes.

Conceptions like those suggested by the Christianity in its first stage of evolution were not acceptable by the autocratic systems, like that of the monarchy. This is the reason of the persecutions in the first centuries. It was accepted only after the church made team with political power, deformed the initial principles, made from the king and Pope the God’s representatives on the earth, like shamans, and used the Christian religion as support for political propaganda.

People believe in simple things. The savant complications are not convincing and implant 127

distrust in men’s souls. Like catholic Inquisition, there were fanatics in the past too and genial people were persecuted. Anaxagoras and his disciples were followed and stricken, because they affirmed the sun is an incandescent mass. He was condemned to death, but it was commuted to expulsing, thanks to his fried Pericle. Protagoras was also expulsed from Athens, because he had doubt in god’s existence. His works were burned and he escaped easily with expulsion, thanks to Euripides’ friendship. The alternative would be the capital punishment. Pheidias himself was criticized, tendentiously interpreting one of his work. He died in the jail. Pericles would have the same destine if he didn’t died before by plague. As for Socrates, everybody knows about his “suicide”.

The Catholics deformed the history, making by Rome the centre of the Christianity. When the emperor Constantine the Great had the initiative of organizing the first ecumenical council at Nicaea, the bishopric of Rome was among the most modest ones. Those from Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Greece and Thrace were the most important. Palestine, Egypt and Thrace were reminds of the former Macedonian Empire, from the Hellenistic Epoch. The most important participants were the bishops Alexander from Alexandria, Eustatio from Antiohia, Macarius from Jerusalem, Pafnutiu from Theba, Potamon from Heraclea, Eusebiu from Nicomedia, Eusebiu from Caesarea, Nicolas from Myra, Aristakes from 128

Armenia. From Italy participated Marcus from Calabria. Not a word about a Pope.

Consequently, Christianity developed itself step by step, from the first Christian ideas and up till its crystallisation as a religion, on the territories occupied by the Greeks or under their influence.

The first Russian metropolitan bishop was of Greek origin till 1441.

As for the Byzantine art, from the tenth to the 12 th century, it was the main source of inspiration for the West. The mosaics of St. Mark’s at Venice and of the cathedral at Torcello clearly show their Byzantine origin. The churches from East to West prove its influence.

129

New York, 1986 Kostas won a prize in a literature contest, for a composition about his trip in Greece. He is eulogized by the teachers, admired by some classmates and envied by others. Anastasia is, of course, in ecstasy. Fotios is not bellow too. He is proud as well; Kostas is his son and looks like him.

He thinks to deal more seriously with his education. Kostas is an adolescent now and he should be guided by a man. An idea has just crossed his mind: to take Kostas one day with him at hunting, as his father did when he was a boy.

The hunting is not a contest of target shouting. It supposes a long walk in open air with a shotgun on the shoulder, an excellent opportunity for talking.

It is not accidentally that important businessmen, politicians and other like them have this hobby. It is an adequate occasion for private meetings without witnesses and hidden microphones. Yes, he will go with Kosty at a walk on the hunting land of the club where he just enters in.

-

-

Dad, why is that, when I had a success, some classmates avoid me, as I would be plagued. o Cleverness is not contagious. Do not be afraid.

Exactly. Seemingly I would have a contagious disease. I am not cleverer or more stupid then last week. Sometime, they used to banter me because I am a Greek, especially when the teacher of physics tested me. This one is a clever guy. He often finds connections between physics and Greece, like the

130

-

-

-

-

law of Archimedes and asked me if he lived far away from us. o Did not you tell him that you were born in Australia?

Oh, yes. He knew it very well, but he wants to annoy me. o He did not annoy you. He noticed you are good and wanted to stimulate. He is a good pedagogue. What about the teacher of literature. After all, he granted you the prize.

Not at all. It was a committee of teachers from other schools. It was forbidden for them to be members of the committee in the school where they are teachers. Our teacher was in a committee for a school in Brooklyn or Bronx, I do not know exactly. o But you are his schoolboy.

Yes, he took pride as well, but not too much. He does not like me. Maybe I put him too many questions and disturbed him, as he did not know the answer to all my questions. o Now, you ride the high horse.

I do not. I only wanted to know. But I was not speaking about him. As for him, I am glad I showed him that I am better than he thought. I was speaking about my classmates. If I have one success, it means to lose my friends? For what the success is good, then? o Do not think that you are good only because some friends praise you. You are really good if some enemies take you into consideration.

It seems odd, but you will understand later what I am trying to tell you now. A praise could be false. That’s why you must not rest on laurels. The envy is unpleasant, but it is the proof that you really are worthy. The envy people recognise in themselves that you are superior.

131

*

* *

Not so often, but regularly, Anastasia’s father wrote them. Of course, he has some words about her mother in every letter, but she never write.

The last was a really slalom among good and bad news. Two of them were important.

The aches in the heart region, about which he wrote some time ago, are no longer simple aches.

He visited the doctor of the family and this one recommended him a consultation at a specialized clinic, but he refused to be interned. Anastasia proposed to herself to talk with him seriously when she will go in Athens. Till then, she will try to be as convincing as possible in a long letter, in which she will tell him – though he knows it very well – that it is not good to joke with the heart.

The good piece of news was her father has put the house from Crete on her name. She was now an owner; not in the States but in Greece. It is presumed that her mother foams at the mouth, but it is not important now. She will sell the property, not only for close any possible discussions, but also for buy a house here, in New York, for their family, composed now by four persons. The girl grows up and will need her room.

They suffered enough so far with a small child in their bedroom.

132

Looking for an adequate house was a task devolved upon Fotios. Anastasia was blocked in the house with the girl and all domestic works. Now, they had a strong reason to buy a car and just did it.

Fotios was full of importance at the steering wheel, but all the family was glad when they could drive in small trips, visiting houses for selling. As they did not know the districts, had many deceptions: the houses were either too expensive or too bad. Instead, they realized what Anastasia wanted for the beginning: to know the town. For she, it was a natural curiosity. For Kostas it was much more; he must know it. Not only for the man who will be, but just for the talking with his fellows. He was able now to understand better the happenings, knowing the places. It was not the same if the happening occurred in Manhattan or in Brooklyn, Bronx or Queens.

One of the trips liked them more than. As there were not other houses in that area, they decided for a small trip in the mountains. Easy-easy, they entered deep inside the mountain. It was a wonderful day of autumn, just when the leaves are ready to fall and their colours delight everybody’s look. This wonderful moment was the one that attracted them in a trip, as they never did. For curiosity, they allowed themselves a small walk toward a ridge, like a saddle between two rocks. It was a clear sky, but with a strong cold wind. On the saddle, they were witnesses of a miracle: out 133

of the blue, it started to snow. Probably the wind was bringing a humid air and here, they were thinking, in the contact with the cold air from the other part of the ridge, the vapours of water condensed. It was wonderful and they will remember this spectacle in the rest of their lives.

Finally, Fotios was the one who chose the house, following the advice of one of his fellow worker. It was a nice house, in a peaceful and clean area. It has a small court, where Anastasia could go outside with Nicky. There, the girl may play alone safely. Kostas was less interested; he was occupied with the school, reading and other activities according with his age. Still, the house needed some repairs, which means they will not be able to move immediately and will need to invest money.

On the other hand, there was an advantage: they could rebuild the house according with their test.

After a first stage, in which Fotios was surprisingly active and interested, a period of stagnation followed, or at least Anastasia thought so. Fotios used to complain he has a lot of things to do at the office, or need more money for the house. There is not the problem to work itself; he did not something like this in his life. To plant flowers, yes. He liked this. For nailing something he need protective equipment, but he wore only costume and neck tie. For working at the house, he engaged qualified workers. If they worked fast or not, it is hard to know. Sure is that, for Anastasia, 134

each small stage in the long process of the rebuilding the house seems to last ages.

But, as any eternity has its dead line, finally, the works came to their end and they moved. This time it was Anastasia’s turn to work. She could not engaged teams of specialists. She must do everything by herself. It’s true, it was pleasant. It was a naivety to think that you will put every thing at his place. For it, such placed would to exist previously. In reality, only after you thought you found it, you will find a better alternative. In this way, the place of each piece will be changed again and again, not just to the infinite, but only until you will be bored to do it.

Though tiresome, it was stimulating. Nicky was the one who used to create greater problems. Though still small, she had a strong personality, which were manifesting by pretensions, claims and whims for everything. Nothing was at her will; she did everything inversely as other people asked her to do. Anastasia never speak her harshly, did not give her a slap, she always behaved gingerly and tried to explain and not to impose. For all that, the girl was recalcitrant.

Kostas, instead, was a good boy: serious both in family and at school. He helped his mother as much as he could, but his main preoccupation was to know. He read a lot, informed, was happy for everything he learns and discontented for what he 135

does not know. He used to ask and ask himself, but with every answer the number of question increase. His mother was not able to answer; sooner she learned by him. As for his father, even if he would know – thought it is less probably – he was absent almost all the time. The library and the teachers from the school were Kostas’ source of information. The mother was proud and hopes he will be her support when he will grow up.

From Greece she learned some news from her father, but he usually wrote only about the good pieces of news, avoiding the bad ones or covering them with a pink veil. He was finding palliating circumstances for everything was not as it would must to be. More news she learned from her friend, Sophia. Yes, she had a friend woman now.

It was a pen friend, but she was her first friend.

They meet each other at the wedding party of one of Fotios’ fellow workers. She was a Greek woman, a bridegroom’s relative, and came in New York special for this event. It was the only time they met, as Sophia returned immediately in Greece, but they liked each other, promised to be pen friends and going on to do it.

Athens really blossoms again, after the “colonels’ epoch”. Unlike her father, Sophia wrote about bad news too. More then it, she seemed to look out of them. She was dissatisfied, for example, because the Greeks are content themselves with minor jobs, like secretary, errand-boy or menial, in the 136

great businesses, almost all of the foreigners.

There is even the mentality that, if a Greek has a small house, he can yield it to a great society, which will demolish the house and will build on its ground a big edifice with many floors and he, the Greek, will become a shareholder at that society.

In this way, he and his followers will allow to live (at café) quietly for ever, doing nothing. This strategy might work in some cases, but it is not a solution for a nation. The prosperity of a nation lays in the force of the middle class, how active it is, but, in Greece, just this social category is going to disappearance. They are convinced that Greece will enjoy forever by its geographic position, which it is naturally endowed with multiple advantages and, consequently, the Greeks have to do nothing, because the world’s rich men will finance their country for different reasons. If it has dower, it is good to be married. Yes, Greece could be married.

But its people? Besides, this is not a strategy for the future. Along with the globalisation, with the development of the communications, the great businesses are directed from the offices situated anywhere, not necessarily in seaports.

They are angry on the Albanians – their neighbours – because they come to work in Greece, born children, the children go to school and – unlike Greek children – they learn well. After graduation, naturally, they are preferred for qualified jobs and obtain better social positions. The Greeks’ dislike face to the Albanians is old. Now, besides them, 137

there are many others, including Africans and Asians. Soon the Greeks will be in minority in their country, not as number but as social position.

Partially, the Greeks who had came from the foster USSR save the Greece. This one comes with serious intentions. Unfortunately, not all of them are really Greeks, some not at all. Besides, there are children from mixed marriages. Their presence is visible thanks to their physical constitution: tall, supple, blond. But, as bad things are contagious, these ones assimilate rapidly the natives’ bad habits. What was interesting for Anastasia were cultural information from Sophia. It was not clear to her if she intuited her lacks in this field and was trying to fill her gaps, or it was her wish of astounding. Anyway, she did it discreetly, so you cannot annoy and the information came just where and when were necessary. Anastasia had the sensation that she had just then put to herself the question at which Sophia gave her the answer. * -

-

*

*

Good morning. o Good morning at noon. You feasted seriously last night.

It is only one time when someone finishes general school. Let me say that I made perplexed all of them. I showed them how to dance on Greek music. o But you have not idea of how to dance it.

I saw it in the movie “Zorba, the Greek”.

138

-

-

-

-

-

-

o Your classmates saw the movie as well.

Well, from the movie was the music on which we danced, also. Besides, I had seen at the parties of the Greeks from New York. o How many parties saw you? Two wedding parties and one christening. At the first wedding, I kept you on my laps.

At the last wedding, I danced with Sophia. She taught me. o You should learn from a man.

I would like it, but nobody offered. By the way, ask Sophia to send us some records with Greek music. o Why do you need other discs? Your father has a lot. You never listen them.

This is not music. Only lamentations and keening. o The soul of Greeks is so. It was an oppressed nation and people cry their faith.

Like in the church. When you ask me to go at the church I know I will have a bad day. I never understand why Orthodox priest lament every time. o It is Byzantine music. Do you want them to dance rock-and-roll, like the Negroes?

Maybe they better would not sing at all. Let they simple say what they have to say and would be more convincing. o This is your opinion.

Of course. But do you write to Sophia to send us the records? Not lamentations; merry music. o Well, I will, but you must say me what you want.

I do not what to ask, but she will. I noticed she is an open-minded woman. o What do you mean? Your father isn’t?

He is, but not at music. His discs, if are not keening, resemble with Arabian music. o How is that? Not at all. Maybe Turkish. This one remembers him of Hios, where he was born. This island is not far away from Turkey.

139

-

-

-

And what is the difference between Turks and Arabians? They are not both Moslem? o They are, but the Turks only adopted Islamic religion from the Arabians; they came from Central Asia. And now, Turkey is a laic, modern state.

Maybe, but their music does not like me. There is Greek merry music. This is what I want. o I agree with it, as I like merry music too.

You know, I think that, besides Turkish influence, there is in Greece Italian influence as well. It would be impossible not to be. Everyone love Italian music; even the Chine. I think the good Greek music is that with Italian influence. o It is true the Italians are cheerful, have the sense of humour . . .

The Greeks, instead, has not the sense of ridicule. o I see you lived only in America; you do not feel at all like a Greek. Well, I will write to Sophia.

140

Athens, 1987 -

-

-

-

-

-

We arrived. This is Roman Agora. o Why all people stay in front of the door and do not enter inside?

I do not know. Probably, it is crowded inside and people enter only in groups. o What crowd? I do not see people inside. And this one does not seem at all to wait. Some are even leaving. And they are very nervous.

You are right. It is strike. So it is written on this paper stuck on the gate. I thought only the workers make strikes, and these ones claim to be intellectuals. o What is it a strike, daddy?

It is a kind of protest. The employees of the museum ask for increasing the salaries, the direction does not want or can’t do it, and then, they try to impose their will by not working an hour, a day or more days. o Is something possible? Namely, if I want the teacher to give me fewer exercises at mathematics, I do a strike and do not solve them at all.

Well, it is not even so. o And how is it?

It is rather complicated to explain you just now. o Maybe it is not so complicated. I understood more complicated things. Do not be bumptious. Those people who left were very angry. Do not say me they did it without reason.

Of course, not. They where Spaniards. They came from thousands kilometres, spend money and fail vacancies because of this miserable clerks. o Ah, you recognize it is not normal.

Well, of course it isn’t. Sure it isn’t.

141

-

-

-

-

-

-

o And now, what are we doing.

We are going at home; what to do else? o So, we failed the day too. We have come vainly. You are in vacancy too, isn’t it?

Yes, but we have more time. We are living in Athens several days. o You postponed me a long so far and said that only Sunday, namely today, you will have time for me to go at the museum. Now, when you think you will have time for me again?

I even do not know. o You see how you are! But you still did not enlightened me how is with the strike. How people allow not to work and they are not dismissed?

It is democracy; they have some rights. o There is not democracy in the United States?

We learnt at school that USA is a model of democracy for the entire world.

It is true. o And then, why the Americans do not do strikes?

They did sometime, but understood that it does not solve their problems. o It means they found a better solution? Why the Greeks do not apply it too?

Well. . . o I know. It is too complicated to explain me.

You see, the Greeks are more revolutionary. They got independence by fight against the Turks and it remains in their blood. o USA got the independence in 1776 and Greece in 1821. The difference is of only 45 years. I know; do you see?

Bravo! o And how did you conclude that they are some special revolutionaries. In that movie with that old Greek, killed by Jack Nickolson with

142

-

-

-

his lover girl, he was not revolutionary at all.

On the contrary, he was a milksop.

What movie? Jack Nickolson is an actor, as I know. o Sure. He is an actor, but I forgot the name of the character interpreted by him in the movie. “The Postman Always Rings Twins” is the title of the movie.

Oh, yes. I saw that movie. It is a good one! That Greek was one from the United States. You are a Greek from the United States too. We all are: I, your mother. o So, in the United States, we are milksops, but here we may do strikes. What about to do one just now and give me an ice-cream at this confectionary? Maybe you give a CocaCola too.

Maybe better across the street; they have beer as well. I am just thirsty. o Let’s go.

*

* *

Anastasia’s father knew very well she is a good cooker. She did it not only for her family, but also she followed a course of culinary art and now she had a real worship for exquisite preparations.

One day, being in Greece, he asked her to prepare a chicken after the famous receipt “Le Cordon Bleu”, well know throughout the world. He said: “I will buy all ingredients and you will prepare it for me and my friends”. Of course, he wanted to take pride with his daughter. On the other hand, her mother quarrelled her, arguing that it needn’t she 143

enter in this trouble. As a matter of fact, it was a competition. She never accepts her daughter would be able to do something remarkable. When she started to work and she saw how thin Anastasia cuts the chest of the chicken, she could not help saying: -

Oh, God, do not do this. There is not need such trouble. There is not enough chicken. You will destroy it. o Let me alone. I will do my job as I know and as I want. Go and smock a cigarette.

And she went, feeling insulted. After it, Anastasia succeeded to finish. Her father and his friends were impressed by her know-how and skill. Only her mother was nervous, as she was not able to recognise the success of her daughter. Her nerves were visible on her trembling hands. She cannot say a simple “Thank you”. * -

*

*

Mom, I want to ask you something. o Tell me.

Not here; let’s sit down somewhere. o O.k. I want to sit down too; I am very tired. I know a nice café not far away from here.

Ah, not a café. There is noisy and smoke there. o We can stay outside; there is not smoke there.

In café people babble, do not discuss. o And what is wrong in it?

144

-

-

-

-

I did not say it is wrong; it is a way of socialisation, but not a place for serious discussions. Sometime before you finish a phrase, someone interrupts you, as he thinks to have something to say. o Maybe he has.

No, he only want to be important, to show what he knows. He is at least impolitely, as he would let you to say what you have to say – maybe other people want to listen – and, after it, to express his opinion – if he has one – face to that subject. In a discussion, you want to clarify that subject. If you deviate, the discussion becomes more difficult. Instead to clarify, you trouble. o I think the contrary; you enrich the discussion.

Not at all. The discussion falls in derisory, even in gossip. We can see here the difference between Germans and us. There is difference of structure in our languages. The Germans put the verb at the end of the phrase. The listener must listen the whole phrase for learning what he wanted to say. The Greek, after 2-3 words, thinks he has a reply. We like to babble. Consequently, he allows the interrupt, though he does not know what he would must to know. o You, as usually, theorize too much. I keep my opinion: the deviations, the examples can make the discussion more succulent.

For a chat, you are right, but for a serious discussion the examples may be disastrous. Let me give you an example, if you provoked me. At the teacher’s question “What is a chair?” a stupid pupil answer: “A char is when we . . . “. The teacher will replay annoyed: “A chair is not when”. The question had the aim to teach the children how to express logically, to define the terms. Only stupid pupils, instead of a definition, give examples. If one needs examples, it means the definition was not clear.

145

You comforted me. I am the pupil and you are the teacher.

You do not take things just so, but, if you provoked me, I gave you a replay. Here is an example: if in a discussion someone pronounces the word butterfly, your man will speak how bad is the butter for the cholesterol. o You did not convince me. I think that even the subject can be more definite through some examples.

Did you have in view the adage “The exceptions makes the rule stronger”? Maybe you are right when the subject is clearly definite. If not, the examples will pollute the analysis. As for the saying, usually it is wrong interpreted. o How is that?

Most people use it as an excuse, a motivation for something is not clear for them, a trying to ignore the laws of nature. o Well, and how it would be?

The saying say the exception make the rule stronger, not weaker. Any law is valuable inside of a field. The law of fluids are valuable for fluids, not for gases or solids. The exceptions limit the field in which a law is valuable. In this way, the law is more exact. o I think that what you want is a scientific session, not a talk.

Tell it as you want. I go myself to the café, when I want to socialise. There I listen more. The girls amuse me. They talk in parallel. No one listens what the other say, but makes a break from time to time and goes on after it, without any connection with the other’s story. o I did not know you are misogynist. Well, let’s sit down on this bench and tell what you have to say.

I am not a misogynist one. Look, I have visited the museums of modern art in New York. I do not o

-

-

-

-

-

-

146

-

-

-

pretend I understood everything I saw, as I am conscious of my lack of aesthetic culture. I liked some works and I did not like others. I start from the idea that arts developed from the primitivism of those who painted on the wall of the caves up till the modern art. The art of ancient Greece was a stage in this evolution. I told you some time ago that I want to see the Greek monuments, or their ruins, as my classmates used to mock at me because I am a Greek and did not know them. I was in the four forms then.

