Attica - from Ruins to Reconstruction

A solid night's sleep left me feeling somewhat refreshed, but I definitely could've slept in considerably later considering the comfortable bed and cozy, cool dark room in which I spent the night.  

Nicos and I began to discuss the day's events over breakfast.  The events more specifically refer to an introductory permaculture workshop I was to give followed by a field walk at a derelict site that once served as a US military installation during the Korean War in the town of Nea Makri on the outskirts of Athens.  

Even more complex about the history of this place, commercial development in the not-so-distant past had uncovered ruins from approximately 200 AD - a temple built by Heroditus Atticus (I probably got a good bit of the spelling wrong here) who was inspired by the 'island' of land formed at this site between two rivers before they reached the sea.  Reminding him of his travels to Egypt, the benefactor chose to erect a temple in honor of the Egyptian goddess Isis. 

 So this historical monument added yet another facet to an already complicated 

management issue.

The former military base has been more recently used as a municipal dump - a place for construction debris and other trash to be deposited until a recent court intervention put an end to it.  While it is public land, there is still considerable development potential along this beautiful coastal lot and so a significant motivator for our work was to help bring more community awareness to this resource so that it didn't slip out of memory only to be developed some time down the line.

Nicos' sister Elena came to meet us.  She was incredibly kind and I felt very welcome and comfortable in her presence.  Already cutting things a bit close time-wise, we quickly gathered up materials, snacks and other food for the day, hopped in Elena's car and made our way 

towards the community center adjacent to the former base where the workshop was to be held.  This center, complete with cinema, public pool and other community resources was built with EU(?) funds to reconstruct the otherwise abused site.

It was a gorgeous morning, strong breezes with clear blue skies.  There was no doubt it was to be a good day.  

We set things up for the presentation and as I've come to both hear and learn, we prepared for a leisurely 'Greek'-style start - exactly 35 minutes after our announced start.  This was just fine with me - it gave me time to soak up the sun and also meet some of the very interesting people who came to join us.

Elena Gogou, with whom I'd been in touch with prior to my arrival, greeted me warmly with a touching gift - a very Greek package of crocus tea (with spices).  She was to be my translator during the day and I learned that she had a strong command of the English language having 

spent much of her youth studying in Britain.  I made many great connections with concerned 

locals that morning - far too many to recount but what I can say more broadly was that I felt 

touched and inspired by the kind, intelligent people who shared the days activities with us.

When it finally came time to begin, I think I counted nearly forty people in attendance - far greater than I had anticipated!  Nicos gave an introduction to his organization TREE, a brief overview of permaculture and then introduced me.  I spoke for about an hour, providing those present with an explanation of the theory and practice that is permaculture, how it can help

 transform our lives in a positive way and how we can apply design principles to the regenerative work we do.  I can say that speaking through a translator is far more challenging than I'd anticipated and left me with much less time to share what I'd originally thought possible.  Either way, it seemed as if we made a good connection with the audience and the message is well received.

I was approached afterwards by Theodore - a marine biologist who works monitoring the health of coastal lagoons who was interested in knowing how permaculture could be applied 

directly to his work.  We talked about how design principles might be implemented on a policy level and that starting high in the watershed would have the most leverage in the long term.  He already seemed to be on the same page, but I'm hoping that the conversation helped broaden the scope of my presentation so that he might have grown more clear as to how to make it more actively useful in his life.

From here, we set off to explore the site on foot.  We assembled an impressive team, exploring this severely degraded landscape and every now and then, stopping to make observations, discuss ideas or offer up solutions.  One of the first and most powerful things we saw were multiple melon plants growing up from the piles of rubble and trash and producing large, beautiful fruits!  It was definitely a sign of the potential that even abused landscapes still retain.

Nicos had also arranged for a brief tour of the archaeological site which is not something that is often available.  We were able to explore the site with a guide and learn more about its historical significance and rediscovery.  On our way there, we noticed a mass of turtles (like 30+) sunning themselves on a concrete bank at the edge of one of the small rivers that emerged from the former base.  It was lovely to see their healthy population and engaging behavior as many of them swam over towards us, propping themselves up on the wetland vegetation to get

 a closer look.

We wrapped up our site tour about exploring some of the abandoned buildings - many of which were formerly home to the base's fire brigade and still held the historic, antique vehicles.

