Greece 71 & 73

1971

Prvi put sam posetio Grcku 1971. Razlog je bila utakmica Panatenaikos – Crvena Zvezda, polufinale kupa sampiona. Prva utakmica zavrsena je u Beogradu pobedom Crvene Zvezde 4:1 i ocekivao sa lagan prolaz u finale. Na zalost, pobedio je Panatenaikos sa 3:0, pod vrlo cudnim okolnostima, i otisao u finale. Secam se da mi je teren Panatinaikosa izgledao manjih razmera od normalnog. Izgledao je u vrlo losem stanju tj nalikovao je nekom nasem seoskom terenu i vise prasnjav nego travnat. Uoci utakmice, doleteo je helikopter i sleteo je na sredinu terena. Iz njega su izasle devojke u vrucim pantalonicama i jurile igrace Zvezde nudeci nesto. Sve je licilo na vasarsku atmosferu. Sve u svemu, bilo je kako je bilo i, sem tog nemilog dogadjaja (izgubljena utakmica) sve ostalo je bilo OK.

1971

I first visited Greece in 1971. The reason was the match Panathinaikos – Red Star, the semifinal of the Champions Cup. The first match in Belgrade ended with a victory for Red Star 4:1, and I expected a smooth passage to the final. Unfortunately, Panathinaikos won 3:0 under very strange circumstances and went to the final. I remember that the Panathinaikos pitch looked smaller than usual. It looked in very poor condition, resembling one of our village fields, more dusty than grassy. Before the kick-off, a helicopter landed in the middle of the field. Girls in shorts came out and chased the Red Star players offering something. Everything resembled a fair atmosphere. All in all, it was as it was, and aside from that unfortunate event (the lost match), everything else was okay.

Zejtinlik

Zejtinlik je savezničko vojno groblje i spomen-park iz Prvog svetskog rata u Solunu, najveće vojno groblje u Grčkoj. Sadrži grobove oko 20.000 srpskih, francuskih, britanskih, italijanskih, ruskih i grčkih vojnika, kao i bugarskih ratnih zarobljenika, koji su poginuli u bitkama na solunskom frontu tokom Prvog svetskog rata. Najveći deo kompleksa je Srpsko vojno groblje, koje sadrži ostatke oko 7.500 vojnika.

Na tom mestu se od 1916 nalazila Glavna vojna poljska bolnica srpske vojske u cijem sklopu je i nastalo groblje.

Zeitenlik

Zeitenlik is an Allied military cemetery and World War I memorial park in Thessaloniki, the largest military cemetery in Greece. It contains the graves of circa 20,000 Serbian French, British, Italian, Russian and Greek soldiers and Bulgarian POWs, who died in the battles on the Salonika front during World War I. The largest part of the complex is the Serbian Military Graveyard, which contains the remains of c. 7,500 soldiers

At that place, since 1916, was the Main Military Field Hospital of the Serbian Army, in the framework of which a cemetery was also established.

Akropolj

Kao student arhitekture i zaljubljenik u arhiterkturu starog veka, o Akropolju sam dosta znao i pre posete.

Akropolj je anticko svetiliste posveceno grckoj boginji Atini, zastitnici grada Atine. Veliki dio arhitektonskih građevina koje čine Akropolj sagrađeno je u vrijeme Perikla (469. – 429. pne.), mada prvi tragovi ljudskih artifakata sežu između kraja Heladskog i Mikenskog razdoblja u 13. vijeku prije nove ere.

Kompleksom dominira Partenon (izgradjen 447-438. godine pne. Tu je jos I Erehteon, izgradjen u periodu 421-406. god pne, Propileji, monumentalna ulazna vrata Akropolja, izgradjena u kada i Partenon, kao I hram boginje Nike.

Acropolis

As a student of architecture and an admirer of ancient architecture, I knew quite a bit about the Acropolis even before my visit.

The Acropolis is an ancient sanctuary dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, the protector of the city of Athens. A large part of the architectural structures that make up the Acropolis was built during the time of Pericles (469 – 429 BC), although the first traces of human artifacts date back to the end of the Hellenic and Mycenaean periods in the 13th century BC.

