I took this photo of a tree in our communal garden. This was at the end of February. Apparently, it is a Japanese acacia. I’ll take another pic when it flowers. It’s a lovely tree whose branches are very long-reaching, the length far exceeding the height of the tree.
Winter is now well and truly over. Even Greeks are saying spring has already been bypassed. For me the days are like a north European June, warm with a light refreshing breeze. Some hardy souls from North Macedonia and Serbia are already sunbathing on our beach, but I haven’t seen anyone swimming yet.
Greeks will tell you that public works are only done when an election is in the offing, but three streets in our little village have been resurfaced, and some work is being done on a fourth. I wonder if it is an early sign of economic recovery. In my old neighbourhood in the city, Konstantinopoleos Street is being widened and gentrified. The word used for gentrification in the article I read was ανάπλαση. In another indication of urban improvement, there is a proposal on the table to build a cycle path from the Palace of Music to Kalamaria. The stretch is 6km. Already there is a cycle path on the promenade, so hopefully that will result in a coastal path of around 10km. If the planning and inevitable disputes take as long as the metro, upmarket Kalamaria will be a gypsy encampment by the time it’s completed.
Not everything is milk and honey, however. Domestic violence still makes the headlines. The courts here are dealing with a local case where both partners are charged with domestic violence. The woman assaulted her partner with a pair of scissors and broken glass. He responded by hitting her. She escalated by setting fire to a heap of his clothing with the result that the house (his) burnt down. The story is here: https://www.voria.gr/article/thessaloniki-tsakothike-me-ton-syntrofo-tis-kai-toy-ekapse-spiti
In more sad news, this time from the Athens area, a 28-year-old woman, Kyriaki Griva, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend outside a police station and in front of police officers. She had run there for protection. She was also on the phone to the police while she was attacked. The attacker is claiming he can’t recall the murder and that he has been undergoing treatment for psychological issues. In the attached article, the photo shows that the murder took place in front of the police stations sentry box. Yet again, another preventable femicide combined with a monumental police fuck up. https://www.voria.gr/article/ag-anargyroi-sto-mikroskopio-ta-lathi-kai-oi-paraleipseis-gia-ti-gynaikoktonia-tis-28hronis and in English: https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1235633/final-respects-paid-to-woman-slain-outside-police-station/
I should stress at this point I am not suggesting spousal abuse or domestic violence are a “Greek thing”. Today in the Daily Mail (6th April) there are gruesome cases of
femicide in the UK.
This blog tries to focus on northern Greece, but it is not always possible. In searching for something in English about Kyriaki Griva, I came across this: https://greekcitytimes.com/2024/04/05/crete-bulgarian-brothers-pakistanis/ Two Bulgarian brothers holidaying in Crete have been arrested for racist chants and (attempted?) assault with a knife. Imagine coming to Greece from Bulgaria and shouting, “Pakistanis out of Greece.” The boy with the knife is still in the slammer. His brother was kept in the cells till he sobered up.