Granddaughter's Love by Christina Papadopoulou

Dedicated to my grandmother and to all those who stood next to her at the difficult and last months of her life. Let's keep in our memory her good moments. Nobody can take those away from us, ever after. Special thank to Frank James Keremes for his help. She is no longer where she was but she is everywhere. Christina Papadopoulou

Note from the author In this true story, biography, the narrative sequence of events and stories are not recorded in full and strict time sequence. The granddaughter while is growing up is coming very close to her grandmother and records the words and dialogues with her. She gives the explanations with the logic of a child, but later the same words from grandmother acquire new meaning. And vice versa. Although the granddaughter has explained them with the intelligence of an adult person, she wanders back to childhood, in an actualness that was lost, where the grandmother's stories are becoming three-dimensional and acquire colors and fragrances, as in the fairy tales. With her own way, grandmother is perpetuating the existence of the Greek cities of other times. The protection of her grounds with almost daily repetition becomes an experience for the child. The subsequent verification, turns into a powerful emotion for the granddaughter. Thank you, Grandma.

«GRANDDAUGHTER’S LOVE» by Christina Papadopoulou A’ ISSUE 10/10/10 B’ ISSUE 10/10/15

GRANDDAUGHTER’S LOVE When we flip through albums with family pictures, we, the common mortal people realize, how much we've grown up, depending on the number of crosses in these black and white or color, glossy or matte, papers of time capsule. 

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From left: aunt Arcadia, aunt Stassa, ms. Marika, ms.Viktoritsa, grandmother Alexandra, aunt Hariklia, Fotini, Alexander, grandfather Vassilis, aunt Zeta, aunt Maria, grandmother Evmorfia 

We see a photo of the clan, with faces so familiar yet so distant now and we start counting crosses: her, she left us long time ago, and him, he passed away I can't remember how many years, and her, she died last year, and here is our uncle, may God forgive him and here is our beloved grandfather. Unfortunately this year, grandmother passed the horizon and thus we added one more cross. 

What strongly etched in my memory is the mother of my mother taking me in her arms, gently kissing me and telling me: "my child's child is twice my child". 

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Grandmother Alexandra

She was my grandmother, and while I was able to speak with grandmother, I could feel grandchild. Now, I just want to talk about grandmother. For the years before I was born, of course, I cannot have a personal opinion, but I can convey in this small tribute everything she had told me about herself. Everything that moved her or made her very happy, just a little or not at all. 6

The fact is to attempt to make a journey through time. However is impossible in advance to enumerate exactly how many details the memory can recover. This effort, looks like a dive to me. I start from the surface and I do not know how deep I will go. I will just try to remember and capture as many things I can. Besides, its been said that we knew someone well when we can say about him as many details as possible. 

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The certificate of birth and baptism of grandmother Alexandra 

She was born in Constantinople on the 3rd of January in 1915. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople had issued her certificate of birth and Baptism. She was the first of the seven children of the family of Stefanos Galanos and Cornelia Asikoglou. 7

Her baptismal name was Loxandra. She was celebrating the day of Orthodoxy. Due to the Greek naturalization formalities, she took the name Alexandra.

Aunt Hariklia, grandmother Alexandra, Glykeria (her sister-in-law) and aunt Arcadia. Note on the reverse side: August 1933 Friday 25th at Altin Kum (Golden Sand)

After half of a century and more, from the forced uprooting, my grandmother was remembering details from her hometown, like a day has not passed. It happens to those who leave one place and leave. They keep in their memory so many images with clean and clear notes, instead to those who stay in one place they can forget everything after having so many smudges. From the dust of everyday life. 8

So let's begin "immediately" like she used to say. What she liked, what moved her, what was her weakness, what were her habits. I close my eyes, but I leave my soul wide open to view like a film some pictures of my grandmother, her words and her sweet smile. 

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Grandmother Alexandra feeding chickens 

She was calm, quiet and always soft-spoken. She had quite a free spirit. She often liked to walk barefoot, to be blown by the air, to swim. She didn't get cold ever and never shivering. When she was falling to sleep, even in winter, she was telling me: "My feet to get cold? Those are like oven". The cold never bothered her anyhow. "On the contrary" she always said. At home, the windows were permanently open. "To fresh a little the house, my child" I heard her say. 9

In the sitting room, a small room of the house in New Smyrni during the summer the temperature was not noticeable no matter how hot was outside. There was an endless fresh air current because the house was bright. There was also the big sofa, her favorite boast. "Oh, nice breeze," she was saying sighing. Reminiscent of the village. Grandmother's love for her village was enormous, her stories full of passion. I know this village, through her soul. For her, was a part of her life, a chapter from her dreams, for me a piece I wanted to embrace. I have not been there, but always wanted to write something about it. Perhaps, because one day, our teacher in second elementary, gave us to write an essay with the subject "A trip to my village". My unhappiness was indescribable. I felt I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a village of my own. "How to describe my village without even seeing it first", I asked her. "Do you want to know how it was called the village where I grew up? Tsegkelkioi" she said sweetly. I asked spontaneously: "Tsegkelkioi? What kind of name is this! What does it mean, grandma"? "Ă&#x2021;engel in Turkish language means hook. They named the place Anchor-chori (village of anchors), they called it Aggelo-chori (village of angels), but they called it also Angouro-chori (village of cucumbers) do you think because of the famous small cucumbers which the village produced and were popular in the markets of the city?" and she laughed with the wondering look at my face. "Listen, I'll tell you a 10

story. Right where Asia is over and just about where Europe starts to take shape, at the eastern beaches of Vosporos (Bosporus), there is a picturesque village, beautiful, lush green, full of trees and rich vegetation, with clean peaceful heaven, with churches and holy waters. There is still in our days the Greek Orthodox church of Agios Georgios Chrysokeramos (with gold ceramics) great grace of him". She was doing her cross and continued. "It is built from the very ancient years" (the image of the Saint dates from 1580).

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Map of Vosporos, M. BarbiĂŠ du Bocage, 1784 (noted as Protos Discos)

After the bay of Stenis (means narrow), is Tsegkelkioi (Protos Discos means first disc). If you are crossing the village from one side you reach Stavros (village of Cross, Beiler-Bay). From the other is Kouleli with the Military School. Behind is the mountain of Damatrys. In the hills of the village, there are Boulgourlou-ntag (mountain of 11

olives) and the Jackal-ntag (mountain of jackals). The village is crossed by a small river "the bachelor" as the elders named it, Bekiar-Dere, the lonely river will fit better. There was permanently a fresh breeze, healthy, and the springs were giving light and tasty drinking water. The village was famous for its springs. That's why temples, monasteries and Agiasmata were built there. What are for us the small chapels, are Agiasmata for Polis (the City). There was a green valley, pure magic. Countless springs with crystal waters and flavored mountains. The hills were covered with shade from trees, maple, chestnut trees, ferns and pleasant aromas of mayflower, mints flowers, pennyroyal, oregano, irises, cyclamen, salkimi and heathers. Greeks and Turks were living together. This village has history from the ancient years and the Byzantine era". Not only titled Christians were permanent residents in Tsegkelkioi, there were also the Sultans of the vast Ottoman Empire. All beaches were also properties of the Sultans. At the time of Selim III, when the ban was revoked in order to be foreign nationals residing in Bithynian coast, Europeans were added. Wealthy, nobles and ambassadors gathered in the beautiful shores of Vosporos. Tsegkelkioi acquires prestige and reputation and becomes a resort center. From the time of Sultan Mahmud I (1696), Ahmed III, Amptoulmetzit, Mahmoud II, Murad IV until the last sultan Vachntettin (1922), palaces for summer 12

are there. Many of grandmother's stories for the Sultan’s seraglio or the Pasha's palace did not differ at all from fairy tales: "Turkish women with clothes from precious fabrics of lahore, with expensive ornaments of gold, danced under the sounds of tambourines and drums. Fumes from lula's hookahs and smells of expensive perfume, flare the imagination of anyone behind the closed doors. Those who had access to the palaces were talking about hidden doors, secret passages, underground crypts, but also for huge reception rooms, interiors covered with "sentefi" (mother of pearl), swimming pools with marble columns, gardens with statues and rare tree species". 

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View of Tsegkelkioi from Mesachoro (Ortakoy), engraving (gravure) of 1850 

There is no doubt that the natural beauty of the place was giving peace and was creating devoutness. All references for this seaside village, not only from historians and scholars, but also from ambassadors, nobles and guests, are overflowing with admiration and poetic mood. 13

"The Vosporos Strait was like a flowing river which delineates meanders towards the Propontis", her words were like paintings. I can travel mentally with her descriptions. Her speech was effortless. She was talking about the breath of nature, the trees she climbed on, the variety of the fruits she cut, the birds she heard. She was able to stood out even the sounds of woodcocks, blackbirds, kallimani (small migratory bird), ducks, starlings, moorhens, partridges and skylarks. Everywhere around were orchards, vegetable gardens and flower gardens. The gardens in the palace of Beiler-Bay were famous. Precious seeds had been brought from the depths of the East.

Tsegkelkioi on a recent photo

The smell of wet ground after a gentle rainfall made her talking for hours for her village. She reminded it to her. She said that "the earth was there otherwise, fertile, the soil was productive. Everywhere your eyes touched, you could see green, green everywhere", she insisted. ď&#x192;

Cherry tree, strawberry, plum, quince, fig and date palm tree flourished in the rich and fertilizer soil. There were nine types of pomegranate (rodia), depending the flavour, they had names, like: anthorodia, glykorodia, rodosiropo, kontorodia etc. "If you asked for a fine wine, everybody knew the famous vineyards of Tsegkelkioi. They even knew the vineyards with the name of the owner, so were the vineyards of Xenis, of Karababas, of Gavrilis, of Katingos and so many others. Taverns then, were over 20. At Voutsa's, frequented the gourmets. Fun until morning, accompanied by mandolins". These appropriate flat and slightly sloped areas with sandy clay red earth are connected with the history of Tsegkelkioi since the 11th century. The monks of the Monastery of Angel produced wine, which the great scholar Michael Psellos liked very much. Unfortunately, in 1935 the phylloxera destroyed the vineyards. The only ones that survived and were left to grow were the cucumbers or "cool" as people called them there. The "roussika" is a variety of small cucumbers, which were known by the name "Tsegkelkioi bantemi". The location of the village is meridian, the orientation is south-southeast. The climate is mild Vosporian. The rains make Vosporos humid and Tsegkelkioi is even more humid. The icy winters are bearable, but the summer breeze cools permanently and relaxes from the suffocating atmosphere of Polis (the City, Constantinoupolis). 15

At various times this Asian Vosporos suburb of population has increased and has been densely populated. Apart from the good climate, the village flourishing because of the regular ferries to Polis (the capital city, Constantinoupolis, means the City of Constantine). The first boat makes the transportation route to Tsegkelkioi is mentioned in 1826. The first motorboat with high smokestacks and hoops (wheels) belongs to the Sultan and his court and serve the harems. The noisy boats with wheels are covered with carpets, luxurious lounges and crystal chandeliers. Due to the demand of the people, the first steamboat company acquires fast profits and orders more "Araba-ships". Residents, workers and visitors are using at the beginning small boats and after a while larger ones carrying up to 1000 passengers. ď&#x20AC;

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Grandmother continued: "for everybody who came and left, the first step was on the pier (skala). This pier was the main crossing point for more than a 16

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The pier (i skala for greek, iskele for turkish) 

century until a modern bridge was built to improve the infrastructure. From the pier we used to take the same boat, the "Süreyya" to go to the "bezesteni" which resembles a modern mall because the stores are under the same roof and at the hammam (steam rooms) of the City. If you could see the village! The landscape, what a beauty! Picturesque "kagikchanades" (vaulted recesses in houses that protected boats), and "gialia" (mansions) mirrored in the clear water in a skittish way. Almost all the gialia belong to Greeks. There was the giali of Pancho's, of Isako's, of Kalantzis', of Kalfa's, a little further of Andrea's Kalpaktsis. The point where the old boats were loaded, in order to get products from the village and bring them at the City's bazaars, was called "chamaloskala". There was IordanisHatzipavlidis’ giali, a rich and famous lumberman. His sons, Paul and Dorotheos had just abandoned it. 17

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Tsegkelkioi, between the two pictures the time distance seems big, but their creators, stood at the same point: at the pier (skala, iskele). In the bottom photo, the mansion of IordanisHatziPavlides stands fully renovated, but the building is Turkish property now. ď&#x20AC;

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Who shall I tell you first? Thomas Kaloudis the flour merchant, Nicolas Papadopoulos the oil merchant, the family of Ethnopoulos with the chocolate industry, the benefactors Liaros and Chatzopoulos, the casino of Chatzoglou and the billiards where gathered all the aristocrats and nobles, the publisher Anastasiadis with his "rawhide" (the best city's magazine). I will tell you one thing and you will understand. 18

Vast fortunes and they were all greek. Oh! Times have changed and one by one the mansions came into the hands of Ottoman nobles. One unwritten law of the 18th century established the Greek to be painted gray and the other white or green. Gray was the giali of Soutzouktsi sisters; the next one belonged to Lisa. It was the mansion of Amia Basiliki. With Â˝ piaster, the girls in my time, in order not to expose their beauty in public, were restricted to the garden of the mansion and swimming there during summers. After that, it was an open space we called it "nymfopazaro" (bride bazaar) because girls were gathered there and boys were thrown fleeting glances. Beyond this area frequented by the boys, it was called "gampropazaro" (groom bazaar), what else would we call it? Right next to this property, was the village's open-air cinema and before it was named "Yildiz park" an open-air center where they were playing Greek music. Just beyond, the "karvounadika" (carbon factory) bordered with the ouzo factory "raki fabrikasi" as the Turks called it. The strong odor of anise created intoxicating atmosphere. Kontides was the owner, much known brand raki then. And that went to foreign hands. Ah, the village had places to walk, shady hills with magnificent view. From the green balcony, you could see towards with a glance Xyrokrini and St Dimitris, Mega Revma with the Byzantine Temple of the Archangels and the Prophet Elias and with a 19

little imagination you could see all the Greek villages, until the Vathyryaka". Her words were like a colorful palette for the traditional neighborhoods: "the Turkish women with their "giasmakia" (veil), argued which would be the first to invite a Greek neighbor. It was an honor to drink coffee or tea and have in their home, a Greek woman. Near Bekiar-Dere, was the villa of Tzenanou. Everybody believed that she was Greek, she always wore golden expensive ornaments and clothes and every Friday she made her "namazi" (prayer). She made charities, fond of the Greeks and after she died, we learned she was Turkish, her name was Nadire. The central district was packed and crowded because everyone went down in the bargain, at the central market of the village. Angelides had at the center of the village the famous tavern for the barleycorns. A graphic person frequented there, Valianos a rabelaisian comic. When he was around, they expelled children away, not to hear. Within the precincts of the church of St. George, was the school in where was a place to stay the Mukhtar (the mayor) Christidis. A few steps further were Thanasis and Irini Papagiannis with their three children, Anthony, Anna and Iphigenia, we used to call her Fifika. There were also Pantelis the barber, the Kalfopoulos brothers, Alekos, Katina the dressmaker, Pipika and Athena. Somewhere there was the clinic of Helen Karkasoglou the 20

pediatrician and after Stavros Voutiras with his sisters, Fotika and Ntomna. There was also the painter Nikos Palaiopoulos, Anthony Karagiannidis the priest with his daughter Effie, the Christidis' family with three sons, Bob, Chris the pharmacist and Byron. Stratos and Theano Alexandridis had the patisserie in Sirkeci. Then it was the house of Philip and Marika the "kampouritsa" (hunchback). It was there the shop of Elias Tsaliki the "sompatzi" (plumber). Then it was the home of Spyros Kollias the "avgoulas" (egg seller)". The trade had so many varieties. Furriers, stonecutters, carbon sellers, gardeners. Due to the vast land and soil texture, vegetables and flowers made the village became very prospetable and with the help of boats everything had been transported quickly and in large quantities in the markets of the City. The florists boast for famous klagior, large chrysanthemums and roses in all colors. Carters, porters, town criers, peddlers, farriers, tinkers, skippers, they added their own distinct sounds in the scene of daily life. The pedlar in neighborhoods with a loaded donkey trumpeted his merchandise, singing for the alpha alpha quality products, fresh eggs and okra: "bamya da bamya, taze yumurta (turkish)". The kids around him, asked him to sing the same verse again but to catch the tone a little more sweet, a little more higher: "azazik tatatli". This was repeated until the pedlar's voice sound like a 21

soprano or shall I say like a castrato. Then he perceived that the kids teased him. And then he started to chase and catch them, ostensibly to punish them. The kids were running to hide and the same game was repeated the next day again. Again and again. It was just an innocent game of my grandmother's era. She said: "from children, what did you expect for? This seemed to us so funny and we were bursting out laughing". 

She taught me more turkish, she knew, she spoke quite well, she understood. Like: "tencere yuvarlandi kapagi vourntou" that means, the pan has rolled and found the lid. Another Turkish proverb says something like this in their language: "doğru yolda şaşırma", meaning there is no reason to boggling when you are going straight ahead. Doğrumeans straight. "He is namikioris", "your cat is very sourtouko", "leave him, he is zevzekis" "you are tzanampetis", "do not pay attention to her, she is kakamigka", "go away you, saloz bereket", "damn the afortzis (deadhead)", were some of her expressions. 

