4th city actually -- See Corinth!

An academic friend invited Larry and me to give a presentation on co-ops and the Saint Mary's program at the University of the Peleponesse -- in Corinth! Off we went.

From the car window, the arid but lovely landscape...

Professor Maria, Larry and I at the ruins in Corinth

scrawny cat begging for sardines after our great meal in Corinth

The ruins dating back to 2000 BC. In 59 AD (not sure of the date) Apostle Paul spoke here  "to the Corinthians" right amidst these rocks which were not ruins then! 

I loved these columns, Rather than huge discs piled to make each column, these columns are one long sculpted rock...

Thru the car window, the ocean at Corinth, note the whitecaps...

About 35 students in the MA in education came out to hear us... Larry gave a good presentation, here he is with our friend Professor Maria...

Thessaloniki, Greece's second city.

Larry and I with the interviewer/director (centre) of TV3, plus his assistant.  We were interviewed about co-operatives and social change in Canada and Europe, on Panos' TV program.  This is one of three government owned TV networks,

This is the TV 3 building, the interview took place across the street in this lovely park.  

 I like these before and after photos.  The first is from the 1880s, with the monument and there is no ABC Hotel.  The ABC hotel is a landmark and a meeting place in downtown Thessoloniki.  Look at what I took today-- the way it looks. The top photo I lifted from a placemat!

Here is the sign for Viomeh -- this is a recovered factory -- like something out of Avi Lewis and  Naomi Klein's movie, The Take.  We visited to talk with the  main organizers of this plant which used to  produce metal products and now makes organic soap. 

Here is wall cartooning at the Viomeh factory.

 In the office there are many posters from solidarity activists. I liked this tee-shirt!

At our trendy hotel apartment this lovely appliqué was on the wall. Note the Canadian maple leaves! 

Here is one of the minimalist furnishings in our trendy hotel/apartment, called Colors.  A tiny shelf with these toys on display! 

And in the front lobby, is a bike just there for show, and a red cardboard bookcase, where visitors leave the doorstoppers they never read.  I found the novel 2666 by Roberto Bolano (from Mexico, a classic), in English. Some weary traveller left the 1500 pgs -- albeit in paperback -- behind.

We spoke at Aristotle University about co-operatives and unions. Here I am  speaking the audience below. It was fun and the audience was great. The one asking the question is from the Viomeh factory (above).  More than 60 people came out to hear us! 

Here we are in front of the Jewish Museum (which we visited) in Thessaloniki.  Before WWII half the city's population were Jewish -- 50,000 people.  Now the city is 200,000 and there are about 1200 Jews.

Streetscape.  And below my cappuccino. Larry thought I'd like an ersatz bagel  with it. I didn't.

This is ugly, the many 8 story apartment buildings which line the lovely U shaped port. Below is the container port, looks like home a bit.

Again, treasures from Crete

 These are processional cups which people would carry. Lovely, light looking with tapered bottoms.

 Above is a PHaistos Disc, from the 17th century BC. The museum thinks that the hieroglyphics are a song. This disc is about 8 inches in diameter, covered with symbols front and back.

This is a my photo of the museum's photo. It's a detail of a vase decoration of a couple or lovers talking. 7th century BC

Antiquities & more

I like the painted plaster relief of the bull-- much was lost but the wonderful head and horns, about 1450 BC.

 These urns are five to six feet high with wonderful hieroglyphics stamped on them. They are ceramic storage pots to store wine or olive oil. They were loaded onto ships and send to various ports in the Mediterranean. The Minoans were a wealthy and trading nation.

My favourite, the lion with a small cup between its paws.  The cup was to store wine. This lion is from Palestine -- the Minoans were big traders, and must have brought this back to Crete.

in Crete... Antiquities to mail boxes

 This bank of post boxes is reminiscent of ours -- I found this bank of personal  boxes  in the tiny village of Kritsa about 60 km from  Crete's capital, Heraklion! 

 First trip to Crete - where the Minoans came from. Here you see me in front of my favourite frieze, a painted plaster relief I saw in the Archeological Museum in Heraklion, Crete.  Below another artifact -- both from about 1400 BC