Now, I want not only to see; I want to understand. o And you found me as a teacher.

Why not? You have seen more than me. If I ask a teacher, he recite a story from which there is nothing to understand. Or – how someone said – after his explanation you do not understand what you asked. o Or you understand that they did not understand but are ashamed to recognise and try to confuse you with tangled words.

Bravo! This time, you were more categorical than me. You told it just clearer. o Thank you. And now, what do you want me to tell?

To tell how is that this old statues – and not only the statues – are more beautiful than many of those made later? How is that with the evolution? My power of understanding stops at this level, or the art run over hedge and ditch? They say that everything changed after the apparition of the photograph. o The Greeks had the good sense (or intelligentsia) to devote temples to gods and goodness, so to some imaginary personages and not to the real ones. Everything real and of present-day is perishable. But I am a Greek woman and take pride in the art of my ancestors. Modern art does not interest me.

147

-

-

-

-

-

I see you slip away. I think the aesthetic value of the Greek statue has increase after they lost their colours. Maybe the same will happen with more of the modernist paintings. Let me tell you something more interesting. How is that people of that time did not wear spectacles? o ?!

It means they were seeing well, were clear-sighted, far-seeing. o You are joking.

Still, there is a problem: if they were so far-seeing people, why the Romans conquered them? They fought with the Persians, a much bigger empire and even beat them, and were defeated by Rome, a small country at that time. o The historians say the Greeks were considering the Romans like friends.

This is a stupidity even greater, but the historians may allow it. They may allow anything; anyway, nobody think them. Sparta fought with Athens and did not fought with Rome. Let’s be serious. o I think they did not wear glasses because they were not invented yet.

Not at all! They invented a lot of things and were to stop with some trifles. At a battle, they set fire to the Persians’ ships with many mirrors. They were clever men. Eratostenes said that the Terra is a sphere and calculated its circumference, starting from the length of the shadow at different latitude.

The true is they did not know they did not see well.

This is why they made so many mistakes. o I see you always have a contra-argument at what I say.

This is why it is good to start with the contraargument. As soon as someone find that things are not all right – and usually so it is – he comes with the argument and explain us what was wrong, though we knew it better just before.

148

O.k. You have convinced me. Now, let’s go at home. Tomorrow we have a lot of work to do.

I think I began to adapt myself to the place: during the night I speak and sleep in the day. o You are too young for this. You have to learn yet.

Do not tell me to work. Do not forget that I have Greek blood, not American. o It seems you are already adapted from this point of view.

O.k. We go, but first I want to tell you something. o What are you more in your mind?

As a matter of fact, I want to congratulate you. o This is something new. And for what do you want it?

You impressed a lot the grandfather with your chicken “Le Cordon Bleu”. He was very proud of you. o He had reasons, isn’t it?

At the beginning I was doubt too you would succeed, after listening the grandmother bantering you. She said you want to food nine persons with a chest of chicken. o She saw only the chest during I was cutting it. First it was not only the chest, but also whole the chicken, and was not one, but two chickens. Besides, there are garnishing and other.

I was thinking there was not a chicken-boy but a chicken-girl and, maybe she has some silicones . . . o I thought you are speaking seriously.

I was joking, but the chicken really liked me. o O.k. Let’s go now. o

-

-

-

-

*

* *

149

If we start from the definitions in dictionaries, we come soon to the conclusion the kid was right.

Their authors did not understand more than him, maybe even less, as they did not put to themselves their questions. Here are some definitions: - Aesthetics – which belongs to aesthetics; - Art – a kind of human activity that mirrors the reality through expressive imagines.

The first one is a simple tautology. Maybe the authors did not hear what it is. Still, the word is correct definite in the same dictionary, but probably another one wrote it, because more people work for such a great opera like an encyclopaedic dictionary. The second reflects only the preoccupation for imitating the nature (mirrors the reality), which is only a minor aim of art.

The explanation of changing produced after the apparition of the photograph is insufficient. It is not at all true that, earlier, the only aim of art was to imitate the nature. In Byzantine art, for example, on the contrary, the accuracy reproduction of some real models was prohibited.

The saints are stylised. They must render the idea represented by the Biblical personage and not a portrait of a certain person. The onlooker’s mind must be directed toward the message of the parable and not how nice is the portrait. The true art never proposed the imitation. The paintings on the walls of caves were not endeavours of primitive men to design. They were symbols, important for the message. It is a proof of 150

intellectual mediocrity to judge the quality of their design, not knowing the message.

In the nature, the trunk of a tree is thick at the base and thin toward to top. The columns of some temples, instead, are a little thinner to the base and thicker toward the top, for making the onlooker to think the column is a perfect cylinder.

From Doric to Corinthian style, the art of the architects improved through the innovation, not through the imitation.

From the aesthetical point of view, the Greek artist from antiquity reached a top, because they wanted to find the beauty in absolute value. They invented the gold proportion as a mathematic equation. Their statues are perfect not because the men and women of that time were more handsome or beautiful than those of today. On the contrary, there are reasons to think the opposite.

The Greek artists invented the beauty; they did not copy it. The artistic works were not appreciated if they represented something new, but if were more beautiful than the similar ones, made till then.

In literature as well, there are few models, few themes, repeated thousand times. Claude LĂŠviStrauss founded his opera on this idea, being considered the father of the structuralism in literature, just because he observed that, in all

151

nations, there are only a few models, repeated in numerous variants.

An artist was appreciated if he succeeds to surpass his predecessors doing better the same works.

In time, the arts had different objectives. The European Middle Age launched the Christian religious art. The recent epochs that of the harsh soldier and others, well-known. There is even an art of the ugly. This does not mean that art must be ugly; the subject is ugly. The art may be beautiful even in this case.

Paul Cézanne, one of the first and remarkable representatives of the Impressionism said: “Painting after nature does not means to copy the objective world, but to give form of your sentiments”. And the art critic Jules Castagnary wrote in 1871, when this current appeared: “They are impressionists in the sense they render not the landscape, but the sensation produced by the landscape”.

The legend says about Kandinsky that, one evening, entering his studio, he saw a painting that he did not recognized but he liked it. Only after a while of contemplation he realized that it was one of his paintings laid top-down. (One does not specify if the artist was drunk but – thinking at his name – it was less probably the answer to be negative.) The legend affirms that abstract 152

paintings appeared in this way. A painting may represent nothing; what matter is the play of forms and colours. It is correct, under the condition to be nice and to induce to the onlooker a sentiment, a thought, an artistic emotion.

The main role of abstract painting is a decorative one. I recognize that I like some abstract paintings. Not those by Kandinsky. Some like me just very much. Instead, for some horrible ones, I think only the absence of the elementary good sense of those who, by mistake, dishonestly gain money through art, could justify their existence.

My opinion about the future of the art is an optimistic one. As the faith (and not a certain religion) will not disappear (in spite of the priest’s efforts), the art will not disappear, because the people’s wish for beauty is forever, in spite of those who misappropriate its aim from petty interested. *

*

*

Fishing -

Daddy, I was expecting in Athens to meet many Americans, French, Italian people and especially Englishmen. I found everywhere lots of Russians. How is that? o I am afraid it is rather complicated for you.

History, economics and politics mixed here.

153

-

-

-

-

-

-

Try me! o In the past, Greece was full of foreigners, especially Englishmen. I do not speak about the period when it was under the Turks.

Do not let it even from Adam and Eve. o Not, after the independence.

They considered Greece a revolving table in international commerce and invested there.

We can see even now imposing buildings made then by foreign companies. Now, due to globalisation, the great businesses can be managed from anywhere. There is not necessary to have an office in port. From this reason, you do not see the Englishmen there any longer. They may stay in London or on a paradisiacal island.

Why the Russians do not do the same? o They do, but the ones you see on the street are not the great businessmen. Some complications intervene here. We need a little history.

I am good at it. I always received good marks. o t is about recent history and some politics.

Russia appeared on the map of the world later and developed in the last centuries.

Like the United States of America. o Yes, like the United States of America. The tsar Peter the Great gave them the start and, in extern politics the Russians still follow his indications, not matter of the political regime. Among others, he said Russia must have openings to all seas. He succeeded to reach as far as the Baltic Sea. Mediterranean Sea remained an unfulfilled target so far.

And now, they try on different ways. o Exactly. You got it! You really are a clever boy! They are involved in economy, but send people of all categories. The best

154

-

opportunity was during the Second World War. With all their defects, the Greeks are some qualities as well: in the face of a common enemy they join each other. During the war, they did it against the Italians first and Germans later, creating groups of partisans. Their initiative liked to the Allies, who helped them. The most active countries were the former USSR and Great Britain.

Good for them! o Yes, it was all right so far, but, when the war came to its end, the leaders of the partisans did not understand one another. Each of them wanted to be the great head. First, they quarrelled. The United Kingdom agreed the first government. We know today that, on 9 October 1944, Churchill was in Moscow and, together with Stalin, decided the areas of influence after the War.

(A decision so important could not take by them.

In the play were also the United States of America and other countries. It was a collective decision, but people like to personalize such events. The talks became official a little later, at The Yalta Conference (4-11 February 1945) and finished after the War, at The Potsdam Conference, where Churchill and Roosevelt did not participate. At Yalta, among the other problems, they discussed then the statute of Austria. Finally it was considerate a neutral country; thus those who want to emigrate from one area to the other to find refuge here. From this reason, Austria received founds from UNO up till 1990 for the expenses of organizing camps for refugees and for

155

their transfer. As nobody from West wanted to go in East, people considered Austria a western country.)

Kostas’ father went on with his explanations: -

-

-

-

For all that, the USSR, with its well-known ability, instigated the opponents of the government till the quarrel turned into real fights, and so the Civil War began. In Mythology you have some similar examples.

Even you told me one. o You refer to Eris, the goddess of feud, the one that, at the wedding party of the goddess Tethys, where she was not invited, threw an apple with the inscription “For the most beautiful”, arousing the rivalry between Hera, Athens and Aphrodite.

The Romans said them Discordia, from which the “apple of discord”. o The Civil War was not just a novelty. What the Grecians knew better to do – and did it successfully – was to fight each other. They kept intact the feature of their character from ancient wars between Athens and Sparta and up till nowadays.

The legendary War of Troy – also one between the Greeks, is not by hazard in Mythology. o And, as any legend, this one conveys a message too.

But, let’s continue. As any war need weapons, the USSR provided his adepts too. The Russians could not do this directly, because the accord previously established, so they did it via Yugoslavia, which organized for them camps for training. During the war, Yugoslavia had serious troops of partisans against the Germany. o As concerning the Russian people, there is a joke, appeared after the invasion of

156

Czechoslovakia, in 1968. One says that the representatives of USSR, USA and UK met for discussing the problem. In order not to be disturbed, they decided to talk on a steamer, on open sea, off the any country. But, the steamer had sunk and they shipwrecked on an island, which seems to be deserted.

Fortunately, they found a she-goat and – instead of killing and eat her – they decided to care of her and use the milk that she could give then daily. In turn, every day, one of them used to drive the goat to pasture.

The plane works up till the Russian, in his turn, did it. He left in the morning with the goat, but returns in the evening without goat.  Where is the goat? – asked everyone.

• Which goat?  The goat along with you left this morning to graze.

• A, that one?  Yes, that one. Where is it?

• Who?  The goat, man!

• Which goat?  Look here! Do we have a goat here and one after the other we drive her to pasture for drinking some milk?

• Yes, we have.  Today was your turn. It was you who left this morning with the goat. Do you recognise?

• Yes, I recognise.  And now, where is the goat?

• Which goat?

This was the way in which the talks on withdrawing Soviet army from Czechoslovakia occurred. This was the style of the Soviets in international intercourses.

157

Amusing! Let’s continue. Fortunately for Greece, everything finished after Stalin quarrelled with Tito. Coming to the conclusion that providing endlessly Greece is without sense and, in the meantime the United States of America took the place of England, Stalin put an end to the helps and the war stopped. Not without consequences.

Many of the former fighters with communist inclinations had took refuge in the countries under the Soviet influence, like Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Hungary, R.D. Germany, Czechoslovakia and, of course the USSR. After several years, these ones came back in Greece indoctrinated with communist ideas and made from Greece a country with communists without communism. If in Russia they are healed of it, ours are in the stage of naiveties, yet. There are here more communists than in Russia. This is the main reason of the nowadays-economic disaster.

Strikes and protesting manifestations organized by K.K.E. – the Greek Communist Party – strongly supported by the Russia, disorganise the economy and go away the possible investors.

What interesting is the politics! Maybe I will become a politician. o Till then, you need to learn.

Is it necessary to follow a school for politicians? o There is not something like that.

The politicians do not have a school? It is interesting. o Do not be ironical. Some of them are high educated, other less. Oh, you have just caught a fish. What do you thing with that rod? You were ready to drop it.

I was just wondering if there are fishes here. Since we are here, nobody caught one. And they are tens. o

-

-

158

-

Most of them have the fishing rods fitted with sophisticated devices and they stay on the bench solving crossing words. o They are amateurs.

Amateurs for sunbathing.

159

New York 1988-96 -

Mama called me this morning o What happened with her to yield giving money on telephone?

Dad was hospitalised. o Oh, this really is a reason. And what he has?

His heart. Last night he fainted and emergency service carried him in the cardiology. As early as in the noon he said his heart gallops. Now, the doctors investigate him to become precise with the diagnostic. In a few days we will have the results.

The diagnostic was ischemic cardiopaty and atrial fibrillation. Consequently, the disease is serious, the fibrillation being the most dangerous. With such a disease, one can die at any time, in a few seconds. He must stay in the hospital until the doctors were sure he is stabilized and can go home safely. Of course, he will follows treatment and take care of himself more than he did so far: without efforts, without emotions, without stress.

It’s true, physical efforts he did not so far, but with the emotions is more difficult, as one never knows when and from they come. *

*

*

From Kostas’ diary

160

The stones of Athens? It depends how you look them. Sometime, just through dead rocks the past revives from the ash of years. Here is a great phrase! I should be a poet. I noticed they die young. The better way is to be an economist, like dad. You learn a little and pretend to be important.

I see he knows mathematics less than me and this is my weak point. Sometime, I envy the policemen. They are the strongest.

Unfortunately, people mock at them. This is what I do not want: people mocking at me. A stone I should be. Maybe someone will make me a statue, to be admired by the visitors. Till then, he must strike me with the chisel; otherwise, I could be used for pavement, to step on me all ninnies.

----------------In Byzantine Empire, not only the centre of

power

was

moved

from

Athens

to

Constantinople. The old Greek sense fell

161

in

desuetude,

beginning

with

the

prohibition of the paganism and ceasing of the Olympic Games – a symbol of the old Greek sense. Renouncing at paganism means to renouncing at Mythology too.

They

closed

the

Oracle

at

Delphi

–

considered by the old Greeks the centre of the world. The majority of the questions are the same, 3000 years ago as today: what career to follow, if to have or not trust in the one who wants to became your partner of life etc. I have the same questions and must find other way of finding answers. I thing this is the main pity of religions: they want to give prefab answers at some questions that, maybe, you do not have ----------------It is interesting that many Greek people from Athens pretend to have come from Constantinople. They could say Istanbul,

162

but they hate this word and replace the Turkish name with the old one, before its conquering by the Turks. As a matter of fact,

they

did

not

come

only

from

Istanbul, but from a large area around it.

The

Romans

Constantinople.

gave The

it

the

older

name one

of was

Byzantz, from where the name Byzantine Empire. We would expect the Greeks of today

to

use

with

pride

this

name,

Byzantz, but they prefer Constantinople, creating in this way an unfavourable confusion. Or, maybe, I do not understand the subtlety but, if I do not understand, it means other people do not understand too, which multiply the disadvantage.

-------------If you limit to the culture, Athens may become tiresome: too many monuments, ruins, museums; Plaka is the place that could

contra-balance

the

sensation

of

163

stress. A walk in this district is welcome.

This is true if you succeed to avoid the ridiculous art. Not a way! They are too many. The only solution is to amuse yourself

and

neglect

them.

Generally,

Plaka offers fanny things to the visitors.

Besides, among trifles, there is real art.

Anyway, none tourist misses Plaka; as it is at the foot of Acropolis.

----------------During democratic regimes one did not build remarkable monuments. Not only in Greece.

------------------I have just read a nice phrase: “The link of the Greeks with the pass is the sky and sea, to which they added some stones and assigned them senses. Yes, here, the stones represent gods or legendary heroes.

164

----------------Besides

“Zorba,

the

Greek”,

Nikos

Kazantzakis wrote “The Last Temptation”, which seems to by much more appreciated by the specialists. I have read it. It is a book of philosophy more than a novel. I heard there is a movie, named “The Last Temptation of Christ”, but I did not see it.

In

fact,

it

is

an

essay.

It

seems

a

misconstruction of New Testament, but it is

more

than

described

as

personalities,

it.

The

people each

of

characters with them

are

different with

his

preoccupations and his philosophy of life.

-

Jesus is a dreamer and is goodhearted;

-

Judas

is

problems

preoccupied (Roman

by

current

occupation

etc.)

and unsolving them dislikes him. He accuses Jesus, because he does not imply in the real problems, as he is

165

fearful. (You, the fearful, you do not steal, do not kill, because you are fear; all your virtues are daughters of fear”.)

-

Magdalene is a realist fighter. She say also Jesus is fearful. o I fight alone, do not ask for help neither from people nor from demons, nor for gods; I fight

to

escape

and

I

will

escape. o To

escape

from

what?

From

who? o Not from mire, as you thinks; be blessed it. In it I put all my hopes; it is for me the way toward the delivering. o ... o you

catch

mother’s

yourself

hem,

by

sometime

your by

mine, sometime by the God’s.

You can stay alone, because you are fear . . . And you go in

166

desert and hide yourself, shove your nose in the sand, because you are fear.

It seems that even by the Greeks, one of the most faithful Christian nations, begun to reinterpret the New Testament. As a matter of fact, even from the parabola of Wasteful Son, we learn that the one who choose life and risk is forgiven. His brother, a model of obedience is a fearful.

--------------All

the

consider

research the

workers

faiths

as

of

religions

immanent

for

primitive man, that they would appeared from their desire to have an explanation of natural phenomenon and for finding a support in some difficult moments. False!

If the religion had been immanent to the man - as man descends from the monkey - it would have meant the religion is immanent to the monkey as well.

167

The desire to find a support is a result of the fear, and the fear in inoculated. A child does not know what the fear is.

Also,

the

explanation

of

natural

phenomenon does not characteristic for the common man. He does not have such problems. Besides, such “explanations� do not start from real findings.

On the

contrary,

of

the

did

not

they

imagination.

are

Their

results authors

believed in the truth of their inventions.

These

ones,

their

inventions,

had

as

purpose to find a way to make simple men to behave in according with the ethic of that time, or

with

the will

of

their

leaders. In this way, some rituals were fixed and the simple man was guided to respect the ritual, for example to bury the dead persons. Without ritual, the men would be lazy enough to abandon the corpse.

They

need

some

more

than

a

simple indication, like “it would be good

168

to do it”. The authors of the myths are the spiritual leaders of the primitive tribes.

The

intentions

of

moulding

people’s

mentalities were good or bad, depending on their authors.

What is surprising is the fact the religions – even the recent ones – are less sagacious than some old mythologies. That is so probably because the theologians want the believers to be confident. For this, they must not be able to verify the truth of the doctrine. As odd are its ideas as better. In this

respect,

they

advanced

a

lot

in

comparison with the primitive ones.

----------------At any attempt to persuade a Greek that the merits of the past belong to those of that time, and that he must do something as a follower worthy of them, he will repeat like a poem what everybody know:

169

from those seven wonders of the ancient world, four are Greek, from which three are in Greece and two just in Athens: -

Statue of Zeus, 12 metres high, by Pheidias, in the temple of Zeus, 5 century BC;

-

Temple of the goddess Artemis at Ephesus, 356 BC;

-

Colossus from Rhodes, 30 metres, a statue by bronze devoted to the god of the sun, Helios, 280 BC, at the entrance of the harbour;

-

Lighthouse from Alexandria, 280 BC, 134 metres.

Unfortunately, none of them exist today.

The wonderful antic civilisation became an imaginary construction for those who want

to

know

and

understand

its

significations. It really left something to the posterity, but the common Greek has nothing with it. *

* * 170

-

-

-

-

-

Mom called again. o It means something is grave. It is the second call since we are in New York.

They will come here. o With his illness?

Exactly. With it and because of it. o From your mother part it was expected not to have the intention to care of him. She dispatched you, your own daughter; what an ill husband would be more important?

This time is not her decision. o She always has put the others to “decide” what she had wanted.