The "Romnakia" (young Christian Greeks) had their own code to communicate. When they wanted to show denial, drooped the head backwards while flapped the tongue between the front teeth producing an inward sound "nts". When they wanted to show stubbornness they hit with one hand as fist the other hand into the palm. 22

In case they wanted to show satisfaction for a positive reason e.g. a nice piece of sweet, but also for a negative reason e.g. for some unfriendly person who apparently experienced some misfortune, rather than say "good for him", they were joining the fingertips of one hand and lowered it at the height of the belly while they were gently frowning their lips. ď&#x20AC;

The children were always willing to do errands for the elders but they were also ready to do some innocent pranks. Their monotony was interrupted with the strong, loud and clear voice of the muezzin. His call to prayer from the minaret, was taking place five times a day. ď&#x20AC;

During the Ottoman Empire the muezzins were the most well paid workers. It was a continuous display of skill of euphonious but also an effective way to control every good Muslim who wherever he was, whatever he was doing, had to stop and pray. Otherwise, if he was not working he had to visit the nearest "tzami" (mosque) to pray there, because Islam considers this is the better way, than to pray alone. At noon every Friday, the mosque filled with worshipers on the holiest prayer. The space inside naked, without pictures, statues or candles. The floor was capped with carpets. The imam on the "minbari" (pulpit) was ready for the sermon. According to the ritual, the faithful before entering the mosque should take their shoes off and 23

wash their feet, hands and face, in a special area outside the mosque. Once the Romnakia heard from the muezzin the characteristic call "allah ou akbar" which is meaning "God is great" gathered and lurking. Mischief was in the air. From the time the prayer started and when all were committed to the spiritual contact with Allah, the team turned into a force lightning. It was a well practice operation where the children would mix up as many pairs of shoes as possible, as fast as they could. ď&#x20AC; When the result showed satisfactory, the kids scattered back into their hiding places. Half hidden behind corners, columns, trees, etc., waited impatiently for the show to follow. By the end of the prayer, all the believers were trying to find their mate pair. Some of them very hasty were leaving with two right sandals, some clever ones were leaving with new shoes and some holders of unfortunate pairs just stood there and cursing. "This was all and all our practical joke. We did not steal, did not cause any damage, on the contrary we offered a help hand whenever we could".ď&#x20AC; She remembered her neighbors and friends Lafazanides, the siblings Nick, Aleko, Eleni and Theodosia and Mr. Soulouvardis with his "gkiougkioumia" (large pots) filled with rice pudding, which he was distributing free to the children because he did not have children of his own. She remembered the Gardens of Chliampou 24

with the highest quality and famous vegetables and the river as a natural boundary separating the gardens of Katina from those of Andronikos. She remembered names like Theresia, Sofronia, Fevronia, Romalea, Philomela, Belisarius and Aristofron. Everyone with one history, one joy, one grief, one disaster, one lost child, one home burned. Food, was cooked on the brazier. Water, was brought with the pitcher from the source. Woods, should have been gathered for the cold days before the winter. Lamp or candle, that was all the lighting. The donkey was the only means of transportation. In the village, life had no comfort. But there was solidarity and companionship. "At the paved road in the village, where is the center square, was standing proud the "fountain of Vizier". The name was given because the Vizier (Ziyi Pasha Yusuf) of the Sultan (Mahmud A, 1750) built and managed with special pipes to bring water from the slopes of mountain "Boulgourlou". Do you understand how important it was to have water close to our homes?" she was checking on me to see if I follow her, but she had my full attention all the time. "Most buildings were wooden. The fire was always threatened. When someone needed help, all the villagers gave a hand, but since it was necessary we had a group of firefighters (from 1880). The "touloumpatzides" with hoses and pumps were running to prevent the menace. 25

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Firemen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Constantinople ď&#x20AC;

Like how many buildings were burned and they became ashes. The "karakoli" (police station) was one of them. It was built since the time of Ampntoulmetzit (1823) by then had settled constables and night watchmen in the village. The seraglio of the Sultan was also burned, trees, pines, everything gone". Wooden shacks, or "homes built with saliva" as she described them as a matter of speaking, next to the palaces and mansions, reveal the social contrast. The Christian temples and Agiasmata on one hand, the mosques and the dervish dens on the other, formed the image of the religious contrast that prevailed then. However, the Greeks were free to celebrate religious holidays and festivals dancing. Once a year they went to Catalonia (holy water). The region was "vakifi" (tribute). The place belonged to the Greek community as an estate, but modulating or constructing was not permitted. 26

There, the day of St. John, they lit big fires on the age-old custom, the "klydona". Laughter, dancing and fun with ouzo, wine and snacks all over the night. Close to Catalonia, was the Agiasma, the chapel of Saint Panteleimon. In the casino it was there that many friends entertained beneath the deep-shaded trees, the plain trees. "It is also a plain tree, if only this tree could have mouth to talk about everything its 800 year old roots have seen. Trees like these want a lot of water. Where you see spring water there is a plain tree, where you see a source there is one Agiasma, as a Greek proverb is saying. The water was the great wealth of the village. Wherever you find yourself and wherever you stand, there is a holy water. At St Panteleimon many people came from everywhere, believers, votary and patients. This is how we got the slogan "blinds and lames, all at St Panteleimon". It was the holy water of the Ascension, of St. Theodore between Tsegkelkioi and Vanikioi, of St. Anthony behind seraglio, this one was inside a crypt, there were two sets of stairs. And how many more, ah, they have ruined everything. They left nothing standing up". Then she stopped abruptly. "Why your village had so many names, why they called it, the village of the grab?" I asked. "Because from the very old years, many people wanted to take over our lands" always complement with a sigh. 27

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Friends from Tsegkelkioi, grandma Alexandra next to her father, Stefanos (at right), aunt Hariklia in front, at left aunt Arcadia and behind Cornelia Galanou. Hand note of the picture: 17.6.1931 Souvenir Ascension at Namaz Chiachi. 

With her verbal details, every corner, every alley, every door was built in my mind. However, there was a lack of image. There was no photograph that depicts everything I heard from my grandmother. I was surprised when she showed me one photo once, but a wistful look was in her eyes and a whole whine came out of her: "This isn’t my village, but it looks like it, that's why I kept it". 

On the occasion of this tribute to her, I was searching for a picture of the location and also for the name issue. My surprise was huge when I realized that the path at the flow of time has been walked by many historians, travelers, scholars, Greeks and foreigners. An excerpt says features "the village over time, knew various names, such as: Protos Discos (First Disc), Ta Metanoias (The Repentance), Ta Sofiana (Sofia's), Sygkelou Chora (Angel's country), Agkyrochorion (Anchor's country), Chrysokeramos (Gold ceramic). The changes in its names contributed to the perpetuation of Tsegkelkioi, which is one of the 40 villages in Vosporos. As for its name now, like otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s villages (Therapia for greek means Treatment, Tarabya for turkish, Steni for greek means Narrow Istinye for turkish, Scutari for greek Uskudar for turkish) is purely Greek. Vosporos, this passage of strategic importance, was attacked by so many people (Persians, Arabs, Crusaders, etc.), this geological phenomenon of the unexpected maneuver, strong currents and endless stories of shipwrecks, this watery shaft length of 28,540 m, from the depths of the centuries, has a Greek history. In 497 BC Strabo, the ancient historian confirms the Greek genius and says at Vosporos, the inhabitants are fishermen, and impose tax on passing ships. "Ekektinto (took over) ships" and received a "tithe". The tax that is equal to the value of one tenth of a passing cargo ship. 29

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Vosporos, the narrowest point, Rumeli Hisar known as the Devil's Stream ď&#x20AC;

Diodorus, in 416 BC says that small towns (villages) of Vosporos were very well organized. Alcibiades, with a fleet and army fully in 411 BC, restored the state of Athens in Hellespont, Propontis and Vosporos and Lysimachus in 323 BC says the Greek cities of Thrace, Black Sea and Vosporos prospered because distinguished by the genius of the people that obtain in the lucrative trade through comfortable and effortless living. The history of Vosporos continues to fill volumes. Persians, Athenians, Spartans, Macedonians, Romans, Gauls dominated one after another. The aim was always Vosporos and the maritime rights paid by the passing ships. In the 2nd century AD the village was baptized for the first time, and acquires the name "First Disc" by the historian Dionysius Byzantium in his monumental work "Anaplous of Vosporos". In the 6th century AD Justinian and Theodora build the monastery "Ta Metanoias" (on top of the ruins of an ancient Greek temple). The village now is called "Ta Metanoias" (the Repentance). 30

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The next empress Sophia, desiring to gain more fame and popularity from her aunt, builds a palace in the village and renamed it as "Sofiana" (Sophiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) by imperial order from Justin. In the next two centuries (865-1043) six times, the Russians failed to conquer Constantinople, but destroyed the coastal villages of Vosporos, which were unprotected and without defense capability. In times of Byzantines and Ottomans fighting is reported that in 970 AD the village was looted. The new name is Tsengel and means hook. Is it a Turkish word indeed or a Greek word after corruption? A sad but also established fact by scholars and archaeologists is that from the ancient monuments were built and from the monasteries, the Byzantine churches and palaces, nothing has been left. From the church of the Monastery of the Cross (after the 17th century the name Beiler Bay showed), from the church of Angels, from the church of Virgin Mary or from the Monastery of Repentance only shadow wanders in the descriptions of historians and valuable sources of Byzantine texts. 31

According to those the Great Angel was the patron of the Strait and for this reason, four churches had been built face to face, two in the European coast in Rumeli-Kavak and Mega Revma, and two in East-Kavak and Tsegkelkioi. From the 612 AD the "Monastery tou Anggelou" (of the Angel), seals the existence of the village, by giving to the place, name and identity: "Ta iS Anggelou" means "the place of the Angel". Ancient aqueducts, tombs, columns, tombstones were found in excavations and numerous reports and descriptions by historians argue that the magnificent church of the Great Angel (built by Justinian 527-565 AD) was there. "Here, there it is, Ta iS Anggelou" believers would say seeing the imposing and striking temple. So, the village rests with this name under the shadow of the Angel. Why only shadows and no trace? There is an explanation. The golden temples and palaces of the Byzantine period were targets for looting and for predatory attacks of the Persians, Avars, Slavs, Bulgarians, Russians, Arabs, Latins and how many other people. Spring water, buildings made of white marble, carved stones and columns were the best building materials for the palaces and mosques for the Ottomans. The easy access to such storage and the lack of protection of the historical monuments summarily completed the acquisition of world heritage and historical memory. 32

In 1204 when the City was occupied by Latinos, the clerics and the monks left their monasteries and took refuge in the Black Sea, the Dardanelles and elsewhere such as in Bithynia. Immediately after the fall of the City in 1453, all turned into turkish occupation. The name of the place is Tsegkel-kioi (Anchor-village), pronounced after alteration tseggel from the greek words "ta is aggelou" and with the ending -kioi which is used for the villages. The official name "Chrysokeramos" from the 17th century AD in church ledgers came from the golden ceramic tiles of St. George, very old church with Byzantine symbols, Hellenistic and Roman inscriptions in relief. Mehmet the Conqueror impressed from the golden tiles of the temple called the place "Tsegkiar Karigesi", the golden-green village. Although with the exchange of populations, many Greeks left in 1922, the heart of the village was still greek. Those who remained suffered the "Septembriana" (09.07.1955), the nightmarish September events that forced to persecute the rest of the Greeks. Vandalism, destruction of shops, homes, churches, and schools, organized gangs frightened and injured each greek soul. The destruction was total in Tsegkelkioi. When the news arrived in Athens, grandmother was devastated. She understood that the village was no longer the same. In her memory sealed the images of each district as best as she could. These were her consolation. Her instructions were clear: 33

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In this sketch there are all the districts of Tsegkelkioi: Vrochthoi, Koula, Center, Holy Water, Bakirtzidika, Yeni mahala, Chavouzmpasi, Bekiar-Dere and Cross 

"The main path from Kerime Hatun Mosque and to the left brings the name Bakirtzibassi-sokak means the street of the chief coppersmith. The district was named "Bakirtzidika" because it was the neighborhood of the brasiers with the residences of the wealthy and privileged craftsmen of the pashas. 

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The mosque Kerime-Hatoun, starts the uphill of Bakircibaşi sokak for Bakirtzidika 34

At right as the road starts, is standing the mansion of Kotsos and Anna Christidis with a large garden. Opposite the villa was the mansion of Polina Zouboulis. A little further was the old mansion of Bellou. As the road reaches the forest with laurels, the houses are less. Laurel makes her presence here, which was immense. "It was the famous laurel forest of Tsegkelkioi that fragrants, pleases for romantic walks and serves the housewives". Grandmother cut bay leaves from there in order to make her food tastier. ď&#x20AC;

"Through the laurels was the mansion of the merchant grain Argyriades. The family of Parsec Cactus and Eriphyle lived also there with their four children Marika, Dimitri, Alekos and Athanasia". Erifili became the godmother of Fotini, grandmother's first daughter. "Neighbor at the end of street was the lonely mansion of Constantine and Zoitsas Ntolaptsi (Ozkots) with their sons John and Socrates. The last house was a wooden building of Pialoglou. Most houses were made of wood, somewhere once there was the house of Anna Mazarakis, but became ashes despite the best efforts of all. Opposite was the house of Terpandros Marinos the lawyer, and at the last house lived Christos and Efimia Michaelides". ď&#x20AC;

From there the road leads to the Ottoman cemeteries. The right side of the street had houses 35

with large gardens and open spaces. "There is the house of the banker Charalambides, into the garden there was a private chapel named Saint Charalambos, was preserved until 1920. The adjacent wooden house belonged to Theano Bassou. After her house was the mansion of Kryonas with his two daughters, Marika and Chrysi with her husband, our teacher George Papadopoulos". This house was meant to become her home. Dimitris Asikoglou from Tsekmetze, the grandfather of my grandmother and my pregrandsire, was chief builder, good family man and loved by everyone. When the family of Kryonas, would leave the village, wanted the house to remain in Greek hands. They knew Dimitris, because he did all kinds of repairs and jobs at home, in other words, he was their confidant. So, Dimitris bought it for his son in law, Stefanos. The reason was that Stefanos Galanos had already married the daughter of Dimitris, Cornelia and while their children were already seven, they did not have a home of their own. Half of the children lived with grandmother Zachari and grandfather Dimitris in Yeni-Mahala district, where it was the big plain tree in Meidani (square) in Maslak street, right on the road after the well, while the older children lived with grandfather John Galanos, who played harmonica and grandmother Mariori and they worked with their father, on the opposite shore of the Vosporos, in Arnaoutkioi (Mega Revma). 36

So thanks to grandfather Dimitris, the Galanos' family with 7 children is united inside their dream house with 18 rooms! It was a mansion, made with stones, since then three-floors were added, with red tiles and a large wooden gate, gazes proudly the Vosporos, inside almost three acres full of lilacs, colors and fragrances. There were three species: the purple lilacs, the white and the "moschokarfies". Coveted the blossom, Flerianos (famous florist from Athens) traveled from Athens each year to buy all the cream from their trees! Especially in Yeni-Mahala, as in the whole village, the girls were prized for their beauty. Candidates grooms came from everywhere chose the girl and left married. What was it? The fairies of nature, had endowed with beauty the girls? The fragrances from the flowers? Or the colors? Local people making a small variation on the famous verse sung in the following rotation: ď&#x20AC;

I should drink wine at Galata I will be drunk at Pera but inside from Tsegkelkioi I will find my love, my girl and joy ď&#x20AC;

My curiosity about how it was grandmother's house remains. I found out, after everything I read and learned that this curiosity mutated into love. I felt that I saw it with the eyes of the soul. I walked with my heart in the streets. The description for "my" village was now completed. 37

This was Tsegkelkioi. There was her house, and there was the rose she had planted when she was a little girl in the doorway of the courtyard. For the rest of her life, she had the destiny to speak and to preserve the sweet memories of her homeland. She spoke to conserve the riches of the earth. The exit from Paradise. Her words fell like a seed in this paper not to be lost, and as she used to say, "when something is written cannot be unwritten". ď&#x20AC;

ď&#x20AC;

The village, 1930

One time at the house in New Smyrni, swallows came and built a nest. They left, but came back again for some reason for one last time. After half of a century and something, grandmother took the decision and visited her village, like a swallow. For one and last time. When she arrived, she found the house "beaten by the time". The courtyard was the same, also the soil was the same and so the rose. The fatal difference was that an unknown Turkish woman was the housewife now. She caught crying, she was upset. 38

I thought then what did she want to get from this long journey at this age? But she had stamina and even greater and she proved it. She traveled again and much later to the USA and because she was able to travel, I believed she was feeling well and also that she had guts. I admired her courage. In this trip she visited her great grandchildren. ď&#x20AC;

ď&#x20AC;

Grandmother Alexandra in America, with her great granddaughter, Olga ď&#x20AC;

History repeats itself. Just like Alexandra's mother, the great grandmother to me, had managed to keep on her lap and play with her great grandchildren. When I was around four years old, I began to understand the meaning of the great grandmother and great grandchildren. I still can remember my childish observations. All grandmothers were 39

simply in great age, trembled a little when they spoke, were usually a little stooped and a bit cheerless. I remember very well the greatgrandmother, Cornelia. Without knowing many details about her life, I looked at her face that was very painful. She was the daughter of Papagiorgi (George the priest) had one brother Anastasis and one sister Anna. Anna was lost when she was only 19 years old. Fire grabbed her hair, then the clothes. They could not anticipate. It was a tragic accident. ď&#x20AC;

Whenever grandmother Alexandra talked about her mother, began as follows: "poor mother". She pulled tremendously by her mother in law Mariori Galanou who was mother in law with the whole meaning of the word. She gave birth to seven children, lost two of them very young. She suffered by her husband. But her soul remained pure. ď&#x20AC;

Cleo, was a young beautiful woman in the village. She had lust Stefanos, who was ready to give up to his marriage, abandoned his woman and his girls and leave with her. The birth of the first son changed the climate for the family and logic prevailed in his mind. Cleo left alone. Time passed. One day an unknown man knocked on their door. He explained to Cornelia that he had engaged with Cleo and because he heard some bad rumors he wanted to clear up everything for his future wife. Cornelia defended Cleo and denied everything! 40

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 Great-grandmother Cornelia, grandmother Alexandra, daughter Fotini and greatgranddaughter Christina, 4 generations together embrace 1800 and 2000

Grandmother Alexandra took me and almost daily both of us went to great grandmother’s house, which lived near in Faliro. She looked after her, she was taking good care of her and she was cooking for her. She loved her. 41

At great grandmother's house, in the garden there was honeysuckle, too much honeysuckle. The scent was everywhere and it was more than intoxicating. Alexandra adored all the flowers; even those are growing in the fields, which are not having smell, such as windflowers. ď&#x20AC;

At Agiokampos, grandmother Alexandra with aunt Olga and plenty of windflowers

She admired the colors and shades. "Oh, look at this pink. Oh, my heart rejoices, and this purple, what a nice it is. The red, looks like a fake, ah, what does this lilac say to you, bre"? She cut quite a few, made the bouquet and when we returned at home, the first task was to put them in a jar with water. If she could not find a jar, a glass was fine too; it was not a big problem. 42

How many times grandmother made for us a wreath amberjack! It was a statute. She was picking enough flowers, was knitting them and the most beautiful wreath was hanging on our terrace on May Day. The scent of the flowers she was moved in particular was honeysuckle, jasmine, gazia, lilac and lavender. Yes, of course, there was another one. All "Neosmyrniotes" (citizens of New Smyrni area) will agree that the "old" New Smyrni with the beautiful detached houses and courtyards had one characteristic aroma in the streets and neighborhoods from dusk onwards. Why after dusk? Because then, the nightflower was opened. The Mirabilis, the humble flower with deep purple velvet color and flavoring graced our yard in Sokion street, without seeking the slightest care. ď&#x20AC;

ď&#x20AC;

Christina picking up nightflowers in New Smyrni 43

We planted together a lilac in Agia Galini. She was very happy. She loved the lilac color, the shape of this flower and of course its aroma. It brought memories to her. And the lavender was always in every drawer in her wardrobe. Whenever we walked for a little walk up to St Paraskevi near the park with swings, the road was plenty with acacias. She always cut a flower and hid in her pocket. Whenever we went to Evmorfia's house (the grandmother from my father's part), she admired the hydrangeas in her garden. She called to tell her secrets. "I don't want to be evil eye! How you manage to keep the hydrangeas so big? What did you put in the plant soil?" ď&#x20AC;

ď&#x20AC;

Grandmother Alexandra with aunt Olga and hydrangeas 44

For the Greeks of Minor Asia, the flowers had classes. The clove, the basil, the mint, the tzirania (geraniums), the kantifes, the gkioulgkiai (armparoriza), had decorated houses, which belonged to the category of economically disadvantaged. The violet, the camellia, the magnolia, and rose had decorated gardens and sills of wealthy houses. But for her, each flower had personality, had soul. She did not distinguish them to humble and classy. She spoke to each single flowerpot, to bobona, to coral, to gardenia. She knew a lot of stories. As is the tradition that says that if someone holds a certain flower will not be forgotten by his loved ones: "... and while the knight is lost in the river, throwing the flower that he holds to his beloved, is telling her "Do not forget me". So, I say to you grandma, "I will not forget you, I will never forget you". The walk in our neighborhood except for perfumes had also flavors. From her shopping was never missing, feta from the barrel and mortantela (salami) from Mr. Charalambos. The grocer in our neighborhood was a figure dear to all, with red cheeks, plump and cheerful always, he often offered us some treats, like biscuits. We used to go together at the bakery, at the cobblerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shop of Mr. Polybius, at the little market owned by Mr. Kronis and at Katsoyannosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the milk seller, to buy yogurt in ceramic pot, milk and eggs of the day. That yogurt had skin on the surface. 45

