Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Athens in Turmoil


Byzantine Church Athens
Originally uploaded by thistleamy5
There have been riots in Athens for the past week after the police shooting and death of a 15 year old from northern Greece. I always hate to see Greece in the news this way - as there is so much about Greece and the people there that is so wonderful. But the political situation there has always been volatile - pretty much since they gained independence from Turkey in 1821.

Although Greece and Athens was the birthplace of democracy - it has had a hard time regaining that glory in modern times. It is something Greeks are always in conflict over and is reflected in their modern poetry and art.

It's a fascinating and beautiful place - and I hope they find political peace soon - it likely means that the current Prime Minister Karamanlis will be deposed.

So this picture is absolutely no reflection of what I'm talking about - but it is a beautiful Byzantine church.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

beautiful indeed. a~