The Rio-Antirrio Bridge by John Greeves

The Rio-Antirrio Bridge

by John Greeves

The beautiful Rio-Antirrio Bridge is more than an engineering marvel and can be considered a work of art. It crosses the Gulf of Corinth near Patras, linking the town of Rio on the Peloponnese peninsula to Antirrio on mainland Greece. Like football it's full of statistics, being one of the world's longest multi-span bridge at 2,880 m (1.8 miles). It has a width of 28m, two vehicle lanes in each direction, as well as an emergency lane and a pedestrian walkway. The five-span, fourpylon structures look like a series of magnificent yachts cutting sway across a Homeric Sea and announcing a new golden age to surpass even that of Pericles. Of course, high profile transfers of cash were needed at the time with €630 million coming from Greek state funds and other loans from the European Investment Bank when it was built. But what has this to do with football? You'll see. A while ago I travelled from Athens International Airport into the city, a 25-minute ride. My Greek was non-existent, but by mentioning AEK Athens, Olmpiacos FC, Panathinaikos I generate an immediate response. Various outpourings from the driver signalled instant approval or derision about these teams as he cut through the busy traffic like a fearless number nine.

Then single word questions were fired at me: Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea; my face said it all. I put him right about my team, saying it over and over again like a football mantra to make sure he got it. Later I stayed in view of the Rio-Antirrio Bridge in the town of Nafpaktos with its historical citadel gazing out to the bridge which seems to be in full sail 8 km away. Like many Greek towns it came alive in the late afternoon and evening. On this particular day, I walked past sleepy flats, coach-tour hotels, supermarket, alfresco cafes and even one fashion establishment called the 'Chic and Cheap' towards the harbour. I entered a book shop, looking for some holiday reading and decided to give Alexandros Papadiamandis, a Greek author in translation a go. The owner immediately struck up a conversation. 'Where are you from?' 'Wales.' Gareth Bale entered the conversation like a well-executed pass. All his admirable qualities were cited. Then it was my turn. I told him how well Greece did in the Euro 2004 final when they won 1-0 against Portugal. It was if I had made a lifelong friend when I name the goal scorer as Angelos Charisteas. I didn't however mention the odds against them winning the final on that day were 80 to 1 - such occasions need maturing like a good wine in their timeless savouring of cherished memories. We agreed that football has become the new international language. 'When we were building the bridge,' he told me ‘There used to be many different groups of constructors here. Greek, French, Belgium, Dutch and so on. What unified them all he says was their passion for the game and not their politics.'

John Greeves originally hails from Lincolnshire. He believes in the power of poetry and writing to change people’s lives and the need for language to move and connect people to the modern world. Since retiring from Cardiff University, Greeves works as a freelance journalist who's interested in an eclectic range of topics.