Grandmother picked it out and put sugar on top. She used to give me this for dessert and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly what it was. The dairy had whipped fresh cream from milk. Not from plants, not light at all, but with all the fat. If you will do the sin, at least enjoy it. How was the taste? Simply divine! The sweet anticipation of the summer was the ice-cream. From my grandmother I learned that the first ice-cream on a stick in Greece entered the market in 1936 by the Sourapa brothers, who had just returned from America with the necessary expertise. The six brothers from Tripoli, with the patent license in hand, created the National Dairy in Botanicos area. The ice-cream havoc on the market and at first it tasted like vanilla. The shrewd businessmen later added the chocolate cover and gave to the Greeks a memorable dessert. Whether from the ice-cream pushcart with the iron wheels and the distinguished sound heard at the streets of the neighborhood or from the outdoor refrigerator of the stands, the smile of satisfaction was the same. And the fruits, what fruits they were those! I remember the striped watermelons with large jetblack seeds and yams, in which each bite made the juices, ran down the chin. And the delicious smell of melons. Cherries, with firm flesh painted our lips red. And the grapes, they were so sweet. Bread, feta cheese and watermelon for snack. That was the supreme taste! 46

In the years of innocence of my childhood, the little treat of the winter was the chocolate. Of course, there were still the milk candies wrapped in gold paper, the lollipop cockerel, the red charleston candies, the brand lobster caramels, the pestili apricot skin, the authentic and pure white nougat. But the little chocolate of Melo, not so much for the taste, but more for the piece of paper, had another magic. It was collectible. Together with the grandmother, I was carefully opening the wrapper and winkled out from behind the desirable piece of paper. If it was double and triple I used to say, "exchange" and put it aside grumpy, if it was new, I used to say, "rare" and added it to my collection overjoyed. She laughed and sponsored my precious collection, strengthen my savings for the next little chocolate. "But, take it easy to prevent pain in your belly," she used to say. However, we drank water from the hose. The swings were painted with glossy oil paint, leadbased. The mosaic or wooden floors after the parquet were slippery as ice. According to statistics children who were born in the decades of 50s, 60s and 70s probably should not have survived. Childhood diseases were so common. Every once and one friend or classmate had measles, whooping cough, mumps, chicken pox, rubella, etc. I did not mind when I was sick and had to stay in bed. I heard the tale from grandmother, drank the aspirin dissolved in sugar brought by mom and I had the 47

kitty playing with the fringe of the blanket. The only thing was getting on my nerves was the glass thermometer under the tongue or armpit. From five minutes and up. We did not have safety caps on bottles of medicines, caps on the plugs of the room. The room was heated by wood stove. When I went out to play with my bike I did not wear a helmet, no child wore a helmet. On the rear wheel, me too, I used to put the cardboard from the cigarette pack caught with wooden peg, just to make a little noise and give the illusion of a motorbike. After that, I had the four-wheel skates, up and down the yard, again and again, countless times. The neighborhood children could spend all day away from home, making homemade skateboards with bearings and screws. These daredevils could ride down the hills of the neighborhood and crashed because they "studied" the art of stopping. Even though they had bumps and bruises they could climb the hill and do it again. Each wound was a badge of honor. Each child with a bruise was accepted by the gang. Falling from trees, cuttings, bloody knees, scraped elbows, and broken arms, a short scolding from the parent, and that was it. Red vamma (iodine) or soulfamidoskoni (sulphonamide powder) and then we were back out. Boys were told, "until you become a soldier, you will be fine", and girls were told, "by the time you will be married, you will be fine". We had friends. We went to their homes and 48

friends came to ours. My grandmother always had a homemade sweet to treat like cherry, orange, bitter orange, quince, rose, as well as homemade refreshments like lemonade, sour cherry juice and soumada (orgeat). We went out on the street and found other classmates and neighbors. We played ball, hide and seek and tag. We were digging puddles to play marbles and papers. Girls usually played one minute onion, one-franc violet, King King with 12 swords, ampariza, jump rope, hopscotch. The boys were playing with swordsmanship makeshift wooden swords. The spears were the poles of the cleaners; especially those wrapped in a pillowcase for cleaning the spiders of the ceilings. The shields were lids from large pots. We were fighting and played fists, we were turning black and bruised, but then after we became friends again. We were out of the house from sunup to sundown and play all day long in order to return at home before the street lights came on, but from time to time some mother was heard and her voices from the balcony were loud and clear: "Thanasiii, bust your ass, come up immediately, you have to finish your homework". We did not have computers, internet, video games, nor cell phones. Our phone number was only six digits. Grandmother remembered all the numbers of relatives by heart and used to call them regularly and without fail in their nominal holidays and public holidays. If the connection was not clear and 49

had parasites or voices talking in the background, all used to say, "take the zero". The devices with dial phone did sound like "kavourntistiri" (like an old time coffee roaster). The public telephones chambers of OTE were operating with coins. The chips etched with the groove in the center had been removed and no longer existed. The telephone booth we had across our house, in front of the small park with pines, had an unfortunate fate. Just like the bridge of Arta. All day long it was fixed in the evening it was destroyed. Some children were breaking it for the money. They were destroying it, whether they found coins or not. Broken glass, partisan slogans with paint, cut wire, it was its miserable luck. Later, it has been removed and quiet was ruined again. And for the chamber, and for us we were watching every day the hooligans, and as for those who were in search for mal, well, they had to search somewhere else. For those who needed to make a call the stand of the neighborhood had a phone too. Each call cost five drachmas (taliro). On the way, I watched the faces of all we met. Everyone was ready to greet and not to avoid our gaze. They were willing to communicate and ask with interest, not just formality. Those people with ordinary lives and concerns had not been altered and remained hospitable. People with smiling wrinkles that revealed the wrinkles of their soul. I watched the traffic also, which was minimal. One, 50

two of that huge gray american taxi. The taxi stand was close to the square. The ice deliveryman was still circulating with a tricycle bike, with that large hook on the pillars for the ice colons. Some neighbors still needed ice colons for the refrigerators. Grandmother had an electric one; I can remember the brand, it was IZOLA. Each week mr. Savvas the egg deliveryman passed through our neighborhood with his bike. He used to leave the eggs in her window box. Sparsly we could hear from afar the voices from chairmakers, tinkers, quiltmakers, sharpeners and scrap dealers. The shoemaker was always busy. In his little chamber two for two, was his kingdom, with that strange shoe equipment to put the shoe upside down, he was sticking and nailing, with characteristic black nails with wide heads and the smell of glue was overwhelming. Grandmother used to take me with her also, to the salon of the neighborhood, which was opposite the school. The principality of hairspray, the acetone and nail polish of mizanpli and bleached. The ladies had been suffering for hours under the helmet dryers with hair wrapped in rollers and altogether covered with nets. Ears covered with plastic caps. Those who were fluffy, were sweating, were blowing and excelling. They used the magazines like fans to cool themselves. Grandmother was always thoughtful and had mandatory a ventalia (fan) in her bag. In the park 51

she played with me like a little kid on the swing, on the seesaw, on the wheel. Every year at the festival of Agia Paraskevi, we gave our present as well as over one hundred retailers. The benches magnetized everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gaze. People from all over New Smyrni gathered, most were known to each other. Small opportunity for meetings and greeting for the elders, big opportunity for small gifts for the kids. To these little favors my grandmother would never say no. A horn for parties, a spinning top, a yo-yo. The yo-yo was a ball full of sawdust, hung from a rubber or wooden one wrapped with the rope on him. It supposed to come up and down and for that it was needed the correct intensity and pulse. We ate "patlamiĹ&#x; misirin" as the popcorn is called "sti Poli" (in the City), or ice-cream from "glasatzides" (ice-cream sellers). No child, however, including me could not resist in front of the "cotton candy", the sweet with white and pale pink tufts of baked sugar, which the Greeks of Minor Asia brought us here. When we returned at home, we were playing with the new gas canisters, with buttons, with pebbles. If she was tired, we laughed with Kopriti, Birikoko, Kolitiri and Aglaia. The family of Karagiozis (is a shadow theater with puppets and fictional character of Greek and Turkish folklore) and together would say the slogan: "we will eat, we will drink and hungry weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll go to sleep. Avanti maestro, one kalamatiano (folklore dance)". 52

She used to take me for a ride up to the Mermaid because she was the one who would ask, "Is Alexander the Great still alive? And I would have to answer, "He lives and reigns, and conquers the world". "Let's go to the me-maid", I asked very often from her. It was a small square with a fountain and a beautiful statue of white marble in the center with a shape of a mermaid. This was near the church of the Transfiguration. When we arrived at the creek, the stream that is at the height of Katsios’ Tavern, we stopped to listen to the frogs and we were laughing with their funny caws. 

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The honeysuckle, or the "khanum's hand" as they called it, "stin Poli" (in the City) 

And when we detected a honeysuckle in some yard, she used to ask:"do you know how they call otherwise honeysuckle, stin Poli (in the City, Constantinoupolis)? They called it khanum's (turkish woman) hand. Please, just have a look at this flower closely, isn't it like a little white hand?". 53

Polis, (the City), only with the hearing of that word grandmother was touched, but tried not to show it. When the story began, I looked closely to her eyes. They became watery immediately for Vosporos, Great Pera, Agia Sophia. A thousand and one, the words for the City.

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Constantinoupolis, Galata Bridge (Kara Keuï), around 1900 

A bridge has always had a leading role at this point. A bridge with contradictory personality. Bridges are made to connect two pieces of land, while the bridge in our history, was separating as boundary two completely different worlds. From the West, there was the cosmopolitan European side; on the other was the East Asian appearance, the Ottomans, the sultans and the "ferentzedes" (the veil concealing all of the face except the eyes). 54

Unmatched people were living together. Unmatched in dress code, in gait, in style, in language. The City was a mixture, a jumble, a medley. My grandmother had in mind and the daily bread. She said: "wait, to set up the food on the fire, and give a stir because hungry bear does not dance and I'm coming back". When she returned, took a deep breath and began, as if telling me stories. 

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1922 Constantinople, a baker in front of his shop with variety of breads and languages հացի բաժին (armenian), ‫( מאפיה‬hebrew), ‫( ﺧﺒﺎز‬ottoman), american bakery (english), ΑΡΤΟΠΟΙΕΙΟΝ (greek), пекарня (russian) 

In 1928 the Ottoman language said farewell to the old script. They adopted the new Latin alphabet. Grandmother saw this change momentous, thought this was the greatest sacrifice for the people. But the fact was that the Latin script helped to reduce the rate of illiteracy that existed until then. 55

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The old wooden bridge 1900, the new under construction 1910 and with tram1920 56

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On the bridge with view towards the Galata Tower and towards the Yeni camii 

"Since when did the Turks know about fishing? People from the steppes, tough and aggressive nomads, who proved themselves adaptable to new conditions of life in coastal places conquered and managed to become fishermen, thanks to the Greeks. "Ragiades" (slaves) Greeks, but there were the first captains and ancient rulers of the Mediterranean. Search and see, she insisted, "the whole nomenclature of the catches is almost entirely loans from the Greek language. You will see the similarities. Malakia (molluscs), for example: htapodi - ahtapot (octopus), kalamari kalamar (cuttlefish), soupia - supya (squid). And fish: barbounia - barbunya (red mullet), scorpios iskorpit (skorpion), kefalos - kefal (mullet-head), lavraki - levrek (bass), palamida - palamut (skipjack), gofari - lufer (bluefish), solomos somon (salmon), fanari - fener (lantern), marides izmarit (smelt), savridia - istavrit (horse mackerel), sardeles - sardalya (sardine), sparos - ispari (isparta), murmura - murmur, skoubri - uskumru (mackerel), fasi - pişi (brill), tsipoura - çipura (sea bream) or tsoupra (çupra), kolios - kolyoz (mackerel). Finally, the shellfish, astakos - astakoz (lobster), karavida – kerevit, garides - karides (shrimp), kavouria – pavurya (crab), tsaganos çağanoz, stridia - istridye (oyster), midia - midye (clam). For the sea urchin (ahinos) they had invented a poetic name: deniz kestanesi (brown of the sea)". 58

The roe, however, she admitted we got it from their language and we said it caviar (khavyar). But if someone wants to search this more like I did, will find that the ancient Persian borrowed the word "khayeh" from the root of an Iranian dialect, which means egg. "From the mid to late October, appeared countless herdsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tonnes. The tuna fish, big, hearty and expensive delicacy was precious. Those were the days of the storm, which gave the unique opportunity to boat owners, fishermen and wholesale fish trade to take advantage. The turbot (kalkan) was the most sought after fish in town. Kalkan means ancient shield. This fish got this name because of its shape. The reputation of turbot was incredible. Customers traveled deliberately to lunch or dine in coast of Vosporos and taste of fried pieces of the crust, but somewhat fatty flesh. Two were the most famous and most typical fish of the City, the loufari, the Greek goufari (Bluefish) who fished in each cavity of the Vosporos and the flounder (turbot) to fish with longline at the entrance of the Black Sea". Grandma continued her cooking advices: "If you want to buy the flounder you have to buy it from Main market of Marmara at Koumkapi down to the beach, the largest fish market, preferably the month of May and it should be male. The political market has its secrets. What I say to you now, it is distilled historical experience from many years. 59

Have you ever eaten sea bass baked in tile? Skipjack? The skipjack, the beloved big fish of the City was the leadership, is the queen in the hierarchy of the fish from Vosporos and from Marmara and a certain variety the biggest one, is the sizeable torouki (torik) which is the best to be preserved in order to get the desired taste of the world's sweetest and most in demand salty cured, the political lakerda. The Byzantines were not lacking in ingenuity in the treatment of selected species of the fisheries production chain for morsels. The Byzantine "thynnokomma", means salt torouki, as we called it. These fishes were offered plenty of hunting with trawls in large winds and cold wintertime, as they are flooding in large groups the sea of Polis. This is the first known in history "lakerda". It was a sought-after dish in the hierarchy of political ouzo". The description of the dishes with bonito, mackerel, mullet, horse mackerel, sardines, smelt, and especially with the excellent anchovies, continued vividly, I did not have enough to hear, almost could taste them and grandmother did not stop to "serve". Like the way, she did not stop to read. She had read somewhere that the Greek language, has lent 41,615 words in English, which has 490,000 words (Guinness Book). "The Greek language, our language," she said, "This remains our greatest treasure". Grandmother had explained to me why 60

the Turks called Constantinople as Istanbul. But it is an obvious corruption of the greek words "eis tin Poli" (downtown). The Greeks said among them: "Where’re you going?","eis tin Poli" and they meant the one and only Constantinople (Constantine’s polis, the city of Constantine). Polis was unique, there was no second. The Turks heard "istinpoli" and their heavy accent transformed it to Istanbul.

Road leads from the Agia Sophia to Vosporos, 1918

Istanbul market, Sellers of strawberry, 1925

"You could see a strong distinction between classes, aristocrats and bourgeois, nobles buying caviar on one side, poor people struggling to survive on the other side. Street vendors were selling whatever you can put on your mind. They carried on their back the entire shop and "üretimden tüketime kadar" (from the production to the consumption), she said, and closed her eyes to see light through the shadows to reclaim smells and tastes. With all of her senses, she returned there and heard, felt, almost touched the ground. 61

lemonade merchant - limonataci

doner merchant - dรถnerci

bagel merchant - simitci

water merchant - suci

mouchalempi merchant - muhallebici 62

corn merchant - misirci

Inside Polis, the city was a pot of different ethnic groups and cultures. Essentially was the center of cultural and social life in Eastern Europe, typically no longer than in 1923 because the state capital is Ankara since then. "When one walks in the streets could hear, here Greek, Turkish, Hebrew or Ladino (dialect) and there Armenian, Russian, Italian, German, English and of course, at least a few French words, everybody knew. The haggling was the "hobby" of those days. None had a price fix. Traders started with one and a half times above the price they wanted to achieve". She described the city with many praises when the trade was in the hands of the Greeks. How powerful shopping mall it was. How active was the Greek business world. How advanced it was because banks had already blocks and checks while in Athens these were still almost unknown. I followed her steps over the time, in every alley, in every small or big way as she guided me. In streets where she walked, stroll around, daydreaming, flirting and definitely joked with her friends. As it was the Great Street of Pera, with shops, with inscriptions, with trams, with night clubs, with theaters and cinemas. In the late of â&#x20AC;&#x2122;20s the halls were about 35 and the viewing audience reaches the 3 million. 63

1930 Constantinople, the Great Street of Pera 64

The old lady I had in front of me turned into a young girl when she was describing her life growing up and registering the images around. In her mind, the image - retreat of the belle époque remained as a small island of a little paradise. 



Grandmother Alexandra, 1928 (with trendy hair cut à la garçonne) 

In my mind the words "belle époque" were acting as a stimulant, bring to mind images of a beautiful era and leading my imagination to a kaleidoscope with Hollywood style. I could see colorful posters in streets and squares depict the life of the night. 65

Paris, the capital of elegance, life was transmitting from there, fashion launches, hope and glow conquers all of Europe. From the Moulin Rouge and Montmartre artists' hangouts, the songs resonate in every concert-cafés. This is the magical atmosphere that dominates the European side of Turkey in the teenage years of grandmother. In "good circles" they speak french, hence it is the language of the salons. The secularists are meeting at impressive foyer in theaters and share invitations to private soirées. Entertainment, cuisine and cabaret have a field day. Men "trés élégants" and chic ladies in clubs dancing waltz and tango. Charleston as drunkenness fashion brings up and down the new outfit and their feet do kicks, dapper and crazy stunts. In addition, cinema, photography, telephone and so many other inventions will join in this state of euphoria. Also countless objects of luxury, extravagant and eccentric fashions, jewelry, accessories and valuable items are foisted to decorate the houses. French, I said and I can remember how much she loved the sound of that language. She asked me to speak to her in French. So, she could recall her beloved Glykeria and how they used to laugh. The two of them agreed secretly, to talk supposedly "fake" French to give the impression that they 66

speak fluent French: "So, I will do like I ask you something and you will answer to me, mais oui, bien sûr, ma chérie". 