The day's events concluded with a discussion amongst those present as to what their 

impressions were and what next steps might be.  We didn't reach any real resolution but it did seem like this activity was a very positive, coalescing form around which for this disparate group of individuals to begin to organize their efforts and vision.  Ideas ranged from Fukuoka style seed ball natural farming techniques to setting aside a year of observation to truly get to know the site before acting.  What ultimately was resolved was an interest to organize another meeting where they might further discuss these

 ideas for site restoration, group organization and permaculture application.  Afterwards we shared a potluck meal with typical light fare - salads, bread, olives, cheese and of course, wine!

I left feeling energized by the experience but also hoping that this intensity and interest remain strong amongst those present so that their actions and impact continue to grow more effect over time.  I felt reluctant to share my thoughts to any considerable degree - both because the need to translate them made me feel slow and inept but also because it's ultimately their group, so the decision and development really should be decided by those who choose to activate.  I hope to continue to hear positive reports about the effects these people have on their urban community in such dire need of care.

After cleaning up, Nicos, Elena, Eva and I went to a beach another few kms up the road for a quick swim.  The water was that gorgeous Mediterranean blue but it was fairly breezy and I found myself growing quite cold after 20 minutes or so in the water.  Nevertheless, I know I need to make the most of my Mediterranean water time while I can so I was grateful for the

 opportunity.

We headed back to Nicos' to unpack, eat dinner, reflect and head to his office in Athens.  Our journey was made easier by Elena's car and we were unpacked and relaxed at Nicos' office by 8pm.  I used the time to start catching up on computer work, though that lasted only about 45 minutes when Nicos remembered that I needed to find out about ticket availability for the overnight train I'd planned to take that night.  

His call revealed that few berths were left on the night train and the only option I had was to run to the station to try to purchase a ticket before the train sold out.  Well, I almost had a chance to relax.  Fortunately, there is a Metro stop just blocks away from Nicos' office so I set off for the train station - about 40 minutes over two Metro lines, reached the station and bought a ticket.  It surprised me to get my ticket for only 20 Euros (from Athens to Thessaloniki).  The week before I'd paid 24 to travel half the distance by bus.  A few hours later I learned why.

I ran back to Nicos' and got back to work, heading back out the door to the train station with just enough time to stress myself out and rush to catch the midnight train.  

When I got to the station, I found a train that was overflowing with people.  I couldn't find a seat or car number on my ticket so I wasn't sure where or how to access the train and even if I did, I wasn't sure how to get on because the entry areas were literally overflowing with people - folks standing in the aisles and sitting on every available square foot of space.

I found the train conductor and asked him where to go and told me that I didn't have a reserved seat!!  Holy shit.  Of course.  Like, I guess it was silly for me to think that when I went to buy a ticket for an overnight train, the ticket guy would've told me that my ticket came with standing room only space (for a seven hour train!).  Well, I've definitely learned my lesson now.  The only redeeming realization was that I couldn't complain that much because there were literally dozens of us in the same boat (or aisle for that matter).  

I took a spot in the very narrow 'hallway' at the end of one car in between two other young fellas next to the swollen entrance to the cars' toilet.  There were five other people sitting on the floor in this area.  We were in a very high traffic zone with people continuously making their way back and forth between their seats, the dining car and the toilet.  I did my best to stand up straight and relieve the soreness in my ever-sore right shoulder as much as possible.  I tried to look at it as a zen opportunity - to remind myself of all of the people throughout history who have faced far worse in their lives and look to it as an opportunity to build character - and not look at my watch at all costs!  I broke at 12:30 and realized that it was going to be a very long night - that it was really going to be a challenge around hour four or so.  

I really needed the sleep.  Especially as I was to give a presentation to professors at the forestry department at a university the following morning.  Well, I knew it'd make for a good story.  

After about 1.5 hours of standing, an announcement was made over the train's loudspeaker (in Greek) and the people around me began to quickly pour out down the aisle towards unknown cars beyond.  I waited, afraid to give up my standing space in case it was a false alarm, but eventually curiosity took over and I went to see what it was all about.  I passed a conductor, asked if he spoke English and what the issue was.  He said that a new car was available and that it'd be very nice!  I couldn't believe it.  The question I was wondering all along had been answered - namely, why don't they just add another friggin car to this thing?

This car contained 6 person enclosures and I eventually found a space that I shared with four teenagers.  As we all had upright seats with two rows of three opposite each other, it didn't make for the best sleeping conditions, but my standards had been whittled down to nothing at that point and I was elated to have a place to sit.  

I enjoyed very interrupted sleep until we arrived in Thessaloniki and have been up ever since (now it's twelve hours later and I just enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the balcony of my hotel).  But it's time to put this thing away.  I'll recount today later!

Whew #3+