“Entropy is a natural force that pulls everything apart at a subatomic level. Everything changes.”
--Dr. Temperance Brennan, Bones
Athens has changed in my time away. I have spent the past five days and six nights away from Athens. Crete was beautiful and different from Athens, which was interesting. It was nice to be outside a city and to stroll around smaller towns. There were still times when I felt like I wanted more to do or more space to explore.
Returning to Athens this morning was wonderful. I literally laid down on my bed to sit for a few seconds and the next thing I knew, I was waking up two hours later only to get under the covers and sleep for another few hours.
Things in Athens are sort of back to normal. However, Kallimarmaro Stadium across from CYA no longer has any of the Special Olympic barricades up. I don’t think that I have seen the stadium empty of all of its construction material since I moved in almost two months ago. It is strange to be able to walk up to the entrance. I can really comprehend how big the stadium is now. The spotlights from the stadium are no longer running at night, so the color of the night sky looks very different. The sky almost doesn’t seem like it is the same one from a few weeks ago.
We walked by Syntagma tonight, and there were no metal barricades. For a while, the barricades seemed like an immovable fixture in Syntagma at night. Due to the intense protests, the police had set up barricades to protect themselves and Parliament. There wasn’t even the usual line of police in front of Syntagma at night. I walked by Syntagma earlier today, and there was a line of police, but the few protestors I saw on the street were nowhere close to the line of police officers. I couldn’t see any metal barricades anywhere.
A few weeks ago, we went to the open air theatre in Athens. Protests in Syntagma were so loud, we could hear them in the theatre. You could tell that there was a lot of excitement just a few blocks away. Tonight, we saw the final Harry Potter (OH. MY. GOSH.) and there was nothing to be heard outside of the movie. It was such a strange contrast from a few weeks ago.
It is weird to see Athens change. I think Athens is returning to its usual state of things, although I still find it hard to think that Athens isn’t always the city that I first saw.
Harry Potter in the open air theatre was absolutely amazing! The open air theatre is a walled off patio with directors chairs in rows. I would guess there are probably around 500 or so seats in the theatre. The movie is projected onto a wall of the garden. It is a really cool environment to watch a movie outside and to be able to hear all of the cicadas and other bugs chirping. During the movie, I didn’t really notice the noises of nature. We were almost entirely surrounded by other American students who were studying with Semester at Sea. There are 675 of them if I remember correctly. It made me appreciate our small class so much more; I know each and every one of my classmates. While there were a few more distractions than I would have liked during the movie, the movie was utterly engrossing. People were lighting cigarettes in the middle of the movie, a few were talking, and some lights turned on. One of the girls behind me started bawling towards the end of the movie. Overall, the distractions weren’t bad at all. The theatre has an intermission, and hearing the students behind me freak out was hilarious. They sounded terrified that the movie had ended.
I don’t even think there are words to describe the movie. There were a few details that I remembered from the book that were portrayed differently in the movie, but overall it seemed fairly accurate. The last five minutes of the movie were so frustrating, though. Completely unnecessary. I would have been much happier without watching teens (I know that most are technically in their twenties) play dress up. It all seemed awkward and strange and unnecessary. There were a few other moments where I found myself laughing at a detail that didn’t seem to fit right, which distracted me from the gravity of the movie. But I liked keeping things a little lighter.
After the movie, I realized that something that has been a part of me for half my life has just ended. It is sad but also sweet. The story has reached a conclusion, and the characters are able to be at peace. I did wonder during the movie if I would ever show my children the movies or read them the books. I wonder what the future generations will think of the series. If the series will last or if it will be a fad.
At the same time, I wonder what will become of Athens. How the future will change the city.
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