Friday, 21 September 2007

MORE EYE-SIGHTS

Perhaps more than some of the other great cities of the world - Paris, Venice, Amsterdam, New York, Sydney - Athens takes a little time to embrace the visitor and we've met people who've dismissively said: "Well, I was there for a day once and that was more than enough!"

I'm not sure that last year we didn't have a similar reaction (after just two days) but this year's return visit - when there was more time for street-wandering and people-watching and no obligation to clamber up all those slippery marble steps to the Parthenon - I felt that we had begun to establish a somewhat better rapport with Athena's city.

So, here are a few more eye-sights of, on this occasion, Athenian arty eye-sites---

Athens has quite a lot of public art and statuary, some of which is rather strange...


And some of which (like this exhibit in a sky-light from the metro) strange but rather wonderful...


There are several expensive (AmEx customers only!) art shops...


As well as other less exclusive points of sale...


There are also occasional opportunities to enjoy live-ish music...


...though concerts are sometimes rather poorly attended!

But when it comes to the Ancient Greeks, there is much to commend their arty-facts for their wonderful sense of fun such as these interesting bird-animals...


These delightful little jug-creatures that pre-date Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Walt Disney and the Surrealist movement by several thousand years...


And an refreshingly unabashed attitude to the ins and outs of sex!



Images: © Brian Sibley, 2007

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It`s seems that after centuries and oriental invasions (turks) the greeks still have a very particular sense of art and artistic emotion.

Thank you again for this kind of post, I`m learning very much of the prsent Greece.

Anonymous said...

I don't know what to compliment : the photos or the actual objects!
Makes me want to go back there!

Elliot Cowan said...

If I might say.
Melbourne is a much better city than Sydney.
I've been reading but not contributing.
You seem to be having a very jolly time indeed.