History Lessons

Greek 1 (Christos) and Greek 2 (Theo)

You learn so much during travel to ancient historic places like Greece. I am not talking about Zan learning for the first time the six year old SUV she drives every day has a CD player. And I am not talking about seeing little 90 year old men (Theo and "brother" Chris) carrying luggage, walking stairs and sightseeing Athens all day with the stamina of mountain goats. What I am talking about is visiting a country that as recently as 1947 won its independence from Turkish rule. A country where the guards of the tomb of their unknown soldier wear skirts with 300 pleats to remind them of the 300 year oppression of Moslem kings. A country where they erected a statue (see Helen's post) to a Greek Orthodox priest who, when ordered by Nazi occupiers to provide a list of Jews in Athens gave them a list with only one name: His. Finally it is seeing a Greek flag flying over the Acropolis and learning that a Greek soldier wrapped himself in it and jumped off the shear walls to his death to keep from having to give it to the Germans after being required to take it down at gunpoint.

The flag at the Acropolis

I am speaking more here of the fascinating recent history of this birthplace of western civilization. More so even the history of a people that--like Theo finding his way to America--Persevere. It was mesmerizing to sit at the rooftop bar of the Gran Britagne Hotel--which was the headquarters of the Nazi commandant and later the British army--and with the Parthanon in the background to listen to Theo describe how he as a police officer was given the honor of taking down the Nazi flag in the villages he served and that they still have the pistol of such a celebrity. You learn that a Greek policeman had an uncle in Alabama who sent him a ticket to fly to America from London and $40 to get from Pareskevi to London. After taking some wrong turns he ended up in Yugoslavia and then Brussels low on money. A Greek doctor learned of his plight and let him borrow a lab coat so he could eat free in the hospital cafeteria in London while waiting for his flight. The rest is American history. Theo loves the U.S. He worked 47 years making orange juice and retired at 89. The real gold watch he was given was passed around to all the travelers on the rooftop overlooking Stygmata Square. He is an American who also loves to return to visit his Greek family. How he ended up in America is a good story. And we Americans should all be glad he--and many others like him--made it.