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Classical
Greece
by Catherine Skrzypinski
This photo journal by Catherine Skrzypinski contains both photos and prose. Photography was taken by the author, and prose was written by the author. Click on the images below to open Catherine's photo journal in a new window.
2004 was a very good year for Greece. The national football (soccer) team was crowned Euro 2004 champions, the Olympic Games returned home to Athens and the Elgin Marbles were scheduled to make their triumphant homecoming to the Acropolis.
Well, two out of three ain’t bad.
It seemed like the travel writing market was completely oversaturated with Greece advertorials last year. Countless travel articles gushed about the idyllic paradise of the Greek islands, while Lonely Planet, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides and the Rough Guide unveiled their sacred bibles to the thriving metropolis, anticipating the tourist boom to the timeless city after the torch was extinguished.
In the midst of this onslaught, I grew weary of the “new and improved” Greece. But as I was packing up my belongings for my umpteenth move last summer, I found a photo album of my own Greece odyssey I embarked on in the spring of 2000. As I flipped through the faded pages, the memories of that magical week came flooding back.
The Greece of 2000 seems like ancient history now. I arrived in Athens via the old international airport. The Hellinikon Airport was a microcosm of the “old” Greece – smoky, loud and chaotic. Many Greek orthodox churches in downtown Athens sustained damage of the powerful earthquake in 1999. Dirty dogs and creepy cats occupied many of the Plaka cafes, as I continually indulged in souvlaki and spanakopita. A moped ride through the island of Mykonos was only 2,500 drachmas (the equivalent of $10 – this was the pre-euro era!), but the conversations I had with a goat herder and a posse of Mykonos waiters were priceless.
This photojournal attempts to highlight the beauty of historical relics of Greece before Olympic commercialization became prominent. Greece is much more than an Olympic showcase center – it is the cradle of civilization.
Some other articles by Catherine Skrzypinski:
• Snapshots of a Scandinavian Winter: a Photojournal
• Tiptoeing Through The Tulips
• Midnight Train to Xi'an, China Spotlight, April 2002
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