The complex is dominated by the Parthenon (built from 447-438 BC). There is also the Erechtheion, built during the period of 421-406 BC, the Propylaea, monumental entrance gates of the Acropolis, built at the same time as the Parthenon, as well as the temple of the goddess Nike.

1973

Dok je put 1971 bio, manje vise, iznenadan I trajao samo nekoliko dana, put 1973 je pripreman i trajao je mesec i po (ukljucujuci i odlazak za Bari (italija) feribotom od Patrasa preko Krfa.

Putovao sam auto-stopom sto je u to vreme bio vrlo popularan nacin putovanja mladog sveta. Vreme je bilo mirnije i ljudi si nisu plasili da primaju stopere. Na ostrva Krit i Rodos, kao i od Patrasa do Barija (Italija), putovao sam feribotom, najjeftinijom kartom sa spavanjem na palubi tj karta nije ukljucivala kabinu. A, i da jeste, opet bi se opredelio za spavanje na palubi. Letnje je vreme i napolju je mnogo prijatnije. Sem toga i drustvo je bilo odlicno; omladina iz citavog sveta se sjatila u Grcku. Nije mi samo jasno gde su nestali po iskrcavanju. Ni na Rodosu a i na Kritu ih nisam sretao.

Spavao sam uglavnom na plazama ili u parkovima. Izuzetak su bili Delfi i Sveta Gora. U Delfima sam noci provodio u “Youth hotel”-u koji je bio kompatibilan sa mojim (skromnim) budzetom. U Svetoj Gori, spavao sam u konaku manastira a obroke delio sa monasima.

1973

While the trip in 1971 was sudden and lasted only a few days, the trip in 1973 was planned and lasted a month and a half (including the ferry-boat trip to Bari (Italy) from Patras via Corfu).

I travelled by hitchhiking, which was a very popular way among young people for traveling at that time. The weather was calmer, and people were not afraid to pick up hitchhikers. To the islands of Crete and Rhodes (as well to Bari, Italy), I travelled by ferry, with the cheapest ticket sleeping on deck, meaning the ticket did not include a cabin. Even if it did, I would still choose to sleep on deck. It was summer, and it was much more pleasant outside. Besides, the company was excellent; youths from all over the world had flocked to Greece. I just don't understand where they disappeared after disembarking. I didn't meet them either in Rhodes or in Crete.

I mostly slept on beaches or in parks. An exception was Delphi and Mt Athos. In Delphi I spent nights in a 'Youth hotel' that was compatible with my (modest) budget. In Mt Atos I slept in pretty modest monastery accommodation and had meals with monks.

Sveta gora

Prva stanica (posle Soluna) bila je Sveta Gora. Света Гора (Атос) је планина и полуострво у североисточној Грчкој и важан је центар православног монашког живота. Она има аутономно државно уређење унутар Републике Грчке. Монашка Држава Света Гора и њене институције имају посебну јурисдикцију, која је потврђена приликом пријема Грчке у Европску заједницу. То је омогућило властима ове монашке државе да регулишу слободно кретање људи и добара на својој територији, односно да дозволи улаз само мушкарцима.

Mt Athos

The first stop (after Thessaloniki) was Mount Athos. Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in northeastern Greece and is an important center of Orthodox monastic life. It has an autonomous governmental structure within the Republic of Greece. The Monastic State of Mount Athos and its institutions have special jurisdiction, which was confirmed when Greece joined the European Community. This has allowed the authorities of this monastic state to regulate the free movement of people and goods on its territory, namely, to allow entry only to men.

Na Svetu Goru sam isao po uputsvima jednog mog profesora sa fakulteta koji je ucestvovao na obnovi manastira Hilandar. Odlazak na Svetu Goru nije bio jednostavan.

Prvo sam morao da u Solunu dobavim dozvole policije i crkvenih vlasti za odlazak na Svetu Goru. To je malo licilo na nasu birokratiju ali sam nekako uspeo.