Now it was really. She said they consulted more doctors and all of them, even some friends, advised him to go in Europe or America. The Greek medicine cannot do much for him. o Here they are right. I think my father would have been alive yet if he had been better treated. The true is Greece is still far for a European country. It is still oriental and the evolution in the last years worries me. Those few men educated in Occident are preoccupied to make fortune, while the other are . . .

I am speaking you about my father and you think to politics. Use your economic knowledge at the office.

Now, tell me how we will manage. o And what I have to do?

You? Nothing, as usual. They have discussed with a clinic of cardiology from New York – I did not memorise its name, but I will ask – and from the airport will go directly there, but mother will stay with us. o This is a problem.

A great one.

171

Anastasia’s father was hospitalised. Under treatment, his health is improving from one day to another. All people are optimistic, but the most optimistic is Anastasia. Her almost daily visits in the hospital, her concern and the interest for everything happens there have drawn attention of the staff of the hospital. They began to consider her one of them, especially because she often offered herself to fulfil any work she can do.

In the room next door with that of her father, there is a family of two old people. The both suffer of the same disease. A coincidence! She thinks their presence in the hospital, besides the illness, is a deed of charity of the staff of the hospital. They are too old for care of by themselves, there in nobody to help them and in an asylum they would be died long ago. For Anastasia, this is even a psychological case. They are alone and no one has time to speak with them but what is strictly necessary. She feels the need of caressing them. This is all she can do for them, but see that her small gestures produce a great pleasure in these people’s souls.

Curiously, in the hospital, besides the patients the healing of which is wanted by everyone, there are some who are not wanted at home and the family use the hospital like a hotel. Some patients are incurable; the other could be healed. Their treatment depends on the humanism or scientific

172

interest of their doctors. For others, they are only a business.

Impressing situations are also of the opposite alternative. The husband of a patient, for example, for covering all expenses necessary for a good treatment of his wife, made all sacrifices depending on him; abandoned all his interests, sold his things etc. Finally, she was saved, but he died before seeing her at home. There are situation that shock everyone, Anastasia particularly.

She observed the evolution of illnesses depends on the psychic of the patients. She realizes she cannot judge the effect of the medication face to the gravity of an illness, but her statistics remove any doubt. He noticed that optimist people who leave the hospital recovered are much more numerous than the pessimist ones. The most convinced case was the most amusing. A lady, immediately she was hospitalised, sat down on the bed, with the pillow at her back and started to crochet. With the speed of which she was handling the knitting needles – and it was clear that she had a great practice in this occupation – she was turning the words as well. She took breaks only between four and six o’clock in the afternoons, after her son, who used to visit her everyday, was bringing her several pages of a magazine with crossed words, her passion. Resolving them needed a little concentration. In the rest of time, with all 173

the discontent of her partners of suffering, she was speaking. Most women covered her head with the pillow, for not to hear her, but they could not stay all the day in this position. At any question about her disease, she answers: “This is the doctor’s work. I do not know.” In short time, she – the last entered – left the hospital healed.

Unfortunately, her optimism did not contaminate the other women.

More difficult was at home. Kostas and Fotios are resourceful. Fotios feels well eating outdoors.

Anastasia thought that Kostas would have been happy if she would have given him money to eat at McDonald’s. Before, he sometime envied his classmates eating there, but now, after a few days, he began to prepare himself some simple foods. Maybe is too much to say foods; fried eggs, roast pork and others like these, but especially fried potatoes with eggs. This is his preferred food, if he does it by himself. With Fotios is simplest; he come at home as little as possible, but he must forgive, because he go to the hospital instead and inquires of his father-in-low’s health.

The problem is the mother. The same mother, the same problem. Anastasia, though cares of two children, was going to the hospital to see her father as frequently as she could, anyway more frequently as his wife, without any occupation in New York. Seeing the shop-windows or just visiting them were activities that could not be neglected 174

for her. She could take care of her granddaughter, Nicky. At least to oversee her, as the girl is capricious, sometime does inverse than one asks her to do and do not want to be implied in family’s problems. Now, she avails herself of the opportunity and plays truant from the school.

Nobody knows where she wanders and what she does, as she is not at home, at school or at some of her known friends. She does not want to eat but fresh food prepared at home by an adult person, in no case by Kostas. She could go with Kostas to eat at McDonald’s, but she does not want. She waits Anastasia, as she wants to create a supplementary problem. Her grandmother does not want to hear anything about preparing foods. She says, “I am not a cook-maid”. These to women, granddaughter and grandmother, do not realize how much they look like one another. It’s interesting that they, instead to love each other, they hate each other.

As a matter of fact, only the granddaughter hates her grandmother; the grandmother simple ignores granddaughter.

In the hospital, the chief of the department where her father is interned, a dour man at the first sight, but very kind in fond, proposed to Anastasia to follow a course of speciality, at the end of which she would be able to work in a hospital, maybe just here. If she wants, he will speak with the manager of the hospital, but he is sure this one will agree. Of course, she answer on the spot she

175

will be happy to do it. This was her dream as early as a child.

It seems that – finally – a favourable moment arrived for Anastasia. Their main problems are now solved in a great measure: Fotios has a job well remunerated now, even if not great, Kostas goes to school with good results, so Anastasia could think to herself. Does it a lucky occurrence, or the fait? The hospital is not just near; the transport takes one hour with the bus. Another hour for returning, how long she stays there, all the day is full. No matter of the effort, it deserves. It is her first chance, after that from the childhood, when she trained to become a swimmer. A Greek girl Olympic champion. All people would speak about her, at least till the next Olympiad. It did not was to be! A stupid accident eliminated her. Now it is something much more serious: she wants to help people in suffering. This is her dream from the time when she was a pupil in England. Her suffering there marked her less than that of the others. And the great satisfaction she feels now, when – even only with a caress or a good word – she can soothe a patient, and receive as recompense a smile or a look of gratitude.

She had not time to say her joy to her father; he was sleeping when she left and did not want to wake him up. She will tell him tomorrow morning.

She still conveys her joy toward those at home, immediately as she arrived. She did not remember 176

to finish all she wanted to tell them, when noticed that her joy was unilateral. For the others it seems to be a calamity. “You are crazy?” was the first replay coming from her mother. The dialog that followed does not deserve to be put down on the paper. The arguments were the same she had heard in the childhood, as the women from their family do not work out of doors. Now, there was a new one: the fear of the mother that she will be put in the situation to care of her granddaughter.

The quarrel that followed put an end to the relations between mother and daughter. If her visit at the hospital had been tolerate – not always without reproach, though her father was there – the idea to have graduated and a permanent job was not agreed.

During the night, she thought how to tell her father, if to tell him, knowing that, in the past he had the same mentality. Maybe, meanwhile, he changed his mind. She cannot asleep, as the same thoughts were racking her brain, when the telephone rung up. It was the hospital. “What is going up?” “Your father does not feel fine.” With all her requests toward the driver, who was running as fast as he could in the night, when she arrived at the hospital, her father had died. She did not tell him her joy, unfulfilled this time again.

And the dream stops!

She had sobbed. All her life she obeyed to her father’s decisions. From respect but also from 177

trust in his wise, though she has some doubts, especially because not all his decisions were of good augury. Still, he was the single who she loved.

178

Miami, 1997 Fotios was very happy for his new job in Florida.

His life improved, with more money, responsibilities and opportunities. He renounced long ago at that usual dream of Greeks of having his own business. He was educated in England and is an American now. How is that every Greek wants to be an employer we could suppose: the centuries of foreigner’s domination induced in them this wish. And if they leant their ancestors deal with commerce, opened a booth at the ground floor of the block of flats, where he has an apartment. To work in a factory? To wake up in the morning and spend the best hours working there? No way! He thinks he is free doing nothing. His freedom is a theoretical one. In reality, he is slave, but he does not know. For a Greek, money is the single thing that counts. Probably the similarity between the words „leftá” (money) and „lefteriá” (freedom) is not accidentally. So, you are free if you have money. But, the disciples of Zeno, stoic philosophers say us the contrary.

Anywhere in the world, most people prefer to be obedient instead of assuming the risk of initiative.

When the Egyptians were ready to catch up the Jews, they frightened and said: “it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness” (Exodus 14, 12) There needs a man like Moses, a leader, for getting them out from the impasse. The mob prefers the 179

slavery. As everywhere, there are among the Greeks people with the gift of the leaders, but most of them do not know the way they should go, or use their gift for themselves.

But Fotios had learnt that, together with other men, he has more possibilities than alone. Besides, his character was not of a man with much initiative. Now, he found what he needed. He was not the boss. Another one had the initiative and was the president of the company. He, Fotios, was vice-president. Still, he was in the staff and makes the company to work efficiently. He feels to be important and really he was. Many others from the same field appreciated his knowledge and respected him.

He used to read many books about business and economy, skim through two-three newspapers daily, to be posted. He was known and was in connection with many businessmen like him.

Miami is a locality well known throughout in the world. It sound well when you say that you visited it. To live there, it means you are an important man. It is not just their case, so they bought a modest house, not even in the centre, but with the possibility of arranging it according with their taste, if possible with many flowers. They, the flowers will remind Anastasia of Greece. There, the climate is dry and ground stony, but just from this reason the love of the Greeks for the flowers 180

is a special one. Here, in Florida, it is wet and vegetation grow up everywhere, even there where nobody want it. People cover the ground with concrete, but they will have a garden.

Kostas follows a private college and was ready to go to the university. Nicky, though very young, was difficult and refractory. She made a lot of bad things and created many problems. She did not want going to school and, one day, she pretended her father abused her. It seems that she was similar enough with her grandmother.

Although he should be preoccupied by the education of his children, Fotios came at home rarer and rarer, pretending that he works all the week, from morning till night and has not time even for hunting and fishing. The family? It is not among his passions. The mistresses, instead, were.

Of course, he was not speaking about them, until he open announced he wanted to divorce, as he loves another woman, one of his former secretaries. *

*

*

From Kostas’ diary The Elgin’s marble

181

“In 1801, Thomas Bruce, the duke of Elgin, was the British ambassador in Istanbul.

Turkish

government

allowed

him to take some stones and sculptures from Acropolis, which he sent to British Museum in 1816. The most famous of them, the friezes of Parthenon, are known as Elgin’s marble.” This was written in the guide about Greece, which I have in hand.

Throughout

in

Athens,

in

museums, they affirmed this, proving how much

they

want

to

recuperate

the

national patrimony. Good for them, real patriots.

Still, the true is that, in Greece, there are enough vestiges of the past and a few more would not modify the situation. Instead, if all vestiges had reminded at their place, very few of them would be preserved, knowing

the

people’s

predilection

for

destroying. The marble of temple was used as

material

for

all

kind

of

banal

182

buildings, not only by the Turks, but also by the Greeks themselves. Instead, in the museums of important cities, people from throughout the world learn about the art of Greece. The tourists visiting Greece first saw some exhibits in the museums and albums.

Their

interest

generated

just

for

Otherwise,

the

Greek

for

Greece

these

was

exhibits.

peasant

would

ignore them and, eventual, would try to use what remained in his farm. For him, a temple is just good for a stable, if it is entire, yet. If not, some plate would be fit for the pavement. Friezes, metopes, what are

these?

Trifles!

The

columns

even

hinder him. Maybe this is the reason they resisted in time better.

We can say that the scattering of Greek patrimony was something like a microbe, something like Trojan Horse. From London or Paris, they contaminate the world with ancient Greek art.

183

-----------------Zantipa, Socrates’ wife, was a nagging woman. Is it a condition for philosophy?

-----------------In antiquity, the artist sculpted or painted necked men and dressed women. Today they do inverse.

People easily pass from one extreme to the other. The excess of chastity, imposed by the

church

during

the

Middle

Age,

preceded the nowadays excess of sexuality.

I have read that, in an old copy of the Bible, it was written that “God took one of parts of Adam and then tighten the flesh as it was. And the part that he took from the men he changed into the woman and bring her close to man”. So, it was not a

184

rib. Why just a rib? It means that, before, the man had 13 ribs. It would be very painful.

This version is logic and has connection with the myth of the androgynous. God made

the

man

bisexual

and

them

separated the sexes. Here, again, the excess of chastity made the theologians to change the text. If only for this they changed the original, it is expected there are many others much more important that they modified.

A girl studying medicine told me that a supplementary rib can exist in cervical area and wears the name “rib of the devil�. This means that men like Adam are born yet, but the surgeons do not know what to do with the ribs. I like its name: rib of the devil.

185

Even the cosmogony is transparent in the Bible. In Genesis 2.7, it is said that " And

the Lord God formed man of the dust of

the ground...". Not from mud, clay, or simple earth? It is not mentioned that he would use water. I think it had to be difficult

to mould in dust. Is this a

mistake, or an accidental expression? Not at all! From the next paragraph we learn that "And the Lord God planted a garden

eastward in Eden; and there he put the

man whom he had formed." Therefore, Eden

has

points

of

the

compass.

Interesting! From the paragraphs 10 to 14, we learn that "a river went out of Eden to

water the garden; and from thence it was

parted, and became into four heads".

Their names are Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel (Tigris) and Euphrates. We cannot help thinking that Eden is the old Sumer and what the Sumerian civilisation means for old times. Yes, Summer used to be a pleasing

and

charming

place

in

186

comparison with the surrounding areas, namely exact what this word means in their

language.

God

probably

was

a

Sumerian king, who accepted a Jewish tribe on his territory for different works.

This one seems to have been the best period from the Jews history. It was that king was God for them, their father, because he made them men. They were like dust and became like the Sumerians.

This is the correct meaning when one says that God made man like him, and not that a divinity could look like us. As the Jews did not keep the arrangement and aimed higher than it had been allowed to them (testing from the tree of knowledge), the king expulsed them. More than that, God,

observing

the

sin

committed

by

Adam and Eve, declared, " … the man is

become as one of us . . ." (Genesis 322).

Consequently, God was not alone. He did not speak that man would be “like me”, but “like us”. He spoke in the name of the

187

leadership of Sumer and accuses the Jews that exceeded their rights as employees, infiltrating

themselves

among

the

employers. We see now why in the whole history recorded in Bible, with all its details, Sumer does not appear at all.

That's so because it was the beginning. It was the heaven. In the whole of their history, the Jews do nothing else but beg God's pardon, hoping to be accepted again in Eden's garden.

The metaphor of making the man by dust suggest the idea the tribe of Jews was like the dust carried by wind. Even the name Adam is suggestive: in old Greek language, the meaning of the letters ADAM: Ανατολή (East)

Δύσις

(West)

Άρκτος

(North)

Μεσεέμβρη (South). That’s so, because God would be used the dust from all points of the compass.

188

These ideas are not mine. I have read them in a comely book. I forgot the name of the author, but know the title. It is “A boulder’s philosophy” ----------------------Theoretically, the historians must present the deeds, recorded in documents. The interpretation of the deeds belongs to the readers, depending on their intelligence and cultural level. Those who show not only

the

deeds,

explanations,

are

but not

also scientists,

their but

teachers or people working in fields in which the history is implicated. They introduce their point of view, which is not only subjective, but can have – and in the most cases have – a tendentious interpretation,

with

propagandistic

implications.

189

For the schoolchildren, the explanations are useful, even necessary, because they teach them how to interpret the deeds.

Why it happened in this way and not in a different one? Which were the reasons of the people who took a decision, people’s mentality,

their

aspirations,

their

religion, patriotic sentiments etc. They will

notice

that

the

deeds

are

consequences of people’s mentality and not inversely.

At

its

turn,

the

mentality

change itself in time, as a consequence of the conclusions that people have drawn from the passed deeds. The two of them are reciprocally influenced.

The literature is the one that can promote different

points

of

view,

different

hypotheses – all of them subjective – influencing the reader’s opinion.

-----------------

190

Hypocrites was not a hypocrite. It was the opposite. He was born in 460 BC in Cos and died in 370 BC in Larissa. This locality still exists. I visited it. His oath is theoretical valuable today as well. I am not sure the all doctors observe it. I read

somewhere that, in the 16th centuries, the Pope

Clement

VII

took

a

medicine

composed by precious stones well pounded in value of 40,000 ducats, namely over three millions Euros.

----------------Before visiting Greece, I read more books about it, even a novel, the story of which was in Greece, and I imagined the places.

Later, I was there and I find the reality was different. I am not sorry for that. In the meantime, I read again that novel.

Only now I really understood it. Three visions about the same places: two real – mine

and

the

author’s

–

and

an

191

imaginary one, that from the first lecture.

This one was the best.

192

New York 2001 It would odd to say about Fotios he was lucky. For all that, after the seriousness of the accident, it is surprising he is alive. Of course, it was possible thanks to the doctors who treated him. After 45 days in the hospital, where he was enter first, he was transferred in New York, where some specialized surgeons operated him. Other days of waiting, other emotions, other expenses. Fotios must be saved and they succeeded it. Now, the retrievable is the problem. He was alive, but like a baby: he was not able to walk, the movement of hands and feet were uncontrolled, cannot speak, not even to eat. An eye is lost forever. All hopes were in retrievable, of course, with much work and patience. Complete normal he will never be.

Anastasia and Kostas are ready to do all they can for him. Nicky left to Greece at a relative. She does not implied in family’s problems.

Excepting her husband and children, who created her more problems, Anastasia was alone almost all her life. Kostas is a good boy, but – so far – he was only a child. The accident of his father was the first serious trial in his life. He proved with this occasion having a man of character. Face to the hardness of the happening, he behaved excellent.

We cannot say the same about Nicky. But Kostas is at the age when must build his career. He is still far for assuming the role of the head of the family with an invalid father. Anastasia remains on alone, 193

with increased responsibilities. Besides, she is in a foreign country, without relatives, relations and friends. According with the Greek mentality, the relations belong to the husband. Now, all them abandoned, excepting Nikos, an old friend, but he lives in Canada. (Otherwise, he will die soon.) The woman of whom Fotios was fell in love – his last amorous conquest, with whom he spoke he is about to marry – was the first who went back on her word and did not want to hear about his existence.

Of course, financial problems claimed urgent solutions. Fotios needed permanent social assistance and, for the following months, maybe years, professional recuperation in a specialized institution. In the United States of America, such expenses would be much over her possibilities.

Besides, Fotios lost his memory and only with difficulty he remembers some Greek words. English language seemed not to know ever and those who help him in the process of the recuperation need to communicate with him.

The only possibility is to go in Greece.

Unfortunately, there is nobody there to help. On the mother help one does not lay account. Still, she will be at home, will not be a foreigner, an alien, and Greek language is their mother tong.

She knows that, in Greece, she will have many problems. For about forty years she lived abroad, 194

is accustomed with the occidental style of life, different enough face to the Greek one. In her short visits in Greece, she found lots of such differences. Some of them are explainable. The problem is how she will adapt to them? * -

*

*

Hallo! o Sophia, you are? Anastasia is speaking.

Sophia was her old friend woman, the one who met in New York and went on to correspondence.

-

-

Before long, Fotios will leave the hospital. We cannot stay here, so we will come in Greece. o Do you think it will be better here?

I do not know, but we cannot stay longer in States. o You will stay with your mother?

Oh, not! It is impossible. We do not speak more than ten years now. For the beginning we will stay at a hotel and then will rent an apartment. o But she has enough space. I even wonder what she does in all her rooms. In one of them she sleeps, in other eats, in other smokes . . .

She smocks everywhere and all the time. o That’s true.

I do not control her life, but we cannot stay with her. I have a favour to ask for you: help me to find someone to stay with Fotios. He cannot stay alone. o A social assistant would cost enough. But there is a lot of foreigners here working for a few money. Albanians, Bulgarians, Romanians and lots of Russians invaded Athens.

195

-

-

-

-

-

Excellent! Anyway, he is not able to speak but very difficult. He is like a baby learning to walk and speak. Maybe he will learn a foreign language. o You can laugh after all. Good for you. Until he will learn, it is you who must understand with them. The Albanians and Bulgarians know Greek better, as they are our neighbours.

O.k., find someone. o It is better for you to avoid the Albanians; the Bulgarians ask for more money. The Russians and Romanians are cheapest.

The Romanians are not gipsies? o Oh, no! There are gipsies among them, especially beggars, but the majority of the Romanians are normal people, even hardworking. Many of them live next to us, upper to Omonia and in Kipseli. The Russians are farer, in Kalithea.

O.k., take a Romanian. o I even know someone who engaged a Romanian woman for cleaning. Surely she knows other ones. We will manage with this.

O.k., thank you. See you soon! Bye-bye!

*

* *

The Anastasia’s American stage will come to its end. A new one will begin, this time on the native realm.

Under the influence of extreme-oriental religions, especially of those from India, the orphic and Pythagorean philosophers took the ideas of metempsychoses. As they cannot thank with this, 196

they invented the “Elysium Planes”, where those without sin will go. The opposite of this fairy realm is the Tartar, destined to the evil ones. We are not said if these ones have a second chance, through a new reincarnation, which means that – in this moment – Tartar must be very crowded.

