AFTER 1.5 MONTHS IN ATHEN
we are becoming more and more immersed in people’s habits and are slowly getting a feeling of what exactly defines the lifestyle here. Even if the city is quite big, noisy and hectic, which is no wonder with over 3.5 million people in the city district without the outskirts and 6.5 million visitors a year, the Athenians are actually very relaxed and deal with all the hustle and bustle confidently.
You can quickly see who is a resident and who is a tourist without paying attention to the typical items like backpacks, cameras and sun hats. It is mostly the visitors who rush from one place to the next, constantly in a hurry and speeding up the rhythm of the city. Despite being on vacation, many haven’t yet managed to slow down and soak up the real atmosphere of the city.
We have been to various events and festivals over the last few days and to our surprise it was very relaxed there too, as the visitors consisted almost exclusively of Athenians and the two of us. Whether at a concert of a Greek singer in Technopolis or at an open-air concert with classical music in the garden of Megaron Musikis, the Athens Concert Hall, we were very impressed with the calm and serenity with which all age groups came together, sat or stood there and enjoyed the evening. Everyone brought their pillow or their drinks and snacks and sat close next to complete strangers on the meadow as if it’s the most normal thing in the world and listened to the music.
A question we often ask ourselves is how it might have looked like over 2,000 years ago? In the metro station, while waiting, we looked at the people on the other side and imagined them all dressed in white tunics. We imagined women proudly wearing their ornamented hair up and laughing children running around them as they all tumbled down the cobblestones to a public meeting at a nearby Plaka. How they connected with others along the way, or attended a theater or musical performance in an amphitheater, met friends and family there, and enjoyed fine arts together.
We are sure the beginning of today’s Mediterranean lifestyle must have looked something like this!