Sveta Gora je na poluostrvu ali se do Kareje (administrativnog centra Svete Gore) stize camcem iz jednog malog mesta (mislim Ouranopoli. Ukrcao sam se na camac sa Vojom Bilbijom (poznatim karatistom) i njegovim saputnikom (mislim da mu je to bio brat). Inace, Voja je u to vreme vec bio stomatolog u Holandiji posle odlaska iz Srbije zbog diskfalifikacije iproblema sa bracom Jorga. Dopremao je sarkofag za mosti svetog Simeona Mirotocivog koji je uradio za manastir Hilandar. (Trenutno je Protojerej-stavrofor, staresina hrama u Roterdamu i obilazi zatvorenike Haskog tribunala u Seveningenu).

I went to Mount Athos following the instructions of one of my professors from the faculty who participated in the restoration of the Hilandar monastery. The trip to Mount Athos was not simple.

First, I had to obtain permits from the police and church authorities in Thessaloniki to go to Mount Athos. It resembled our bureaucracy a bit, but I somehow managed.

Mount Athos is on a peninsula, but you reach Karyes (the administrative centre of Mount Athos) by boat from a small place (I think it’s Ouranopoli). I boarded the boat with Vojo Bilbija (a well-known karate player at that time) and his companion (I think he was his brother). By the way, at that time, Vojo was already a dentist in the Netherlands after leaving Serbia due to disqualification and problems with the Jorga brothers. He was delivering a sarcophagus for the relics of Saint Simeon which he worked on for the Hilandar monastery. (He is currently a Protojerej-stavrofor, the parish priest in Rotterdam).

U Kareji je trebalo proci policijsku kontrolu, sto nije bio problem. Mnogo veci problem, bar za mene, bila je dozvola crkvenih vlasti.

Procedura je da cetiri predstavnika manastira iz Srbije, Grcke, Bugarske i Rusije, sklope pecat od cetvrtina koju svaki od njih drzi i da se tim pecatom odobri boravak od nedelju dana na Svetoj Gori. To skupljanje pecata i nije bilo problematicno ali je bila problematicna moja frizura; naima, duga kosa nije bila dozvoljena za posetioce. Ja sam imao dve opcije:

da se vratim ili
da se osisam.

Normalno, opcija “b” mi je bila primamljivija ali, i tu je nastao problem. Kareja nije kao obican grad. Na Svetoj Gori nema zena, nema restorana, nema frizerskih salona... Tu su samo predstavnistva manastira. Trebalo je naci makaze. Napokon, pronasli smo neke makaze (koje su vise licile za makaze za sisanje ovaca) i tu je u ulozi frizera bio Vojin saputnik a Voja je bio iza kamere i ovekovecio taj trenutak.

In Karyes, it was necessary to pass a police check, which was not a problem. A much bigger problem, at least for me, was the permission from church authorities. The procedure was that four representatives of the monasteries from Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, and Russia, need to assemble a seal from each of the quarters they represent, and this seal is required to approve a week's stay on Mount Athos. Collecting the seals was not problematic, but my hairst was; long hair was not allowed for visitors. I had two options:

to go back or
to get a haircut.

Naturally, option 'b' was more appealing to me, but that also posed a problem. Karyes is not like an ordinary town. There are no women on Mount Athos, no restaurants, no hair salons... There are only representatives of monasteries. We had to find scissors. Finally, we found some scissors (which were more like sheep shearing scissors), and playing the role of the hairdresser was Vojo’s companion, while Vojo was behind the camera, capturing that moment.

Na Svetoj Gori sam proveo 7 dana; jedan dan u manastiru Sveti Pantelejmon i 6 dana u manastiru Hilandar.

U Hilandaru, sem mene, Voje i njegovog brata, gosti su bili izvesni Mr Tacher, englez koji je radio na restauraciji fresaka i jedan nas iseljenik koji je stalno citao neke novine koje stampa nasa emigracja (secam se clanaka o kralju, cetnicima, Titu i komunistima (sa negativnom konotacijom) itd...)

Prilikom posete jednog napustenog skita, naisli smo na ogromnu zmiju. Od tada sam stalno nosio noz. Taj cin nije nailazio na odobravanje monaha. Po njima, zmija je otelotvorenje djavola i jedino oruzje protiv djavola je – krst. Ja, sam ipak imao vise poverenja u noz mada, mislim da je to imalo vise psiholoski neko prakticni efekat.