Homer places the Elysium Planes beyond the Okeanos stream. Hesiod identifies them with the “Islands of the Happy Ones” and thinks they must be in the same place. Some supposed exegetes said about Canary Islands, but much others contradicted them. French people, with their characteristic arrogance, put them just in Paris, as Champs-Élisées Avenue. We should place them on the American continents, as it means “beyond the Okeanos”.

Unlike the Heaven, where the souls of the immaculate people go for an endless boredom, the Elyseum Planes offer only a transient staying, until a body adequate them will be found for a new reincarnation.

The Anastasia’s American stage was something like this? If yes, we must modify the concept according with Elyseum Planes offer an idyllic life, as that of her was not at all like this. Or, maybe, it was a stage of purification, one in which the Divinity tried her character. If yes, we have to see the results of the test.

197

Omonia, Athens, 2001 The hotel, where Anastasia reserved two double rooms, was not far from Omonia Square. The area around was far from what she knew, yet, a crowd of taverns and cafés, in the middle of a net of streets large and narrow, in which she always had problems of orientation.

Why its name is Omonia, namely “harmony”, she never knew, but supposed that, in the past, the men used to come here for a coffee or a glass with ouzo, to reconcile after violent discussions in Agora, where the important problems of the city were debated. They were those who had invented the democracy. Before deciding, before voting, the problems and the solutions must be discussed, which could create animosities. In Omonia, the harmony was restored. If this was just so, we do not know. The Greeks’ mind is a little odd.

Harmonia is the name of the goodness of “harmony and concord”, the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite.

The first oddity is just the join of the two ones, considered to be illegitimate. As revenge, when she married with Kadmus – the one who found Thebes – received as present from Hephaestus a necklace and from Athens attire impregnated with poison. Her life was without problems, but one of her daughter loses her mind, another one gets drowned and the third one was thundered by Zeus.

Besides, the gifts received at the wedding party attracted others’ interest, being the pretext for 198

“Those seven against Thebes”, from which only the leader escape. In other words, harmony in Greek variant.

Now, Omonia is a huge building site. In its centre an important metro-station will be, but, for the moment, there are dust, a continue noise and the traffic blocked on a street or another. Anastasia should look for an apartment to move in as urgent as possible. Foreigners, more than by Greeks, populate the aria now, and they are not those working on the site, but Africans, Asians and Europeans, who came from the former Soviet republics and the countries occupied by the Russians, after the Second World War. The mixing of the languages that can be hear here make you thinking that Babel Tower was an experiment at reduced scale. The world is changing. Today, they build towers much taller than Babel Tower. Not long ago, they finished one over one kilometre high. It is very interesting that such works are realizable only thanks to cooperation of people with different mother tongs, but speaking the same international languages, for understanding each other. According with Old Testament, God wanted people no longer understand each other and gave them different languages. In fact, he set them again each other.

It is not for wondering: Judaism is a nationalist religion asserting the existence of the “choice nation”. Instead, in the New Testament, God gave 199

to the apostles the gift of languages, in order to preach in the world the new ideas. It was natural, as Christianity is an international religion; everyone may be a Christian, not matter of his ethnic origin.

Starting from Omonia toward Syntagma Square, the environment is more and more different. The street becomes even elegant, even if workers still work at the façades of some buildings. Those of the University are pride of every Greek, especially because they were made in antic style. There are not apartments to rent here. The other street, that going toward Acropolis, looks like an oriental bazaar. She would not want to live here, even if free apartments had been, but it is not the case; there is non a single notice.

Instead, north from Omonia, it is full of advertisements. Almost every building has at its entrance at least one; it is written black on yellow paper: ENIKIAZETAI. But the area is not at all a pleasant one, because of the Africans who lay sheets on the pavement, on which they offer to sell all kind of things. Some of them are from their countries, but others are Greek at smaller prices than in shops. How they obtained them is a mister.

Near the Museum of Archaeology, on a small lateral street, tens – sometimes more than one hundred – of doubtful persons sell and buy drugs and cigarettes from contraband. On the secondary streets you never know what could happen, so, in 200

the evenings, she would be afraid to pass through them.

A little far, the aspect is better. Pedion Areas Gardens is a beautiful park. It was nice before too, but now, well neatly, it looks splendid.

Someone frightened her, saying that she had just learnt that two Arabian youngsters had stolen the pocket of one of her neighbour lady. Unlike the Africans and Asians, who come in Europe with good intentions, hoping in a better life and, for what, they look for a job, the Arabians come for illicit gains, especially petty thefts. They work professionally, in well-organized groups.

Unfortunately, the Greeks have become xenophobe and think globally about them. They forget that, in the past, some of their ancestors emigrated, because their country was poor. Were they the single hardworking and enterprising Greeks? She does not like to think so – she is Greek too – but there are rather many things that annoyed her in the recent behaviour of her conational people.

But now she must find an apartment. The hotel is uncomfortable and cost a lot, though it is one of the cheapest. Besides, the things from America will come soon and she will not rooms to put them.

A little more toward the North, on the right size of the Patission Avenue, Kipseli district seems to be 201

decent enough, especially after Kipsely Square climbing toward Ano Kipsely. Here, many Greeks, who have came from islands and mountains, built houses and rent apartments now. There are many people from Romania. Fokionos Negri, the riverbed of a small brook in the past, is not an elegant street, for far the nicest from the district, maybe from the entire Athens. It is more an alley than a street, as, instead of road for vehicle, there are trees and benches. At the grand-floor of the riverside buildings, the cafés, bars and taverns forms two rows almost continue. Many of them extended themselves on the pavements, some very large ones. Here, the word “riverside” is just fitted, as – under the street – the old brook, covered, still flows. Unfortunately, this street, near enough to the Patission Avenue, is unsafe, due to many dark-skin men seeking a job.

More far away, but in the opposite direction, toward the sea, the atmosphere becomes more and more different. It is visible that, during the favourable periods, the Greeks assimilated some good things from the Occident. A good part of Singrou Avenue, especially the third part near to the littoral, a newer one, is impressing, thanks to the modernism of its architecture. On the other hand, in the centre of Athens, some buildings are in ruin, though – in other country – they would be considerate monuments of architecture.

202

What for the beginning seemed to be only an impression become now more and more clear. The centre of Athens is no longer what she thought.

Elegant district moved to the periphery. The city is very extended now. Kifisia is one of the richest districts, but it is far away and the houses are very expensive. Also expensive, but with the advantage of the sea are the new districts on the littoral. In top is Glifada. It deserves to try.

A great regret tries her at the thought of renouncing at the centre of Athens, but it is clear that it is no longer attractive. Of course, some areas still keep their elegance, especially near the Parliament, but just here the crown and pollution are disagreeable. After a few hours, you want to withdraw yourself at fresh air and silence. The centre of Athens remains attractive only for the tourists.

For understanding its evolution, we must go a little down in history. When the Byzantine Empire appeared, the centre of interest moved from Athens to Constantinople, the new capital. After the Turks conquered the Empire, all Greek towns declined much more. If, during Byzantine period, Athens fell in provincialism – both proper and figurative sense – under the Turks it fell completely. Sparta is even today a village. On Acropolis – a Greek symbol -, the Turks built a mosque and turned Parthenon into a deposit for

203

armament, that produced a huge explosion, which destroyed its roof.

The real development of modern Athens began after Greece obtained its independence and Athens became the capital of the new stat. The interest of Occidental countries for this region made from Athens a modern city. But, in the same time, the town was populated with people from islands and mountains, looking for a better life in the capital. Nobody had the interest to come from Istanbul, from two reasons: - there was a modus vivendi between Turks and them long time established; - those who fought for independence, the patriots, accused them for making a covenant with the enemy, considering them as traitors. It was preferable for them to go to any other country except Greece, which many of the just did.

In these conditions, Athens did not have the capacity to assimilate all people from rural medium, so they imposed their mentalities in face of those few ones with urban conceptions.

Time, instead to improve the situation, worsened it. As a result of the conflicts with Turkey and especially after the massacre from Smyrna, in Greece came about 1.5 million Greeks. All them were very poor. They could not live in villages, without means of life. They invaded the towns, 204

particularly Athens, where they received helps from the state.

Today, Athens sized more than one third from the population of entire Greece and their insistence of keeping the customs different from those of the European ones are to see even today. This is one of the reasons because of the new centres of business and residential districts moved in other directions, like Kifisia or toward the Aegean Sea. Glifada is one of them; maybe the most elegant at that time, thanks to the shops, like the best from Occident. Of course, such shops need clients, which gives an idea about its inhabitants: many rich foreigners, remarkable for the diversity of the languages that are to be heard here.

After she moved in Miami, Anastasia was used to driving. She likes to do it, with all her weak eyesight. Still, through the centre of Athens, she would dare to drive. The traffic in New York looks like an entertainment in comparison with this from Athens. On the main avenues, the stream of cars and motorbikes – enormous many motorbikes – is endless. Some motorbikes make a deafening noise, due their owners – youngsters with little mind – do not know the meaning of the word civilization. If you draw their attention, they answer “it is democracy, so I may do what I want”. This is only what they know about the democracy.

Unfortunately, they are not a few.

205

*

*

*

The Romanian recommended by her friend is a nice lady, who knows rather little Greek, but you can understand her. Her name is Ileana. She takes care of Fotios, is clean and decent, so Anastasia got rid of this trouble. She is able not to look for a house. Ileana insist on the Kipseli district, where she live and where she hope to find an apartment for rent, but Anastasia inclines to Glifada, much more elegant and full of foreigner, who speak English language. Many of them are rich Russians.

The shops from here are at least as elegant as those from the Occidental. Of course, the prices are the same, if not even higher, which gives an idea about the financial potential of the clients.

Though she will never be at their standard, as a woman, the shops play a role among other criterions.

The Romanian lady has a merry nature. One day, she related an amusing happening from her country. Long ago, in an evening, the primeminister took a taxi to go to the headquarter of the radio where he was to keep a conference. At that time television was not invented yet, and most people did not know how the politicians look like. At the destination, the prime-minister asked the driver to wait him, but the driver said that he cannot wait, because he want to go home to listen the prime-minister, who will keep a speech.

206

Flattered, he gave him a good tip. Seeing so much money, the driver said: “I . . . on prime-minister. I am waiting for you.” The story was told just by the prime-minister himself. *

* *

One of the difficulties remarked for the beginning – it is true a minor one – was Anastasia’s mother tongue. In those forty years as she was abroad, the Greek language suffered important changes, and now she is considered by the others a foreigner who understand very will Greek language, but speak it with some anachronisms. Any language evolves in time. A language is an advanced one if it is able express complex ideas in simple words.

Besides this general evolution, Greek language was modified due to other two particular causes.

- The first was demographic changes. Some time ago, the elevate dialect was katharévusa (καθαρεβούσα), which is almost forgotten now.

- Secondly, in those four centuries of Ottoman occupation, the language evolved very slowly, and not it must recuperate the lagging. More than odd is that, when the government tried a reform of the language, the teachers – just they, the teachers – protested and made a strike.

207

On the other hand, Greek diaspora in the United States, where Anastasia could talk in Greek, used to speak an original dialect, a mixture of words from English and Greek. Now, she must learn again her mother tongue. It was not just a problem, but in first months it was unpleasant enough.

If only the language had been a problem‌ Used with occidental mentalities, the some customs of the Greeks annoy her even today. She could not accept, for example, the discrepancies between men and women. She is not a feminist, but some conception from antiquity or borrowed from the Turks are really revolting. Interesting is that women adapt herself faster. Generally, they are more polite than the men. In public spaces, a man does not offer his place, while the women do it even to men, if they are old or ill.

Another example is their wish to show in public their “love� for animals, in most cases a false one, a fanfaronade. Annoying is they walk along the dogs in order to evacuate their dejection in the street, without any intention for collecting it. As a result, the pavements are sprinkled with such little hillocks and the pedestrians must pay attention and avoid them. Anastasia really love animals. In the United States she had a true collection of dogs, cats, parrots and others, but she never got them out for keeping clean the apartment. In Greece she brought only Lucky, not only because he has the same name with her first dog, but 208

because he is the most loving. Of course, she wants to have again her “zoo-garden”, when the conditions will allow it.

But the most annoying is political agitation. The Greeks have a peculiar appetite for anarchy. The Civil War, the colonels’ dictatorship and others, all this frightens her. Maybe they will not repeat, though the recent events from Cyprus bold the distrust in the capacity of the Greeks to rule by themselves. Erare humanum est, perseverare autem diabolicum.

Greece is her country and she should adapt. *

* *

The Greeks of today consider themselves they are, not only followers, but also continuers of those from antiquity, which invented democracy. We could have passed over the absurdity of this pretension if it had not been ridicule. There are at least two things that they do not have in view.

First, in antiquity, not any imbecile was listened in the agora. The first conditions for having the right of speaking there were to be graduated as efeb – a kind of students in our language – and have more then thirty years old. Besides, only the most convincing scholars had been taken into consideration. The other ones could be happy to 209

listen them. The society was strongly structured.

The chatterers from the modern cafés surely are not able to do what they ancestors did. They boast with them, are even proud, but they do not realize they are only epigones.

Secondly, the Greeks from antiquity themselves established the lack of efficiency of the democracy and renounced at it. That’s why the coming of Alexander Macedon was welcomed in Athens. Of course, it was in his interest to set himself up for a representative of the Athens and not one of Macedonia, about which nobody heard till then.

Besides, from Macedonia he could not recruit so many soldiers as he needed.

It was not for the first time when the Greeks renounced at democracy. They did it many times in the past, and just these frequent changes allowed to Aristotle to synthesis the evolution of political systems. He shows there are three main forms of government, according with the number of the leaders: one for the monarchy, a few ones for aristocracy, and all people for politea (from póli (πόλη = town). As no one of these forms is perfect, in time, the society degenerates into some degraded forms: tyranny, oligarchy and democracy), after which the next form is adopted.

In this way, all three forms are repeated cyclically.

As we can see, Aristotle himself considered that democracy is a degraded form. Important is not the form of the government, but the stability and 210

peace, the only ones able to Nokos Kazatzakis, maybe the writer, wrote in “The last harmony of the earth and kingdom of heavens”.

bring the progress. most famous Greek temptation”: “The heart, this is the

In my opinion, Aristotle’s opinion has a gap. A king cannot rule alone. Also, the country cannot be ruled by all the citizens. The king has a camarilla around him and, in democracy, people elect a team of leaders. Finally, a group of leaders rule in all forms of government. It is no need to say the group will defend their interest. The rest is political propaganda. The real difference between different systems is the way of access. There are two ways: - hereditary, in which the future leaders are educate as early as children for the role they will play in society; - aleatory, in which those who want to become leaders need to fight with other claimants, using political means.

In the second case, only after the winner will have obtained the job, people will see if he is a good manager. As those two qualities – political fighter and manager - are not to be found in the same person, in most cases, the winners from the first stage have not the qualities for the second stage and, more grave, they have not the education and culture for that job. This does not mean I am an adept of the monarchy. We may conceive other 211

forms of government as well. Let’s call them “elito-craty�, but not with the meaning of selection the leaders from a social category supposing to be superior. The future leaders have to be educated as it and then they will be promoted according with their real abilities.

Why the Greeks from antiquity renounced at democracy? Because they observed its negative effects. In agora, those having the gift of the gab are more convincing and not the most clever and good intentioned. Also, they noticed that people with less culture are sensible to arguments according with their power of understanding and deeper reasons are ignored. The mob always votes for Barabas and not for Jesus. The one who strongly criticized the democracy was Aristotle.

Zeus is not a simple invention. He is an abstract synthesis of the ruler. He has qualities, but great defects too, like any man. Still, he is a great ruler.

Like God, from chaos he made order. His spirit cannot disappear, because the humanity, human society, needs order. Without order it could not exist. Cosmos means order in old Greek language.

Zeus, God and any other divinity made the cosmos from chaos, made order in society. Mythology is a book of wise. Democracy as anarchy is the opposite of mythological wise.

The modern philosophy is no longer a filo-sofia (love for wise), but only a collection of simplistic 212

ideas, dressed in affected words, designated to those with little mind and great pretensions. The questions like “Who made the hole in the macaroni?” are characteristic for such philosophers, but I am afraid that this one is much too difficult for them. Is this one of the reason of the nowadays chaos? Maybe!

As concerning the Greeks of our days, they think to be democrat by vocation, though most of them are communist by “education”. In their chats, there is not a dialog, because each speaker recites his ideas and does not pay any attention to others’ arguments. *

* *

In a café-bar, the talks between two-three persons can become collective, when the subject from a table is one of general interest.

-

-

It had been ascertained that, in Europe, the women’s hope of life is greater than the men’s one. It means they grow decrepit later. So, it is wrong they retired earlier. They should, on the contrary, to retired later than the men. o This anomaly has an explanation in the past, when men used to keep the family and were older then their wives.

Yes, but today, when women are equal with men, this situation is anachronistic.  Men’s pride is guilty; when some women began to word, they

213

-

-

-

considered unnatural that men might retire or to become househusband.

A correction would be possible if people would change the mentality and the bridegroom would by younger than the bride. o This already occurs in many cases. I think that, if the women want to be equal with men, then they would retire at the same time.  Correct! Equal towards the law, equal towards the God. • Up till the God, the saints eat you. o In front of a saint, the woman hangs at her neck a small cross. The saints’ sight slides close by and the woman’s wish will come true.

• With a better pension. o Between Eros and Thanatos, it is good to be a woman.  Your mind is always in Mythology.

When you make love, speak about it too? o When I make love I do not speak. And Mythology is boring only for fools.

I hope this is not a hint. As for love, it was occurring you last century. Do you remind what was you making then? o Well, if it is better to be a woman during the life, what do you want to be beyond it?

Do you think about those souls wandering through the universe for another body? It seems souls are not sex. o Man will disappear on Terra, as the dinosaurs did, even if there are lizards, which look like them. They destroy everything around and will not resist longer.

214

In comparison with the dinosaurs, the lizards are just nice. I am wondering if the future men-lizards will be nicer than us.

And, if the humanity will disappear, how the souls of the dead will reincarnate? o You have a fixed idea. Maybe in a plant.  The elephants will trample under foot my soul. o You should be afraid more because other people trample down you just in this life.

The idea of reincarnation belongs to those failed the life and hope in a second chance. o This is life! We are not in Arcadia.

Boy, a coffee to this man, not to fall asleep with the Pan’s pipe. 

-

-

With the ears attentively at an adjoining table, somebody turns the conversation on the subject discussed there. The talk becomes collective.

-

Globalisation is not a political doctrine. Not even an economical one. It is an effect. An effect of technological development. Today we have cars, trains, aeroplanes, telephones, Internet, television etc. The communications made possible the globalisation. The one who is against the globalisation must renounce to all these. He would life with the products of nature, like Adam and Eve. o Without apples. They are dangerous for people’s intellectual health.

The consciousness is the gravest mistake in our evolution.  I knew you are adept of the evolutionism. I have been expecting you would take as example the orang-utan.

215

The human DNA looks like with that of the orang-utan in proportion of 95 percents. So, there is a little progress.  As a doctor, I say that the NDA of pigs is better. Most organs for transplant are drawn from pigs.

• I think the cucumber is the best. o Wrong! The ideal is the nut. It’s true that its skin is hard, but the kernel has circumvolutions.  Exactly that proved to be dangerous for men.

In conclusion, we choose the nut without kernel. o Magister dixit. Quod erat demonstrandum. o

-

This was a droll talk. Most of them are on political topics, uninteresting to be put down. *

* *

The woman from Romania remembered Anastasia about Dracula. He will try to learn if he really existed or not, how much is legend and truth, as something must be; there is not smog without fire, isn’t it? This idea with vampires, though haunts people’s minds, troubles her. There are a lot of horror movies and just these do not like her. She does not need horror at all. On the contrary! Still, the mister must be elucidated and it seems the moment has come. Ileana will enlighten her. She would be an expert on this topic.

216

She was not lucky. Ileana is ignorant about Dracula. She only knows there is a castle of Dracula near Brasov, where many foreign tourist come and that a ruler received Dracula as nickname, but this one was not at all a vampire, but only very hard with those who did not respect the law.

The surprise came from Kosty. He knew more. An English writer, Bram Stoker, launched the idea. His book was successful, especially because it appeared in a psychological moment. People had just abandoned the religion and, as they need to put something instead, they invented all kinds of substitutes. Instead of the devil, they put the evil among men. In English language, there is the expression “To suck the very marrow out of somebody”. There is not a great difference between marrow and blood. The association Dracula – Transylvania is not accidentally, as “drac” is the Romanian word for the devil.

Besides, there was a ruler with this nickname. He was not just Vlad Tepes, but this is not Stoker’s guilt. The Romanians brought their contribution and developed the legend. Not because it would like them, but from commercial reasons. The truth is that at the origin of the Romanian word “drac”, there was an Athenian lawgiver. His name was Draco. In 621 BC, he created a set of hard laws, which limited the power of rich men. People called them “draconic laws”, and this is a usual express

217

in Romanian language of expression, not the laws.)

today.

