Pictures of Athens, from the exhibition
The gas factory
The exhibition There’s an old and defunct gas factory in Athens that has long been turned into an Installation and Exhibition Centre by the Municipality of Athens. I went there with M. today to see an exhibition on the city of Athens, "Athens in the 20th century - The great changes". It was great. Full of amazing photographs, films, documents about the city I loathe but have to come to terms with. I didn’t see all of it today. It’s huge. We are probably going back tomorrow. Today we saw the first part, Athens in the beginning of the 20th century, during the Balkan Wars, the Asia Minor catastrophe and during the Second World War. Some photographs brought tears to our (ok, mine) eyes. M. looks at them from a historical point of view but I just look at people’s shoes and hair and eyes. People find a way to go on with life even when the roads are filled with corpses, children always find a way to play, even if it is with broken toys and on an empty stomach.
The film Then we went to see Match Point, Woody Allen’s latest film with Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (he’s brilliant) and Scarlett Johansson and Emily Mortimer and Matthew Goode, whom I didn’t know but is a truly excellent actor. All of them are. I liked this sad film, with the vacant characters who are all more or less evil, in their own way. I know British people object to the way Allen beautifies London, but this is what he does with New York too. And okay, some of the characters are clichéd. The way they talk, the things they care about. My god, if the rich are really like that, they are soon going to die of boredom, all of them. But all these don’t change the fact that this is a very special film. And it is really hard to believe that Allen, at his age, is able of such change. I really couldn’t picture him directing in these wide open spaces of the English countryside. 
The dream I had the weirdest dream. I dreamt I took the lift and this person, dressed in black, wearing a balaclava and a jacket, the stereotypical suicide bomber, got in with me. And I thought in my dream “I must get out. He is going to blow up the building.” But I didn’t get out. Because I thought (I do think more than I should in dreams) “don’t be racist. Just because he’s wearing a balaclava and a suicide bomber’s jacket, it doesn’t mean he’s going to kill you” (!). And of course he promptly knelt on the lift’s floor and started to pray and then said he was going to push the button on his jacket and we would all die. But something funny happened, his jacket wouldn’t go off and he was pushing buttons nervously and jumping up and down and still, nothing happened. If anybody is a dream interpreter please tell me if I am in mortal danger. The thought People I love distract me. Their voices tell me things I need to know. But they fill my head with their words. I came to the conclusion that I sometimes try to escape them, hence the insomnia. These 3 or 4 hours late at night I am truly alone. They are asleep. I have taken care of them for the most part of the day. I would secretly get angry if they were to wake up now. An awful thing to say. But true. 
The Birthday This card by Carl Larsson is to wish a happy happy birthday to my dear Connie. A special person. Have fun today Connie! xx
January 28th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
I love exhibitions, and you make a very valid observation about how people manage to go on with life anyway despite hardships & wars. It’s touching to know just how resilient the human spirit is. When I visit underdeveloped countries I’m always a bit taken aback about how generally happy people are.
Woody Allen new movie is a great “redemption” for him, he’s gotten a lot of criticism but here he shines in Match Point. I haven’t seen it yet, but it is definitely on my list!
January 28th, 2006 at 11:12 pm
If anybody is a dream interpreter please tell me if I am in mortal danger.
I suspect the back of your mind is trying to tell you that the danger is not nearly as present as the dark humor of the situation.
I think you’ll be ok. ^.^
January 29th, 2006 at 1:30 am
Chloe,
The card is such a lovely thought. You are so very sweet to mention my Birthday on your own blog. You really know how to make a person smile.
Hugs, Connie
January 29th, 2006 at 1:50 am
Missed you Chloe, am back online. I met a fellow blogger on my trip from Fl to SC, we mentioned how we liked your blog.
I can’t imagine the emotions upon being in such a historical place, I feel emotional just reading about such places.
People I love distract me as well…..
January 29th, 2006 at 7:00 am
It’s hard to really pick much up about the dream from just a paragraph…it doesnt seem teribly negative though. It says a lot about you though.
January 29th, 2006 at 7:19 am
Wow, what a dream! Didn’t you feel like laughing? Sometimes when I’m sleeping I get an urge to burst into laughter (very rarely but it’s great!). But I guess you must’ve been frightened in this dream.