Aunt Glykeria (sister-in-law) with grandmother Alexandra 

Through the descriptions of grandmother, I felt the desire not to let go this era, to hook this belle epoque of lazing, with the fancy clothes, funny cars with "whiskers", the clubs, and the cheerful girls dancing Cancan. So up to here "très bien" (very well). However there was the other side of the bridge, with totally different description and gloomy. The Turks, according to grandmother were the dummies, the jackass. Now, when I asked: "dear grandmother, how the "dummies" managed to prosecute the "sharp-witted people", she did not ever give an answer. Only shook her head sadly. 67

And while the brilliant "Belle Epoque" maintained its glamor, black clouds were conspiring over the "social-economical-political" map. Briefly and succinctly some events just before and just after the tragic year of '22 were: The Titanic sunk in 1912 and the same year the first Balkan War begins. It ends in 1913, but the Macedonian issue raises for Greece and Serbia in the same year (re)starts the second Balkan. In 1914 strikes the First World and ends when the last Romanov executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918. In 1919 begins the campaign in Minor Asia, the "Averof" greets all over the Vosporos and in Tsegkelkioi grandmother hears the echo of whistles. In 1920 was signed the great Greek conquest, the Treaty of Sevres. This was the year of conquests also for the Suffragettes who vindicated in many countries. In 1923 in Germany, Adolf Hitler imprisoned on charges of treason. But, the flow of the story, unfortunately will not be reversed. A year later was released from prison because ... of good behavior. In the U.S. notorious gangsters, working in the world of organized crime in the period of Prohibition are becoming richer from the smuggling of alcoholic beverages. The entertainment industry constantly produces new stars that launch new style. Vamp, flappers, charleston, jazz ... 68



Pola Negri

Dolores del Rio

Theda Bara

Lillian Gish



Doris Dawson

Clara Bow

Louise Brooks

Corinne Griffith





Marlene Dietrich

Josephine Baker

Barbara Lamarr

Marion Davies



My grandmother, like all girls of her age, was fascinated by the big screen. She had a collection of photos. Rodolfo Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Al Johnson, grandmother knows all of them. What were her dreams? Never said, she was like a riddle. I could only detect bitterness in her face. While the flower was ready to bloom, the soil was not suitable. 69

The Greek army was "loaded" with so many expectations, to restore our national prestige and verify the verse from the folk-song lament "Anakalima of Constantinople" of 1453 from Crete: 

 Map of 1899 from the book Stanfords Compendium of Geography and Travel, with brown the kingdom of Greece, with green the european territories of Turkey 

"Shush, Mother Mary and cry no more, again with time, after years, again it will be ours". "But, grandmother, the poet, says it very clearly that it was " Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will the City to become turkish" why we went against God, the ungodly?" and she used to say: "this retrospectively judged as wrong but, why the error occurred ... ah, this is totally another story". The questions remained excruciating. Who to blame? The rigid King? The irredentism of Venizelos? The dark intentions of foreign powers? The popular desire was too tufted? The political and social myopia? The national disunity? The excessive enthusiasm? The defiance of Kemalist nationalism? The hate of religious fanaticism? The old horses of our cavalry, some said! Who can explain or analyze that it was not the Greek army who disappointed us, but the expectations that ever rosed up around without insight and thoroughness policy and strategy with an analogy that had nothing to do with the weak economic situation in Greece? All those who for political reasons, personal promotion and vanity to leave their name in the pages of history, took advantage of the memories of a sore, but foolish people, all those who have been deceived themselves from supposedly allies, would take the blame? 71

Nobody took the responsibility and everyone was accustomed to blaming others. The silencing of the tragic events and the disappearance of refugee historical memory with the appropriate policy decisions to close the issue of Minor Asia obtained with the involvement of all political parties, succeed the clearance of the refugee drama not to be done ever after. 

 Map of Great Greece, 1920

The Treaty of Sèvres (10 Aug. 1920) had set the foundations for Greece of two continents (Europe – Asia) and of five seas (Ionian – Aegean – Mediterranean – BlackSea – Marmara), but the deck was reshuffled and the dreams crashed like little castles in the sand and many handkerchiefs waved in the air. 72

A few years after the national defeat, grandmother says goodbye to her youth, to the City, to her village, and to her house and boarding the ship for "Piraeus". 

Grandmother’s village 

"We lost our compass, my child", her face reflected bitterness. "Oh, my sweet eyes, we have been threw away from our place because we were foreigners, we came home and made us feel again foreigners" she said with pain. "Foreigners, us? Us, we had deep-rooted customs and traditions original Greek?" she asked wistfully. As a child, what I had to say was: "Grandma, this story had no happy end"."It is important to learn from our mistakes. What did we want inside thorns barefoot?" was grandma’s epilogue. Misery, suffering, disease, psychological disorder, squalid conditions and personal losses, 73

failed to take away from the Greeks from Minor Asia with the cosmopolitan character and cultural values, one thing. The smile. 



Grandmother Alexandra, uncle George, Fotini, great grandma Helen, aunt Olga, grandfather Vassilis, aunt Glykeria (grandfather's sister) and Erasmia 



I was too young to understand the cost of this story when I first heard it from her mouth. But the names of the streets where I lived, played and grew up in the neighborhoods of New Smyrni put me in deep thoughts. The streets of Agia Sophia, Vosporos, Dardanelles, Hellespont, Ancara, Adrianople, Fanari, Ikonion, Ephesus, yes, I remember very well that I wondered, and this "asking to me" became much later, a known famous slogan: "Random? I do not think so!" Came to the serious conclusion that the stories of grandmother are not all at the same category. The other fairy tales, the classic ones like Snow White, 74

Tom the Thumb, the Puss in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, the three little pigs, fortunately had a nice ending and grandmother knew all. I was waiting for the moment to tell me a story like the desert for the water. Sometimes just to tease me, she was saying, "fairytale like big myth, belly like a big jar, sit down and the story begins (I was sitting on the sofa, confident that this was going to happen) get up, because the story has just finished". But she did not leave me with the complaint. She was telling the normal fairytale with castles and knights, with "Constantinata" (gold coins from the Byzantine period), with beauties, with magic flying carpets, with dragons, with fires, blockbusters all. The introduction has been always like this: "Red thread tied, wrapped in the creel, give her a kick to start and roll, so the tale should begin. Once upon a time..." and the adventure begins and ends when "they lived happily ever after and we even better". She was "pestered" my mind with tongue twisters as "white stone xexaspri (total white) and from the sun xexasproteri (more white)", "the thick priest ate the thick lentil" and with riddles like: "tall tall monk, and has no bones. What is it? Shall I give you the answer"? I was screaming: "No, grandma, I know, it's the smoke". She laughed and continued: "One thousand myriad monks wrapped in a robe. What is it? Shall I give you the answer"? "No, Grandma, I also know that, is the pomegranate". Then a difficult one was 75

coming: "The priest and the priest's wife, John and Mary had 6 eggs and ate 3 each". How this could possibly happen? She was telling funny stories such as "forty and I am seated, what if I get up"? She told the sufferings of Nastrantin Hoxha, Aesop's fables, she knew many proverbs. Ever had to say a wise word like "what an hour can bring, the all year doesn't bring", "tomorrow is another day", "whatever comes up then goes down", "you never know what dawns could bring", "we are laughing at 12, and 36 are laughing at us”. If I was saying to her that I saw dreams in my sleep, she exorcised all evil: "in mounts, in wild mountains, only in good and in pure" but she never gave an interpretation of it. If she wanted to create laughter and to lighten the atmosphere because the felt somewhat "heavy" he said loudly: "Lafolsoun". If she wanted to finish something, to accelerate, she ended it like "tomorrow great things will happen. End of the program. Goodnight". 



Grandma and granddaughter

And how many still to say and surely forget. But what I do not forget what her good mood, her patience, her insight, her emotional intelligence. She could "read" your thoughts, your feelings, if she saw you troubled, said: "half of one thousand is five hundred" (means donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think too much) or another "your boats fell off "? If she could simply not be able to get better or change the mood, then enlisted the incense. Yes, and every first of the month also censed. I have a coherence, there was this advertising on tv and a monk was shouting to another monk not forget to buy a certain product, that's the way she ordered me not forget to get her the "mentzouvi". Mentzouvi is a resin from a tree, it comes from the french word benjoin. The dictionary also mentions is just like the Styrax, commonly incense, but with better aroma than Styrax, probably of Indian origin. When I went to school, her eyes sparkled full of joy with the satchel, the new books. As I left in the morning I would be greeted. This was essential every morning. She opened the window, looked at me with a smile and said "sto kalo" (farewell). When I was telling her what I learned in school she was so happy. One or two classes we had school also on Saturdays. Three days we had the morning schedule and three days in the afternoon hours. Wednesday afternoon, Thursday morning, and the first hour the lesson was essay. The day began by repeating the grammar rules of Tzartzanos: "Long 77

vowel before short vowel is circumflexed" and "what words get aspirate". When the teacher wrote on the blackboard the subject, we had to find the inspiration for the prologue. Not enough "how to start" nagging question, was also the classmate who pocked and whispered, "any idea how to begin?" And if I did not help her, she would have a long face and not talked to me all day. Once a week we had to go to church. Right in the heart of winter when the halcyon days started, we picked the sunniest day and the tone of our voices with attitude begging "e-xcu-rsion". The fresh kids walked hand to hand and every class together on the street was singing, "there was a little boat, untraveled, oeoeoe". When I returned home, before I could say a word, grandmother asked, "did you have fun at the excursion?" How did she know, I was surprised at first. She said, "I have eyes in the back of my head" or "a little bird told me" and something similar. I was not convinced. I got it. From the great joy the squeaks were heard within kilometers. We had our own private jokes. Our books had the mark of a small owl with the initials of the words Organization Publications Didactic Books. I said to her, "what does OPDB mean? One Pupil Doomed to Boredom". We made nicknames for the teachers. The fear of the school was Katsoulis, the "executioner". He used to lift the boys from the wisp, kick them and slap them with no mercy. He used to pull the girls from the ears 78

and he was hitting every pupil with the ruler. The palm ached for hours. If one child had not studied the lesson we were all punished. Once, from his fury, he pulled the ear of a girl and ripped out of her ear the perforated gold little earring stayed in his hand along with her blood. To be honest, there were a few brats in the classroom, like wild beasts, no one could handle them. But this teacher was cruel, unjust, biased and blatantly misogynist in the classroom. Children of his acquaintances had a different approach. It's a scary sight for a toddler to receive an unnecessary attack. I met him by chance in the street, ten years after. Greeted him with respect. He remembered me. He asked, "did you pass", I said yes, in Panteion University. He said nothing. He continued his way coldly as if we had never met. I say he was more pissed because one of his "protĂŠgĂŠ" had not succeeded in final exams. With the exception of his class, the elementary school was nice. Luckily we had good and patient teachers. Mrs. Nikolouzaki, Mr. Papachristodoulou, Mrs Vaco. With our celebrations, with our poems, with our gymnastic demonstrations and with our parades. And my grandmother was always present. Until the graduation ceremony for my degree, she honored me with her presence. The truth is that all grandmothers have a similar weakness for grandchildren. What I did not know was that another reason made her touched every time I would share with her "the news" from school. 79

ď&#x192;Š

Grandmother Alexandra, the great-grandfather Stefanos and uncle Nick ď&#x20AC;

It was a great sorrow; her father did not let her, to continue the school. Night and day she was destined to work with a needle. They stayed forever, the thorn in her soul and the rebuke on his father that stopped her education. She cried because she saw her peers with satchel and books to attend school. When she was telling me this story, every time I wanted to cry, but I was comforted by the fact that despite all difficulties, grandmother was able to read and write. She learned arithmetic, religion, history, calligraphy and a few French. The children in the village were very united. They used to sit under the plain trees all together and the older 80

ones were teaching the younger ones. This must have been a very beautiful scene.

The plain trees in the center of the village, at Yeni-Mahala

She loved to read and well into her old age, the novels were her inseparable friends. She was reading silently, with devotion. I watched her. If she was waving her lips and eyebrows, then the book was fascinating. ď&#x20AC;

ď&#x20AC;

The school in Tsegkelkioi 81

Stefanos was hard and heartless as a father. On this all his children agreed. He was a better tailor than a father. He was famous as a trouser maker, as well as reveller and very dear to his friends because of his generosity. He had a weakness for beautiful women and those had a certain weakness for him. Both, Turks and Greeks knew him and they all felt for him, something between respect and fear. Nobody dared to mess with him. He was a tsormpatzis, with the meaning of a master. He was quite a character. While he was still a soldier in the City, he dared the unthinkable for that time. As an avid Venizelist, publicly spoke badly to King George. The court martial sentenced him and from Turkey in one night he moved to Greece to serve his sentence, which was 40 years in jail! His cell, they said, it was the same with Kolokotronis' (the greatest hero from the greek revolution in 1821). There, in a dark dungeon, in the stone made jail "Palamidi" with the 99 stairs, Stefanos had a little luck in his misfortune. His wife, Cornelia with three young girls, was asking everywhere to learn a word from him, "has died?" they answered "no", "is he alive" they answered again "no". From the Greek Consulate she learns that he is "a missing person". With the change of political regime, after seven years of absolute deprivation, Stefanos is again a free man, close to his family. Alexandra gives him a hug, also Arcadia is happy to see her father after all these long years, and it is time he 82

meets for the very first time his third daughter, Hariklia. Who can say how many other reasons were added to "sewn" his character? 17, however, were his brothers. Grandmother listed aunts and uncles: Lycurgus, Crete, Efstathios, Eleni, Minodoraâ&#x20AC;Ś The rest of the names were cut due lack of memory because memory cuts and sews her own measures. Next to her father, she learned his art. She was the best on stitching. The sewing machine operated with the foot pedal. I remember her doing the same actions in this order: opening, oiling, inspecting the needles and boot into. It sounded from the little sitting room all the way up to our home on the 2nd floor. She was mending, sewing and transforming our clothes tireless and always willing. Her husband, grandpa Vassilis brought home samples of fabrics because he was a merchant. She was choosing between them how to fit and made cushions, bedspreads, doilies. She had fun with it. So the song that circulated then, I thought it was written solely for my grandmother: "The good grandmother has a sewing machine, she sews and mends grandfather's pants" She adored the soft colors. Veraman (bright green), cyclamen, gris argent (silver)! She had a passion for soft fabrics like muslin. When she was saying muslin, her mouth had honey. "I want you to make a muslin dress", she often said. "Well, okay I will", answered without believing it. The silk fabrics were also favorites. I had bought a silk 83

fabric from a trip to the United Arab Emirates. Eventually she sewed a dress, she liked very much. Her skills in darning and stitching had roots in her good taste. She cut "fashion journal" from magazines when she wanted to stir up any ideas. She liked a lot the hats, because there were necessary accessories of her time.

Up: Grandma Alexandra, grandpa Vassilis and Fotini, preparation for marriage Bottom: Grandma Alexandra with Fotini

ď&#x20AC;

She had several handkerchiefs and scarves, they all looked wonderful on her, she had those pretty eyes. Their color was like mosaic. When I took her a picture, she ordered, "you have better take a nice photo especially the eyes ok?"."Yes, grandma, ok". ď&#x20AC;

She had gold fingers, had embroidered beautifully, like the semedakia, the aprons, the tablecloths. She had knit all collars for my blue aprons for school. She knew one unique way of knitting. It was doing this knitting neither with needles or even crochet, but with a needle, so tiny knitting embroidery, a magnifying lens was necessary to see the stitch. "Bibila" (lace), she used to say it. Once I had lost my collar made with bibila. It fell somewhere in the school. I cried for my little collar. Apparently a classmate found it. The next day she was wearing it upon the blue apron. In the line, before entering the classroom, we made our prayer. I saw it on her. I could distinguish my little collar from kilometers away. "This is my collar", I said to her quite roughly, probably the kind of style that no question could fit, I was no more than seven years old. She returned the collar to me, without a second word. When dealing with the stitching she does not miss to educate me for fabrics, the satin, the koukoulithres, the brousania (silk from Bursa), the brissimia (silk threads), the tirtiria (gold thread), the flimsy laces and linens. All she asked was to spend a thread in the needle. And the "March" in the hand, the three-color bracelet with twisted threads, was indispensable. 86

2nd Elementary School of New Smyrni, 5th Grade

I kept her image and the tone of her voice inside my head. Seems to me like yesterday, when she was coming from the stairs, opened the kitchen’s door and calling us: "anybody hooome"? When it was getting dark and she was ready to go downstairs, she used to tell us: "well guys, time to say goodnight, wish you have a nice dawn and sweet dreams". 

When someone rang the doorbell of her home, even if she was in the courtyard, at the basement, in the laundry room, in the attic, in the kitchen, wherever she was, whatever she was doing, replied: "right awaaay" and her voice was pervasive and characteristic. In a split second she appeared and opened the door with a smile from ear to ear". 

Also characteristic and shrill was a communication system for large distances. How can I describe it? It was a cue or a signal, whatever term I should choose; it was the hallmark of grandmother. What do the cell phones have to tell us! Grandma had a tracking and understanding system better than satellite. When you heard this slogan with a small delay followed and countersign. That meant that the response message has been received. The signal served like an informing message from my mom on the first floor that "coffee is ready, join me" and the response from the ground floor meant, "I’ll be there in a jiffy". 88

Sometimes it might be used as a question mark, and meant, "is anyone here? Is someone at home"? And the answer meant, "yes, I am here". All this is briefly turned on the following simple, simple communication code. ď&#x20AC;

Question: "ouou"? Answer: "ouou"! ď&#x20AC;

The Turkish coffee or Greek coffee according to the modern Greeks, it is not perhaps so important the nationality and who is going to get the "paternity", the point was that it was necessary every day to the accompaniment of cheese and sippet around at 11.30 to 12:30 pm. If the conversation happened to finish a little bit later than the usual, she looked at her watch and made jokes. She shouted loud in style "theatrical": "Giiirls," supposedly she was calling the maids to pick up the table and prepare lunch because the time passed. The Greek coffee has been for me the ultimate dining experience. I learned from her to appreciate the freshly ground coffee. We went down to the street Mycales, hand by hand, where it was the coffee grinder. Not only I liked the smell of roasted coffee, but also I felt enchanted by this aroma. "How seduct-able is the dishonest," she used to say. From there we continued to the street Silyvrias, to aunt Harikleia's house, where she was waiting for the standard coffee along with a treat, biscuit, cookie or vanilla. 89

When the bag of coffee was opened, she acted like she wanted to make a dive into the blend. I remember her saying with absolute satisfaction after a deep breath: "Oh, what aroma, it opens your lungs." I do the same thing today. Although grandmother knew the art of making a good coffee in stove that would satisfy the most demanding person, her own view was unwavering: "Only on the embers the Greek coffee can be excellent". ď&#x20AC;

When she went for a visit on her sisters' or sister's-in law or neighbors', she took me with her, and as we say in Greece "wherever two would be three" because back then I was a little kid and school was not yet part of my duties. Arcadia, Viktoritsa, Anastasia, Lady Valvi were very happy every time they saw us. The coffee was ready and was served. Steaming, still hot, smelled delicious. She used to give me some coffee to drink from her own. She put one sip in the little saucer to cool, so that I won't be burned. ď&#x20AC;

Since the coffee was just for adults according to my mom, my pleasure was double. First of all, because coffee had this magnificent flavour. Secondly and most important, because it was forbidden. I enjoyed the initiation from the cup of my grandmother. The coffee should be meraklidiko (made with care) in a small cup and pikroutsiko (no sugar) mainly because grandmother did not like sweets at all. 90

She had nothing to do with the "ntelvedes" (the bottom, the rest of the coffee) to tell the fate, she did not believe them at all. But she had daily beauty treatment with "ntelvedes". The coffee was left in the bottom of the cup, ended in the forehead or hands for her beauté time. When she was cleaning any kind of vegetable or fruit she was using the peels for facemasks. The favorite of all was paring of cucumber. And when barely this delicate green of cucumber peel touched her forehead, I mean before even she spread it properly, she exclaimed fully satisfied: "Ah! What freshness". 

A face cream and a hand cream were consistently on her shopping list. When there was a reason for going out or for a visit, she took care of her appearance, was a coquette. And I always felt a longing to hear a compliment when she was ready for its social obligation. She stood in front of me, looked at me and waited for confirmation. I always said to her: "Grandma you are a doll" and she smiled at me with satisfaction. 

