Hellas in a brazilian point of view...typing this text and listening to the Aegean Music book cd, a gift from a new friend…
The history begins in a friday afternoon, arriving to Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, waiting for my red suitcase at the baggage claim belt and thinking about what I was going to see outside the airport gates – “so, if the newspapers and the TV news are right, I have to prepare myself to face a war and a completely crazy and broken city outside”. But of course, as a brazilian, I know that usually what we see in the tv and newspaper is not exactly the reality of a country (in fact, it use to be the opposite). Leaving the airport was not a big surprise to see a normal city, with normal people just living their life as usual, no war… Okay, I confess that I was expecting at least a very dirty city, but I was positively surprised.
Second step, take the ferry boat to the (touristically talking) not so popular Cycladic island Sifnos, in the way, I could see a bit of the port city (because is not in Athens, is an other city!!!) Piraeus, once again I was positively surprised, in general I like port cities, so maybe I’m suspicion to talk about it, but seemed to be a nice place, not needed to wear bulletproof vest as probably people think abroad, but Athens and Piraeus needs an other visit to have a fair opinion about.
Three hours later, arriving to the island…was pretty late but still possible to see what I was most wishing to see, the Cycladic white houses! I told to myself in mind “Okay, now I’m feeling like in Greece, this is the Greece I had always imagined, I’m in Greece!”
The very first view from the island
After the sunset…
During the day was even more fascinating view, blue sky, deep blue sea, white churches with blue roof, like a dream, even if I’m from a beautiful country full of nice beaches and good weather, is different! Every step, every beach, every day was a new and amazing experience, so old place and full of history, this is what we call in my country, wealth.
Artemonas town (and the RadioActive studio) lovely place.
Somewhere in the middle of the Aegean sea, between islands.
My favorite place in the island, a very simple and small church in the “middle of nowhere” in Kastro, was the first thing I got from my research about the island before go, and the one I most wanted to see from close, astonishing.
What to say about people? Was like being at home, very impressive to imagine that in Europe was possible to find smiling, happy, singing people.. the kind of mood I grew up with and the friendly behavior what I most miss since I left my country to live in the “cold and serious Europe”. And so, beautiful place, warm weather, friendly people could only result in very good food, of course! I could visit many different countries in different continents, and I have to say that Greece is in the very short list of places where I could try so tasty and juicy food, and healthy!
Streets of Artemonas at night.
I could spend hours just describing all the impressions and opinions about this summer vacations in Greece, but I believe, after this short text, it is explicit that the whole post would be very redundant about how much I liked =)
To the people who believes that Greece is in a war and going to a bottomless pit with people fighting and killing each other all the time…I can only say “If Greece is destroyed… we Brazilians live in the forest and have monkeys as pet”.. and probably…they will believe it…
And for all the other ones with the same opinion as me… πίστις, ελπίς, αγάπη
Sunset, Sifnos 2012
0 comments:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου