almost 30 years later, this city has not won my heart. the few historic bits are lovely, of course, but that's this place's legacy from another age. it's fine for the tourist or the short-term visitor, but modern athens, most of its neighborhoods, and the city center is a chaotic, people-unfriendly place -- a jumble of elements thrown together with little (or no) planning or thought and even less funding.
here's a gallery that's honest and true. it's not mine, but i suggest you feast your eyes.
you like this? really??! well, then click it!
this is a scene in front of my office. the yellow, licence-plate sized advertisement for an apartment for rent is a familiar sight in greece, normally plastered on any old place, as are other advertisements for anything imaginable. the owner of this particular flat made sure to tape it onto a tree, so full of tape that it's almost waterproof, topped with almost unintelligible handwriting.
i have a difficult time in this city. i do tend to notice details, and, if i started shooting and presenting them somewhere, i'd have a pretty ugly gallery. if you're wondering why i shoot so many macros since i returned from china a little over a year ago, this is it.
i'm sorry -- i can't romanticize this chaos, nor find beauty in this indifference.
i've added this image to the flickr page map.
