Despite widespread complaints about the more overt symptoms — the noise, the pollution, the heavy traffic — the full import of the situation was ignored and further obscured by the tendency to seek reassurance through comparisons with other countries, even as the figures grew more alarming and such comparisons increasingly fatuous. In April Prime Minister Karamanlis presided over a series of meetings which examined the crisis facing the city. His statements have left no doubt about the magnitude of the problem. One solution offered by the experts, he said, was to raze half of the city, while another was to develop a second metropolis in central Greece. Since neither of these suggestions are feasible, he said, we must explore ways to save what we can.
That Athens has been allowed to deteriorate to such a degree is in no small part due to an official acquiescence over the decades to vested interests. Member of Parliament Virginia Tsouderou has accused “property owners, political and economic interests, bureaucrats and civil engineers” of forming an alliance that has led to destruction. In the absence of investigations into such matters (such as those carried out by Senate committees in the United States or White Paper reports in the United Kingdom), it is difficult to prove such allegations. The state of the city, however, is ample proof that something has been very wrong for a long time and that those entrusted with the welfare of the nation have, at the very best, been irresponsible. It is often argued that in the face of war, poverty, and political unrest, the authorities were forced to bow to expediency. Although this is partly true, it is largely an excuse. It seems more likely that the plight of Athens is only another manifestation of a political tradition that has sacrificed the interests of the majority — and the future welfare of the country — to immediate expediency. Nor can it be argued that the needs of a growing Athens could not be anticipated. Over the years there were many Cassandras warning us that the city was on a disaster course. Ironically, one of the world’s foremost city planners, the late Constantinos Doxiadis, was based here. He was not silent on the subject. Shortly after World War II he drew up plans which anticipated the city’s growth. In 1972 the Doxiadis Associates began work on a regional plan for Athens and its environs which was completed last year. It is now said that it, too, has been abandoned.
The Prime Minister also stated that Athens was the only city in the world built without a city plan. There was no shortage of plans, however. Greek independence in the 1820s coincided with a renewed interest in ancient Greece and the flowering of neo-classical architecture. Europe’s foremost architects took an interest in the fledgling nation and designed many of the buildings which are today’s landmarks, such as the University of Athens, the Academy, the National Library. The first plan was drawn up in 1834 by Stamatis Kleanthes and Eduard Schaubert. Athens was then a mere village clustered around the Acropolis, whose ten thousand inhabitants were desperately trying to build homes after years of bloody fighting. (Athens was freed in 1821, but in 1826 a large Turkish force returned to lay siege and repeatedly ransack the city which was not finally liberated until 1833.)That scheme, which allowed for wide avenues, broad arteries, and expropriation of large areas around the Acropolis, would have laid the foundations for future growth. It was never put into effect because of the compelling needs of the people. Subsequent plans were discarded (including one by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, one of the world’s leading architects of that period who recommended that the palace be built on the Acropolis) or were applied in only a piecemeal fashion.
If in the past city plans were sacrificed to the immediate human needs, over the century and a half since independence we have come full circle and human needs have made way for other considerations. The masses of data collected by domestic and international organizations attest to the dangerous levels of pollution, the congestion, the lack of greenery. The world has been alerted to the dangers facing many of the ancient monuments, most notably the Acropolis. These dangers, however, are rarely translated into human terms and remarkably little has been said about their effects on human life, beyond the fact that the pollution is a health hazard. Presumably studies are being carried out. It would be interesting to see more published about the total effects of the environment on the physical and mental health of people. What is the price paid for the regular loss of sleep, whether the result of poorly designed apartments, overcrowded neighbourhoods, or screeching tires and blaring horns; of tension-ridden hours spent struggling through the traffic which chokes the city each day? What of their effects on the quality of life?
Those old enough to remember tell us that Athens was never a beautiful city but it had charm and life and was pleasant. Occasionally, coming upon a small section of the city where a bit of that charm and quality have been preserved, one catches a glimpse of what it was like.
Cruising Ambassadors
THE chauffeured limousines, many of them flying their national standards, had been whisked through the traffic by policemen deployed for the occasion, and were lining up at a pier in Piraeus. The heads of more than fifty foreign missions assigned to Athens had accepted the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs George Rallis to join him on a three-day cruise to the island of Andros, Thessaloniki and Mount Athos.
As the Neptune sailed out of Piraeus, the luminaries assembled on deck, garbed in bulky life jackets for the required drill. Nearly all the members of the diplomatic corps were on board, two notable exceptions being the German and Swiss ambassadors who, bowing to higher affairs of state, had accompanied Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis on his visit to their capitals.
