Barbara Athanassiadis
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL WRITER
"A traveller without observation
is a bird without wings".
Moslih Addin Saadi, Persian poet
INTERVIEW
KM: Your recently published book, The Dance of the Seas, is a treat for lovers of Greek islands. It is a swoop from the westernmost island of Corfu to the easternmost of Kastellorizo, filled with interesting historical details and stories, as well as a compelling personal aspect. Why did you write it? What was your goal?
BA: I started writing the book because of my love for my country first of all. But what really interested me were the influences of the Occident and the Orient – because Greek was and is a crossroads. I’ve been influenced by both cultures. And this is the fascinating part. I wanted to go deeper and deeper to see how these two different worlds influenced the Greek islands because this kind of influence was most intense there. And so this was a search for discovery – and this is why I call the bookThe Dance of the Seas.
And at the other level – I visited many friends who live on the various islands and listened while they talked about their islands - the distinct architecture of each place, the echoes of history, the deep experience of living in these places. And then we get to the third level – the mysterious Mr. D – I wait and wait for him to appear with his sailboat. But he doesn’t appear. In the meantime, I sail myself from island to island, just as we go from one step to another in life. The adventures I had in the islands, going from one to another, without knowing what would happen to me and where I would go next, waiting for a sign or invitation that would lead me to the next place – this is how life is, how we go on and on, waiting and hoping. And in the end, at the last island, close to Asia, when I couldn’t go further to the east, Mr. D appeared with his wonderful clipper. But he lets me have this long odyssey to myself, and then he appears at the end. Finally we sail off together into the unknown, with the promise of more to come.
KM: One of the things that really struck me was how spontaneous you allowed yourself to be, how free you were. In the end, when you swam out to Mr. D’s clipper, you left everything behind. In earlier sections of the book, it could be just a phone call that led you to move on, and within an hour you would be down at the port, waiting for the next boat.
BA: First, this is how I am. I am very spontaneous to life, very open. If something clicks for me, I have to go - I don’t have to think and think about it - I have no fear. This is the message. This is a message the old Greeks had. They weren’t calculating everything and everything and everything. Greeks were very spontaneous. They had to act according to how they felt. So this is one thing. The other part, the message I wanted to give, was that when life gives you a push, it means that life wants you to go forward, not backwards. And this is exactly the way I proceeded from one island to another.
KM: That makes me think of ancient Greeks, who went off to settle other cities – Syracuse, Marseille, just two examples. I sometimes think about those Greeks, who went off into the future, not knowing how things would turn out, but knowing that they would never be able to go back to their home, the land they loved so much. So this eagerness to move forward into uncharted territory seems to be a part of the Greek character.
BA: And just imagine, they didn’t even have maps. They went totally into the unknown, just as we go into life. And so they sailed off to one place or another, knowing that they wouldn’t come back. And this is why I left everything behind, even my passport in the end, because it was a new cycle of life and we have to leave things behind. We have to travel light – not having baggage. And this is the message. And of course, this sea – this sea gives you this opportunity. You dive into the sea, you swim, and it gives you a lightness. And this is how I am as a person and this is the message I wanted to give.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE IT AT AMAZON
THE DANCE OF THE SEAS
BARBARA’S LATEST BOOK
“Both dance and history charm me. The lightness of the one, the gravity of the other. The stars, shining like tiny diamonds over the Ionian sea, share their light and allow the eons to unfold before us in a story containing pirates, merchants and galleys, sea battles and raids, fortresses and castles, which today are reflected in elegant yachts and sailboats, luxurious hotels and gastronomy. This is Corfu and, as it would appear, this is what the gods intended. Sometimes lit violently by the lightening bolts of Zeus, and at other times gently caressed by the sun of Apollo."
KM: The counterpoint to that was that while you were on each island, you were completely present – eating great food, seeing amazing scenery, meeting fascinating people, connecting with friends. You were not worrying about the future. To be able to balance these two things – the spontaneity and being completely present – is a gift.
BA: It's a gift to live in the moment. And the Greek islands have the ability to give you this gift – an island is a spot, around it is nothing but water. Being on an island - this is what life is – just water around – this is the present, surrounded by the past and the future. All of us feel this way - we all feel the present when we are on the islands.
KM: Also everything is on a human scale. And this is why I love the Cyclades so much – everything is so bare, you cannot hide anywhere and you really have to come to terms with who you are.
BA: Exactly. It’s very direct. The rays of the sun are very strong. You cannot hide yourself. This is the beauty of the Greek sea. We think like this and maybe the ancient Greeks did. But in the meantime in my book I bring in stories of the pirates, the corsairs, the Italian merchants. What they were thinking about was not the spirit of the place but how to capture the boats of the islanders or capture their merchandise. They had to face dangers and problems day by day the dangers, and didn’t have the desire or the time to become philosophers.
KM: That was left to their children – because many of them married Greeks. And their descendants are still living on the islands.
BA: Of course. The islands are full of their descendants – Venetians, French, Genoese – you see so many Italian names now Hellenized.
The message I want to give is the message of Greece, the message of life in Greece, that we have to take the past as well as the present. A message for tourists to come and not just go to the beach – but to gain a better idea of Greece - a more sensuous approach to the beauty of Greece, which is not just a natural beauty but the beauty of the Greek spirit.
KM: Can you say a few words about yourself - what led you to become a travel writer, what’s in the future for you?
BA: I never planned to be a travel writer. Life just evolves and evolves. I loved geography as a child and travelled a lot with my parents, both to the islands and throughout Europe. My first job was in public relations, so I had contact with people around the globe. I moved to Rome after that, where I stayed for 25 years. My desire to learn everything about that city led me to start writing about travel. First I wrote about Rome, then Venice, then other countries. I took many photos on my journeys and my desire to show them led me to start giving lectures about my travels and my books.
Now I am at a new stage. I want to go deeper and deeper into my travels, to expand even to other continents. I feel that I am a female explorer at this point in my life. I will start off on the sea, looking at the Spaniards and Portuguese from the 15th and 16th centuries. Gibraltar, Africa are also calling to me. This will be a wonderful new challenge. I don’t know what it will be like, but I do know where I am going. But I also want to leave it a little bit unknown so I have the opportunity of discovery. I am eager to enjoy the beauty of the planet and the people I will meet along the way.
KM: And lastly, the things you love most about Athens.
BA: 1. The cultural life - the libraries, the museums, the foundations. Something is always going on. I find myself some days with two or three invitations to very interesting events.
2. The 19th and early 20th century neoclassical buildings. I wrote in one of my articles that in Prussia and Berlin, the neoclassical style was very imposing and impressive. But in Athens, the style was very elegant, not so imposing. Athens didn’t need to impress because we had the Acropolis - look at the university and the parliament building - there is an austerity there. These places are gems - beautiful hotels, the Cycladic and Benaki museums, the Zappeion, the Stadium.
3. Kolonaki, the area where I live. This is the occidental side of the city - a balance to the oriental parts of Monastiraki, Plaka, the markets on Athinas.