I’m a huge Woody Allen fan.
I really want to see that film!
It’s good that you get to be alone with your thoughts at night - that’s a basic necessity for me - blame it on being an only child.
January 29th, 2006 at 7:21 am
how rude of me…Happy Birthday CONNIE!!
January 29th, 2006 at 8:30 am
dreams are a random series of electronic synapses that occur while we sleep and our brain entertains itself because it’s is bored.
mental grafitti.
sorry if it’s unpopular but that’s what I believe.
January 29th, 2006 at 9:47 am
The exhibition sounds very powerful and amazing; it also seems like something my Mr.C. would want to see (also from an historical poit of view). Iwould have been looking at the faces of the poeple as well. We must never forget such things…
The dream; phew; how frighteneing; no wonder you couldn’t sleep; perhaps it had something to do with the powerful images from the exhibition. Or were you watching the news before bed? I would also like to know what it means…
In terms of your insomnia in the middle of the night; you need to be taken care of too, Chloe; rather than being the one who is always caring for others….xoxoxo
January 29th, 2006 at 10:41 am
The exhibition
I would be another who would view it with an historical outlook.
The streets of cities look rather surreal with tanks and soldiers parading down them.
The film
I’m not really a Woody Allen fan, but I’d watch it just for multitudes of London scenes.
The dream
Allow me to give my interpretation: Perhaps you find yourself not trusting of your own thoughts, your women’s intuition, maybe? Either that or your just really lucky in spite of yourself.
The thought
We all need alone time, even from our friends and family. The best times during the day are in the early morning when everyone is still asleep, except me of course.
The birthday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONNIE!!
January 29th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
Hi Chloe! I notice you have the
Smiths on your music list -
when I was ten my cousin in England
introduced me to the band and I went crazy - really connected to
music for the first time - big time
along with the opera “Carmen”-
Woody’s new film is flawLESS-
hasn’t anyone ever heard of
“tongue in cheek? - tired of the
critics who didn’t like it taking
pokes just to exercise their
strenuous vocabulary…and I argue
that SOME rich intellects ARE
like this in little moments - I have stood in line in Foreign
Film festivals in New York -
and they TALK JUST LIKE his films.
Sincerely! Manhattan is one of
my top ten films of all time.
And I have a ridiculous crush on
Rhys-Meyers.
January 29th, 2006 at 3:25 pm
I like exhibitions, too, and I like what they’ve used an old gas factory for it. It’s like the Tate Modern which used to be the Bankside Power Station.
I haven’t seen Matchpoint but I am keen to see it. I love Woody Allen’s work, yes, even those critics do not like. I like all that drivel. I saw Anything Else which I thought was well-written. The acting is poor esp. Jason Biggs’. He didn’t seem too comfortable with the character he is playing. It’s just not him. I love the bit when Woody Allen smashed a car!
My film count since January 2006: 22
(Excluding the Sex and the City box set which I am trying to plough through and the Family Guy Season 1!)
January 29th, 2006 at 5:26 pm
i love oldy history stuff about where we live.
woody allen?come on!!!???? he’s f**king his daughter!!?!?!?!?!?
dreams are random,dont read into them (i know this as i know just about everyfing…)
people i love distract me too.cos theyre naughty.tip:dont actually listen to what theyre saying,just nod and smile a lot.
yay connie!
January 29th, 2006 at 5:40 pm
SOmetimes I can’t wait until the week end is over, just so everyone has things to do.
January 29th, 2006 at 6:42 pm
Δεν την εχω δει ακομη τη ταινια αλλα θα παω να την δω το συντομοτεÏο δυνατον!
January 29th, 2006 at 7:27 pm
I wanted to see ‘Matchpoint’ then it got ripped to shreds by the critics and promptly disappeared in a hurry…
January 29th, 2006 at 9:25 pm
I can relate to ‘the thought.’ Time to yourself by yourself is absolutely precious.
January 29th, 2006 at 11:12 pm
I enjoy exhibitions mostly ones that deal with electronics or computers but alas am not much of a history fan
I read somewhere that dreams are dreams because they can never be real and they will never happen
- Ah, what a waste of those nice dreams
cheers
January 30th, 2006 at 1:46 am
Well, I’m no dream interpreter, but stealthbadger has the right idea…the humor is the thing, and perhaps also that the things we’re afraid of are never as bad as we think they will be, and are sometimes even good.
