Today, Thursday, marks our first full day in Athens.
We are acclimating to the change in weather as well as the change in scenery. We spent the morning negotiating our way, on foot, through the downtown core to my father’s home in Paleon Faliron. Even though I have not visited Greece since 2001, I am still able to navigate the city without much effort.
There are glimpses of change. The transit system has undergone a major transformation since the 2004 Olympics; one can travel by tram (electric trolley), the metro (light rapid transit) or bus. After much deliberation we chose the tram. The stop left us in the vicinity of the house — there was still much walking through numerous labyrinthine side streets to my father’s (now my) home.
Visiting my father’s house, five years later, with Dev and the chicken in tow, proved to be emotional. As for my father’s old neighbourhood on Perikleous Street, everything has changed. Most of the old homes have been torn down and new high rises have been built in their stead.
My house is the same, pretty much as I remembered it, although the garden needs resuscitation. And the house itself needs a fresh coat of paint. My uncle Gerry does what he can although it is clearly evident that is was my father who initiated the renovation and upgrading of his childhood home.
Here, in this small house, once inhabited by my paternal grandparents, the outside world barely encroaches. The back garden, once civilized, is now a jungle. Banana and lemon trees, night flowering jasmine, scented geraniums, basil, ornamental peppers, date palms and grapevines all compete for space and sun. With my father gone, there is no constant gardener to maintain order.
Our tenants, who have lived in the house since 1999, were most welcoming - and embarrassed - that we arrived unannounced.
Our next get together will take place on Tuesday, after the May Day long weekend. It is then that we’ll renegotiate their lease. It is then, in meeting with our lawyer, my father’s childhood friend, that we’ll make some decisions on the future of the house on Perikleous Street.
Today, we all traipsed down the block to a local restaurant and broke bread together. Any awkwardness that may have existed quickly dissipated with each mouth-watering entree that arrived. Dev, the chicken, and I made our way back to our hotel, bellies full, batteries recharged, ready to conquer an evening of shopping and sightseeing.