She liked it when I gave her manicure. She showed me what she was going to wear and we looked to find the colors to match. She always said gently: "I will not detain you, if you have something else to do, it does not matter." Always with a soft voice she asked for something, when she wanted a favor or an errand. 91

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Fotini, aunt Hariclia and grandmother Alexandra 

It’s just like I can hear her now asking me to fix her makeup: "you know how, my sweet child. Do not overdo, but everything must be discretely. We must not exaggerate. The nice makeup has to be "naturelle" (natural), isn't the word in French? Put me a little more powder. And just a small touch of lipstick. She looked at herself in the mirror, if she was fully satisfied, she said: "Tamam" (for turkish means enough). When it was time to leave, she used to say, "forward march" or "vur patlasin" (turkish expression means hit it until it burst) and I was laughing with her impatience. As she was getting into the car, she sat in the same position and did not change a bit her body until we stopped from her desire to get to our destination as quickly as possible and not cause the slightest delay. 92

She was ready about an hour, maybe two hours before her appointments. Her rush was well known to all. And of course after waiting and waiting for the others she melted. "Come Vassili, do a little faster" was the worst she would say at my grandfather who always took him so long to be prepared. 

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Grandfather Vassilis with grandmother Alexandra, 1936 

However, she put her earring each time in a new hole. Every time the old hole closed so while she was trying to get ready as soon as possible or "mani mani" (means very fast) as this was her favorite 93

expression, she was piercing her ear with the earring each time in another place. "For the beauty it doesn't matter a small pain" she used to say. 

I remember when she had long hair. She made her hair two long and thin braids and then fastened them like the wreath on her head. When she went to sleep, she untied them. When she was in a good mood, she made a nice classy bun. She felt forced to cut them later, because the long hair was not for her any more, she said. 

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Grandmother Alexandra and Christina 

She was gentle by nature, never got angry, not irritated, with no explosions. All you might hear from her in extremely outrageous situations were mutterings: "ntinini sichtimini, yes" (turkish blasphemy) or "you can go now to satan, yes." 94

Playing cards was her great weakness. The fights with my grandfather were legendary. The result was always the same. Grandmother would find the opportunity to sneak to Mrs. Fritien's and Mr. Achilles' house for a round of koumkan. She played also "thanassis" but "koumkan" was her forte. She did the thirds, downloading cards and came out, while the other players just stood there and looked at her winning.

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In Santa Calma, grandmother Alexandra, Mrs Katerina and aunt Hariklia 

For sure, when I was playing with her, at the end, I was getting angry because I lost every time. "Whoever loses at cards, wins in love" was her consolation for my defeat and my vexation. Whenever she was in the countryside, there were two essential accessories. Bag and knife. We had a private joke inspired by Stella, Kakoyannis’ movie: "grandma, I keep a knife," she answered: "I keep a bag, let's go for greens." She was teaching me: "This is purslane, this is stamnagathi, and this is radiki". In a while, she picked a mountain of vegetables. 95

ď&#x20AC;

Granny at work

Wild amaranth, chicory, zochous, kafkalithres. She cleaned them until you tell cumin (until you say chimney) and always shared these with her relatives. She liked to drink radikozoumo (juice from vegetables), burning bush (wild oregano), pennyroyal, sage and mountain tea. If she found thyme, was able to root around the all bush. Chamomile, that's what she was also picking when still in New Smyrni were a lot of vacant and land to farm. She was washing it, drying it in the sun and hid it. She considered the chamomile as the alpha and omega therapeutic drink. If one of us happened to catch a cold or even to cough a bit, she asked: "shall I make for you a cup of chamomile"? She drove away the evil eye, she knew how to rub, and put suction cups. She could distinguish which mushrooms were safe and which are dangerous to humans. I tried, but failed to remember the characteristics of good mushrooms. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I do not recommend wild mushrooms only the ones 96

you can find in the stores. In conclusion, her golden advice for good health was "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". She chose vine leaves and kept in big jars. She made the most successful "dolmades gialantzi" (for turkish, vines leaves with rice). It was a fact; anyone who ate these dolmades did not ever forget them. To select the vine leaf for its quality was a science. If the vines were not good, it would have a serious impact on the dolma. She did not want this for anything. 

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Grandmother has located AAA quality vines

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Personally I was making groans when I ate and I could not stop at one or two. Neither at three and four not to say there will be no misunderstood. My request to granny was the bottom layer of the casserole and to leave the food to grab a little. 97

The result was, that those in "kazan ntimpi" (the bottom of the casserole), turned out to be "retseli" (something very sweet). The secret was simple, "onion," she said, "the more onions you put, the more delicious it gets". She was saying that to all and was not a secret anymore. But nobody even aware of the secret could not even come close in taste and flavor of grandmother dolmades. Once I told her: "next time you are going to make "gialantzi", we would make them together." So it happened, then I realized the true secret. My grandmother used to make the stuffing of gialantzi, without measures. She said: "water for rice, as much as it gets, olive oil, as requested, depending on the onions, depends on how broth they throw." She lived it. The result was that the filling was done by eye, with her experience and not with the scoop. The cutting of the onion, this was an art though. All cut on hand and into small cubes evenly, as if the machine had cut it. Then, it was the leaves. With care, were stuffed and enfolded neither too tight nor too loose. It was like a study, it was not funny. After some time of preparation, the casserole was filled with nice well-formed four to five layers of vine leaves shiny and straight on the hot plate for cooking. Then the moment arrived, the smell of oil and onion, was breaking noses. Needless to say, how fast the gialantzi dolmades were snapped up in no time and ending. 98

For the Turks, gialantzi means imitation. Because the dolmas is usually stuffed with minced meat, the "phoney" dolmas is with rice stuffing. For all of us in the family, gialantzi was something very real and meant only one thing. Grandmother Alexandra. She had another big hit when she made french fries. At least, they did not need so much preparation but they were also eaten quickly and as the same groans as dolmades. She placed the potatoes in a pan with the oil. Not to burn first the oil, but together. The potatoes were crunchy, with the frying oil sucked enough and became like patties. When you bite the potato was crisp from outside and inside like puree. When she was making fries said, "Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the pot; the pot makes them like that my child". Maybe, I don't know, but only grandmother made such french fries. I could not miss another specialty of hers, the "kochlious" (snails). She was picking the snails after a rain, fed them with flour, then cleaned them and finally baked them. The sauce with the tomato and onions simply challenge everyone to eat and dive into a piece of bread. As for sucking the snail, all mother's advices how the good girls suppose to eat had to be forgotten and "savoir vivre" went for a ride. Her offer was valuable to the spit. The result made her justified on one hand, on the other, we had our belly satisfied. 99

Oh! What can I say for the unforgettable stew with onions or the tomato paste she was making … 

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Grandmother Alexandra in Santa Calma 

… and since I opened the subject of cooking, let’s give a dessert for the end. Every New Year she made the cake. Every time I was jumping up and down from excitement. It happened once; I fell into the large bowl with the dough. She was baking the dough with strength and skill. It was the dough tastier and I was called to try it on the spot, raw. "Come," she said, "What the tester has to say"? My joy was up to heaven and my pride also because grandma trusted my taste. The recipe was from Polis with all the aromas of crushed in mortar of mastic, machlepi, boiled anise, black and white sesame, right dose of sugar, a pinch of salt and everything you want in a homely traditional New Year cake. 100

Grandmother kept the greek customs. She gave a lot of respect in tradition. So she learned from her parents and grandparents. The New Year cake must be decorated with Byzantine designs. Greeks of Constantinople exchanged gifts on New Year's Day. As a symbol of abundance, they broke a pomegranate at the door this day. We had a pomegranate tree in the backyard in New Smyrni, she rejoiced when she was cleaning pomegranates, but I had more share in this joy. Halloween and confetti or a mask would be in the drawer ''for every eventuality''. I remember my first ''outsourma'' (eagle) we flew together. Lent was coming; she chanted the Passion of Christ and Akathistos Hymn with awe and faith in the miraculous Lady. First of April, she advised not to leave anyone to fool me. Good Friday she went to the epitaph, often from early to see the decoration with the manitia (flowers). She always admired the wooden temple of Agia Fotini, which was brought from Punta Skala in 1945 at the Cathedral Church of New Smyrni. For the easter eggs, she made her decoration as follows: she cut small flowers as lavender, little bells, wheat and amaranth. She put the flowers on the egg, wrapped it in a nylon sock and tie tightly. So fitting that after the egg was boiled into the paint, the flowers let a tattoo on the colored surface of the egg. Ascension and we were going together for the first sea-bath, necessarily! 101

She always supported the old calendar. She had lived the fact of the'' package'' 13 in 1. On 16th of February in 1924, was introduced to the Church of Greece, the New Calendar, the Gregorian. And February 16, 1924 became March 1, 1924. Until then, it was the Julian calendar. The difference is purely astronomical. The Julian calendar loses one day every 128 years, the Gregorian one day per 3320 years. "Just think my pretty one, how would you feel if in one day, 13 days of your life had gone?" she said between funny and serious. Even that she could not accept the Gregorian she was able to adopt in all other changes. I am thinking, she saw in 1953 the oka to be replaced by the kilo, the pichis in 1958 to give place at the meter, shortly after the gallon left and came the liter and in March 2002 she said farewell to drachma and she used the euro. She was worried that could not make it. Granny wanted to do her shopping all by herself, to be autonomous, not to bring weight to anyone. We made tutorial. I was writing on a list the rates, she was learning to convert. She said: "who is smarter? If they can, so can I. I will learn to calculate in euro and above all I will sing a song". And so, she did! When she was in the kitchen and generally when she was doing all kinds of works at home, was singing. If she could do not remember the words, supplemented with tialarilari, tialarilari and continued. She had a sweet voice, good voice. As a 102

grandchild, I hold deep in my memory and petting and the lullaby. One long song, with diffuse sweetness and pain, an expression of happiness, a joy and promise of protection: "Come Sleep, sweet and light, come and get my baby, I give it little to you, bring it back great to me". 

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Grandmother Alexandra, Christina and grandfather Vassilis

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When she was ready to lull me she started something like this: "Nani (sleep) my child now will do." I closed both eyes and I still hear her with 14 ears. When she stopped, I was telling her "grandmother again" and she laughed. After she started a game, as if by magic calmed me. Touched her fingers to my chin and whispered "little chin" caressed my mouth and said, "little mouth" momentarily and closed both nostrils and I heard the "two little holes" waited for the touch on my eyes for the "two little lights", shortly after followed telling my eyebrows "glued two cordons" 103

and the game ended with two gently blows in the right and left cheek "one Simitzis in the City (a bagel merchant in Town), one Sutsis at Galatas (a water merchant in Galatas)". With this game, however, I was relaxed and dropped off. Songs like "the little vest you are wearing, I stitched it for you", "Goodbye Virgin Mary"," why you care from where I come", "I have told you and I repeat do not send me letters because I can't read that's why I have tears", "let's go coachman, go to Tatavla, with five shillings you can go us there and bring us back","of the many things you have done to me, I want you no more" I was glad to hear her sing. She was singing like a bird. I found a CD with songs from Minor Asia, she has moved so much. "Ah, what memories, my child" said and retell with tears". Rebetika songs were her favorite as well. She recounted with passion all the gossips for the ladies of rebetiko, which were praised and admired, made idols and worshiped by the faithful. The scandals of the era, the gifts of immense value just for one look, one smile, one kiss, maybe ... for something more. First the notorious Zozo Ntalmas, dancer and actress of the Greek and later of the Turkish operetta, was mistress of the Prince of Egypt. Whenever she was on stage the room flooded with flowers and doves. 104

The legendary mistress who was taking her bath in distilled water with rose petals, slept on beds made of ivory and enamel, in silk sheets and feather pillows, with hugs of kings from the East, princes and pashas,culminating in that of the creator of the modern Turkish state. Kemal was said, fell in love with her because initially refused all his gifts, but a little later on a gold wing in Dolmabahce palace, moved with staff, lackeys, cooks, maids, with Rolls-Royce and personal guard. "But you cannot imagine the impact, what a scandal this was for that time," she said, and I thought then and now the same would be. Perhaps same furor now, perhaps more than before. There was a rumor that Kemal himself, in front of his guests, ministers and pashas, drank champagne from her slipper and raised her to a spacious table to dance like the way Salome danced totally naked and later ... in the bedroom, he asked her to sing the "little vest that you are wearing". Her face reflected in the cigarette pack "SantĂŠ". Grandmother did not lose the opportunity because she disliked the habit of passing the anti-smoking messages. "Love, scandals, adventures, theatrics stages, princely palaces, successes, but in the end everything is vanity. Wasteful and reckless, died dirt-poor and despised by all, after since the 105

barrier-free life she made had many critics", was the result of the lesson. But grandma knew the touching story of Rosa Eskenazi, another great rempetissa (singer). Every appearance of her made every manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breath cut off and caused confusion and panic among the male population. Grandmother said that Rosa sang equally well Greek, Armenian and Turkish songs. Her voice sometimes was plaintive and some others very erotic. Playful "tsiftetelia" (turkish rhythm), lustful oriental rhythms, robust "zeybekika" (greek rhythm), slow "chasapika" (greek rhythm), she could

ď&#x20AC;

Rosa Eskenazi

Zozo Ntalmas

just sing them all. She had fallen in love with John Zarntinidis, a rich man who came from more affluent families of Cappadocia. The family of Zarntinidis, however, did not approve this relationship, the reputation for the artiste Rosa was 106

doubtful. So the two young people eloped, but Zarntinidis died of unknown cause, leaving Rosa with a child in her arms, Paraschos. Rosa very soon was realizing that could not follow her career and raise a child, so she delivered the baby in a boarding house. The "hard" family Zarntinidis started to bend and supported the child and Paraschos later became a senior aviator. He will reunite with his mother several years later. "The end, did you see?" grandma asked me "from life itself come the most unlikely scenarios". Once we watched tv all together at home, at some point starts a music program with many of grandmotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite songs. Dalaras, Alexiou, Glykeria (famous greek singers of folklore songs). Grandmother was prepared with great joy and anticipation to watch it. The rest of us, my mother and I, each of us took our place in front of the screen. My dad was trying with the remote control to improve the image of the tv and his intentions were good, because whatever he was trying was for us to have better vision. But the problem was that in the center of the screen there was this indication and the icon in front, so that no one could see the faces. And while the voice sounded, the image was hidden because of the list. So, grandmother says: "Come my child, we want to see Dalaras, please pull off this "berdes" (curtain) from his face". ď&#x20AC;

107

The "berdes" (curtain), the "ntavani" (roof), the "tzanta" (bag), the "pertsedaki" (hair with naively), the "baktses" (garden), the "parke" (polishing wooden floor), the "kopitsa" (press studs) are words quite scattered, but completely buttoned on to grandmother. She was what we call openhearted, grandma Alexandra. She threw her hat for a small vegera (soft songs with guitar), some wine and a few "mezedes" (appetizers).

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Grandfather Anthony, grandfather Vassilis, grandmother Alexandra, aunt Olga, Fotini and Alexander on the terrace of Sokion St.

A party could be built from scratch. She had held up her glass. She looked everyone in the eyes. There she is smiling, saying to all loud and clear to hear: "the only thing we need is good spirit (mood). Guys, stin igia sas (to your health). Cheers". "Come Alexander, please take your sweet guitar. Olga, come over here and tell us the song that I 108

like. You know which one. Come on; do me the favor, to rejoice".

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"And you Fotini, at piano. Play something for us". ď&#x20AC;

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She loved tango. She was good on the basic dance steps, always in style. I was in first grade class and taught me as follows: "now, you can step on my feet, give me your hands, this how it goes tiara la la, pam, pam". As a puppet I follow the footsteps of grandmother, of course stepping on her all the time, but danced with her, waltz and tango in the hallway of our house. Besides dancing, I had learned this song from her: Up to the mountain top, there is a deserted church, the church bells are not ringing, has no chanter, neither a priest a flaming lamp and a stone cross, are its only gem, the poor chapel and the passer who passes by, stood, worships and with much reverence, to the white cross gives a kiss The first song I learned in my life and my grandmother taught. Oh, giagiaka (granny). ď&#x20AC;

110

She taught me also another: Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a fast evzone (soldier of 1821), I live in the world honored which sugared bun, what kind of problem can stand in front of me One two, I sing, one two tsarouchi, foustanela, fountafes (parts of costume) manliness, bravery, pride correctly folded marigold ď&#x20AC;

Perhaps the favorite of all for me was the song "at the seashoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pebbles are sitting two crabs". Especially in the chorus where "the crabs are crying", I put my entire forte and my interpretation, made her cry from laughters. And she made me also laugh with old songs and acts of theatre, "of her times". Especially with a performance of the comedian Peter Kyriakou, recorded in 1929, speaking of the inhabitants of our country, says a feature, standard on each of them, which is quite interesting. He is singing the words like a cantor in a church and this hymn sounds like it had big success. After all, my grandfather liked it because he was singing a lot, as he was fond of Byzantine music. It was the hit "My aunt is Amersouda", another song was "I press a button and a fat lady comes out and she says to the children no more bread", and another one was "mama, I want a husband a little 111

cute, with a lot of money", and of course the other "the other day at Zappeion I met a young blond beauty". Many songs were from the time of the war with the Germans and the Italians in 1940-1944. These songs had lyrics which were satirizing the situation and trying to keep the spirit of the people high, like the song "Duce (Mousolini) is putting his uniform, and his high cap, well the poor, ah Ciano (his brother-in-law) would go crazy, and I did not want to mess with the greek tsoliades (soldiers)". Of course, like most people of her generation when heard Sophia Vembo (great singer from the time of the war) the thrill of bitter memories and the glorious moments overflowing eyes. I remember, with her beloved Aunt Katina, we had a ride to Agia Galini and in the car all the way up we sang and sang more, I cannot describe their joy, even the song of ... "Manolis the taxi driver" we had in our repertoire. We laughed and sang with our soul. Grandmother, despite all the frustrations or worries she might had she could maintain her presence very light. She was laughing, telling jokes or doing funny things. She had humor, she could be sarcastic to herself as well, but from time to time she was teasing us always with good intentions, and she did the social criticism. If someone happened to be "parexigiaris" (misreader), he asked: "What? Are you upset with me? Come on, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cut" and tied her fingers so the person who was sulking could "cut" with her. More than five 112

minutes, no one could hold "to be cut" from her. She was funny and all of us wanted to have her with us. Young and old, strangers and close ones. 

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Grandmother Alexandra with aunt Katina (sister-in-law) in Poros 

That's the way grandmother was. When she laughed, the laughter was coming from her soul. And even if you tried not to laugh with the joke, you would definitely laugh with her laughter. She was laughing and swept along everybody next to her in this pleasant relief. 113

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Grandmother Alexandra with uncle George in Sokion Street 

Often she was weeping from laughter and then said to whom made her laugh: "Oh, you have my blessing". She had this fear that after laughs something bad might happen. As soon as she pulled round, the epilogue was always: "Oh, may this is a good sign". Once I heard her talking to herself: "It’s not our fault that we are getting older, it’s life that is too short". 114

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Μ/Υ "Τ.Τ." 

One of the largest family loves, was the "have a yacht let's go for a ride", according to the known cue from a greek movie. Docked at the port of Faliro Delta and starred in all the summers of my childhood. Some scenes from the movie: barefoot on the teak deck, dives from the bow, lullaby with the sound of splashing. Carefree, enjoyment and saltiness. Taste and smell of saltiness were everywhere, at the clothes, at the towels, all over the body. Everywhere. Acquaintances, friends and relatives boarded on this ship agreed that it was adorable. The size was not very big, the hull was wooden and the cruising was jaunty. When my father gave the green light for departure, there was ebullition in both kitchens. Mom was making polpetes, which means zucchini-balls and grandmother was preparing a ton of meatballs, she used to call them "kioftedes". 115

The tupper-wares were over stuffed; the backpacks were filled and full steam ahead. Grandma enjoyed the journey, not caught by nausea. She was what we call, sea dog. My mother was crashed all the time, despite the dramamines. My grandfather was fishing mussels. My father and I, were searching for crabs and those we had caught were delicious whether boiled or baked. It was a time that I thought and I wanted to last forever. If only we could just stay there, forever under the divine sun, greek sea all around us, on the adorable boat, all my loved ones together. Ah, time is relentless and nothing defeats it.