(Only

the

218

Glyfada, 2001-2003 Why Anastasia chose Glyfada is easy to guess. It was the most coveted in that moment, similar with a select resort. It is on the west coast of Attica, between Cap So union and Piraeus.

At Cap Sounion, only the ruins of Poseidon’ Temple is to be found. Being on a promontory in southern extreme of the peninsula, we may expect to find there a fortress for supervising the sea. This would be in our era, after the inventing of firearms, when Greece of Pericle no longer existed. The temple, a photographic symbol of the peninsula, speaks us about the time when people used to prayer to gods and invoke their help before going to fight. Maybe from this promontory Aegeus, king of Athens and Theseus’ father, threw himself in the sea, when he saw that the mails of the sailing ship of this son coming from Crete were black and not white, as they agreed in case of victory against the Minotaur. Theseus killed the Minotaur, but he forgot the agreement. Aggrieved, his father plunged in the sea and, since then, the sea wears his name, as a sign of people’s esteem. The reason of Theseus’ negligence was the joy of victory, according with the opinion of some exegetes, or the sadness of losing Ariadne, who was took from him by the god Dionysus, according with others opinion. No matter of their opinions, Cap Sounion is not inhabited. Maybe, because the winds are strong here.

219

Piraeus instead was a seaport for ages, thanks to its position. In time, both it as Athens developed as, today, it is a district of the capital. But, for Anastasia, it activity is far to be attractive. On the contrary, she looks for a quite place.

Between those two extremes, Cap Sounion and Piraeus, Glyfada seems to be the ideal. You recognise it from the forest of the mast of yachts and elegant shops.

A small disadvantage is the distance from the centre. Happily, there are many busses toward Glifada and a tramway line is building by the Italians. They say it will be great.

The apartment is nice and sunny. It has two bedrooms, a living and, of curse, bathroom, kitchen etc. The distribution of the rooms is a little odd. Those two bedrooms are on the corners of the building and each of them has two large doors, which are windows as well. They look well, but are improper for bedrooms. Instead, the living is in the middle of the apartment and has a single one door-window. During the winter, the bedrooms are cold and the living cannot be aerated as it ought to be. The Greeks are preoccupied by the warmth during the summer and less for the cold of winter, but the hot days are not just terrible and are not too long. The cold, instead, left traces on people’s body. It can see on the street: the 220

number of women with problems of the health is surprisingly great. The women prevail, because the stay at home, while the men stay anyway else.

The apartment, though it looks perfect at the first sight, needs some small repairs. She talked with a plumber and he promised to come at ten o’clock.

At twelve, he did not come yet, so she ringed him up. He excused and promised to come in ten minutes. Still, at thirteen he did not arrived. She ringed him up again. He answered that he would be on the way and in ten minutes will be in her apartment. Again ten minutes. She remember that, some time ago, a friend said her, but she did not believed, that, when a Greek says he will come in ten minutes, it means that he has this vague intention, but nobody knows when he will be able to do it. Instead, you must wait for him. Then, she thought her friend exaggerated. Now, she really has to wait for the plumber. Meanwhile, she learns on her own experience that, if the plumber really is on the way and there are chances to come in short time, this one could be very long, if he meets someone. A simple “How do you do. How are you?” may last an indefinite time.

The Anastasia’s greatest discontent is the strikes of those who work in public transport. She is not obliged to go every day in the centre of Athens, as everything she wants is to be found in Glyfada.

The centre is interesting only in evenings, for going at a performance or visiting someone but, for the 221

time being, she had a lot of other unsolved problems, so that the time allocated to entertainment is reduced. The problem of transport affects Ileana. She lives in Kipsely and need the cross the centre. One day she came with a taxi, but it would be much too expensive.

Sometime, the taxi drivers make strike too.

Coming on foot is impossible; the distance is much to long. So far she absented two times. Anastasia had to stay with Fotios, abandoning all the others works.

In the United States, people do not make strikes for two hundred years. Why the Greeks do it, she does not realize. Of course, for better salaries, more rights etc. At the first sight, it seems natural. Who does not want more than he has? Or, inverse: not matter how much he owns, man wants more. Who puts a limit and in which way? Is it a question of the good sense? Anastasia herself is a Greek women and she is tempted to consider that her conational people are right but, seemingly, something is rotten here. Here, not in Denmark. In taverns and cafĂŠs, people chat a lot about politics.

She is expert neither in economy nor in politics, but she realizes they are not better, but talk more acrimony, as they know fewer. Of course, all of them think they own the truth. A thing is sure: the strike disturbs her, and if they disturb her, it means that they disturb a lot of other people. To whom they are useful? A question without answer, at least for her.

222

In the United States, she learnt that, because of the competition, the employers strive to engage employees as good as possible. In order to attract them, they offer salaries higher that the rival societies. In this stage, the worker cannot emit pretensions, he must persuade. On the other hand, he one already engaged can suggest he is wanted by a rival enterprise with a higher salary. If he is well appreciated, his boss will increase his salary; if not, he will tell him: “O.k. You make us a favour if you leave�. Anastasia did not learn it at the school, but from reality. What is different in Greece? People have a different logic here? What?

Difficult to know!

Marshall Plan helped some Europeans countries, including Greece, after the Second World War. Greece continued to receive helps and is still helped, but its economy decay more and more, in contrast with Germany, which, after two lost wars, is in the top of European economy. The difference comes from the fact that German people used correct the money, while the Greek, embezzled it.

Instead to invest, he deposed them in foreign banks on personal accounts. They do not want to see it, even if, inwardly, they know it very well.

What obnubilates their minds is the believe that they are some sly-boots. Consequently, middle class, that who gives economic power of any nation, is almost absent in nowadays Greece.

223

There are only the classes of poor and very rich persons.

It is said that all evil is toward the well, which sometime comes true; the reciprocal assertion would be taken in consideration as well: too much well may bring the evil. The Greeks forgotten that only a dictatorship could get them out from the miserable situation in which they had been. Now, the same chronic draw-backs were present.

Besides, the helps from abroad, incorrect used, taught them lazy.

What would be fit for the Greeks is the verse „Je meurs de soif auprès de la fontaine” (I die of thirst next to the running fountain). Beneficiary of the most generous financial offer of which a country ever enjoyed, they claim of poverty. The verse above-mentioned was the theme that le duke Charles d’Orléans gave at the contest of poesy in 1458, won by François Villon. The duke was himself a poet but, unlike the most of others, he appreciated the good poems even if other poets had written them.

The patriotic pride of the Greeks could help them to find a better way for the economic straightening, but it remains only as amusement for other people. Here is an example. Instead of boiled coffee, for make the difference with instant coffee, they say Greek coffee. They would say Turkish coffee, as all European people say, but the 224

Greeks are allergic to all expressions containing the word Turk. The coffee can be neither Greek nor Turkish. It does not grow in these countries.

The expression Turkish coffee appeared in Europe during the siege of Vienna. This one last enough for the Austrian people to take the custom of drinking coffee from the Turks, which in their turn had took it from the Arabian. The express “Greek coffee” is out of any justification.

Another anomaly is the politics of the prices. Some Greek products are very expensive. The olives, for example – a classic Greek product from the few exported – are more expensive in Athens than abroad. With a strategy like this on does not built a prosper economy. Due to the high prices, people need high incomes and the national financial balance lost its poise. “The horn of abundance” could stop to work. Amalthea grown old and they replace the Mythology with the Christianity, which has some different legends.

Today, the dislike of Greeks toward the occidental countries is increasing. It is older. First, the Romans occupied them. The fate was good with them, as – after the fall of Western Roman Empire – the Greeks became the strongest over the Eastern Roman Empire. Not in the best of their dreams something like this occurred. But, in time, the empire receive as a gift was decline more and more, while the occidental Europe were more and more stronger, first economical and then political.

225

The great schism occurred in 1054 and it was fallowed by the crusades. Now, the dislike is concentrated on Germany, the country with the greatest participation in Europe’s incomes, that who help Greece, and ask for returning its debts.

It is difficult to know how hardworking were the Greeks in the past. Those who made possible the independence are to be admired, but these of today are only lazy. The Turks, instead, are not those who stay all day long in the front of the shops smoking from nargilehs, as some of them used to do in the past. After the Second World War, they invaded the occident, particularly Germany, where work hardly. The Greeks did not do it. Consequently, Turkey is in progress and Greece in regress.

The main cause of the economic failure is the ignorance of the middle class. An example is the writing with an archaic alphabet, preserved with the argument of tradition. “If we change the alphabet, people will not be able to read in original Homer’s works”. But Homer did not write and most super-patriots of today cannot read but capital letters. Their commerce is at the level of the small speculator. The mechanisms of the modern economy are unknown by the common Greek. All these allow to those more informed of them to get rich and the country to collapse. *

* 226

* Ileana does not go on making commutation KipseliGlyfada every day. She thinks even to return in Romania. Anyway, she will leave Anastasia, so that she must find someone else to care of Fotios.

-

-

-

I am eager of returning in Romania to eat fresh fish. o Do you live close to the sea?

Ah, no, the Black Sea is 300 kilometres far away. I live at the foot of the mountains. o And then, from where do you have fresh fish?

From the sea, from Danube, from the lakes, rivers, nurseries. They bring it. There are a lot of nurseries around, particularly of trout. o And, how do you know the fish is fresh and not congealed and thawed?

This occurs in Athens. With us some of them move yet. In some shops, there are even large aquariums with fishes swimming there. You can choose the one you want. o I must understand this is an irony to the Greeks, who have fish under their very nose, but do not take the trouble to fish it?

An irony would very little. It is a shame for them to eat fish from import and beg for money to buy it.

*

*

*

I mentioned earlier the book “The Quest� by Nikos Themelis, for his description of Smyrna of the end of nineteen centuries. He describes as well the spiritual atmosphere of its inhabitants of different ethnics. The Greeks were active, enterprising, 227

energetic, clever, skilful, informed about the commercial and financial European mechanisms, while the Turks were remarkably only through their passivity. The businesses of the Greeks were going very well in full Ottoman Empire, while the Turks were inactive. Here is a short excerpt from the book. „In Smyrna it was the Greeks who pulled the strings in all the fields, power, commerce, society. They were influential, run business according with their own rules and set the fashion.” (page 285) Maybe, concerning the Greeks, the author’s patriotism induces some subjectivism, but, concerning the Turks, his narration concord with that from universal literature.

There is a similarity with the atmosphere from Athens of today, looking at the cafés full with Greeks all day long. It seems the situation turned inversely. Turkey is a prosper country now, while Greece cannot get out from the crises. A second difference is a minor one: the Greeks are not passive, as the Turks were. On the contrary, they are active, but only at the chats. The effect is the same: null, because their argumentation proves only their ignorance in economic problems.

Somebody said: “ The deaf man speak louder than he hear well; the stupid one talk more than the one who understand” (Nicolae Iorga).

At the end of the nineteen-century, the Ottoman Empire was in strong decline. It already lost the 228

most part of its territory. The lazy Turks, described in literature, can be neither these of today nor those who, many centuries ago, started from central Asia and conquering immense territories from Asia, Asia Minor and Europe, ending with the victory on the capital of former Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, in 1453. What happened in the meantime? Simple! They got used to live well without effort, doing nothing but smoking. The fighters, for example, were janissaries, recruited as children from the occupied countries. The abundant life made them lazy. Their only remarkable products were the sweets. The similarity with nowadays Greeks is obvious. Their laziness is an effect of the good life assured by the helps from abroad. Of course, it can be changed, I pray for it to be good, but the Greeks ought to do something in this concern.

If the laziness of the Turks from the past is similar with that of the Greeks of today, still there is a genetic difference: the Greeks are impulsive and avaricious, while the Turks were softhearted and generous. Maybe this is a result of the history and time will equalises the difference. The Greeks, though have allergy to anything remembering them of Turks eat Turkish sweets like baklava, kataif etc., maybe because they do not know how to prepare better ones, and manoeuvre the comboloi, something like the rosaries, but shorter, with the difference that they do it nervously. While a Turk turns the rosaries one after another, probably 229

thinking at the stories from a thousand and one nights, the Greek throws nervously the comboloi from one part of the palm to the other, having in imagination an rival on the ring of boxing.

It is clear that we do not need to find other causes for the decay of the former empires. The laziness due the good life is an explanation satisfactory. *

* *

An excerpt from a letter to Nikos, an old friend of Fotios and Anastasia, from Canada.

“Mama died. Without commentaries! At the burial, a fewer people even I was expected.

Much

more

were

when

my

father died. At his burial, enough friends and

fellow

worker

came.

Mom

never

worked and true friends she did not succeed to have.

I discussed this morning with an advocate about

the

writing

down

the

legacy

documents. The house, I will sell it, as I do not want to live there. Not only from

230

psychological reasons, but I catch the taste

of the littoral now and this district of

Athens liked me more. Besides, the old centre of Athens spoils itself on every passing day. And the strike of the workers

and the manifestations in the streets – ah,

these

manifestations,

what

imbecilities! – I do not want to see them

any longer. They are not only disturbing, but

make

you

to

think

about

the

direction toward the Greece is directing.

With all my troubles, I do not like to

think that I embarked myself in a ship sailing toward a wrong direction.

Where I go? There are not signs of change

and maybe there are not wanted. I am no longer young for wishing a prince riding

a white horse, inviting me in a golden palace. I want only a peaceful time for me.

231

Kosty will marry. Fotios will remain in

the same situation the rest of his life. The

recuperation was partial. More than it is not possible. After the gravity of the accident, it was a miracle the doctors

succeeded even so. He can move, but very

slowly and helped. He understands and can say only simple ideas of strictly

necessities. He needs a social assistant permanently, as I cannot sit all day and

night with him; I must deal with all

domestic and extra-domestic problems. I will care of him all the rest of his life

and al long as he will live I will not have

another husband, probably the rest of my life.

In fact, I was alone all my life and will remain alone. I only want to be peaceful.�

She will inherit other estates as well. After a hard life, it is seemed unbelievable to her, but there is

232

the possibility of improving her life, at least from financial standpoint.

Nicky moved in Cyprus for good and all, together with her friend. *

*

*

After visiting a family of Anastasia’s parents’ friends.

-

-

-

-

-

We need to take immediately an aspirin. I am frozen.

My feet are numb with cold. o While you find the aspirin, I will have a glass of ouzo. If this time we did not fall ill, it means we are strong.

Give me ouzo too. It is more rapid. Up till the aspirin will make its effect, I am shaking in every limb. o I do not know what those men have in their mind to stay in full winter without heating.

They are stingy. And they are not alone. It was our fault not dressing accordingly. Actually, it was my fault. I forgot that, many people here warm the house only two-three hours in the evenings. o This is a stupid idea. In two-three hours only the air is warm. The furniture, the walls, remains cold.

Just worse! They become damp. o They do not think? With cold dwelling, with the floor by marble, it is not of wondering that old women are ill.

The majority of the inhabitants in Athens are from the county, where people do not stay in the house during the day. They work outside.

233

Here nobody read a book? All people go to the café?

Only the men. The women take care the house, the children. That’s why they get ill. o It’s terrible what you say. The children, do not have to do homework?

They do it as then can. Children have more energy. o Those are not homework well done. It is not surprisingly the Albanians learn better.

Probably they have more modest houses and being smaller, they can warm them easily.

The Greeks made large houses, as probably they seen in movies, but which are not for them.

It is true; they are large spaces, difficult to warm…. o And then, they do not warm them at all.

Forgive me, but this proves a great level of ignorance. The parents have not intellectual preoccupations. This is visible at distance. It is a great difference to move, even in the kitchen, and stay on the chair. But to keep the children in cold, it means not to know how is to learn. Probably the majority of them do not learn. School is for them a formality.

They are people from the village who only live in town. o But it happened some generation again.

Their mentality is the same. o It is clear. They are uneducated people. I thought Greece is a civilized country.

They think it is. o It is something to think and something else to be. They are only peacock. Still, they could think. With the sun of Greece all the houses would have solar panes.

These ones are expensive, and they are miser. o

-

-

-

-

-

234

Penny wise and pound-foolish. With an initial invest you have free warm all the life.

Without the medicines, for which you have to spend a lot. o Take another ouzo. I hope we will have a normal house.

I hope too. o

-

-

*

* *

There are many Russians in Glyfada. Most of them are businessmen, or at least this is what they say.

Not matter which is their job they are rich. Of course, they engage priority Russian women as housekeepers. This one does not stay in Glyfada, but in other districts, particularly in Kalithea. It is not just near, but the road is along the littoral, not crossing the centre of the Athens, Syntagma Square, where frequently are meetings ending with clashes with the police. As Ileana is going to leave and Anastasia has to engage another person, maybe she will find a Russian woman.

She thinks to move from Glyfada. Anyway, she wants to buy an apartment, and Palaio Faliro is a district about people speak that will be soon as elegant as Glyfada. For the time being, the priced are smaller, so that the moment is favourable.

Besides, it is nearer to Kalithea; it will be easier to find a person to care of Fotios.

235

Glyfada is not longer as attractive as it seemed at the beginning. Besides, instead to buy an expensive apartment here, in an old building, it is more advantageous to do it in Palaio Faliro, in full development. She had the opportunity of buying a new one and to arrange and equip it according with her taste.

Athens is all in construction and reconstruction. A lot of great works are done for the Olympic Game, which will be here soon. Everywhere there are sites. It is a problem now the cross the town, but, over one year, everything will be much nicer. It is the case. The littoral will benefit as well by it. *

* *

-

Hello! o Sophia is speaking.

Hello Sophia, how are you? o Hey! Do not take me with this language. Even if I am now an American woman in documents, English language is not still my language. Speak me in Greek, please.

Sophia, her friend to whom she had met in the United States, had married with an American and moved to him. Now, Anastasia, after forty years, has become again Greek, while Sophia an American.

-

I am o.k. Tell me how are you.

236

Every thing is o.k. here. I called you as I want to speak Greek with someone, so tell me how are you.

I am moving from Glyfada in Palaio Faliro, so I am busy with all kind of things o I imagine what is on you. I suppose you will have a larger space there. This probably is the main reason.

The space is a problem. The women who used to care of Fotios left me. I engaged an Ukrainian woman instead. She is a cook too and will do the shopping as well. After we well move, she will stay with us permanently. With Fotios, and me as Kosty will marry and does not want to stay with us. o Who does not, he or she?

I do not know if he or she. It is not important, as I think it is better if the mother-in-law does not stay with the daughter-in-low. I am the mother-in-low and, though I think I would be a good one, other people may have a different opinion. Besides, the Fotios’ presence does not make pleasure to someone. o You are right! And in with language you and your Ukrainian woman will understand? Will you learn her language now? This is a kind of Russian, isn’t it?

She already speaks Greek; bad, but you understand what she wants to say. She is grim against the Russians. She says they are criminal. She relates terrible things about them. After the Bolshevik revolution, as the Ukrainian people were refractory, the Russians besieged with the army several villages, confiscate their aliments and leaved them to die with hungry in full winter. If someone had gone out trying to take out from the earth a root or a comestible plant, they would have shot him dead.

Over seven million people died then. o

-

-

-

-

237

It is terrible what you said. A really genocide.

A Soviet theory is “the man could be reduced to what he eat”. And for a little food, a famished man does anything one asks him to do. o I know that, after the war, the Russians extended the persecution over the occupied countries (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria etc.) and especially in the stolen territories. They wanted to do – and they did – a corridor up till Germany. For this they took from Romania, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. From Romania they took a whole province and named it Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldavia, though its name was Basarabia. It was a first step for drawing near the following province, named just Moldavia.

I know you are good in history. People from all these countries wanted to remain Europeans. o O.k. Let’s the history aside. Are you trusted in your Ukrainian women?

She is from a small village; I did not memorize its name. They were nine children. A family very poor.

She wants to send them money from what I will give her. It impressed me. She seems to be a good girl. A little naïve, but hardworking and honest. She say also the N.K.V.D. – the Soviet political police – was nicknamed “Ni Znaiu Kagda Vernusi Damoi”, namely “I do not known when I will be back home”. This is so, because they used to come during the night, arrested the men and carry them at their headquarter. From there, people could be deported in Siberia or even killed. Only a few of them came back. She would leave long ago. Not only her. Many people would leave, but they could not. They were not allowed. The whole country was like a jail with the walls at the frontier. Only now, after the dismemberment of the former USSR, they can leave. o

-

-

-

238

That’s why there are so many Ukrainians in Greece and other countries. And not only the Ukrainians.

Even the Russians, as their life was not better.

239

Palaio Faliro, 2003-2011 Anastasia signed the contract for buying an apartment in Palaio Faliro. The block of flats in being to build, so she will be able to arrange it as she wants. She met the entrepreneur, who seems to be a kind-hearted man, so she could talk with him about some changes.

