Photography

Old Parliament Building/Παλιά Βουλή

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Last Saturday I ventured downtown to get a few art supplies at an art and hobby store. As I was walking down Stadiou St. I noticed the old parliament building. In  the  past I  have stood in front of it to take pictures of the statue of Greek General Theodoros Kolokotronis who is depicted riding a horse . I had never been inside the building, but that day something came over me and I decided to follow the group of people that were heading into the building. There was no entrance fee or anything and I was free to wander everywhere.  The building was built in 1875 with plans by French architect Francois Boulanger and with foundations that were layed by Queen Amalia of Bavarian origin. After the Greek war of independence Greece had a monarchy for a short time that began in the late 19th century.The building has ceased to be used as a parliament building in 1932. The current parliament building is located at Syntagma square.

The parliament building is now the National Historical Museum. When I walked in I was awe-struck by the amount of historical artifacts that are displayed in the old building, from the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453 to the Second World War.  Also, there are costumes and works of art from drawings to paintings and statues from different time periods and many weapons that were used during the many wars that Greece participated in.

 

National Park of Athens/Εθνικός Κήπος

One of the most beautiful places to visit in Athens is the National Garden of Athens (Ethnikos Kipos). After visiting the park recently I decided to do some research and I found out some interesting facts about this enchanting place. The parks’ original name was ‘The Royal Garden’ . It was designed by Queen Amalia (Greece had a monarchy at the time) and constructed in 1836 by the  architect to the royals Friedrich von Gaertner .  There is a small zoo containing different species of birds and a duck pond.  Also, there is a closed off section with Roman baths and pieces of Adrians’ wall.  Another remnant of antiquity is the canal that dates back to the time of the Greek tyrant Peisistratos.  It surprised me when I discovered that American writer and painter Henry Miller  visited the park in the 1930’s and wrote that “It remains in my memory like no other park I have known. It is the quintessence of a park, the thing one feels sometimes in looking at a canvas or dreaming of a place one would like to be in and never finds.”

The bust of the first president of Greece Ioannis Kapodistrias

Crossing the Bridge

Roman Letters

50 shades of Green

I’m not your stepping stone..

Business Meeting..

He loves me he loves me not..

Birds lining up..

No balloon buyers today..

Athens Classical Marathon/Κλασικος Μαραθωνιος Αθηνων

After years of violent protests it was wonderful to finally witness something completely different and positive.  Greek spirits were lifted- at least for the day.

The Athens Classical Marathon took place on a warm and sunny day on November 11th. A record number of  marathon runners, over 26, 000, participated in the event.  There were many people who flew in from all over the world to take part in the marathon. The winner of the 30th anniversary of the marathon was Raymond Kimutai Bett from Kenya.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Burdens of Atlas/Το Βαρος Του Ατλας

Mixed-media colage on 24 x 32 cm paper
By Angela Zafiris

For my latest collage titled ‘The Burdens of Atlas’ I used a photograph of a statue of Atlas that was in a shop window in a souvenir shop in Athens. I printed it using a laser jet printer and then I painted over the photo since it was a black and white photograph.  I wrote a poem inspired by the myth of Atlas with some inspriring words at the bottom.

We can all relate to the symbolism of of the Titan Atlas in Greek mythology. Atlas was condemned to carry the Uranus (sky) on his shoulders by Zeus when the Titans lost their battle against the Olympians.

When we walk down the street we see people who are not free. They walk with their guilt, anger, fear and other negative emotions on their backs. These emotions and feelings are weighing people down.  They feel heavy like Atlas. We all  must release these burdens from our backs and learn to love themselves so that they can love others.

 ATLAS

By: Angela Zafiris

With the burdens of a thousand years

Come down from the clouds

Walk on solid ground

Look to the sky once and a while

You walk alone with the burdens of a thousand

Years on your shoulders

Disappointments and regrets you must forget

You have lived, you have lived.

Webs And Petals-Αραχνες και Πεταλα

By Angela Zafiris

I recently tried to make some of my own potpourri, but something went wrong. I opened the air tight container, after a few days, and I found my rose petals covered in spider webs. A huge spider crawled out. I don’t know how it got in there. Perhaps it was in the container and I had not seen it before I closed it? I thought it looked strange and beautiful so I took  a photo. So glad that my potpourri experiment failed!