Protocol was set aside for the occasion. No hierarchy was in evidence in the assignment of cabins or the seating arrangements in the dining room, although there was an occasional scramble for the privilege of sitting at the captain’s table. Generally, groupings tended to form along the expected political lines. The Eastern European representatives gravitated towards each other, as did the Latin Americans. The Cuban Ambassador, upon entering the dining room on one occasion, seemed to waiver but resolved his dilemma by sitting at a tabic by himself with the Russians on one side and Latin Americans on the other. The Chinese Ambassador usually dined alone with his wife. The only diplomatic faux pas were those committed by the musicians who serenaded the Israeli Ambassador with a Russian song and the Turkish Ambassador with the Greek song “Thessaloniki Mou”. The musicians were discreetly diverted to other tables.
After a brief stop at the island of Andros, the party sailed on, arriving the following morning at Thessaloniki and a full day of activities. These included a lecture by Professor Manolis Andronikos who discovered in Vergina what is said to be the tomb of Philip II of Macedon (he discussed his excavations), a tour of Thessaloniki, and visits to the Museum of Pella, and, finally, a reception given by the Minister of Northern Greece, Mr. Martis. The next day the male guests disembarked for a visit to Mount Athos, “the Holy Mountain” whose terra firma, monasteries, and churches are off-limits to female members of any species. The Nepruneanchored near the peninsula so that the ladies (and the Egyptian Ambassador who remained behind) might view Athos from afar as they listened to lectures on its history.
Vintage Buggies
WHEN Sandra Morris, the Avid Car Bug, presented us last year with her account of the “Flower Rally”, it was some moments before we realized that she was not talking about a horticultural event. This year when she cruised into our office chattering about the “Pik Nik” and vintage wines we quickly put two and two together and concluded she was embarked on her annual report on the vintage car rally:
” ‘Vintage’ is, of course, a derivative of vin which referred originally to wines of a certain age and provenance, but has long since been extended to include items of the past that are of special distinction. And what could be more special than, for example, a 1920 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost or a 1937 Packard 120? Twenty-six cars participated this year, the oldest a 1919 Mercedes Knight, which in fact won in its category in last year’s International Rally, a four-day event which takes place every September. It was driven by G. Raptopoulos and a Mrs. Raptopoulou, presumably his wife. No, I cannot tell you their first names because here in Greece only initials are given, even in newspaper reports. You’ll have to settle for initials.
“Three categories of buggies went through their paces, those dating from 1919 through 1930, 1931 through 1940, and 1941 through 1956. The race began in Psychiko on Sunday, May the fourteenth at eight a.m. There were few mishaps: A 1939 Fiat Bertone punctured a tire, a Rolls Royce had a minor clutch problem and was forced to withdraw, and a few cars overheated but soon cooled down and were able to continue. A 1930 Fiat 514 Coupe ran out of petrol, but the day was saved when its driver, I. Argyros, discovered a petrol station nearby. Its tank replenished, it continued on its way to win first place. A 1934 Austin 10/4 Saloon driven by S.Ioannidis came in second, and a 1930 Rolls Royce 20/25 driven by K. Makaritis came in third.
“The day had begun rather overcast but by ten the sun was shining and everyone was wearing large smiles — one smile per person, that is. Lunch in Eretria was a success and after a short rest the cars made their way on to the ferryboat. The 1934 Aston Martin Le Mans driven by A. Francis was slung so low it barely cleared the boarding ramp, but it finally made it on board. The ferryboat carried the cars, drivers, and passengers across to Oropo and from there the procession made its way towards Ekali. The buggies are judged on performance, not speed, but from one check point to another there is a time limit, different for each category. One short section is designated for a special time trial. Other years it was announced in advance and the drivers could practise the route. This year the participants had no idea where it was located until they came upon the marker. This kept them on their toes.
“Other tests were administered at Marousi. One required that the driver bring the car to a stop with one of its wheels on a certain point. Jolly difficult and few managed it. Those old buggies are difficult to handle and driving them is a skill. The most amusing test required the drivers to travel a given distance with a sack over their heads. No, it wasn’t dangerous. It was only for a short distance and everyone gathered around to make sure they didn’t drive off the road. It was very disorienting, however. E. Kagadis in the 1937 Packard 120, for example, turned on the engine, put his foot on the accelerator but in his confusion forgot to release the clutch. He thought he was moving but in fact the car didn’t budge an inch. R. Smith in a 1923 U.S.A. Rolls Royce Ghost managed at one point whilst driving forward to go into reverse. It was all jolly good fun and everyone is now getting ready for September’s International Rally which already has forty entrants from abroad, over twenty of them from England.”
Our Car Bug made a U-turn and was out of the office before we could ask her why last year’s rally was called the “Flower Rally” and this year’s the “Pik Nik”.