The building is inside of five minutes of walk by the sea. Just on the front of the sea would not be better, though she could see it through the window. Between the sea and the row of the buildings there are Poseidonos Avenue, where the stream of cars is continue on six traffic lanes. The noise and pollution are continue as well. Besides, the breeze can be wind from time to time and, in winter, it could be cold. From her block – she is an owner now, isn’t it? – she cannot see the sea, because of the buildings in front of it but, on the other hand, they offer a perfect protection against the noise, pollution and wind. The street is a silent one, close to a church and the sea is close by. The names of all, or almost all, streets in the area are from Mythology. Her is Alkionis. It is of one of the Pleiades, those seven daughters of the god Apollo (or Atlas in other versions) and the nymph Pleione.

The legend says that, because Orion – lover hunter – was following them through the forest with his dogs, Zeus moved all them in the sky. What we can see now are three constellations: the Pleiades, Orion and Dogs. One a year, in August, the canopy 240

of heaven is beautiful light by the glint of Pleiades.

She never was too much church-going, but now, as she is almost to pass beyond the second age, it would be better to be close by God. So far, he did not see her too much, by . . . for now on . . . who knows. As a child, in England, all girls went with teachers to the church. It was, of course, an Anglican one. Later on, in America, like most Americans, she went from time to time to the closest church, irrespective of its confession.

There is Orthodox churches in New York, but they were too far away from their house. Now, she will have just an Orthodox one next door. Greeks did not lose their faith. The churches are full and, on holidays, are overcrowded. Maybe she will go more frequently. Not as much during the religious services, when the priests’ incantations dishearten her. In the rest of the time! The Orthodox churches are open every day, for morning till night. In the absence of the priests, when only a few believers come to worship, the church is a space where you can come with your thoughts. The atmosphere from inside does not give to you the answer at your troubles, but render you the trust and peace of the soul, necessary for the struggle with the ups and downs of life. *

* *

241

It is evening now and – after a full day – the sea offers the perfect atmosphere for a relaxation more than necessary.

In Glyfada, their house was relatively far from the sea; she walked about a quarter of an hour. There, the shops were superb, but you do not spend all the time among the exhibits you cannot buy. The closest beach was not very nice and there is not an alley for walking at the seaside. Here, in Palaio Faliro is much different. The large alley is well lighted, with benches here and there; it is special arranged for relaxing. A lot of people come here.

Some of them make jogging, other walk or stay on the benches, looking at the sea. At any hour, just late in the evenings, there are persons swimming, even during the winters.

It is already dark now and the lights of the steamships going to or coming from the port of Piraeus twinkle like glow-worms. Among the ships, some boats are, even several yawls. Some of them have a reflector in the top of the mast lightening the mail. In the dark of the night, they seem phantoms moving up and down. Nice phantoms!

Among the stars, airplanes and helicopters cross the sky silently. They only complete the play of lights.

And the small Piraeus peninsula, with a hillock in the middle of it, with thousands of lights of

242

different colours, seems a huge stitch with a needle pointed toward the open sea.

Here, in Palaio Faliro, the water of the sea reflects the lights of the town in the small harbour. It is something deserving to be painted. Anastasia did not remember to ever seen something nicer, not even in Miami.

Stop dreaming! It is too nice here. Let’s go from here. Tomorrow a full day will be again. *

*

*

The choice was inspired. One of the advantages of the district is its inhabitancies; many of them Greeks, came from other countries, after the dismemberment of the former USSR. These ones have nothing moreover, but have something very important in minus: anachronistic traditions. Even poorer, they are more decent and civilised. If in Ano Kipsely – an older district – the taverns and cafés are full of men from morning till night, while the women carry the shopping bags and work all day long, in Palaio Faliro, the cafés are full with clients of both sexes. As for the women, they are sounder. Seemingly just nicer!

Palaio Faliro became just an elegant district, in which is pleasant to walk, both on the main street, with nice shops and cafés at very turn, and the 243

front of sea, till late in the night. From this point of view, Anastasia has all reasons to be contented.

From others, on could discuss. Reasons of discontent are easy to found by everyone, irrespective of his situation: financial, social, sentimental or of any other nature. Happy is only the one who succeeds the balance between wishes and achievements. Of course, the dwelling is not the most important thing. It only creates better or worse conditions of life, which is not at all of neglecting. It is a support for the others, but one cannot build something without support. *

* *

Through the windows of her apartment, Anastasia see the other four blocks of flats of seven floors plus one of four floors, so she can feel the pulse of the town. A lady from the block just opposite feed a group of cats. There are at least six. When they do not sleep, they magnificently walk on the wall of stones between the blocks. All of them are big and fat, but one of them is huge. Now and again, during the nights, they emit a mewing like a child’s crying. Sometimes, Anastasia thought there is just a child, but she calmed as soon as she eared how the cats spit each other, what children do not know how to do. Probably, the relationships with the cats from neighbouring are not always the best.

244

The best of them has the head black, feet white, tail striped and back a multicoloured palette from light-brown to dark-grey. She walks like a painting in a showing room, moved by someone for being seen by all the people.

Usually, Miky stays at home. When Anastasia leave with him, she carries him in her hands. She always has a les, but do not want him to walk on the street; he would make dirty his paws. Only when she goes to a friend, she let him down. If she says him “Cati cato” (sit down), he stay there up till she take him in hand. Few days ago, he stayed five hours without moving. If she says “Agapi mu” (my love), not matter where he is, jumps and come to lick her on the face. You see, he is an intelligent dog, not a stupid cat. * -

-

*

*

I hope we go by the tram, not by one of those infect and crowded busses. You cannot breathe there. And if a woman making a fuss, you will want to have been got out at the previous station. o Keep quiet; we will go by tram.

I am glad. I like these Italian trams. They are clean and air conditioner just runs. Even the passengers behave different. Seemingly you are in other country. Do we go up till the end? o Yes. From there, we have to go other tree of four stations. We will take a bus or trolleybus, depending which one will come sooner.

245

In the station of the tram -

-

-

It’s odd; there is nobody in the station. o It’s clear! They have written on this panel: strike 24 hours.

You see, if we do not watch the TV? We would learn in time and did not make plans. o O.k. You found a reason to watch the TV. You know I do not like it. You wanted to say that we would some different plans. And now, what plan do you have?

I come back home. What plan? I have a lot of work to do. I am sorry to interrupt them. o I would try to go. I promised to participate.

And how do you arrive there? o I should take a taxi, but it seems they make strike too. I did not see any passing by.

Maybe someone will give me a lift.

Try it. I come back. See you! o See you!

Kostas is sorry being late at the literary circle, as punctuality is, in his opinion, one of the main attributes of the civilized man. Still, he hopes to catch the main part. As for Greeks the punctuality is something about which they do not like to hear, he has just great chances. He has the excuse of the strike, about which he did not know. He learnt only in the station. He was lucky that someone took him with his car. Otherwise, it would impossible for him to arrive. By tram he would need a half of an hour. On foot he never tried, but two hours would be a minimum necessary. It would be too much for the driver to carry him up till the 246

destination. Still, he left him close to the centre.

Further on, he must walk. He has just passed by the Syntagma Square. To arrive here, he passed between “Olympeion” and “Zappeion”, then about the Central Park, till the building of the Parliament. The columns of the temple of ZeusOlympian looked stone-still the sky, as if they were wondering “What happened with us?”. Till here, the road climbed a little, he walked fast and began to pant. From here on, the slop is descendent, which is very well, as he does not want to perspire and to draw the attention of those in the others in this way. He wants to enter as discrete as possible. As he will not be present for the beginning is not a tragedy; he is not among the important members of the circle. The most of old members hardly know him after those two of his previous participations. Now, he is trying a moment of satisfaction: the route traversed always placed him. About Zappeion does not know much, but Olympeion and Central Park are able to delight anyone. The first is a page of history: the temple of Zeus Olympian and Hadrian’s Arch. From the temple remained only few columns, but they are excellent put in value by the architects of the city.

You do not need to come close. From the distance, they are just more impressive. The distance and environment – vegetation and a small church, the perspective of Acropolis and Lykavittos hill (it depends of what angle you look) – make the landscape more mysterious. As for the Central Park, this is an exceptional oasis of silence in the 247

middle of the uproar, created by the traffic. He fully tasted it more times, when some works obliged him to walk long distances through the centre of the city.

He is passing by the front of the University. Here learnt the grandfather and grand-grandfather. The mother does not escape an opportunity to remind him, every time when they pass by the front of the University. As it is expected, there are several statues here. All Athens is full of statues of the gods and mythological heroes. The most imposing is, of course the Athena’s one, on the fronton of the building. Down, there are those of the philosophers. Among them, more modest, that of the Ioannis Antonios Kapodistieas, the founder of the University, is really specific for the place. He is sitting on a chair, with the left hand leaning upon a book. It seems he was a handsome man.

The statue could represent him standing up.

After Omonia Square, the elegant atmosphere of the town disappears. One says that, today, after the built the metro station, the square looks well.

I cannot realize how it was before it. It is the space of the merchants of second and third hand.

The Patission Avenue is the next on which he must walk. In its first part is called “28 October”, the day when Greece said NOT to Mussolini, refusing the crossing of the Italian army through Greece. It is not clear in which direction he wanted to cross Greece, but the Greeks are proud with their 248

refuse, though it cost them the tragedies of the Second World War. It was useless, as Greece was not an important strategic objective for anyone of the combatants.

A pleasant opening is the building of the Museum of Archaeology. He should visit it one day. He proposed this many time, but other things were more urgent. There are so many museums in Athens. In one of them – he forgot its name – there are some antic statues that preserved the original colours. He is curious to see them, though is convinced they could not be nicer. Only white, as they look like today, they are elegant and underline the statue as it.

He passed by “Pedion Areos Gardens”. Finally, he arrived! Breath deeply, to can enter calm in the room. He only must climb upstairs at the first floor.

STUPOR !

There are only a few persons in the room, insufficient to begin. If the strike made him to be late, though he come from the distance, the other abandoned, even if they live closer, would come by their own cars or even on foot. But they supposed the majority will not come and this will be an argument not to come. Were they more intelligent? It seems yes, but they proved in this way their lack of the interest for changing ideas with others.

249

Those who came are talking in small groups. On literary or artistic topics? No! Daily trivialités. In a corner, some of them are amusing.

-

-

-

Pascal’s assertion that man would be a thinking reed is of good or bad? o I think it was for bad at the beginning. He thought that man, like the reed, bents according with the direction of the wind.

Later on, as this is not just honourable, he thought to soften the phrase and added the word “thinking”.

I do not know where he saw a reed that thinks. o He wanted to say that man thinks as much as a reed.

Natural, if you think that God made the man with what it remained after he created all the others beings, plants and so on.  In my opinion, what rises the man above the other animals was speaking.

• First, the biped position was.  So it’s said, but it is not sure this was the chronology, and anyway, the great jump the speaking was. o If the feet are the owners of the intelligence, the myriapods should be the most intelligent.

• It is not too late.  The biped position, not the number of legs. The fact that he rises from four on two. o That is inverse: the number of legs harm to intelligence. Then, the birds are on a superior level of the evolution.

There were not the gooses those who saved Rome?  I was speaking seriously.

250

-

-

-

-

-

This is your guiltiness. You were speaking about speech.  Speech means communication, and the animals communicate very well. o Just better then men. They understand each other. As a proof, we try to make them to understand us, because it is clear we are not able to understand them.  On cannot talk seriously with you.

Say that you want to speak and we listen. O. k., speak! Say what you want to say. I see there is not another way for us.  I said that speech contributed in the highest grad to . . .

To men’s domestication.  Not. To their evolution . . . though, in a certain measure, maybe you are right.

You remember the adage “We will never know how much the dogs, through their love and devotion, contributed to the men’s taming.  What I want to say is just the speech is that that destroys us.

The philosopher came out from you. Yes, any good idea becomes bad through exaggeration. This is you wanted to say? o You have started to think. Yes, in animals, for example, the natural selection has specific criterion: force, beauty etc. The peacock swaggers for impressing the peahen, the lion fight for the territory and so on. The man, who is an animal too, has instincts but, through speech, he denaturised his behaviour. The women, for example, talk about the fashion. But they talk each other and have created their criteria, according their taste, irrespective the men’s one.

251

-

-

-

Keep quiet. The instincts are stronger. The fashion will never be a criterion for selection. Any man is interested in what is under the clothes. The women do not realize the ridicule of the fashion not even when it is disadvantageous for them.  This is exactly what I want to say: through speech they deviate from the main target.

• You are right here. Every woman would know hot to underline her qualities and grow dim her flaws. o And the main flaw for most of them is to obey to the fashion even when it disadvantages them.

Well, the fashion was only an example. The same happens in other fields, more important: philosophy, literature, arts, politics, almost everywhere. o I knew we will arrive at politics.  Not, because he is a philosopher.

• Worse.

You laugh, but it is real what I say.

They are amusing but, after the effort to come and discontent to find the room almost empty, Kostas has not good humour for their jokes any longer. In another corner, they discuss, of course, politics.

These ones have not at least humour. Lamenting is only what they know. Instead, they are full of importance, shudder, each one thinks to be in possession of the truth, only the politicians are incompetent, with one exception – different from one speaker to the other – and, of course, the banks and European Union, which claim for Greece to pay its duties, already reduced many times.

Their agitation is now amplified by the coming 252

parliamentary elections. In the same day will be a new moon, Kostas thinks. The parliament will be a new one. Like the moon: the same, but with some parts of them lighted and many others in shadow, for a while. The Eternal Returning is a natural circle, since the world and earth. Sorry, not the earth! Only the world and not just for the beginning; only since the philosophers invented the syntagma “Eternal Returning”. Since we turn ourselves from on size to the other, maybe we will rest better. Have a pleasant rest, good people!

God is watching. We will see again at the Final Judgement. Maybe, the Final Judgement already occurred and what happens today are its consequences. For the time being, as I said, God is watching not to happen to you what you want, as you do not know what to want. For the moment! I am optimist. One day you will know. Pay attention, not when it is full moon. Then, one knows, you cannot sleep well and, with the mind tireless, you will be wrong again. One says that, if you put your hand on the money when you see the new moon, you will have a lot of money in the following period. Unfortunately, the new moon cannot be seen, because just then it is close to the sun. “Sic trasit gloria mundi!”

Is there anything else here? Yes, in another corner, three elder gentlemen are chatting discretely. One of them tells something.

253

-

-

Some years ago, I was crossing a very nice area, through the mountains. At that time, that aria was unknown by the tourists. (Today, you must reserve room if you want to stay overnight.) We – my wife and I – new married, had just bought a small car, a FIAT 850 second hand. With us were my sister with her husband with a Renault 10 and another family of friends. I do not remember what car they had.

Anyway, it was one as modest as ours. We all were young, the mountains look splendid, the weather excellent, so we changed our minds: instead of crossing the mountains, as we thought at the beginning, we decided to stay overnight in a village, situated in the highest point of the road, on a saddle between two mountains. The evening was setting in.

Hardly we found someone willing to house us, of course, paying for it. People from there were not used with the tourist and looked at us, as we were some curiosities. o Maybe they would had lodged you for a night in a shed, if you had been some poor men.

Coming in cars and ready to pay for it was something new and odd for them.

Exactly. A short and very quick woman accepted our offer. I do not remember where was her husband, if there was one; anyway, none men were there. The house, big and nice, was near the road, on an inclined slope, with a lawn in front. The single pretension of the woman was to put the cars in front on the house, on the lawn. Three cars into line on an inclined plane look like in an exhibition, especially because the road had a curve, so they were visible from the distance. After we fulfilled her desire, the woman was as proud as I nobody ever seen. She had two rooms for quests and offered them to us.  Any peasant house has a room kept clean for possible guests.

254

•

-

-

-

There, they deposit the more valuable objects, children’s dowry, the objects without a daily utilisation. Guests could be the children left in other localities, who come to see their parents, grandchildren or other relatives. Not for foreigners. o Sometimes they remain uninhabited forever.

This house had two such rooms, just good for the six of us. o You had luck to find a woman with opened mind.

Yes, we were lucky. The surprise came the next day.

We asked for one or two litres of milk. She was glad to offer us, but claim for it an exorbitant price. After I close my mouth – opened with amazement – I thought: here is what is to be isolated. As we offered money for something she was not expected to receive, for the milk, which she used to sell, she asked a price 100 (one hundred) times greater.  It’s clear! For her, you were people that could be speculated. And did you pay for it?

We were naives, but not so stupid.

With the fright to be inopportune, Kostas plucked up courage and intervened in the talking, though he was much younger then the others.

-

Let me tell you a recent happening, not from the previous century and not from the county, but from here. Just this morning, at a corner of a street, an old woman was selling some fruits and vegetables. By curiosity, I asked how much is one kilo of mandarins.

255

-

She said me a price four times greater that from the market. o She saw you are a stranger and thought she could deceive you.

But I am not a stranger; I am Greek. o You are not a Greek. You do not speak like a Greek.

I am a Greek, but I spent my childhood in the United States. o One can see it. I guessed you. But you are right; this is the mentality of the Greek merchant.

It is true, in Greece, the idea to deceive even your friend is not blameable, and the friend is not angry, as he would do the same. And if was deceived, he appreciates the keenness of the one who deceived him and proposes to himself to do the same next time. It is like in a game, and he hope in a return match. Unfortunately for them, such “games� are do not work in advanced societies. A businessman who deceives his partners goes out from the world of business, when the others learn he is incorrect. Is it good? Maybe!

Still, in the same modern world, the real games became business. Important is to respect the rules of games.

Another gentleman, who kept silence till then, was visible worried, because the chat was turned from his preferred subject.

-

As I said, this democracy, which enters in the mind of all imbeciles, existed in the spirit of the Greeks

256

-

-

neither for yesterday, nor since the Christianity; nor even since Plato. It existed as early as in our Mythology, but not so generalized, as every dawdler has the right to pronounce in questions over his understanding. o Democracy means equality; and if the equality is real, it means all the people to steal equally.

People protest because some ones steal more the others.  With the Greeks things are a little more complicated. Some people can be accused of duplicity, because something think and something else do. The Greeks can be accused of triplicity: they something think, something else say and nothing do.

• I agree with what you said, Iorgos, but I did not understand the allusion to Mythology. Can you do more explicitly? I know you are an expert in this.

I referred to the mythological variant of the Deluge.

The survivor of the Deluge, Deucalion, after the withdrawing of the waters, on his returning way from the Parnas Mountain, had a dream, in which he was advised by the goodness Themis to throw behind all boulders he meet, as they symbolise the bones of the grandmother Gaia, who is the earth itself. From these boulders, men appeared. So, besides the natural followers of him and his wife, Pyrrha – among them Helen, their first son, considered to be the ancestor to the Greeks, the Hellens – a second category of people appeared, obviously inferior. o The existence of two categories was explicable for those times.

257

-

-

-

-

These two categories were simplistic interpreted by the Marxists to be slaves and free men, because of the slave system. But a slave could become free and a free man could become slave. The following of those two categories after the Deluge could not change their destine.  That’s true.

It’s about the people of two qualities. They are born so and remain as they were born. The truth is, in the real world, these categories exist, even if the limit between them is not accurately traced. There are people born to lead the others, to create new values, to be forwards in their epoch, and people born to be leaded.  Correct! The genius is born; this is not a trade to learn in school. „Fortuna no mutat genus”.  Maybe you will translate it for me. In school I learnt Russian language, no Latin.

It is from Horatius: the fate doesn’t change the genius. o he education, experience is added to the initial dowry.  The ancient Greece had several geniuses. Maybe other nations would have, but they did not know how to use them. The political climate of Greece of other times allowed the cultivation the erudition and arts.

• I hope not to discuss to climate of today. I feel repugnance at politics. o Even in our era, but some time ago, the Greeks have spread throughout the world and people accepted them. They did not go with army; they were common people, maybe merchant.

258

Most of them left to get rid of the poverty. They went to work.

Everywhere, they were welcome and appreciated.

Even if they were illiterate, they carried with them the moral dowry, inherited from their ancestors. The poverty did not diminish it. o Is this any connection with what occurs today? o You cannot refrain and enter politics. What did not succeeded the poverty made the good life without work of the last years.  The way of thinking of the young people is similar with that from a joke for children: • What is more important: the sun or the moon? o The moon, because it light during the night, while the sun do it during the day, when it is light anyway. o A good one! I did not know it. o Today, people are not pauper. They are poorer than before. What that worry them is not the poverty, but the pauperisation.  And because of it, they talk and talk as much as they little understand.

But for their ideas they would fight a duel as some knights for the queen of France, but cannot because the Richelieu’s edict, about which they did not hear. o The most of them not even about Richelieu. 

-

-

As Kostas cannot refrain, he made the mistake of entering in discussion.

259

-

-

-

You had accused people because they talk too much, though they are uneducated. But you speak too. I do not say you are not skilled, but when you talk about the economy of the country you make philosophy. As I already said, I came from the United States and am graduated in economy. Still, nobody asks me about my opinion on the crises. o America had its crises too.

