I wandered the city yesterday, looking at the sites, seeing the broken pieces of a palace lying fenced in a pedestrian walking area. The Thessians are not as proud of their history as the Athenians, I think. Maybe there is just not the sheer amount of ruins here in this city. The bit I I'd see, though, was still pretty cool.
While walking, I noticed the same sort of protest-camp setup near the port as they had back in Greece near the Parliament House. At first, I just walked on by; then, having nothing better to do, I went back to the protestors as they were very actively sitting around and struck up a conversation that lasted almost two hours, covering topics from how long they'd been sitting here j(since May25th), how much longer there were going to stay (who knows?), what they were trying to accomplish, and then delving into all sorts of "this is why it happened" talk that even included the US.
There is a passionate conspiracy theory here in Greece that Germany owes them millions of dollars of war reparation funds from WW2, that artifacts all over the world have been stolen from Greece unlawfully and should be returned, that Jews are behind all the money of the world and they have it all, that the politicians have stolen all the money from the Greek taxes and that's why the country is where it's at right now. Their politicians may very well be the shady thieves everyone thinks they are, but to me it seems like a lot of very angry excuses to give the people a reason not to take any blame on themselves. The protestors also seemed very content to just sit there, despite the fact that sitting there for the last month hadn't produced any of the results they wanted, and that the government had gone ahead and passed a second austerity act in spite of them and the other riots.
Every time I talk to a Greek person conversation always dives into politics.
I left them to continue walking around the city and managed to find a pirate ship sitting alongside the waterfront. I walked around it, fascinated, and have officially designated it's appearance as what I want my own personal yacht to look like some day.
After walking the city for most of the day, I got back to my hotel and talked travel talk with the other backpackers until the evening, when I started talking philosophy talk with the landlady's niece on the principles of morality, the right way to raise a person, and what has happened to the strength of one's personal ethics in recent years. It was, I know, very heavy talk to be having, especially when she spoke with semi-broken English, but it was exciting!
I've got a flight to catch in a few hours and plan on spending most of the morning here before leisurely catching the bus. Happy 4th of July, everyone, if I can't say it tomorrow! I miss home and get very defensive whenever someone dares to say something unfoundedly bad about my home. I love you all!
Location:Σαχτούρη,Thessalonika,Greece
So this past Monday I had the idea to try my hand at walking, como mi hermana mejor. Any ways, on Monday the 4th, I grabbed my sandals, threw on a pair of sunglasses and hit the sidewalks at 11 am. I didn't think that it would be too hot outside and nobody was really doing anything else, so I figured why not. I was first going to just walk to a nearby park, but then my ambition got the best of me. I decided to walk to Grandma's house, a good 3 miles away at 99 degrees. It was so hot, but I loved it! I loved just going out there and doing something.
ReplyDeleteI realized that things look different when you are taking the time to walk around and actually notice it, not just passing by to get to point B from A. That sounds kind of dumb, but it is the honest truth. So I think that I am going to start these little walks and possibly expand them to full-day adventures, or I'll just keep them small and simple. But what I am trying to get at is that I hope you love the walking. I thought that it was great. :)
That "walking in the terrible heat" is very familiar to me! You go a bit and suddenly realize you're making a mistake, that you should at least grab some water and a hat, but by then it's too late (even if you're still within sight of where you left) because you're on the road! Yours is the forward motion in life and there is no turning back!
ReplyDeleteIt is quite wonderful and freeing to just walk around. I would rather just walk the streets -- provided it wasn't deathly hot outside and my body wasn't losing it's weight in water -- than go to almost any museum. Even if I'm just walking the sidewalks of a city with nothing much to offer, there is always something to look at: window shopping, the architecture, people hurrying about in their own paths, people sitting about with no path... It's very interesting! I'm glad you're enjoying your own walks!