Bilo mi je dozvoljeno da slikam svugde ukljucujuci i unutrasnjost crkve. Na zalost, skoro svi filmovi su propali.

I spent 7 days on Mount Athos; one day in the monastery of Saint Panteleimon and 6 days in Hilandar monastery.

In Hilandar, besides me, Vojo, and his brother, were Mr. Tacher, an Englishman working on the restoration of frescoes and a Serbian emigrant who constantly read some newspapers published by our emigration (I remember articles about the king, the Chetniks, Tito, and communists (with a negative connotation), etc...)

During a visit to an abandoned monastery, we encountered a huge snake. Since then, I have constantly carried a knife. This action was not met with approval from the monks. According to them, the snake is the embodiment of the devil, and the only weapon against the devil is the cross. However, I had more trust in the knife, although I think that had more of a psychological effect than a practical one.

I was allowed to take pictures everywhere, including inside the church. Unfortunately, almost all the films were ruined.

Krit, Knosos

Knosos je bio glavni centar minojske civilizacije i poznat je po svojoj povezanosti sa grčkom mitologijom o Tezeju i minotauru. Mnogi smatraju da je Knosos najstariji grad u Evropi.

Knososom dominira monumentalna Palata Minosa. Najstariji delovi palate izgrađeni su oko 1900. godine pre nove ere na području koje se koristilo u ritualne svrhe još od neolita. Palata je razorena oko 1350. godine pre nove ere.

Mene su posebno impresionirale 2 stvari;

stbovi koji su u podnozju uzi i onda se sire pri vrhu sa vrlo jednostavnim kapitolom koji lici na djevrek
crtezi koji predstavljaju svecanosti i igre za razliku od ostalih mesta koji imaju uglavnom ratne motive

Creta, Knossos

Knossos was a major centre of the Minoan civilization and is known for its association with the Greek myth of Theseus and the minotaur. Knossos is considered by many to be the oldest city in Europe.

Knossos is dominated by the monumental Palace of Minos. The earliest parts of the palace were built around 1900 BC in an area that had been used for ritual feasting since Neolithic times. The palace was destroyed around 1350 BC.

I was particularly impressed by 2 things.

the columns that are narrow at the base and then widen at the top with a very simple donut-like capital
the drawings that mainly represent celebrations and games, unlike other places that deal with wars.

Krit, Matala

U 1960-im i 1970-im godinama, stotine hipija su živele u pećinama Matale (gradic na juznom delu ostrva), provodeći ceo dane na plaži, igrajuci uz svoju omiljenu muziku.

Do Mtale sam stigao iz Herakliona stopom, (sto je bio moj nacin putovanja u Grckoj). Stao mi je jedan motorciklista. Vrlo brzo sam zazalio na ponudjenoj voznji ali nisam imao priliku da ista promenim izuzev da se – molim. Molitve su urodile plodom; stigao sam ziv do Matale.

U vreme moje posete, plaze su bile uglavnom prazne sto je cudno obzirom na letnji period. To je ustvari bilo odlicno; u miru i tisini sam spavao na plazi u vreci i pokriven zvezdanim nebom.

Creta, Matala

In the 1960s and the 1970s, hundreds of hippies were living in the Matala caves, spending all day at the beach, dancing to their Favorite music

I arrived in Matala (city in the South part of the island) from Heraklion by hitchhiking, which was my way of traveling in Greece. A motorcyclist stopped for me. I quickly regretted accepting the ride, but I had no opportunity to change anything except to – pray. The prayers were answered; I arrived alive in Matala.

During my visit, the beaches were mostly empty, which is strange considering it was summer. This was actually great; I slept peacefully and quietly on the beach in a bag, covered by a starry sky.

1971

1971

Zejtinlik

Zeitenlik

Atina

Athens

Akropolj

Acropolis

1973

1973

Sveta gora

Mt Athos

Delfi

Delphi

Krit, Knosos

Creta, Knossos

Krit, Matala

Creta, Matala

Rodos

Rhodes