From it, Greece did not draw any moral. o My dear, when you arrive at the age of metals, you have few convictions.

I observed this. The meaning of the age of metals is not clear for me. o We, these over the first youths have our jokes as well. Well, the hair is silvery, teeth by gold and other metals, some rods by steel instead of bones, possible a peacemaker at heart . . .

I understand.

He was tempted to say something about the head, but he refrained. It was being not only impolitely, but other idea he had not, so that the old people continued.

-

I do not know what you understand. When I was a child, I thought that old people know everything. At that time, fifty years seemed to me a Methuselahic age. Anyway, 989 years was an exaggeration. It happened that, in the meantime I pass over this age (50, not 989) and notice that I am not enough ripe of judgement for some things.

As any youth, Kostas does not like to be subject of discussion, especially when elder people take him

260

easy, so he took advantage when these ones were bantering each other and left.

On the returning way, the subjects approached by those old people were lingering in his mind yet, probably because they were only touched and not really discussed. Among them, why the Greeks renounce so abruptly at Mythology and adopted Christianity was one of his old dilemmas. He was convinced now that Christianity has a Greek origin more than a Jewish one. The influence of the Greek philosophy on the Jews was more then natural. They were not only neighbours. After 332 BC, that is after Alexander Macedon’s entering in Jerusalem, the Jews was under Greek rule up till 63 BC, when the Romans occupied them. The Greeks could not accept the Judaism, due to its nationalism. It is a pure Jewish invention. There is not other religion speaking about a chosen nation.

More that it, besides a chosen nation, they speak about a messianic destine, waited with hate face to other nations and with hope of the most terrible revenge. For increasing the satisfaction of the revenge, they must cultivate the hate as deep as possible.

The Greeks could accept the Judaism; instead the poor Jews accepted joyfully some Christian ideas.

That of the chosen nation was much less interesting, as the priests were ready to accept the co-operation with the representatives of the

261

Roman Empire. As a proof, they delivered Jesus to the Roman soldiers for solving their problem.

For this, the Greeks needed to modified the doctrine and eliminate the idea of chosen nation.

The Apostle Paul, who studied in Greece, did it. *

* *

A pleasant surprise came from Ileana, the Romanian lady who carried of Fotios. As she did not find a convenient job, she renounces to work in Greece and returned in Romania. Now, she came in Athens for several days, to solve some personal problems. She found Anastasia at her old address, learnt she had moved, but none of the neighbours gave her a useful piece of information.

Fortunately, a saleswoman from a shop knew her telephone number and so they met. Seeing each other again was a joy for both of them. She is merry and a pleasant presence. She invited Anastasia in Romania, to visit her and her family.

Why not? Here is an unexpected idea! And, as good ideas must not postpone, they applied it immediately. It would have been rather complicate by plane – reservation, there is not airport in her village etc. – so thy chose to travel by bus. Ileana knows several Romanian companies doing this service, as she experienced this mean of transport.

262

At the departure, the agitation of people for a better place in the bus and the inefficient organization upset Anastasia. If the places had been reserved, the squash would have been avoided. But, as soon as the bus left, she recovered the trust. The bus is good and people relaxed.

From Bulgaria she had none impression, as the crossed it during the night. At the customs, she dozed. What really waked her up in the morning were the jolts of the car. They entered Romania.

There were some traces of the asphalt on the road, but they made the pits steeper. Without the asphalt, on the earth, the ground would been smoother, only waved. After several kilometres that seemed to be endless, the route became better, still far for an international highway. She began to think the trip would be an adventure.

Easy-easy, they arrived in Bucharest. It was difficult to make an opinion. They only crossed it.

Elegant and miserable districts alternate each other. One can see that the city was coquet in the past. Nice houses were not maintained in good condition for many years. It is clear they are not inhabited by those who built them. There is not the money that lacked them. On the contrary, the courts are full of object new and old, threw or deposited. What lacks them is the love for the house. Where sometimes were beds of flowers, 263

there are garbage now. The centre of the city is also a mixture of old bad maintained buildings with some ultramodern ones by glass and concrete, which make a discordant note with the old architecture, much nicer. An exception is a new district of identical blocs of flats, at the end of which the huge building of the parliament can be seen.

As soon as they got out from Bucharest, everything is different. Suddenly, the route turned into a good highway. A little far away some hills appear, followed by mountains, among which the way winds gracefully. The landscape is beautiful.

Through the windows of the car, a castle like those from the books for children was to be seen. She was told that, inside, it is more beautiful.

Unfortunately, it could not be visited now. Not only because the bus does not stop here, and the visit would last several good hours. Maybe on the returning way.

Towards the evening, they arrived at the destination. The travel lasted almost 24 hours, with small pauses at every four hours.

The village in which Ileana’s family live is at the foot of Fagaras Mountains, a chain of 80 kilometres a little over 2000 metres high. So they told her.

She did not measure them.

264

The hosts were waiting for them with the table full with all kind of food, particularly from meat. After a travel so long and wearisome, she would preferred to sleep, but is not possible. Ileana’s parents would feel offended. For welcome they received a small glass with a very strong alcoholic drink, something like ouzo but less perfumed. She seemed the need to eat something, but after it she received another glass of drink. Now, she was not sleepy any longer. With the food was more difficult: much too much, especially in that moment. But you could not explain to anyone.

Ileana’s parents did not know other language but the Romanian. Their smallest daughter learns English in school, but her vocabulary is limited at the school activities. The teachers did not prepare the children for real talks. She has an elder brother who knows very well German language, but this one is totally unknown to Anastasia.

The sleep was over, after the dance began. It is a way of speaking dance. All people were cheer up due to the drink and now they were hopping face to face, laughing at everything. Important was only the atmosphere, and it was great.

They went to bed toward the morning and woke up at noon, when the table was equally full as it was in the evening. The only difference was a huge pot, from which a sweet-smelling steam was emerging. Of course, it was the sour soup.

265

Before the lunch, Anastasia succeeded to make a walk of reconnaissance around. The house is at the foot of the mountain, on the bank of a river, upper from it with about 20 metres. Between the house and river, they smoothed the ground and arranged there a nice garden of vegetables and a small orchard.

In the last time, a part of the garden was sacrificed for making room for a pool where hundred of trouts are ready to jump on the table.

The water is brought through a sewer 100 metres upstream from the river. The river has much water throughout the year and the sewer has the debit of a good brook. In the garden, the sewer looks like a picturesque brook, without speaking about its utility.

A branch of the sewer supplies an electric microhydro-central. With a small investment, they have free electric energy. Such micro-hydro-centrals could be built at every 20 metres on all mountain rivers, where diligent people are for maintain them. In this farm, people proved this is possible.

More than it: though the sun shines here much less than in Athens, these peasants invested in a solar panel for warm water. The house has central heating with the energy supplied by their own micro-hydro-central. To be sure, they preserved the connection at the national net, but their consume is very little, sometime not at all.

266

A house apparently modest, from a modest village, has the comfort that many pretentious others have not.

This mountain area is poor and offers few opportunities. Consequently, people are not rich, but are hardworking. *

* *

From Kostas’ diary Do not give me advices; I can mistake alone.

----------------Some days ago, a new statue was unveiled in Palaio Faliro, in front of the sea.

Constantin Paleologul, the last emperor of the Byzantine Empire is represented. I cannot say it would be nice. Usually, the equestrian statues are more dynamic. This one is static, very static. The rider keeps an arm up, as he wants to bless. I do not think he wanted to bless the Turks. The 267

horse seems to stop suddenly just in this moment. He stays well stuck on the front feet. The position of the head says that he will not go any longer. Maybe the rider wants it, but more probably the horse wants

to

do

something

in

very

this

moment. The position of the tail says what he wants to do. Is this a way to illustrate how the Turks conquered Constantinople?

Anyway,

I

like

the

idea

of

rising

monuments devoted to those who pointed the history of the country. Even those of the kings, though the Greeks are allergic to the monarchy. For all that, they respect the

history,

kings

being

part

of

the

history. In Central Park, some direction plates say that the park belonged to the former royal park, an alley wears the name of the first king, Otto, and another of

his wife, Amalia.

Though

it

is

a

German name, Amalia is usual now in Greece. The name of the avenue in front

268

of the park is also Amalia, as the hotel from the cross of the street.

At

the

Gardens

entrance the

of

huge

the statue

Pedion of

the

Areos king

Constantin guards.

On the Stadiou Avenue there is a statue of someone with a helmet. I do not know who is the man.

----------------Greece, a country of contradictions The

drivers

are

very

politely

and

understanding each other and with the pedestrians as well. The same men, out of the cars, as pedestrians, are churl. The men, not the women! If two man meet in a narrow space, they laminate and pass simultaneously, as no one want to yield. If a man and a woman meet in the same

269

place, the woman resigned waits until the cad will pass. Every time when I gave priority to a woman, I saw in her eyes that I created her a joy, as she did not meet for long time, maybe never.

From the Occident, they took the custom of walking the dogs on the streets. It offers good

opportunities

for

socializing,

especially for women looking for a future husband. But they do not conceive to clean the misery after them. They use the walking

for

keeping

the

house

clean,

which is not at all civilized.

On the other hand, the preoccupation for the vegetation is remarkable. In any day of the year there are flowers on streets and balconies. It may me think that people are men with sensibility. The flowers do not grow

alone.

They

must

be

cultivated,

which implied work and money, namely exactly that lacks to the Greeks. But, for

270

flowers, they are ready to make sacrifices.

This is not from Occident. In Florida, the vegetation grows alone and people want to get rid of it. The pleasure of admiring flowers belongs to the Greeks.

There are direction plates on every corner with the name of the streets. Also, in every bus, tram and trolleybus stations, there are plates even with their program. The administration

deserves

our

congratulations. Still, some people stick on them all kind of notices, so that the initial

text

becomes

unreadable.

The

authors write there their address, so that they

could

be

identified,

but

nobody

punish them.

---------------The

Greeks

gesticulate

a

lot

when

speaking. They do it even when speak at the telephone. This is why the devices

271

hands-free are very helpfully, as they could use the both hands. When they walk

it

not

always

clear

if

they

do

jogging, speak at the mobile, or speak alone (a frequent custom here).

-----------------Looking an object of oriental art, for example,

you

appreciate

its

aesthetic

qualities, but the object is strange. Instead, a Greek temple, a statue or a simple object of popular Greek art makes you to feel at home. Not in your apartment, but inside you. The object represents you and you are inside it.

--------------There are several persons that do bathing in the sea every day, including winter. If it rains, they shelter under a penthouse, or

an

umbrella,

where

they

play

272

backgammons, eat, talk, or do nothing and, now and again enter the sea. Some of the one time, others more times. Their daily program contains several hours at the seaside, for some, almost all the day.

A lady of about 50 years old comes by bicycle, sign she live a little far away. Not very far, as I saw her in the market of our district. She undresses under the open sky and leave the clothes there. If it rains, she has a mantle and covers the clothes with it. Anyway, they are wet even during she undresses. She makes a little gymnastics, swims at least a quarter of an hour, runs on the sand, dresses and leaves by bicycle.

On the bottom half of her body has a suffering, visible when she runs. All time she is alone. Rarely I saw her speaking a few words with other people.

-------------------

273

Aphrodite appeared from the foam of the sea, but not the foam created her. The sea did it, and not alone, but fertilized by the sky, through the Uranus’ penis, threw there by Chronos, after he had cut it from him. The sky and the sea coupled for creating the symbol of the beauty.

-------------When Zeus and Hera embrace each other a storm will be in the Universe. Today it rained torrentially after a strong storm.

Nobody knows this couple would make children in the last time. Probably they are

too

old.

Consequently,

it

rained

vainly. Oh, no! It was not vainly. It washed the sidewalks, making what the cad people did not: removed the dejections of the dogs.

----------------

274

I learnt: on Stadoiu Avenue, there is the statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis. He was not a king, but field-marshal in the Greek

army,

during

the

War

of

Independence.

-----------------I am looking at the balconies of the buildings in front of me. They have racks for laying out to dry the underclothes mounted

on

the

balustrades.

The

underclothes hang outwardly, although there

are

mobile

racks

in

the

shops,

which can be installed anywhere inside.

From some balconies, the bed-sheets hang over the windows of the inferior floor. I am wondering how is the Greeks, - hotblooded and petulant – are tolerant face to

the

lack

of

civilisation

of

their

neighbours? The only explanation is they are people of the same kind, proceed in the same way and dare not to reprimand

275

their neighbours. The few others are in minority and must endure.

They probably were inspired from the Italian

movies,

but

they

omitted

the

cineastes used such images for suggesting the

place

of

the

action:

a

suburb,

populated by people without education.

My Greeks would not be happy at the idea they

have

mentalities

of

people

from

slums, but this is the situation.

That’s why the Americans do not put windows

at

the

high

buildings.

Only

glass, which cannot be open. From a block with

over

100

floors,

someone

would

throw something through the window in every minute. The streets would need net for protection the passer-bys.

----------------

276

Walking

through

different

districts

of

Athens, you have the sensation of crossing different towns, even different epochs. Not only because of streets and buildings. This happens in most old towns. In Athens, the inhabitants are different. In old districts, the autochthonous population of Greece, with short people, prevails. The men are more vigorous. The old women walk with difficulty; they have infirmities in the lower part of the body. Most of the young women are terrible fat. If you ever thought knowing everything about the fat man, now you learn that you knew nothing. On says about the Americans are fat. It is true,

but

they

are

tall,

and

the

supplementary kilograms are distributed.

At one and half metre – sometimes even less – several added kilograms turns the body into a balloon. This is a happy case.

Sometimes, the number of the kilograms is much more. The result is a mass of grease.

The skin hardly can keep it inside and

277

you expect to split in any moment. When this mass begins to move, you must look in other

direction.

It

is unbelieving, but

what seemed to be a balloon is a human being. The image is terrible.

How they arrived in such bad plight I do not know. The simplest explanation is a combination between laziness and good food, with which their ancestors were not used.

It

would

be

a

wrong

treatment

during their childhood, when the parents wanted they to be tall but, instead of high,

the

diameter

increased.

I

have

compassion for them, but the gluttony cannot be eliminated. It is visible at most of them. They eat at a single meal more than me in the whole day. And they have at

least

four

meals

a

day.

It

would

expected that, between the meals to do some movement. Not at all. They stay in the cafÊs, where ‌ taste something, usual sweet. When they talk - though usually

278

sleepy – the preferred subject is “what to eat for grow weaker.

But I wrote about the fat women and forgot where I left from: about districts.

Glyfada and Voula are two snob districts on the seaside. There live rich people, many foreigners. Forests of masts of the luxurious boats occupy the most part of the littoral. There is nothing Greek there.

Kifisia is another luxurious district, at the opposite end of the town, toward the airport. There are also people with money there.

Still, I like Palaio Faliro. There are many Greeks here, came from other countries, where their parents mixed with other people and made children taller, some of them

even

blond.

There

are

such

exemplars in other districts, especially in central ones, like Kolonaky, but there are ambassadresses,

banks,

the

Parliament

279

there. Some of them come in Palaio Faliro to make jogging

on the seaside.

Some

people make jogging by bicycles. They come with them by tram, bus or cars and run here. Besides the bicycles and more important than it is the equipment, like that

of

the

professionals.

The

most

amusing was a little girl of 3-4 years old by child’s scooter and helmet. There is a place for all the people: old and young, lovers,

young

mothers,

fathers

or

old

grandparents pushing prams, people of all ages making jogging, all you want. You feel here like in a resort in every day of the year. During the summer, there are some tourists, but the area is equally full with

the

inhabitants

of

the

district.

Piraeus looks very nice in the night, with its lights reflected in the water of the sea.

--------------

280

Christmas is after the corner. On many balconies

appeared

Santa

Clauses

in

different position, suggesting that he is coming with presents for children and is ready to enter through the window. It’s nice.

A lady said that Greek people do not give much importance to the Christmas, as some customs are of German origin. They wait for the New Year.

Choosing 25 December as day of Christos’ birth

is

a

compromise

between

the

Christians and the adepts of the cult of sun. The emperor Constatin the Great himself, the first one who accepted the Christianity in Roman Empire, was an adept of this cult, in which Mithra, the god of the light, the “Invincible sun”, was born from a stone on 25 December. He fought with the sun and captured the divine bull. From the blood of the bull

281

the plants and animals useful for the man appeared. Crossing the sky, Mithra see and hear everything, as he has 10,000 eyes and 1000 ears. He is armed with a bludgeon and drives away the demons (clouds) with it.

------------------We must make distinction between faith, religion, church and the priest. Faith belongs to the individual and depends on his personality. Every man must believe in something. Religions are attempts of answering to peoples need to believe and depend of the society in which they were born and their historic evolution. The church

is

a

social

organization

of

a

religion. It is an institution. The priest is a person as any person. The relationship between a priest and the parishioners depends on his culture and talent for this profession.

282

The need of believing is natural. It will exist forever and, through it, the religions.

People need a psychological support, a motivation for their struggle for living.

A divinity is like the sun. He gives us without pretend something for us. It is our problem if we are able to use his gifts. If we stay too long under the sunlight, is possible to suffer unpleasant consequences.

Also, trying to join with God, may be similar with the wish to move our house in

the

sun.

We

would

burn

before

arriving there.

------------------Religion coloured.

is

From

like this

a

window

reason,

it

is

nice not

transparent, any longer. There is nothing to see through it.

283

----------------------It’s a day of spring on 1 January. Lots of people are at the seaside, walking through fresh air and sun. Some ambitious persons are swimming in the sea. Unlike Miami, where is humid, and New York, where is cold, in Athens is dry and warm.

While I was walking, I met an elder family, my mother’s friends. They live some block upper. He is a Greek from the children refugee in Romania because of the Civil War. Unlike the majority of such people, who has communist opinions, he is an intelligent and equilibrated man. I did not hear him saying their standard phrases. Odd enough, more dashing is his wife, Athenian by birth – she affirms it – though seems more rural.

I told them that last night, just before twelve o’clock, I came here, at the seaside,

284

to see the fireworks and the joy with which people enter the New Year. In Omonia, where I was several years ago, it was very nice. The city was bathing in the light of the artifices, the streets were full of

people

of

all

colours

from

all

continents. After a small joke of him (The sparks, not matter how many, do not give light), they said how people from the New York celebrate the New Year in Time Square. They watched it at the TV. I answered that there is not fireworks to see there, because of the high buildings and the crowd in Time Square is terrible. You must come much earlier for penetrating there. But, the joy of people, high spirits, maybe the drink, makes an atmosphere that compensates any effort. In Miami, the fireworks were beautiful, but there were not people on the streets. Here, in Palaio Faliro,

I

was

expected

to

find

both

fireworks and merry people. There were nothing

from

these.

I

was

extremely

285

disappointed. The streets were deserted.

Even the restaurants were closed. Only at distance, in Piraeus and from several ships some artifices were launched at twelve o’clock. As for the people, I met only a group of six young boys and girls, speaking

an

unknown

language.

She

explained the fear of burglars is the cause. People stay in houses to guard it. I thought to say the joke with what some people do when they have nothing to do.

(They undress and guard their clothes.) Of course, I refrained. The gentleman helped me: in Romania, I heard a adage: “you was sleeping with the purse with money under the head and was afraid not the steal yourself”.

Anyway, the lady’s argumentation cannot be true. Maybe it works for old people.

The majority of those walking on the streets and launch artifices are young people, some adolescents.

286

Soto voce, hoping that his wife will not hear, he opened his heart saying that one of those six youths I saw last night was their son, along with his friends.

--------------In front of me, there are about twenty pigeons pecking grains. One of them does not eat. He is preoccupied to draw away the others. The ones threatened by him fly one or two metres and continue to peak.

He chose another victim and so on. Grains are a lot and on large surface. I do not know why Picasso chose them as symbol of peace. The pigeons fight each other pitilessly. Even if there are grains enough for one hundred years to food all pigeons in the world, there is one who wants to keep all grains only for him. On the other hand, they make couples for life.

287

-------------My mother and father are Greeks. Both of them kept Greek nationality, though the were educate in the United Kingdom, received English citizenship and then the American one. O was born in Australia, but spent my childhood and received American citizenship. Still, I considered to be a Greek and Greece was for me an ideal, the country that spread the culture in

the

Europe

and,

via

Europe

to

America. I was proud to be a Greek and, sometime I probably was exaggerated with my classmates: “we, the Greeks, made you what you are.� Now, I am a Greek from Greece. Still, I am not adapted, yet. Each time when I want to do something as I used to do in the State, I learn that it is not possible. Greece is different. And this occurs in the simplest situations. In those more complicated things can be just grave.