And I’d love to hear more about why you loathe Athens. It’s actually on my list of places to visit (admitedly far down on the list, but it’s a long list) for the exact reason that I’ve never heard anyone say anything very nice about it, and a lot have said some pretty not nice things.
January 30th, 2006 at 1:53 am
I relate to the sleeplessness…so many mornings that were really late, late nights …
January 30th, 2006 at 5:41 am
crystal
hello! welcome.
I was taken aback by the children’s smiles. They were skin and bone but had grabbed some broken toys and were smiling just like my son does when he gets new shiny things.
badger
thanks! it really was funny in the end. also, i missed you!
connie
i wish i had known many days in advance! hope you had a nice day.
sara
really? i mean it’s great to think people so far away are talking about me in a real-person-way.
thanks!
mini-vinnie-me
yes it does! but what does it say exactly? i’ll never know.
devil mood
i wanted to laugh and run at the same time. And i decided to run.
hey, i saw on tv your snowstorms and the streets of Portugal full of snow and ice. Tell me about it, was it fun? The truth is the news was about the snow, but i was trying to see the streets and the people and buildings and was thinking “Devil mood might live close to that area.”
zona boy
i never believed in dreams as prophecies. But i do think they have something to do with our hopes and fears and wishes. But your explanation is as good as mine. I like to think my mind was having a nice time making a terrorist movie at my expense!
Cathy
no i wasn’t watching the news. but these images sadly are so familiar now.
You would have liked the exhibition. Somebody had filmed people from that day when the citizens were celebrating the liberation of Athens. And there were Scottish troops and English troops celebrating with them. it was amazing. Also, i was left speechless when i saw the newspaper titles announcing the War. The War was just the most important news, not the only news. Under the headlines, you could read “police found a suitcase full of money”.
Erikku
spot on. lately i don’t trust my intuition so much. i have felt like a total fool a couple of times because i trusted it.
Madelyn Mulvaney
hello!
The Smiths are one of my favourite groups of all time. I really can’t find the words to say what they meant to me when i was a teenager.
Rhys Meyers is a wonderful actor (and yummy too). I liked the way you couldn’t read his character’s mind in the film. He was so closed off to everybody else. I think he is excellent and not as appreciated as he should be.
N.Missy
Patch point is full of the Tate Modern! Go see it, you’ll love it although it’s not the typical Woody film. However, if you are an Allen fan, you’ll find common threads. Like the oppressive mum, for example, or mummy’s boy, or reading books and going to the opera, or restaurants and small cafes.
I like your new profile picture!
Geezer
hehehe. I do nod and smile a lot. How did you know?
Hey geezer we need more of your life wisdom. Please write a book. Please, please. And have Maja on the cover to ensure success.
daybyday
oh yes, Monday mornings suddenly become so lovely!
drugstv
ελπίζω να σου αÏÎσει. και μόνο η Îκπληξη του ότι αυτό είναι Woody Allen είναι αÏκετή στην αÏχή.
finn
i’m not sure you’re going to like it. I can see why Londoners don’t like it in general. But there’s still the attraction of Scarlett Johansson.
maja
absolutely. and have you noticed, when you have taken care of everybody and everything, you just need 5 minutes to yourself and that’s when everybody remembers to ask you where their socks are.
true blue guy
that wasn’t a particularly nice dream, so i’m glad it’s not going to be real.
Kimananda
Modern athens is to me, a monstrous city. It is ugly and built without any plan. For example, if you go to work and have to travel for 45 minutes, you might not see one nice building on your way there.
Also, it is dirty. Not as dirty as it used to be of course. Ultimately, what i loathe about Athens is that it can’t inspire me to do the things i like. There’s no magic.
berlinbound
a fellow insomniac?
January 30th, 2006 at 10:52 am
I haven’t seen a movie in a theatre in ages and ages and ages.I want to see Match Point, and Walk the Line, and…so many others…
Perhaps what you saw at the photography exhibit is creeping into your dreams with a modern twist? I’d say you’re protected, rather than in danger if his bomb is not going to go off.
