Athens, Greece
As I write, I'm perched on our hotel bed, facing the evening star hovering above the Acropolis, while the church bells sound 6:00 (over and over), and Jeremiah and Jon throwing the frisbee in the Plaka below. The sky is that brilliant, post-sunset blue, and Venus is shining brightly above the well-lighted Parthenon. Wow!
That said, Athens is quite a contrast from Italy's Cinque Terre and Venice! We had 2 blissful weeks of very low car exposure! In the 5-Terre, as the Italians say, private cars aren't in most streets, but there are plenty of taxis and utility vehicles. Still, people use wheel barrows to haul things around, and garage is dragged down steep steps in heavy duty bags. Other items are pulled up with ropes and pulleys to upper floors. Narrow, steep stairways are carved into the hillside. I LOVED wandering through them! The small towns were perfect for me, because I really couldn't get lost! (Usually I can get lost quite easily.) Although the towns grew on us, they didn't quite live up to what we had imagined: hiking from town to town, quite and solitude. Quite the opposite, and this was the OFF season! Magic was still found, often when least expected: mojitos made from fresh lemons and mint while watching the sunset over the Mediterranean from high above Vernazza; a friendly waiter bringing Jeremiah some homemade raviolis just because; finding a deserted cove near the wharf of Cornelia to swim; ferry rides; grandmas knitting as they watch the sea; delicious pastries and fun conversations about wine and coffee; and Jeremiah playing violin with an Italian man in Vernazza. We enjoyed the slower pace, and tried not to count our dwindling "EU" days too carefully.
We stopped in Pisa on our way to Venice. We stayed near the tower so we went early and late to avoid the crowds of people posing for pictures as the held up the tower. There was a jewish cemetery right next to the Tower's Plaza...no information about it; it was closed. I was fascinated by its prominent location. After the museums and tower, it was our requisite down day...laundry, etc. We're finding we are needing more of these days to do nothing as our trip goes on.
We left for Venice in the morning...I LOVE VENICE!!! From the moment we arrived, I found it exquisite! Maybe this was because I was bracing myself for the throngs of tourists that detracted from the Cinque Terre, and thought I'd have a similar reaction to Venice. I think I could have stayed the rest of our trip right there. I think it was because there were NO CARS. People walked, or they drove boats! They smiled, waved to each other, sang, shouted greetings, pulled wheelbarrows...people didn't seem to mind moving around boxes of things on boats. One morning, on my early morning walk, a person was pushing a big wheelbarrow, going door to door to pick up garbage...SINGING and shouting greetings, laughing! REALLY! Maybe its the way the light reflexes, or the sea air? I think its that people are out and about, not in their cars. Oh, and the dogs don't have to worry about getting hit, so they just walk along, doing their own thing. Next time, I'm bringing the dog!
We did most of the touristy things, but one of our favorite times was something we hadn't planned to visit: The Biennale. We didn't really know what it was, nor had we known about it. It is a bi-annual international art symposium, with displays from about 88 countries. WOW, it was incredible! But, the BEST part was just happening upon a huge room filled with original chalkboard drawings from 1923 by Rudolf Steiner. I could have stayed in that room for hours! Jeremiah loved going from building to building as well, never knowing what surprises were waiting for us. The other incredible one was from Italy: weavings that were absolutely astounding. It was hard to leave not seeing everything, but our minds and hearts were full.
Jeremiah and I visited the Jewish Museum and took a tour of the synagogues of the Old Ghetto. Venice was the very first ghetto in Europe, and it is surmised that this is where the word originated. More stories of Italians protecting their fellow citizens: the Doge refusing to hand over the names of the Jews in Venice to Hilter; and two beautiful memorials to the Jews taken away to camps.
It was hard to leave Venice and Italy, but we were excited for the adventure of a 34 hour ferry ride down the Mediterranean (still, no cars!). Believe it or not, it went all too fast! Sleeping in our little cabin was very comfortable. We met a lovely family from New Castle, Australia, who we hope to see when we are there. And here we are, gazing up at the Acropolis, going back further in time. I still can't quite believe that I get to finally see and experience these places!
No comments:
Post a Comment