In economic problems, I am confused. I am

288

graduated just in economics. What Greece does in economy is exactly the opposite with what I think it ought to do. There is not a single economic doctrine, beginning with that of the Adam Smith and ending with the most modern ones for what the Greek economists do. K.K.E., the Greek Communist

Party,

speculate

the

“democratic� inclinations of the Greeks, stirs them, provoking anarchy. There are many people with communist conceptions, but

Marxist

propagandistic

doctrine support

was for

the

only

a

former

communist regimes. Its only purpose is the instigation of the mob against the leaders of the society. If Marx was a philosopher, he was the first that built a doctrine based on hate and crime. He appreciated that, in full development of the industry, the worker will be the majority and they will lead the society. The idea was stupid; they are not a majority even today; on the contrary, modern industry needs less and

289

less workers. In the past the farmers were in majority, but they never leaded the society. What it counts is not the number of those who could be rallied, but the idea that rallies.

Still, there is an optimistic variant: my opinions are na誰ve, as I have not enough experience.

----------------Nothing is lost; everything is mislay.

From the morning I look for a paper on which I put down something and I do not find it. It is not lost; I am sure for it.

Nobody handles among my things and I do not throw but the very old ones, after a rigorously checking, making at least a copy.

Maybe the assertion from the beginning of this note is not just original. It looks like

290

with the principle Lavoisier-Lomonosov.

This one was not original too. Ovidius did it

also

mutantur,

in

“Metamorphoses”:

nihil

interit”

Omnia

(Everything

changes, nothing is lost). The old Greeks used

to

say:

“Nothing

nothing;

everything

something

existing

religions,

there

is

is

born

become

before”. the

In

from from

oriental

principle

of

successive reincarnations. But first, the man felt from the Universe and finally he will return there. So, nothing is lost.

In comparison with these principles, mine is more general. That’s why I think that, if

Lavoisier-Lomonosov

principle

number

thermodynamics,

mine

became

the

one

in

would

be

principle number zero. If its value is zero too, it means that I reached the perfection.

Maybe until tonight I will find the paper.

291

------------Speaking with the neighbour next door, an

old

plumber

Greek who

gentleman, is

to

make

about a

the

common

reparation, he asked me if he is a Greek.

My positive answer disappointed him.

------------------The difference between religions is not some simplicity ones, like mono, bi, tri or polytheist. The criterions are subtler. Also, their born is not linked but symbolical with a name, like Buddha, Akhenaton, Jesus, Mohamed or anyone other. As for Jesus, he never schism

inside

wanted to

the

Judaism.

produce He

a

only

wanted to correct the bad behaviour of the priests. There were Christian ideas before him and other ones appeared after him. The Christianity as we understand now is a complex of ideas formed in time.

292

The

religion,

mentalities

philosophy,

continuously

people’s

evolve

and

influence reciprocally.

-----------------Shakespeare is great not because he put the question “To be or not to be”, but because he was se clever not to give the answer.

-----------------The Greek,

if

he does not

know, he

confabulates. He never says, “I do not know”.

------------------

The

helicopters

and

jet

planes,

though have different propulsions, utter a similar noise.

-

The air cries, feeling struck.

293

*

* *

-

-

-

Were you sleeping? o You have just interrupted me by reading. I was dreaming to read.

Was nice your dream? o It was about a perfect society.

Then, I did a good deed waking you up. o Wait a little. That is…, let me see what I thought sleeping.

The sleep of ration birth monsters. o Look! Theft, swindle, corruption and all the others are universal temptations. But they are possible only where the society is permissive. In small rural traditionally localities, the public opinion is strong and hinder people from doing bad actions. There, because everything is open, the shame is a curb.

How do you know how it is in the villages? You never lived there. o I know. From literature, from movies. At the opposite pole, in the large urban agglomerations, the civilisation could work, but the reality proves this solution is not viable. Only the fear of law could work, but again we see this one does not work.

The modern justice is based on a code of laws that must be perfect and the judges, like computers, apply it. Of course, nothing is perfect, but is perfectible. o It would be great, if it not be a utopia. The “dictatorship of law”, implying a perfect

294

-

code of laws, is like the communist society, with central planned economy.

I think the best solution does not have to deal with the justice. Now, stand up! We have work today.

*

* *

Some days ago, at a café, Miky jumped from Anastasia’s hands and run to smell the dog of a gentleman, talking with a friend. It was a nice dog, with a clean wait fur, much too big – almost huge – for Miky, a small jewel of twenty centimetres, Yorkshire terrier. Miky had not interest for the muzzle of the other dog; he only wanted to smell his back. Unfortunately for him, this one was too high. He had to stand up on the back feet, but this was not enough, so he must spring up. He was very amusing as he was hopping. From time to time, he turned his head toward Anastasia, barked short and hopped with more élan. All people around, clients and passing-bys, were amusing by looking at him. Mike was applauded at open stage.

-

You speak about people’s sentiment as regards the animals. I still have in memory a case, as I lived it.

Many years ago, in the building cross the street from our block of flats, a family of old people lives. For not spoil those few beds of flowers and vegetables, they kept the dog that they had – an old one – in a fold of 2 x 1.5 metres. During the nights, the dog used to yelp at every 30 seconds. It was lugubriously.

The owner, probably with a weak hearing, did not care for us. Our nights became sinister. Finally, the dog died, but after few days their son brought

295

-

-

another don. This one was young, so we had silence for several years, but, in time, the dog started to yelp almost in the same way, proving that the conditions was guilty. I do not know what happened on, as we moved from there. o Even the dogs can fall ill with asthenia, if they are human condition of life.

Yes, I knew this joke. The assertion “The man can make sick with asthenia even a dog” is more true, unfortunately. o I have a memory with people, not with animals. It was not a dog, but a child. It was summer and someone used to put a child under one year on a blanket on the lawn in the back of our block of flats. She leaved him there alone without any supervision. He was not able to walk, so he was condemned to stay there, on the blanket. The area was safe, but the child was alone. He yelped like the dog about you said, also at every 30 seconds. The only difference was the sound: something like with a “mama”.

I am cannot comment on this subject. It breaks my heart. Sometimes the men are not human.

296

Athens, 2012 -

-

-

It seems that ouzo makes me stupid. o I think the contrary; it makes you clever, as you have just found it.

Ah, what a necklace has you dog! There is even a cross hanging from it. Is it baptized? o Do not be acrimonious. Pay attention, Anastasia could hear you. It is her present.

Is its birthday? o It is the child of Dixi, her dog.

Not Miki’s? o No, Miki is a boy. Dixi is a girl. She gave it me as a present, but she loves it, as it would be her any longer.

Yes, her love for animals really is formidable. o As soon as she sees this ugly one, kiss him everywhere, from head to back.

You must not judge her too hard. She has to love someone. o You are right! Anastasia’s behaviour might seem odd, but she must be understood.

Someone who never was caress, comfort, did not receive presents but some insignificant ones in childhood, feel the need of doing for others what nobody did for her. And now, at her age, instead of people did it with animals. Her sentiments did not blunt. On the contrary, they are amplified now.

Looking her the way in which she caresses the dog (Miki mu, agapi mu), you understand there is nothing formal; there are her authentic sentiments, very strong. It is impressive that the animals answer in the same way. I never saw two persons with the same sentiments.

297

-

About the lovers of animals, they said that they have not a surplus of love for animals, but a need of love from the others toward them. They do not keep any animals, but only those who can be trained to manifest attachment face to the one who caress and give them food. These people need to be loved by others. There is not the love for animals, but the need to be loved. o This is what Anastasia did not enjoy to have.

It would seem natural to think that people who had a happy childhood and good health at the shelter and protection of some loving parents will become at their turn generous and good with those around them. Also, we find excuses for those with a different fate. We forgive them misdeeds, avarice, the lack of scruples and others like these, thinking their unhappy childhood was the cause.

He must struggle for his rights and the struggle renders him grim, formed his character. Sometime so it occurred, but not always.

Anastasia is the opposite example. She was almost blind by birth and need long treatments for see, never good enough. He was directed to sports, for which she had some physic qualities, but an accident – due to the weak eyesight – her evolution stopped. Her first dream felt suddenly. If her father gave her some attention, her mother was lacking of maternal instinct. She never smiled to the child and, instead of caresses, she gave her several slaps every day. Probably she did not want this child. After a childhood in tears, she spent the

298

adolescence abroad, among the strangers, in a boarding school for foreign children with problems.

Her problem was the eyesight; the others’ were graver. She was married without been asked. It’s true, the husband was handsome, graduated, but he never loved her. He had many gallant relationships before the marriage and much many after. They were within an ace for divorce several times. Before the accident, he lived with one of his former secretary more than his wife and the separation was imminent.

For all that, she care of her husband with all attention, loves their children, educated them and is known as a generous person; she intuits the others’ needs and help with what she thinks it would useful for them. She did not give money to the beggars, especially the minors; this would be a gesture of hypocrisy, even harming for the future of a child. She helps the active ones, wants to improve their life when they cross a difficult period.

There are enough arguments for demonstrating that the assertion according with a happy childhood models a generous man and reciprocal is not true in all cases. Anastasia’s case shows that, on the contrary, an unhappy childhood made the child more sensitive, looking with condescendence the others’ troubles, has understanding and to help them.

299

Axel Muntel, in “The book from Sant Michele”, relates the assertion of a beggar, according with the poor Italians are the most generously, unlike the rich ones, from which he receives nothing.

Maybe, sometimes, Anastasia was wrong. Anyone can be culprit or innocent in some cases. The pretension of being absolutely innocent is graver than some accidental guiltiness, especially when they were made unwillingly. That’s so, because the intention is first. The one who proposed to himself to be innocent, first he thought the bad, but refrained to do it. The one good intentioned never thought to make a bad deed.

The criteria, according with we judge, are different from a person to the other. That’s why, we can be wrong. Here is an example. The similarity between dolphin and stark seems to be greater than between dolphin and mouse. This is true, if we have not in view Linné’s classification of the species, according with the dolphin and mouse are mammals (viviparous) and the shark is fish (oviparous). Of course, Linné could find other criteria. If he had, we do not?

In her mature life, Anastasia remember many times a fable learnt as a child. She did not deeply understand then its moral. Maybe this is the reason she kept the fable in memory. In the meantime, she applied it many times. Here is the fable. One day, a peasant’s donkey felt in a well. As the 300

donkey was very old and the well was dried and must fill up, the peasant thought to do it just now.

As it is not useful to try to get out the donkey he will do two things in the same time, burring the donkey and fill up the well. So he begins to throw earth in the well. But, at every shovel of earth, the donkey shook the earth from his saddleback and stepped on it. Easy-easy, he got out.

Maybe, life will throw on you with all kind of troubles. The secret is to shake on them and go on. Life deserves to be lived, not matter how we think it would be, bad or good.

Anastasia’s weak eyesight made her parents and those around her to consider she has a handicap and, consequently, without perspectives and cancelled any possibility of affirmation. Nothing more false! In reality, Anastasia is a clever woman and her handicap enhanced her mind. In spite of her bad lucks, she did not let herself defaced.

Although later, the fate smiles to Anastasia.

Besides the insurance received from the U.S.A., she inherited other estates from her parents and relatives, so that, now, she is, if not a rich woman, at least one without financial problems. Of course, she is proud of her wealth and displays it ostentatiously. Still, on her face one could read the discontent of a life without soul satisfactions.

Kostas has his family, so she sees him fleeting.

Nicky is in Cyprus. Fotios is alive, but he is a 301

vegetal more than a man. “Odiseu” came back not with his shield and spear in hands, but carried by hand by Anastasia. The shield and spear were, this time again, in the hands of the woman. Athena, the goddess of intelligence and skill, warfare, battle strategy, handicrafts and wisdom is represented with shield and spear. Yes, the wisdom must be defended. It does not impose by itself; it is vulnerable.

How love appeared, we do not know, but we pretend to know. According with a known myth, the divinity made man without sex. From some uncertain reasons, he cut it in two and, since then, those two halves seek for each other without find.

It is the myth of the android. It explains the desire. So, for it we have an explanation. Not for the love. When the mother of Bulă (a fictive personage in Romanian jokes, symbolising a stupid man) asked to her husband to make sexual education to their son – but in a delicate way, with examples from vegetal and animal world, as he is a sensible child - the father, after one of their usual visits in a brothel, said to him: “Well, my son, learn from me that in animals and even vegetables it is the same”. Of course, there are other explanation as well, not much different. And still, the reproduction of the trees, for example, is not by kernels or fruits, but through the flowers. It is there where the two sexes are to be found and, maybe their love, the one that we try to understand with rational means.

302

About the kindness we are poor in myths. How much truth is in the assertion “man is born good, but the life makes him wicked”? The first characteristic of every being is the instinct of survival. The man is born as a fighter; the struggle for life is his characteristic. Good or ill nature - as we define them in the world nicknamed civilised – will take form in the relationships with the other people. Every living cell tries to develop itself on the account of the environment; its evolution stops at the meeting with another similar cell, which do the same thing.

More than other beings, the man is a social one.

For him, the relationship with the other people is added. That’s why, to be civilised means to respect the others. The translation of the word “Omonia”, the name of one of the most important squares in Athens, is “harmony”. Probably it is there where people used to conciliate at a glass with ouzo. It sound well, but today is better not to be there during the nights. How is that that, after centuries of Christian education, people became worse and worse?

The most mythology has at the base the Chaos or a symbol of the evil; the god of well needed to come, to defeat him and created the organized space in which the man can live. Marduk made up the world from the body of Tiamat, a marine monster. It means that evil is primordial. The will 303

appeared through civilisation. The man only imitates the deeds of the gods. If gods needed to overthrow a monster or a primordial being and only after this to make the world, the man, in his turn, must to do the same when he builds a citadel or a house. This is the justification of the sacrifices – sanguinary or symbolic. The Christianity, speaking only about God, avoiding the primordial evil, lost the philosophic vein. In Mythology, there were good and evil gods. The faith reflected the life. The gods were among the people. In Christianity, there are only good saints.

The malefactor is, in a certain measure, a suicide, because he must hide a part of his identity. As a social being he is not entirely integrated in society, namely he kills a part of his being. Is he free? Not even the freedom of speech. Most time he whisperings, with his mates. He hides his face and look even when he doing nothing ill. The usage and conscience of his incorrectness make him to isolate himself. He build an artificial jail around him even he is free. He is not open toward the society. As part of the society, he is its corncockle. Even if people did not identify him as a malefactor, he knows who is and does not risk to be put at his place. He does it by himself. From the social point of view, he is a dead man.

Christian religion, starting from the idea that man is born evil, preaches the goodness by the fear of God, hoping that the man will improve his position 304

between the two extremes. As expected, the result is null, because the arguments are not persuasive, and an ideal – as any ideal – is impossible to be reach. Preaching a realist solution would have been more successfully.

So, man is born evil, but the contact with the others tames him. Maybe the word evil is too hard.

He is born monopolizing, greedy, rapacious. On the other part, society does not make him good, but only tolerant. He accepts the other, learn to break his bents, not because he became better, but because he learnt this is the single way. The parents are tolerant with the children when they are bored to vainly make them reproof, or they never did it: “let him doing it; he is only a child”, as if he will be educated at old age.

We should define the good and ill nature in a different way. I do not know how, but not this is the problem. The fact is that they exist in our being, and not only in us, but in some animal too, in different proportions. Another word that we use but is not definite is the soul. In the past, people tried to explain by it people’s character and the source of life. Some of them placed it in the liver.

From here, the expression “I will eat him liver” appeared. Some tribes even did it, with the defeated enemy. From here, the idea that people from such tribes were cannibals. This was a lie.

The gesture was only a symbolic one. In Etruscan

305

mythology, the macro-cosmos has a correspondent in a micro-cosmos laying in the liver of every man.

Of course, the soul is not in the liver. Then, where is it? The bookshops are full of books with occult subjects. As the booksellers are merchants, it means they sell such books, so there are buyers, namely people having such questions and hope to find the answers in these books. If some scientist had done it, there would been well, but only people unable to solve simple problems have such preoccupations. (Metaphysics – the science of these who ploughed in the examination of physics.)

Watching the TV, I see a crocodile eating something with open mouth, though the water is miserable, full of other repulsive beings. This is not a problem for the crocodile. But we do the same. The air is not pure, but full al lots mineral, vegetal and animal particles, died of alive. We do not grasp them. Another example: medusas that we see in the water of seas are almost transparent and gelatinous. If they had been more transparent and jelly-like, we would have not grasped them.

And still, they exist. So, some objects, beings, mediums could exist around us that our organs of sense do not perceive. A more eloquent example is that of the light. With all efforts of the scientists, we do not know much about it. There is an undulatory theory, but a corpuscular one as well, we can speak about photons, but they are useful only in technical applications. What the light really 306

is we do not know. It is the same with the waves of different kinds. We only noticed by experiences their behaviour and know how to use them. For radio and television we make different antennas, though we do not know what these wave are, not a question to put our hands on them.

In all this incertitude, something is clear: we will never know where is the soul, but it does not mean that it does not exist. So, what is the difference between the faith of the people from the past, according with the soul would be in the liver and our conviction that genetic program is in DNA (dezoxi-ribo-nucleic acid)? Maybe only the fact the expression “I will eat his liver” has no longer any signification, as we cannot eat our enemies’ DNA. A serious problem is how we educate the young people to find their way in the society? How will he know to put in value his natural inclinations, to choose between well and evil? His soul will finally be his personality, and this one is mouldable. *

* *

As all meridionals, the Greeks are passional people. Among the passions, the love is present.

Latin people had Amor (amour); the Greeks had Eros. I do not know how was at their time; today, the word amour is used for a platonic love, while erotic for a carnal, sensual one. As a matter of 307

fact, in Greek language, eros means desire, so the difference is clear. Only Plato gave it a different interpretation, as a play of the hazard, symbolized by the play of the knucklebones. It is true that love does not obey to the ration and, from this point of view, the philosopher was right, even his interpretation has not link with the initial sense of god of desire. Besides, in our world of people of letters, we can wrong easily writing Eros instead of Eris. The mistake is grave. Not because Eros was a god and Eris a goodness. We are not misogyny, but Eris was the goodness of feud. It’s true, the feud is aleatory too; one never knows when, where and why it appears. As usually, Zeus conceived her, during one of his escapades, more erotic than amorous. *

* *

We must exercise the admiration both for Voltaire and Rousseau, as they are among the great spirits of the humanity. But we cannot take as models both of them. They did not agree each other, as their conceptions were opposite. And still, sometimes, we are tempted to render justice to one or another, according with our mood and situation.

Reasoning and sentiments could be conciliated each other? We want it, but it is not possible. And then, how we should to do? Are we condemned to 308

be . . . in two boats in the same time? Reasoning and sentiments must coexist. We have to find a modus vivendi.

The wish of creating a non-contradictory philosophic system is absurd, as time as life itself is made by ontological contradictions. Not only full of them but also born from them: positive and negative, well and evil, black and white, devil and divine and so on. Only the one who does not think enough may think he is a philosopher with such pretensions.

The same is with the dichotomy between Apollonian vs. Dionysian. There is an Apollo in each of us, but also a Dionysus. As the peace between the two ones is not possible, an armistice is the only way for our quiet. But it means the mediocrity in the same measure.

And then, which is the wise solution? If the squander son from biblical parabola had knew that he would come back, he would has not left. A certain measure of ignorance is necessary. Those two brothers had the same knowledge, as they had the same education, but one of them was more obedient, while the other more naughty. He did not have enough trust in counsels. The difference is only of mentality. Finally, the squander son could say: “Thank you God that you gave me the test of voluptuousness, the thirsty of pride, and the envy, and double-dealing, and hate. With them 309

nobody is great. But without them nobody is alive.”

Ration is predictable. That’s why it can be counteract by those who have interest to do it.

Only passion is unpredictable. Sometimes it has success just because the surprise. That’s why is well to know that, in hidden nooks, it lies in wait. *

* *

Anastasia has friends, because she is good-natured.

Besides, she is correct and a conversation with her is pleasant, as she is an intelligent woman. Only wicked people have not friends. They have only comrades for their ill-deeds.

Not matter if they are two different characteristics or values on the same scale, the kindliness and wickedness depend on man’s nature. They are genetic. The life offers him the opportunities in which his nature will be manifest.

After a lost battle, you must have the courage to start again. Anastasia lost many battles and, after all, she recovered. Her courage became stronger, fortified her.

There are sorrowful some people because they are “in duty with a death”. The death is only the end of the life. You do not listen a good concert 310

waiting for its end. You enjoy listening it, while it is played. When it finishes the joy finishes too. We should consider “convicts to life”. In this case, we should obey our penalty as is right to do.

The kindliness should be cultivated like the cleverness, which we have in different quantities. *

*

*

Fotios, ironical means “to light” in Greek language (fotizo), so the opposite of what happened with him. Instead to light, he lost his own organ of sense: an eye.

Anastasia means resurrection, revival. Was it a predestined name?

Many women want to preserve al long as possible the passed beauty of the youth. Wrong! („Forma bonum fragile est” – Ovidiu) The secret of the life is to know who to get old on a beautiful way.

311