One good thing about my current situation is the quality “me” time. I did spend a lot of time with people this weekend, but when I was finished, I could just shut the door on the world…you, go away now, bye!
January 30th, 2006 at 11:11 am
Scary dream!
I was watching the Australian Open–the match between Baghdatis and Federrer. They showed clips of Baghdatis home in Cypress. Beautiful island.
January 30th, 2006 at 12:31 pm
Hi Chloe - I think Rhys-Meyers
is about to explode - he won
best actor at the Golden Globes
for his mini series “Elvis”
was great, I hear in that role.
January 30th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
The museum sounds amazing! Now about Athens..i am surprised to hear this about a city i ahve always dreamt of visiting. So sad. Chloe-you are so imaginative and expressive, I know that if anyone can find inspriring things out of a bland surrounding, then it is you.
January 30th, 2006 at 6:47 pm
Stephanie
no, i saw the dream the night before the exhibition but the truth is, the images from the exhibition are nothing compared to those we see on tv.
About living alone: i feel ashamed for admitting this, but i have the fondest memories from the time i was living alone in a flat and i could bury myself in the sofa and read piles of magazines and listen to piles of cds (i still do it but i have to fight my way to the sofa).
Angel
I’ve never been to Cyprus. I was glad for Baghdatis though. I know nothing about tennis but he looks 100% the tennis star.
Madelyn Mulvaney
i hope so. i had read an interview of his about Elvis the series, he was explaining how he managed to move his hips just like the King. He had said, the director advised him to pretend he was having sex.
Etchen
i don’t want to put you off Athens. Maybe it’s good for a few days. All the ancient bits are great and it’s always sunny and the sea is vsible from many areas in Athens. But it’s not a place to live and make your home. Everything is too difficult. Plus, nowadays it’s expensive too.
January 30th, 2006 at 7:46 pm
Funny!!!
January 30th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
I just wanted to stop by and say hello. I’ve been absent from the blog world for a bit. So hi
I want to see Match Point a lot. I hope all is well
January 30th, 2006 at 8:46 pm
I love this post SO much, you sensitive soul!
January 31st, 2006 at 12:46 pm
London is often beautiful.
January 31st, 2006 at 2:30 pm
These pictures are very…artsy! They are all different too.
I haven’t seen Match Point yet but read it the other way around -that critics were surprised he portrayed London as lovingly as New York. Sometimes Allen himself drives me crazy. He’s like Seinfeld but multiplied by a hundred, worrying and obsessing about everything. It’s funny but frustrating too. Anyway, I expect this to be an incredible movie since he’s not actually in it and the main character manages to play someone distinguished from his usual farce.
February 1st, 2006 at 7:49 am
Hello Chloe! Concerning your dream I think it was quite scary because of the fear that fills your heart when you suspect he might kill you..fear of leaving people/things behind, fear of death.
February 1st, 2006 at 10:44 am
could be a GW Bush’s dream ha ha.!!!
February 2nd, 2006 at 7:09 am
starfish
thank you my sweet. everything is fine. it’s lovely to see you here. xx
vesper
now that’s what i adore about blogging. being appreciated by the people i like.
Jase
almost always.
Barrett
the first two are from the exhibition. the others are mine. they are not arty. that were the real colours at the time. i didn’t do anything apart from clicking.
About the movie: What is great about this main character is that he is not Woody Allen for once. And Rhys-Meyers doesn’t try to play Allen. So in that sense he must be unique in Allen’s mythology.
marina
fear of death, fear of loss: I have that a lot!
joe
i’m sure he must have been lurking in the background
February 7th, 2006 at 7:19 am
wow! a factory turned into a place for exhibition….thats’ quite innovative….and looking at the pics i gauge it must have been really an interesting tour of the place…..so you’re extremely sensitive….tears looking at those pics???….yes, its so true that kids find their place of joy in the most weirdest of things…i used to find my nephew enjoy himself playing with a log, posing to be a teacher :-)….and don’t know much about the movie you’ve watched but guess it must have been great….oh! yes, am so lucky god didn’t make me rich(not that grapes are sour) …coz i have the freedom to go places without having to worry being robbed and act in a sophisticated way….and pl, don’t pay too heed to your dream!….its only a dream dear…take care :-)….so you had a wonderful day it seems.