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M/Y "T.T." and T.T. (Christinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nickname) 116

In the decade from 1975 to 1985 we watched together at home, her favorite series on tv. It was the season of television series like "Christ Recrucified" and when giousoufaki (singer for the sultan) appeared on the screen she was saying: "Ah! Look, the giousoufaki". We were watching also, the "Madame Sousou" with the unforgettable Anna Paitatzi, we liked "Our Neighbourhood" with Ntelakovia (character of a granny), the "Luna Park" with the unique Dionysis Papagianopoulos (comedian), grandmother was a big fan of him. Another favorite series was the "Border Station" with Vassos Hadrianos, the "Giougkerman" with Peter Fyssoun, "With this you will win" with Gelly Mavropoulou, the "Unknown War" with Angelos Antonopoulos as Colonel Vartanis, the immortal Foskolos (the writer)! I will not forget of course the tv series which had the same name with her, "Loxandra" with Betty Valasi. The description and the commentary of the match made by Diakogiannis, Fountoukidis, Katsaros. The honeyed and worshiper of antiquities mrs. Aliki Nicolaides presented the show "Forms and Themes" in the titles was a picture of Delphi, "Modern Eve" was presented by Ellie Evangelidou the sound at the titles was the "Concerto pour une voix". It was also the "Salt and Pepper" with Freddy Germanos. The "Sorry for the interruption" was the tab that fell without warning everywhere and always. This was a constant threat for every 117

faithful viewer in the early years of the television. In the same category belonged the famous lunch break, for a time was required. The program ended with the national anthem and after the signal, which was the tone of the flute "I was a little shepherd, I was herding little sheeps", we were all in our beds ready to count them. We had the "Theatre of Monday" as well as some scenes from the "Theatre of Monday". We were obsessed with "Pantheoi". It was the golden age of television for Elias Xenopoulos, like the series: "Venus" (1977), "The Emerging" (1978), "Lucky and unlucky", "Secret engagements" (1979) etc. Foreign series had a huge success were: "The six million dollar man", "The Bionic Woman", "The flying nun", "Lassie", "The Lucy Show", "I dream of Jeannie", "Bewitched", "Star Trek", "Space 1999", "Little house on the prairie", "The Waltons", "Hawaii five-O", "Mission Impossible", "Peyton Place", "The Invisible man", "The Saint", "Policewoman", "The fugitive", "Combat", etc. Our national host was Mr. Alkis Steas. The logo of Eurovision made us shudder of awe for the song contest. The night was long and all the countries of Europe and beyond were coordinated for the "twelve points". The tv antenna is a separate saga itself. The fact was that the terraces had so many antennas and were getting the face of transformers or of a canvas with hedgehogsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; scientific fiction. 118

The antenna on the TV was a permanent concern of my grandfather. Towards which way and how to turn it, in order to catch a better signal. On our Sunday's table, we ate together at our house. Every Sunday the two mothers-in-law, both my grandmothers, remembered the old times, saying their own memories, discussing TV programs and one of their favorite topics was the documentaries. Whatever had to do with nature, enchanted them. They described one to the other all the details that were seen in the vegetable or animal kingdom. "Did you see my dear, how many species of finch existed, ah, what were those colors"! "Yes, yes, indeed, there was this small bright green! How about the other, the total red! And the robin, how striking"? Small detail, the small screen was still black and white! The color invaded Greek tv on the 9th of January, 1979, thanks to the French system Secam. It was quite difficult to reconstruct though, so some programs were in Pal system and the button on the tv one time was up, one time was down. The night of the 24th of February in 1981 was the night everybody was watching the "Light of the Morning Star." I was lying and reading history because for the next day I could smell like test. The kitty on my feet was restless. All he wanted to hide under the bed. I bent around and hug it to calm it down. After the big earthquake, I found myself under the bed and the kitty was vanished. We 119

popped out all the way, voiceless, numbed, stunned. We were watching the house like it was the first time. Stone made. It sustained. We sustained ourselves with it. We had only EIRT and YENED, two national stations and no remote control and no updates for the program flow. From time to time the hostess came out and informed us about the broadcasts followed. One evening grandmother and grandfather were watching television sitting on the sofa. Naki Agathou came out and said: "Next the news and right after, our dear viewers, you can watch the new series of Greek television in episodes based on the novel by Gregory Xenopoulos, "Teresa Varma da Costa" (name of a noble lady). Starring Helen Erimou and Costas Arzoglou". On the sofa, into their little sitting room grandma and grandpa, are waiting what they will see. He asks grandma, "What was again the title of this new series, Alexandra"? Grandma answers "I did not catch it very well, but I think the hostess said: The medicines finished, Costa". There is no man who has not laughed when I say this incident. "The deaf fits everything as he wants my child," said the granny and laughed with herself. "The years, how they changed every human", she said often. "Ontantir" (getting old) in turkish and who can understand, understands. Anyone who cannot understand, never mind, he will understand sooner or later, is a matter of time. 120

I'll be even a little more retro; I will describe briefly the picture of the pavilion in the neighborhood. The newspapers had been hanged with clothespins waved and the magazines or multi-issue; most of them had Alice (national movie star) in their cover. My intention here, is not a complete historical record of the Greek printing press; this is simply a nostalgic note, excuse key to remember some of them, which accompany the three generations in our home. The newspaper was for the grandfather, but grandmother had read it also. "Romantso" was for my grandmother, but grandfather had browsed it as well. The standard material contained cineromantsa with "small icons and below words", it had tales "for the little ones," it had caricatures "from the life of drunk-party" manually by Archelaos, Christodoulou, Vlachos, etc., and had a good faith social criticism, in other word, gossips. As a weekly family magazine, had a leading role in home entertainment and information, with the highest circulation per issue and greater readability. Besides "xetsiposies" (adult magazines) had no place in the house, according to grandmother. Released in the 30s at a cost of 3 drachmas, after 1964 made 3.50 drachmas, until 1972 it cost 5 drachmas because it was printed "double" and 7 drachmas in 1974. I remember it at the kiosk in 1978 with 15 drachmas, after awhile it cost 35 drachmas. 121

122

123

Shortly after at 1982 had 40 drachmas, 50 drachmas in 1983; it had 60 drachmas in 1984 and finally 80 drachmas until its final end. Similar economic strides had been made with all the journals. Each magazine adjusted its price, as the magazine "Fantasia" which started with two drachmas; also the magazine "Icons" cost the amount of five drachmas. In 1970 the "RadioTileorasis" cost 3 drachmas in 1990 made 80 drachmas. In 1991 during the presidency of Andreas after two depreciations of drachma, the magazine "And" made a difference "slipped" and put the price of 350 drachmas. Gratsia Koskotas (one of the biggest scandal in Greece)! The ink just stopped sooner for some, later for others, such as the Bouquet, the Spectator, the Globe, the Family, the Seventh, the Weekend, etc. Postwar predominated: the Postman, the Pantheon, the Woman, the Treasure, the Fantasia, the Fantazio, Sun, Domino, Zephyros, the Vendetta, the First, etc. For the kids were the Classics Illustrated, The Adventure, The Battle, Tarzan, Captain America, Spiderman, Mister No, Tintin, Lucky Luke, Zagori, the Boy, Katerina, Manina, Popeye, Serafino, Tiramola, Mickey Mouse (small and large), Blek (small and large), Little Chief, Little cowboy, Little Knight, Little Hero and I leave for the end the magazine "Little Sheriff" to conclude with its cue: "the best are yet to comeâ&#x20AC;?. 124

Grandmother had a nickname inspired from a comic book. That was the "spark". She could do all kinds of work, and she made them with great agility. When she was walking, no one, not even a teenager could pass her. The stairs from the sitting room to the kitchen and vice versa from the kitchen to the sitting room, she had a style like she was wearing rollers. She could descend and climb these stairs one hundred times a day. Despite the fact that probably she would hold a tray with dishes, plates, cups and stuff like that. And then she was forgetting something. If you said to her, "please wait, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter", the standard response was "oh, let me". She was once again up and down the stairs. "Spark", it fitted her like a glove. Of course, at some point when she felt a little tired and wanted to perch, one was the solution: the "minteraki" (sofa). Her little corner. There, she was coiled like a kitty. ď&#x20AC;

ď&#x20AC;

Grandmother Alexandra with her characteristic resting position 125

As she walked her steps were fast and agile, while she always was looking down. This way she was able to scan the ground and found whatever was down or mislaid. She trained herself to scout and detect the smallest object. She found crosses, chains, coins. She easily spotted something that was dropped. She was our best solution to find lost objects. When we could not find something, for example a knife, a pair of scissors or a tool for the garden, there was no way, either inside greens, either between branches, either under the ground, she would find it. My father often was saying to her: "mommy, we lost somewhere in the garden a key. Could you give a look, and hopefully find it". And thats what she did, found it. Then, she was relaxed. Otherwise, she could not stop thinking about it. "I cannot sit and do nothing, my child, I want to do something," she said. "Give me the pine nuts" and she smashed them with one stone to another stone, one by one with patience and perseverance. If you wanted to see where she was, you should start from the garden. At Santa Calma, she had something to keep her active. She was taking care of the soil in a tree to "breathe", the fertilizer on a flower to "resurrect". She had planted strawberries and they had been starting to give fruits. Although this plant is sensitive, grandmother knew exactly what she wants to get better. Gentle slope in the soil, shade and regular watering, were her advice. 126

The diabetes had made her so feeble. One night in Santa Calma, my father grabbed her into his arms, took her unconscious in Lavrion, fortunately the doctor barely had time. She had gone to sleep and during those hours the diabetes did the rest. Literally he saved her then. However, the fright we had is not described.

Grandma Alexandra the mommy, grandpa Vassilis the father, Alexandros and "Gogo"

Also, we all had great terror, when she was caught. Her throat was closed, her eyes were goggled, all red, it seemed that the woman was going to burst until the blessed moment was coming and she was able again to take a normal breath. Around her all the rest of us, we had suffered from syncope. Later she learned and so we did that her problem was from allergy. 127

One summer after grandfather passed away, she asked me to go along with her in Karystos and I did it with great pleasure. They went there many times with my grandfather, at Aetos, at Vassilika and at other places around for their summer holidays. She preferred the things of grandfather, mainly clothes, instead of get rid of them, to give them to people she knew there and their finances were not so good. "To catch a place" (to be useful), she said again and again. She wanted to see her old friends. She also wanted to visit Karystos one more time. That time I bought my motorcycle. And "tontis" as she used to say (from archaic "toonti" which means in fact). From Rafina we had boarded on the ferry, the motorcycle, grandmother and me. We arrived in Karystos and it did not get us very long to arouse the whole region. We have been pointed everywhere, at the port, the hotel, the restaurant, the market, the beach, even at the cinema. We were both in the sign Capricorn, but as characters would say, rather different, and despite the age distance, the generation gap was not felt. It was as if there was not. I kindly asked from a passerby, to take us a photo. He was elderly, probably grandfather. After he looked us very carefully and he thoroughly scrutinized, he had a small smile in his face and made us the grace and took the shot. The motorcycle, the granddaughter and the grandma. My super grandma. She was 128

rejoicing the ride. She was not afraid of falling; I understood that she trusted me. 



Super granny and Christina 

Grandmother could generally trust people. Seemed she always had a good intention and goodwill for everybody. Perhaps in this way relaxed others' defenses and brought them close to her. Maybe even more important was the fact that the times she grew up were more pure. 129



Karystos, summer 1987 

130

She was asking for every single person she knew with real interest: "How is Mr. Christos? and Ms. Niki? What's new? Their children? Makis, how is he going? His father? What about Fotoula? Is her mother, going well? Your friend Angie, how she is doing with her diet? Did she lose any kilo? Your cat, how is going?" She spoke with every familiar face that met on the road, on shopping, at the bakery. If they answered "well", she was saying, "well done, hope it will always well". 



Her dearest friend and neighbor Viktoritsa and grandmother Alexandra, in Santa Calma 

Everyone that knew her, relatives, friends, acquaintances and even random people that only once had met her, they asked in their turn: "How is the adorable Ms. Alexandra"? Maybe, they could not forget her smiling eyes with the crystal clear look they had. 131

ď&#x20AC;

She was liberal, politicized, with her own opinion for all and for all politicians and most of all she loved Greece. She had survived from the persecution of the Greeks of Constantinople, had lived the Italian war and the German occupation, the civil war and later the liberation, she saw her country having kings, dictatorship and finally democracy. She always voted in elections and gave her presence even at concentrations for the party she supported. She believed in total, in unity. "Many mouths cursed, many hands blessed", was her slogan. "If we do not stick together, how we are going to prosper?" was her main thought. As well: "There it goes, the world is going crazy" she was saying when something was pushing her limits. When she was surprised the reaction was like: "Pa"! (exclamation). 132

As for the commonality of Greece, she had formed a view that apart from wise remains timeless. How little change has been in Greece. Certain things and situations, such as politicians are never going to change. This project, grandmother had seen it several times in her life. She had memorized the following poem and repeated to each scandal or stumble of our politicians: Who has seen a little country, across the earth unique and only, spending one hundred and fifty have gathered. To feed all the idlers, to have 7 Prime Ministers , fund with no money, but with so many graves and glory. To have ushers for guarding and they are shamelessly stealing and while they are stealing to catch the thief said they are searching It was one of the poems of George Souris (18531919), which he wrote at the four-page weekly newspaper "The Greek". For 35 consecutive years, he left his indelible mark. His sarcastic poems and theatrical acts have been unforgettable! He was living during the time of the first bankruptcy of Greece. I wonder what he would have to say to us now. 133

I used to buy her a diary for the wall. She wanted the calendars with poems, not the others with recipes printed from behind. Each morning, she wanted to tell me a new verse. To share it. Gradually, the calendar "stuck" in one day, then again continued normally for a while. But finally one day, the calendar was fixed in a day. The verse has not been read, has not been shared. But we read a lot together, didn't we, my grandmother? ď&#x20AC;

I was taking her for rides in the car to see and smell at Flisvos, the sea. She was missing the bay of Alimos with the old taverns and fresh fish. There, where the laid wave was kissing the fine golden sand. There, where the baths and the bainmixed (bath mixed for men and women) beaches: Pikrodafni, Kalamaki, Eden, Oulen. There, the tramvageris (driver of the tram) and there the bell of the tram. ď&#x20AC;

Old postcards with the first tram. Paleo Faliro, 1936 134

She missed the villas, the mansions and the beautiful houses built at that time by the citizens of Athens or Piraeus with great fortunes.

Mitropoulos’ mansion

Groman’s mansion



Big names among them were Logothetopoulos, Papastratos (tycoons of greek tobacco), a little further Tsouchlos, Krallis and Drakopoulos. She remembered how the area was once all around. So close to Amfithea, noted that it was called then Vourlopotamos. The path without obstacles, it was a walk through the fields, reeds and trees. There were farms with peanuts. If her girls were getting late, she waved a white sheet from the house in New Smyrni that seemed like a handkerchief in Faliro. From Sokion Street to the chapel of Panagitsa. Yes, it could be seen! And it was the signal to return the girls back home. The enormous eucalyptus trees in Achilleos Street were on the last uphill on the way back. There, a short stop to catch our breath back was necessary under their vast shade. 135

And here a chapter opens for my hometown. I owe this tribute. Parents, grandparents, relatives and all friends from New Smyrni were telling the same stories. I have heard so many stories from the generations that handed the baton to us and I have heard the same stories so many times and sometimes I am about to get confused. From time to time I can imagine myself being there, yet I was just a spark in my daddy's eyes. 

Typically, when my grandmother was referring to New Smyrni in 1934, was saying: "everywhere hillocks, pits, fields and dirt roads, even foxes descended. To go to the Square, you could engrave a straight line with the eye and just walk. " 

 El.Benizelou str and 2nd May str. at 1940. The same point before the tram. 

For the record, the original name of New Smyrni was Analatos, something even the oldest residents do not know is that on April 24, 1827 the famous "Battle Analatou" took place there between Turks and Greeks, for the recapture of the Acropolis. 136

The name Analatos (means not salty) came from a well of fresh water, which was near the church of St. Theodore where today is the stadium of Panionios. Also, in this area an attempt to assassinate King George I, happened on February 14th 1898. In commemoration of the rescue, Queen Olga built the temple of the Saint Sostis (means savior). This is why this temple despite the fact that it is in the Municipality of Athens, belongs to the administration of the Metropolis in New Smyrni. ď&#x20AC;

The area is rocky, full of streams. The settlement began in the early 20th century, and until then nobody had lived systematically. Half of the region belonged to landowners from Plaka and half to landowners from Brachami. At south is the Faliro, the oldest port of Athens. The ancient route crossed the area from Faliro and united Athens with the ancient port, through the Isonion Gates. ď&#x20AC;

When ubiquitous ancient historian Pausanias visited Athens (145-148 BC) mentions at his "Attica", the ancient cities. Northwest, there is Alopekie (birthplace of Socrates, current region Daphne-Faros). To the west, there is Xinetie (Moshato-Kallithea) and the Wall of Faliro. The name New Smyrni, come on, when after the catastrophe of Minor Asia (1922-1923), the government decided then that a settlement had to be constructed for the refugees from Smyrni (Izmir). 137

The position of the area was favorable because it is connected by road to Athens and to Piraeus. Another big advantage was that the value of the land was not high. A few days after the Treaty of Lausanne, N. Plastiras signed the Decree "On obligatory expropriation of the land near Syggrou Avenue" and the following year published "A New Plan of Athens," which included the "Urban settlement for the refugees of Smyrni". The reconstruction started in 1926, and the licenses issued that year were only 13. 

The contract with the French company Société Immobilière du Boulevard Haussmann, signed after 1930 for the erection of refugee housing in New Smyrni terminated in 1932 by Leonidas Iasonidis, Minister of Welfare because of the delay of projects and the company declared deposed. Finally, the construction of housing was commissioned in private. 

The refugees themselves had an active role and contributed in this evolution. Thus, while the first census of 1928 the population of the area was only 210 people. A few years later in 1934, the settlement was named New Smyrni Community, and numbered 6,500 inhabitants. Municipality became after the war, in 1944. As for now, after Athens the capital city and Kallithea the city for workers, New Smyrni is considered the third most populated city of the country. 138

During the settlement's first decade there was no mains water supply and the water supply was with trucks and wells. Electricity began in 1929. In 1930 the issue of connectivity of the settlement with Athens was solved with the initiative and expense of their own residents of New Smyrni. The very first thing the refugees established was the church of Saint Fotini, 1924, as the church was a key institution in the life of the Greek Orthodox community of Minor Asia. 



