Silly me
I am in Athens again and the other day, I visited an aunt of mine that I hadn't seen for years. She lives by the sea, very close to one of the biggest marinas of Greece. It is an area of great beauty that I used to know well as a child. So I figured that a walk along the marina was in order, to refresh old memories and see what's new. But as I have noticed more than once in this trip, the city of my childhood has been altered so much that I can hardly recognise it!
A sculpture on a public square, that I hadn't seen before was not a big surprise. And the sea and coastline are, obviously, pretty much the same. So I started my walk with the false impression that nothing much has changed. Silly me :)
The winter sunshine added an even more pleasant vibe in my little expedition and I enjoyed the feeling that I look like a tourist in the city that I grew! The camera hanging on my neck, the slow steps and the wandering look that I had, were definite signs that I was on the "tourist mode" :)
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But as I was getting closer, I was "welcomed" by closed gates and security cameras. It took me a while to realize that I cannot actually go in the marina. The playground that I used to enjoy so much as a kid, is now a guarded area!
It is of course the area with the most expensive and most extravagant yachts. Wealth has to be protected, doesn't it?
At least they left enough sidewalk for the common people to walk and after a while I reached the part with the less valuable boats and I had the chance to get closer to the sea!
I even saw a couple of humble fishing boats! Among all that display of shameless luxuriance, they looked so small and out of place!
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During the whole walk I kept turning my lens either to the boats or to the block of flats that surround the marina. And I couldn't stop wandering what is like to have that view on your balcony :)
Thank you for reading and if you want to know more about me you can check out my introduction post.
Commenting, upvoting and rebloging are highly appreciated!
The color grading you have given to these images make these pictures so relaxing to watch and enjoy the views.
Thank you @rocksg :)
I am glad you like them!
Change is a thing we all witness in our lives but I find it unsettling when obscene wealth overrides the normal lives and memories we hold dear. This constant erasure of the humble and honest, deeply troubles me. The places we used to play as children that are now fenced off.
Exactly my point. I know that it can't be stopped but yet, I can't accept it for granted.
Thank you for stopping by!
Oh my gosh! That was a really good tour, @fotostef. What are the materials used in the sculpture?
It was amazing to see plenty of boats and yachts there. It is because we don't have any here in my place. !PIZZA
Thank you @dennnmarc
I am glad you enjoyed it :)
The sculpture is made of metal.
Beautiful photos and a great walk around the marina... From your photos it does look enormous! Thanks for sharing it!
I have picked this post on behalf of the @OurPick project which will be highlighted in the next post!
Thank you @ph1102
I am glad you liked it!
I haven't heard of this project before, sounds promising :)
Such a lovely walk that sculpture is cool, and yes when visiting somewhere thathas nice memories for us when we were young and seeing it all has changed can be unsettling
Thanks for joining the Wednesday, its always fun for me to visit the walks from all around the world, getting a feel for communities where people live and what they see on their daily walks
Yes, it was a nice walk despite the frustrating changes!
Thank you for hosting all those wonderful walks around the world :)
Totally my pleasure hosting the walk
It's too bad that places once public are now not available to all, sadly I think the world is moving more towards the way of the past in that there will be a few with much and many with much less.
A lovely place and I love anything seaside. The scuplture makes me think of my own local area here on Cape Cod where lobster traps are often used in such ways, for instance at Christmas a local village makes a large 'christmas tree' out of stacked lobster traps and buoy markers. Great post @fotostef
Thank you Donna!
Indeed, the sea has its own special charm, no matter at what side of the world you see it :)
I was wondering the same...
Obviously :)
Beautiful photos!
I ve never had the chance to walk there, only as a passenger I ve arrived and departed 😊
Thank you for showing us the other side
I am glad you like them Katerina! Thank you for stopping by :)