link to Inter-Bridge.biz

My company teaches English face-to-face or over Skype.

Thursday 6 April 2017

382:A Greek tragedy

In ancient Greek theatre a play in which the protagonist, usually a man of importance and outstanding personal qualities, falls to disaster through the combination of a personal failing and circumstances with which he cannot deal! In my humble opinion (IMHO to use the abbreviated language of the internet & social media) every one of us has an almost daily struggle with a combination of personal failing and circumstances, to a greater or lesser degree. Look at that poor immigrant lad the other day - set upon and badly beaten by a gang of yobs who had succumbed to group dynamics. Wrong place, wrong time.  Circumstances over which he had no control - simply a matter of bad luck.
What prompted the title? I am in Athens, the cradle of Western civilization, for a few days R&R. 
I arrived yesterday afternoon on an Aegean air flight from Warsaw. After so many Ryanair flights it was a pleasant change to be offered a meal on board. There was even a choice. The choice was take it or leave it. There were a few people drinking wine, which seemed to be hidden in the inner recesses of the trolley, but I was happy enough with water, having topped up with G&T in the business lounge at Warsaw Chopin. 
The flight was pleasant enough and the transit through Athens airport was very fast, thanks largely to the Schengen agreement.  Good old Google maps helped me navigate to my hotel in the centre of town. It was a little unusual getting off the train and going up the elevator to the metro. I had been expecting to go down but the metro only goes underground when it gets nearer to the city centre. 
I'm just back from a very nice breakfast where I was sitting next to a nice young lady. She was armless enough though.
Dinner last night was, predictably enough, a moussaka, eaten sitting outside a cafe on a pedestrian precinct and watching the world (and his wife) go by. The moussaka arrived very quickly, prompting me to speculate that it had just been 'otted up in a microwave. Nevertheless, it did the job.
I don't propose to knock myself out over the next few days visiting the sights but rather to relax and slow down for a while. 

Now though, as an Englishman working out of Poland and visiting Greece, it is almost time for my daily Spanish lessons.  And while I'm mixing cultures let me finish with a video clip of Nana Mouskouri singing Abba!!
Who doesn't have a dream?


No comments:

Post a Comment