The church of Agia Fotini when construction started and today’s current view 

In 1929-1930 the main streets of the settlement were made. In 1932 people with experience and culture created the Central Club of New Smyrni. Very soon several associations were founded, many of which deal with issues of reconstruction and transfer of the land. An important place among them is held by the Union Burgesses of New Smyrni Refugees, the name is declarative of the social origin and composition of the population, in order to improve the living conditions of the inhabitants. 139

ď&#x20AC;

Estia New Smyrni ď&#x20AC;

The most imposing building is Estia and still remains. Founded in 1930 by refugees from Minor Asia whose mission is to collect and study data of Hellenism in Minor Asia. In the late 60s the current building was completed with a grant of Aristotle Onassis. There is currently maintained museum, remarkable library (50,000 books), as well as courses and events rooms. I will never forget the carnivals and the "bal masquĂŠ" organized by the municipality, the illuminated building shone. The hall was huge and prestigious. All New Smyrni was invited at the feast. Live orchestra played music for all tastes. Surely there was good food, but for us the kids at the masquerade ball, there were more important 140

things. We were concerned about balloons, confetti and streamers. There were so much confetti, a single glass could not remain clean and so many streamers our feet occasionally could not move. Between us we made better suit contest: "-You, what are you dressed?" -"I am dressed queen of the night, how about you?" -"I’m a cowboy, what are you?" -"I am lady from the good old days". 

 Carnaval, Christina with Aunt Mary, New Smyrni Square 

141

Welfare institutions were built in the city to meet the urgent needs the orphan refugees faced as the building of Iosifogleio, the Asylum of St. Andrew, the building of National Roof. From the urban character of the refugees flows the importance the refugees gave to create schools, public and private for the wealthiest, as well as institutions for foreign languages, a branch of the Athens Conservatory, and of course sports clubs.

Opening of the Evangelical School in the main square, in the presence of El. Venizelos, on 7 April 1935. The building was demolished in 1975.

Everywhere is obvious the attempt to link the past and the life in the lost countries. 12 years after 1922, the high school with the name Evangelical School was housed in the new home and reopened 142

in a building in Central Square. The wealth of knowledge, culture and spirit of Minor Asia transplanted to New Smyrni. The first primary school was on Homer Street, while the second elementary school was originally on the corner of Madytou St. and Seleucias St. Also the Ionian University, the Hellenic Educational and private elementary were founded, where students of wealthier families taught French and music. ď&#x20AC;

Decade of 1930 Sports Facilities Group of New Smyrni. In 1958 renamed AONS "Milon"

In sports the main example is Panionios, then the association of the same name founded in Smyrni in 1890. In 1922, immigrated to Athens and settled in New Smyrni in 1940 when the stadium inaugurated. In order to be accurate, the first club was established was A.O.N.S. Milonas, after the O.A.N.S. (tennis club). 143

For these reasons and for many others, the city of New Smyrni managed to remain the place of residence of celebrity of arts, of literature, of sports, and of politics, maintaining a different profile from the neighboring municipalities, while the green areas spared miraculously offered significant breath in the strained residential fabric of the city. Even more, the city manages to attract buyers and acquire more and more residents and new investors. The new building factor brought fever in town. The profit, but also the fear that their properties might declare listed made many owners to say the fatal "yes" to the contractor or his agent and in their place rose up tall buildings. More and more often the most popular subject for discussion among the grown-ups, especially at coffee time, was which old building was demolished and how much consideration he owns. At first they were playing the classic memory test about who could say the most details, like who was the first owner, his son with whom he was soldier, who he had married, what was his nickname, what size of shoes he wore, if the hole was on the right or left sock, and other nice and pretty things like that. Then with faces like funeral style and heavy voices they said to each other: "One more down"! 144

The shops around the square changed year by year. Some closed, some opens in new location, some renovating or expanding. New shopping centers, major supermarkets, and taller buildings. A few resisted strongly. 



1936, Paleologou and I. Magrioti Street, "Colonial Food", grocery store. 

The area where I grew up, it grew up with me. For the citizens of New Smyrni, for those they are native, and for the rest who moved to the area, but they lived 25 years at least, there are some key words like "fixed" values. Time locked them into the memory. The spirit of creativity, cooperation and progress of the refugees tied them to our heritage. Let's look at some of them: 145

 Square



The central square, photographed during 1950s, 



during reconstruction, 1968-1969 

146



during the 1970s 

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and the Square at the Olympic Games in 2004

147

The perimeter of the planting with trees made by students of the Evangelical School, when the building was at the bottom of the square and used it as a courtyard. For a time after the Second World War was named Churchill Square. 



Journal "Bima", Sunday, January 19, 1969 

In the years 1968-1970, Mr. Ath. Papathanasiou was the mayor. The area of the square in New Smyrni remodeled and created one of the most beautiful Greek squares. There were six lakes communicating with waterfalls and fountains, small bridges, tourist booth, kids corner, statues etc. Study and oversee the configuration made by the architectural firm G. Leonardos and L. Kalavyti. The project was innovative for its time. The large adjoining lake system functioned as mirrors onto the concrete. 148

In the small waterfalls, fountains of many levels and small swimming pools, beautiful swans and ducks were swimming. Bridges, inputs and features architectural elements such as the obelisk and the pyramid, made the "soulatso" (stroll) more interesting. Walks on the square of the squares, meant that all mothers would be present and us, the kids made competition, who will manage to bring the swan closer with a piece of bun. The central square of the city was, is and will be the core on the busiest roads. Since 2003 began a new reconstruction of the square. The three sides were pedestrianized and on August 12, 2004 inaugurated the reception of the Olympic Flame grace of the Olympic Games. The same year the statue of El. Venizelos was placed in front of the tram stop. 149

In 2005 began the work of integration with the adjacent square Karyllou, leading ultimately to the creation of a single space to the Park and underground parking.

Before the square pedestrianized and before the tram cut the city in two, I was 16 years old, I was driving a benelli, a moped, no diploma needed for its cubic and I was wearing no helmet. I was able to stop in front of the shops to look the windows and continue my ride. 150

In the Homer Street the open market every Wednesday had been hosted for decades, as well as the established school parade on our national day. This particular street showed also a paradox. The shops on the right side were paying higher rent compare the other similar shops on the left side of the road.

The right side of Homer St.

The reason was simple one and absolutely natural. As the sun was setting illuminated the right side more hours, while the left was shaded after darkened earlier. So, the left side was consuming more power. The owners of property on the right side did not want to waste such an advantage and thus remained the privileged side for many years. The comment is not intended to refer to political innuendo. 151

Sunday, May 2, 1971. The square and surrounding neighborhoods were turned into racetrack. Tight turns and short straights were ideal for drivers and cars, which they competed for the first time in the city of New Smyrna. The rally had found his way.

Winner Moschous, in front of the building OTE

It was a sunny beautiful day. It's been said that the atmosphere reminded strongly Monaco. The first and unique circuit was a rally race that thrilled the audience, which hung from balconies, terraces and trees. The live audio-visual spectacle, made many windows to tremble and left history without any accident. Fish tail, accelerator, and drift among many of them: Kokotas, Tsavos Korfiatis, Fotiadis, Meimaridis, Mavros, Antoniadis, Moscous. 152

Chrysostomou Square

Start

New Smyrni 1971

El. Venizelou St

2nd May St

25th March St

Saint Fotinis St

Finish 153

 Palouki

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The obelisk, work of sculpture Kapantai. 

The rendezvous with friends, classmates and acquaintances had been agreed in Palouki (obelisk). After that, the gang would decide where to go. After all, the popular line "pam’plateia" (let’s go square) started right there. The memorial column is 15 meters high and has reliefs connecting the city with Smyrni in Minor Asia.  Pyramid How many pants torn in this pyramid and how many knees bled... However, not too many years ago, I had been with friends in the Square, the madness got them to remember their youth and a competition started out of nothing: "Who will climb it first, ready, go". Infantilism, someone will say, but we laughed. 154

 Galaxias Tourist kiosk-cafe specialized in coffee frappe and ice cream sorbet, strawberry or lemon. Throbbed every season of the year. Suddenly came padlock. It remained closed for years and ruined, like a ghost from concrete. We never find out the reasons. What interests were played, only the respective mayors know those matters. At least now, it works as Cultural Center.  Alana The area joined with Square and became the underground parking. But who had seen there the Round of Death in the vacant lot? Who had a picture from the guy who had the camera with the tripod, which was covered with a blanket and said the classic "look at the birdie". My grandfather was a photographer. Anthony had specialized in artistic photography. He knew about "retouche", "fond perdu", and "transparent". Have a good time, grandpa.  Alsos (Park) The "Alsos of amazons" undisputed jewel of the town has an area of 50 acres. Trees were planted in 1926 and delivered in 1928. The lung area covered by trees, such as pine forest, pine type Thassos, cypress, conifers and ornamental trees and understory shrubs such as viburnum, velvetleaf, myoporo, pyracantha, etc. It is an exercise area, and for entertainment. In the grove held every 155

September the Ionic Celebrations. In years of high school this was the place for our daily excursions. For some it was the place to laugh, for some it was the place to flirt, and for some others the place to have a cigarette in secret.  Priest The national martyr bishop of Smyrni Chrysostomos (Kalafatis) found martyrdom death by the Turkish mob on the evening of August 27, 1922, day occupation of Smyrni by the Kemalist troops. Officially called Chrysostomos Smyrni Square. It is also known as the Monument Park since 1965, because of the monuments placed to remind moments of glory, pride and optimism and moments of pain, destruction and grief as the Monument Scouts Aydin, the Armenian Memorial, Smyrni, the daughter of New Smyrni (project Vassos Kapantais) and many more. 

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Chrysostomos, bishop of Smyrni

Smyrni, the daughter of New Smyrni 156

ď&#x201A;ˇ Panionios The fans have read everything-all because everything-all has been written about the history of Panionios. I'm not a football fan, but if I see redblue mark, I salut. And Grandma was not particularly fond of the sport. She agreed that football was purely male invention to permit men to go outside the house and leave their wives and when they do so to have a pretty good excuse, such as the game.

The team of Panionios is the eternal child, like Peter Pan, whom we have adopted and we live together in the Neverland. We cried together with him, are concerned with his transitions, we feel pride in its successes, but also care about how is going to school, what are its grades, who scolded him, and finally we are worried for him not to "fall" again. 157

 The clock

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The clock was at the entrance of New Smyrni before the underpass, as the late 1960s.  The Turn of New Smyrni When a day I was handed the contract of my ancestral house, I could not believe my eyes by the "accurate" description of the site: the above property is "close to the turn of Syggrou Avenue". Given that the house, built in the year 1934, located in Upper New Smyrni is like saying, nothing to do at all with Syggrou Avenue. The problem of the notary was not just where the house was situated because the roads were from nonexistent to poor patency and next to it other houses did not exist. The real problem was, where New Smyrni was situated? Any other point of reference did not exist. This is how Syggrou Avenue, acquired the turn of New Smyrni and those who turned, they faced the famous "Priest". 158

 Lolos Perhaps the oldest conserved shop, so the label says 1937, back at the time when New Smyrni was still a community.  Radio-Smyrni The electrical shop.  New Smyrni Conservatory It began as a branch of the National Conservatory, in a neoclassical after which built the Town Hall. After it was moved next to the Post.  French Institute  English Omeros  Lakafosi dairy  Siotropou dairy G. Siotropos, later Mayor, was selling milk from house to house.  Dairy products EVGA, 1936

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EVGA of the neighborhood, LD Kaffetzaki 159

 Kochler The cheese pie! Drooling. The greatest heartbreak was when he was saying, "just put them to cook, come back later". Crap!  Nick Also the most famous cheese pie shop, perhaps because it was the classic meeting place before each football game of Panionios.  Propo-Lottery "The Future" The shop of J. Difonis was near Karyllou Square. Other things that have been lost:  Voulgouridis Historical bookshop erased from the map before the 80s. The first bus terminated in the Bend, and later in the square in front of the bookstore.  The "Mikraki" Voulgouridis’ small store near the cinema Sporting.

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The Mikraki, was the first convenience store, New Smyrni 1936 160

Electrical shop G. Gyrtatos, El. Venizelou and 2nd May St, 1936 

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The office of the newspaper "New Smyrni" 161

 The gas stations We had two. A BP next to Agricultural bank and a Mobil at the end of 25th March St.  Music Inn Big record store at 80’s in Vrioulon St. The kingdom of vinyl. Receipt was not given, but what it was given was a coupon. For every 10 disks, one was a gift. When it closed, I had 8 coupons. C’est la vie!  The Power The yellow bus  The 10 The trolley also in yellow color with the number 10, stopped at Kolokotronis Square. Other things added:  The Tram  Goody's  Internet cafe  Chinese restaurants  Chinese clothing stores They have these chinese lanterns outside so we can’t missed them.  Yoga, pilates, spa  Parking Others that remained with the necessary facelift: The buses No 134, 135, 136 and 137, passed in front of the house, the bus station was in front of the elementary school. After this stop, the way of the itinerary was different and finally all of them 162

ended at the same goal and that was to Sina Street in Athens. They were groaning whenever the driver changed the gear. I remember the conductor, sitting in the special seat next to the back door, cutting the ticket "1,50 drachmas", checking the passengers during the journey, telling with attitude and shouting strictly into the primitive microphone to the standings "to proceed the hallway", when at the next stop the line expecting to get up was quite big. Clutched the coin tray. He put in the drachmas and took out the pennies with swiftness. I always wanted to have one too. Seated were the grandparents, because thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how they taught us to bestowing our position to elders. Needless to say the chance to meet a friend or relative was big and the journey passed pleasantly with a little chatter. But the older generation remembers a bus with the number "7". It was an old military Citroen truck left behind by the Allies after the Second World War. These buses called "hasaniotika" because they had abandoned at the old property of Hassan or Hassani, next to the old airport. Later the line "Kallithea - New Smyrni" was named "Sfageia â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Kallithea - Cemetery" and connected the old slaughterhouse in Taurus with the upper New Smyrni, to the point where there are the cemeteries of the municipalities of Kallithea, New Smyrni and Paleo Faliro. 163

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A photograph found in the archives of the newspaper "Athenian" snapshot shows the inauguration of the bus line "Kallithea - N. Smyrni" the 20th of June, 1948. 

The most known bus station by its name was the stop "Perimeni" (wait). Is it because everyone was waiting? No hard feelings, Mayor. It was a joke. 

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Nikos Rizos and Nikos Stavridis for the purposes of a film are waiting for the bus. At back the church of Agia Fotini. 164

The neighborhood we loved had many movies for winter and for summer. It hurt when we lost most of them. In 1936 the first summer movie opened Gloria (Astoria) it was opposite the Estia building. I haven't seen this one. But I remember the movie theatre Elsie. After was demolished its place got an enormous building at the time, was the first shopping center in the experimental stage. ď&#x20AC;

ď&#x20AC;

The movie theatre Elsie, 1961-1988. Seats 640 with square, balcony and terrace for the summer. ď&#x20AC;

It was and still remains Attalus. The little brats of school had filled the ceiling with sliders glued with gum. Also, it is still open Sporting. Phillip, Anastalia and Arica were the summer movie theatres. Arica, near the Anixis Square, resembled something out of a provincial town at 60s, but also inhibited the same. Naturally only gravel was covering the floor and iron chairs with thin plastic strips. Everyone had sore at legs, back, waist, back 165

cheeks. But who cared, in front of the magic of the big screen projection? With jasmine and honeysuckle everywhere around, to make you feel like a drunk by their fragrance. With plenty of bougainvillea in the paddock and orange juice IVI blue at the break. If the plot had suspense, the "chik-chik ptou, chik-chik ptou" from the sunflowers sounded rhythmically. At the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;60s the Greek cinema is booming, the audience fills the halls and movies are selling a record number of tickets. Some are calling these films commercial, why not successful. Quality cinema will never do such numbers, but long live the artsy, to be able to sleep during the film, freely without worrying about losing something of the plot. Fortunately, we had some sacred giants for directing and screenplay such as Tzavellas, Sakellarios, Giannakopoulos etc. Fortunately we had some actors like Dimitris Horn, Georgia Vasiliadou, Vassilis Logothetidis and many others and the film F. Finou preserved their unique interpretations for the future generations. Movies like "Counterfeit Pound", "A pebble in the pond", "Santa Chiquita" played on television, even today for 136 th time and still can make us laugh. ď&#x20AC;

When the grown-ups were making plans for the afternoon-night out, which meant that they would take also the children, half of them suggested: "Lefteris" for the following reasons: the pie is lean and the meat is dry (without tzatziki) and the 166

reste half disagreed and grumble for the following reasons: the pie is lean and the meat is dry. Perhaps for those reasons, this souvlaki survived all these years. Personally, I did not care at all, the souvlaki of "George" in the square and of "Maki" in Homer St. was just right. "Makiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chicken " in Artakis St. Tradition! Just above downtown, but known everywhere. The smell was not getting unstuck from the nostrils. "George": The pastry at the Square made this ice cream that became a legend. The manufactured he made it himself, with milk he brought from Lamia (from Kompotades if I'm not wrong). We are not talking for milk trade or milk powder. And the cherry syrup that was putting on it was homemade too. The quality of the materials made it famous as the best dessert. The current shop just keeps the name. "Adonis": Because the song that became hits, says lets go to Adonis for a coffee, that does not mean that we went at Adonis only for coffee. It was the best pastry. Sweet cakes and deserts like nougat, chocolate and serrano were the stars of sweets. It is true though that famous artists, actors, and football players, etc. were frequented there. ď&#x20AC;

Known and famous residents of New Smyrni now or for some time were: "Sir Bithi" or G. Bithikotsis, Mikis Theodorakis, who was also playing violin, Jenny Vanou, John Kalamitsia, Polina, Nick Portokaloglou and Dimitris Katalifos. 167

Other fellows well known are the Katsimihas brothers, Alkestis Protopsalti, Joyce Evidi, Nora Katseli and certainly many more that I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recall now, but if someone mentions them, I will say ah, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re right and I always stepped on him/her on the streets or in the open market on Wednesdays. Last, but not least, Alexis Papadopoulos, the diver, researcher, under water filmmaker and my father. His underwater investigations, historical discoveries, the documentary about the emergence of liquid wealth that surrounds us, the study of the pollution and saving the Greek seas, the 8500 hours of diving under his belt, give the right to classify him to the famous by the Greek and not only because it cooperated with the English, Dutch, Swedish, Austrian, Swiss, and Cypriot Arabic TV. They called him "Cousteau of Greece". He was the first who raised his voice for the marine ecosystem, the fragile chain of bottom animal, for the pollution of the Saronic Gulf. He was the first to give picture and sound from the bottom of the sea with direct connection to the ERT channel. He is Alexis of the Greek seas. He has been honored by Mayor G. Siotropos for his selfless work and his contribution to society. At the third grade of high school, we went the traditional five-day trip. We had chosen to go to Corfu and we found that this island was a favorite destination of many schools from all over Greece. 168

Once the buses were crossed, we asked: "where you guys are from?" They said from Crete, others were saying of Thebes, others were saying from Kavala or Patras. We did not answer from Athens. My classmates and I together, we were shouting "from New Smyrniii". To make the story short, the intense localism of the citizens of New Smyrni, may seem incomprehensible to outsiders. For the "locals" has a very strong foundation. New Smyrni is a small village with a large specific identity, a major advantage that it is impersonal; it has character and all the features connected directly with refugees. Characterize a city highly emotionally charged. Against the modern disasters in recent years, such as giant construction covert almost every garden with concrete and the increase of cars and traffic jams, the love of Neosmyrniotes for their city remains fierce. Somewhere I read: "Occupation Neosmyrniotes". Requirements: Interest in common and the municipality, private placement for issues as Panionios football team and Alsos. The problems of everyday life in the square seem to be whether the new cafeteria does better coffee and if the chairs of the next cafeteria have been placed correctly where they are. If you live in New Smyrni you should go to new bars and to the old ones, to know which bistro has a very good parlor with fireplace and rocking chairs, to visit every ouzo 169

tavern in Mytileneika and know their specialties, to eat souvlaki of all grills to compare in order not to get caught unprepared and stay in the same class. But the truth hurts and we need to see the reality in the eye. Until three decades ago, New Smyrni was garden-city. In the 70's we were counting the cars of the day and the gardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competitions held every May. Today that figure has disappeared. In the 80's we were cooling by having a frappe in Galaxias, in the 90's we were handling the loss of control. Unfortunately in the 00's the speedo zeroed and we lost the ball. Saturday morning I went for a walk to the Square and of course for shopping. I did not reach the second street. The motorcycle without plates, with a young man, thin, blackish, without wearing a helmet, came near me. He grabbed my bag through my hands. Even while he was running away, turned his head and smiled at me, the scam. Go fix new keys, prepare a new identity card, cancel the credit cards, cry for the brand new mobile, also for the memorabilia and of course for the wallet. I took it very hard. I could not believe that this happened to me in my neighborhood, next to my house where we did not lock the doors once. In New Smyrni, who we were all known an acquaintance, we were a friend of a friend ... At the police station I went to give a deposition, the officer told me: "girl, we do not have a pen to write and we will send a patrol car?" 170

I know, I was neither the first nor the last. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wrong. The grandmother was victimized not once, but twice. He was waiting for her to come out of the bank with the money of her retirement. The first time, she resisted and fell down. We were running to the hospital for fractures. The second time, at least the only damage was the loss of her bag. Another time, a scammer approached her. He told her a bunch of lies. She has been persuaded and put him into her house. She went to the kitchen to bring him a "glass of water". And just like that, all her economies simply flew away. "Ah, my child" she said, "he was so gracious, he looked like an actor, he looked just like Rock Hudson". She fell into a depression. I told her, "Dear grandmother, the only thing that matters is that you are o.k. Please do not worry". I changed the subject and chatting about something else. The trick was to make her participate to chat. So she did. She was telling stories about the house in Sokion Street, how it was built. It stood out in the region; it was called the "high house". For its time, it was the only threestory house. We had in front of us, like a plate Piraeus, Faliro and Alimos and sometimes if the sky was clear seemed the island of Aegina. When the train started from Larissa Station we could hear the sound. We were able to see the big clock in Piraeus, with binoculars, of course. We could see the whole church of Agia Paraskevi, not just the 171

bells, and as for the match at the stadium was not difficult to realize the goal from the voices of the fans. Panionaraaa! (like Steelers fans on game day).

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Summer's night view from the balcony of Sokion Street Piraeus in bright light at background

"A house to build is not an easy matter. It is not easy now, think of it then" she said. "We were lucky, very lucky", she stressed. My family had a steep financial start with the fresh trauma of the refugee. Thankfully had and supporters. My grandfather had two uncles, Leonidas and John Isakidis, who bought the land and built the house. Uncle Leonidas remained unmarried and without children. Those who knew my mother Fotini as a little girl said that she was a 172

beautiful and cute kid with curly hair like Shirley Temple, so they said the uncles did it for the sake of the child. Those who knew my grandmother said she was polite and good wife, so they said the uncles did it for her sake. The only thing I can say is that my family has this house from the sake of uncle John and uncle Leonidas.

ď&#x20AC;

Fotini with her uncle and his wife

Grandmother mentioned them very often. She showed me their photos. Her voice took another color. Respect, admiration, gratitude, all tied, I could hear the way she was pronouncing their names. Thanks to these two uncles, also my grandfather's brothers, Haralambos and Glykeria, acquired their houses! I always think of those "theus" (uncles) like "Deus ex machina" (gods from machine). Yes, the word Deus suits them better. They cared, supported, built. As it turned out, this house received a solid foundation. 173

I heard so many stories about my house. It became an observatory for the enemy during the German requisition, later it became an observatory for the ally when the British army came and finally it was looted during the civil war. How a bomb hit it during the war over the window on the first floor and how that was repaired. When I was a little I remember the stronghold next to my house, it was like a castle for my imagination. 

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5, Sokion St was the highest house at the highest point of all New Smyrni’s area, right next to us, was the stronghold 174

During the german occupation the inhabitants of the municipality tested by harsh hardships and oppression experienced of the war, the hunger and the coldest winter ever existed. The Germans settled in New Smyrni end of April 1941. The barracks spaces were at the Park, the courtyard of the Saint Fotini, the stadium of Panionios, while the building of Iosifogleio and Clinical Livanos converted by the Italians in military hospitals. At the Bend, there was the "posto di blocco" (control) of the Italian and the German Gestapo. Anti-aircraft rigged with spotlights was in the region of Tank and at the Cemetery. The house of 5, Sokion St. together with other houses and public buildings, commandeered. When grandma was talking about the war of 1940 the first thing she remembered was the dark sky, as if the sun never came out. Her face darkened just the same. "The Germans have made our home, an observatory. Every night we had a curfew and blackout. Blue paper over the windows and we pulled over the curtains as well. When the sirens sounded, we all run for the shelters. Some neighbors, even put a casserole pot on their heads to protect themselves from the bullets"! She remembered how they all gathered around the radio to hear the London's station and the news of the war. The transmission began with the signal of BBC. "Nobody will ever forget the winter of '41. Famine + cold = death". 175

People ate what was found like, greens, cauliflower leaves, broccoli and mallows. Common meals, dried beans, leeks, peas, fava and beans. They made corn from carob. In order to strengthen the children a slice of tangerine and a tablespoon of cod liver oil, were required. "Pinkish color in person did not exist, just dug sunken cheeks and eyes". Grandmother became seriously ill those days. She weighed 42 kilos. She was proven strong like always was, so with her recovery, another adventure was at its end. "The news started to whisper from mouth to mouth. The war ended. Hitler was defeated. The Germans leave. We could not believe our ears". The departure of the Germans, the removing of the flag with the swastica from the Acropolis, the celebrations, the euphoria and the optimism recorded on camera by Filopoimin Finos, who also immortalized the atrocities of the conquerors and recorded the sabotages of the Huns in many places throughout the decimated by hunger and economically impoverished Attica. "After October the 12th of '44 when the criminals got out of here, we thought that the suffering was over. We were just about to say, "thank you God" and we were saying, "Help us Mother Mary". What evil found us? We could not stand it anymore. How many wars more, how much hunger, how much misery more? Oh, for every suffering we had, put the blame on politicians. The power is sweet, you see". 176

How right you were grandma. All the fight and the civil bloodshed were for the control of post-war Greece. That was the cause of the conflict. Although philosophy was born in Greece, unfortunately Î&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll borrow words of philosophers from other countries: Love of freedom is love for the others. Love of power is love for ourselves. William Hazlitt, 1778-1830, English essayist and critic

The power can only be trusted in the man that he gets bored of it and avoids it. French proverb

All power is totally humiliating. Humiliates the person that he exercises it as much as the person that accepts it. Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900, Irish author

I have as much power as the Pope; I just do not have so many people to believe it. George Carlin, 1936-2008, American comedian

They say that power corrupts, but it is more appropriate to say that power attracts corrupt. Healthy people usually attracted by other things than power. David Brin, 1950 -, American writer Sci. fiction

Comouniste: a power worshiper without power. George Orwell, 1903-1950, British author

Nearly all men can withstand adversity, but if you want to try a man's character, give him power. Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865, American President

Without power, ideologies cannot be applied. With the power, rarely survive. Fidel Castro, 1925, Cuban leader

He who truly loves his people never becomes a leader, becomes the servant. Menelaus Lountemis, 1912-1977, Greek writer

177

In the battles that lasted three weeks there were atrocities by all sides. Britons jailed suspects some of which were deported to concentration camps in the Middle East. Many of them had nothing to do with the EAM. ELAS seized hostages and executed civilians accused often mistakenly as associates of the Germans. What really wanted the majority of the Greek people back then, when the famine decimated, the cold was relentless and every Greek family wept for lost loved ones? It seems that the voice of the people is never heard. But whatever does not make a sound does not mean that it doesn't exist. I notice all these years to selectively quote and the point of view based on source on one side of which shows that this aspect is obviously a targetdesire-profit: to confuse the people the politicalparties alter the facts of history for their own gain. Those who lived through the events speak for distorting the truth for political motives. The complete silence of allied sources, the sanctification of all acts and this excessive praise, mystifies me and puts me in suspicion about the objectivity of research. For a comprehensive overview of the Civil war in Greece today in the age of technology with the power of the Internet, that cannot be silenced fortunately, he who really wants to be objective can simply look it up. Searching is learning. 178

From 1949 to 1974 was only heard the anti communist side of the events of 1941-1949. From 1974 until now is heard ad nauseam and to excess the view and the interpretation of the left platform. It is time to calm the windsock of Greek historiography. Civil war put democracy under question. The elections had shown what the majority of Greek people really wanted. The actual landscape was the country has been ravaged, the people starved, money had no longer any value and the month was December and frosted. The political landscape was divided into rival armed camps. Monetary chaos came from uncontrolled inflation.

ď&#x20AC;

One of the last paper money of 100 billion drachmas of November 1944 printed in October, with G. Papandreou government (has the signature of Zolotas)

The inflationary gallop wiped out the market value of the national currency. The massive and uncontrolled print for paper money combined with the suffocating narrowness supply goods in urban 179

market has made the survival of large segments of the urban population and mainly for the employees dubious case those gloomy years. In a divided country the environment was the full political unreliability. After German withdrawal productive capital had drastically degenerated, the pre war technological equipment was practically wiped out, public infrastructure (communications networks, services, projects, etc.) was put off and even worse the people had political and socially polarized. The monetary recovery was the highest priority, immediately after the food supply. Proceedings basic necessities went up 50,000 times, while wages only 2,000 times. The cost of living, by the year 1940, doubled in the first 6 months of the Occupation. In October of 1943 it was 335 times larger, 828 times in December of 1943 and during the last month of occupation in October 1944, the cost of living had reached immeasurably, dizzying levels. "But can you imagine how it is to wake up one day and the newspaper costs 10 million, the next day 15 million. By the end of the week the price of the same newspaper was 25 million. And as for the newspaper, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say you can stop from buying it, bread and milk, can you cut these too?" 180

Since 1943 the British side had directed the troops after the liberation as the interests of the Empire in Greece not to be affected. The British did not want to lose a country of strategic importance for their global domination.ď&#x20AC; In his note to Eden, Churchill wrote on 6th of August, 1944: "... Whether we will support Papandreou, if necessary by force, as we have agreed, or will cease to have any aspirations in Greece". Himself appointed by the British, Prime Minister of Greece, G. Papandreou in letters to Churchill begging on 21st of August, 1944: "For this purpose it was necessary to create a national army and police, and to achieve this goal would require British armed assistance". Churchill and Stalin had made the agreement rates, as it became known later, which gave the UK 90% influence on Greece in exchange for 90% of Soviet influence in Romania. The Moscow agreement sealed the fate of Greece. Truman would later discover of this. Frederica wanted to return to her throne, safe and fast. After the ultimatum of the government to disarm the rebels, the refusal and intransigence came from their part. The civil war broke out. Whoever had more ammunition and the strongest allies would win. "We saw the landing in Faliro. It was clear from the house, yes, we watched the whole enterprise. You asked me how we felt about it. 181

The disembarkation of British troops

182

When your own people are coming in your own house with a gun to threaten to give them money, canned or cigarettes and if you don't have, they say we will come back and you better have it next time, why to be affraid from the arrival of the Englishmen?" The Battle of Athens continued despite that the war with the Germans had not yet finished. In Greece, the Germans still held only the islands Milos and Crete. The British authorities had ordered the evacuation of London to save the population of the German bombing. Churchill arrived in Athens, during Christmas of 1944, stressing this way the importance of this battle. The opposing sides met at the Hotel Great Britain, with the participation of the Soviet representative. While the British press was attacking Churchill, the Soviet press remained silent. While the controversy continued in London, the city of New Smyrni tested very hard. The citizens remain confined to their homes. Like russian roulette is the game of life. The Militia entrenched in the building of Iosifogleio, the police at the headquarters (KBÂ´ Police Department). Bullets and mortars are everywhere. The armed rebels repelled by the British. The house of Sokion St. (once again) as a lookout is required by the English troops. 183

The English forces begin to recapture the town square to square. The battles are conducted mainly in upper New Smyrni, the forehead is from the cemetery to Skantzouraki square, and in the center from Iosifogleio to Homer street.

ď&#x20AC;

Skantzouraki Square, upper New Smyrni.

The narration became more vivid when grandma was referring to events that took place inside the house. "The British officer, who stayed in our house, treated well and kindly our family. Killed by one shot, the bullet found him here, right between the eyes. And here comes the projectile out of nowhere and pops up at our house. This sound, I could never forget. I thought it was over. A knot sat in my throat and did not go away even after a long time". 184

ď&#x20AC;

Grandmother Alexandra at the doorstep of her house. Sokion street ahead, is still a dirt road.

She was telling me the story of how she stood in front of her doorstep, and bravely defended her family and her house. She confronted with courage, stood face to face, a breath from death, a particularly dangerous threat risking her life when a gun was pointed at her. "Are you Greeks, or are you not? If you are men, go and give your battles in the mountains, not here against women and children", she said. Young Fotini was watching this scene from inside the house, terrified she was thinking that's it, we are about to lose mother. "I knew what I was doing" grandma insisted. "It was not recklessness. The best defense is attack", she often said. "But it was so risky, would you do it again, Grandma?" I asked. "No doubt about it", she replied without a second thought. 185

The armed rebels reappeared and seized the KB΄ Police Department. The police managed to leave the building, under the cover of the English vehicles. The English tanks with their guns dismantled the barricades that had been erected in front of the Town Hall. On December 23rd the rebels retreated to the region of Katsipodi (Daphne).  

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1945, KB´ Police Department

1961, Old Town Hall

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On the 1st of January 1945, 3,000 citizens of New Smyrni gathered and expressed their gratitude to their liberators holding British flags, with one wish: no more children die from hunger. For the Decembriana, Joseph Stalin had told Dimitrov on January 10, 1945: "I advised Greece not start this fight. People of ELAS did not have to leave the government of Papandreou. They grappled with work for which there was 186

insufficient their forces. It seems, they reckoned that the Red Army would come down as the Aegean. That we cannot do it. We cannot send Greece our own troops. The Greeks did stupidity". Grandmother narrated and got very emotional: "Ah my sweet eyes, if you could only knew how your grandfather was saved from the Death's teeth. A friend of his, whistled that they are coming to get him. The fields were filled with victims of O.P.L.A. The mass executions were everyday regime. They terrorized, threatened and murdered in cold blood. And after all these suffers, the tortures, after this bloodied and without profit civil war, why we do not put mind, why we do not stay united? Today we can easily do a comparison. Was it life in Romania better than it was in Greece? We had to stick together. One more time the split, had destroyed us. Ah, my daughter, it hurts my soul when I remember these events. When the Englishmen left our house, the rebels entered and ransacked it. They left nothing standing. They took the clothing, the furniture and whatever had value as bakir (copper) objects, and they even ripped the water pipes. We restored everything to the way it was before the bandits came. We endured everything. The important thing was that we stayed alive, we survived. Never again war my child. I wish, what we experienced, you will never see it in your life". 187

Nevertheless according to the agreement of Caserta, the leaders had made, all the rebel forces were active in Greece were subject to the orders of the Greek Government of National Unity and military leaders of ELAS and EDES undertook to prohibit the guerrilla units any action that aimed to seize power. "But why they do the agreements, to keep them or violate them", she wondered, "and I want you to know this, for many years after the war, young children were still finding bullets in the fields of New Smyrni, and they were playing with these. Thieves versus policemen. Good guys against bad guys". Greece before each war was a poor country with dependence on major powers. Greece after each war was a poorer country with greater dependence on major powers. Fanaticism, obstinacy and intransigence led to an impasse. The concept of resistance can exert a charm. But let us keep in our DNA, the gene of collegiate, the gene of unity and common effort, common struggle to build a better world, the gene of the Greek refugees. She was telling me more stories, about the first house in Faliro, about her brothers. Maria was lost when she was a baby. Hariklia, Arcadia, Thanassis, Nikos and Theodore. She loved her brothers. 188

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Theodore, Thanasis, Harikleia, Alexandra, Arcadia, Nikos and in the center Cornelia Galanou 

And many other stories she would have had to tell for sure. She had some bad moments in her life, which hasn't after all, but she had in her 95 years, some exciting scenes. I lived with grandma and I had enjoyed my grandma in this house as a baby, as a kid, as a teenager and as an adult. From 2001 until the end of 2008, I stayed with her. We watched tv together, ate together, and woke up together. I was preparing her injection of insulin, in the morning an hour before the breakfast and again in the evening an hour before the dinner. She liked to drink the water "mélangé" (french word means mixed), neither too hot nor too cold. She liked my cheese pies. 189

When I experienced her loss, I believed that the expected pain I felt was because a person that I loved dearly left me. But grandma's love was bigger. That is why my pain was immeasurable when I realized that I lost a gentle person, who really loved me. When the undesirable but inevitable moment of parting came, love showed another side. I comprehend that a form of selfish love made me believe in an emotional error. That grandmother belonged to me. The error was even greater because she just could not belong to me forever. What I did is imprinting in this book, chapters from personal files of my memory and of my soul, in order to preserve them, to keep them. Besides the wisest saying says in Latin "verba volant, scripta manent". Words fly, writings remain. A grandmother who was offering selflessly, did not kept for herself anything, a grandmother who lullabied, caressed, comforted, a grandmother who cared, gave, played, a grandmother who accompanied, sang, taught, a grandmother who was smiling, inviting, said good morning, a grandmother who protected, embraced, kissed. A grandmother who did not complain, did not reveal secrets, did not quarrel. A grandmother like she is in fairy tales. This was my grandmother. My mom's mom, who was twice my mom. 190

She had in her bedroom a picture of the Virgin Mary with the Divine Child in her arms. It was an old wooden image carved, embellished with silver in the halos, with the usual sad expression in Mother's face. In front of the picture, grandmother had placed a kantilaki. I had seen her praying in front of it. Only when she really felt that she needed to do so. Not every day. Though she was taking care the little candle every day. "When you let something, whatever this is, it leaves you back", she used to say. My mother donated the icon to her sister. I wanted to keep it and also my mother but apparently we could not cut it in pieces. I miss Grandma. If I could with a letter to ask for a wish to be made as in fairy tales, I'd asked to hear all over again all her stories. To found myself with her, and the two of us together again in the chamber, sitting on her favorite sofa, with the velvet cushions, with tidbits from the kitchen, with aromas of cinnamon and mastic, with handmade cookies and musky Greek coffee in the small slim cup, that one with the little roses on the side for decoration. Her voice had this sweetness that each grandchild and great-grandchild rejoiced to hear, her gaze had the brilliance of a teenage girl, as for her touch, this one had psycho-anxiolytic effects. 191

When she was going to sleep, she always insisted the door of her room to stay open. She wanted not to feel alone in her sleep. I was telling her every night not to worry and leaving the door open. Grandmother died on 10/9/10.

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Grandmother, a month ago, at the hospital Sotiria

"Grandma, if you can hear me, you're not alone, the door of our soul, for you, remains always open".

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Iakovides George (1853-1932) The first steps, 1892 Oil on canvas, 140 x110 cm.

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