THE TURKISH-OCCUPIED GREECE THROUGH THE EYES OF TOURISTS
The tour of foreigners in Turkish-occupied Greece begins in the 15th-16th century. Scholars traveled for archaeological reasons, architects, painters, naturalists, politicians, etc. However, the Grand Tour of the 18th century was part of the education of the European aristocracy. Germans, French but especially Englishmen finishing university, took a year-long grand tour that included Greece and Asia Minor. Impressed by the mythology and Ancient Greek Literature they have studied, they seek contact with the classical ideal in the place that gave birth to it, and through their tours they record it with admiration in their books and through the travel guides they present, among other things, the monuments, nature, customs and traditions.
The travel guide of the Aegean 1789
A travel guide to the Aegean published in 1789 by a German in the French language, it gives condensed descriptions of the 42 islands of the Greek archipelago. Let’s see what it says:
AMORGOS: The main attraction is the monastery of Panagia (Hozoviotissa) with 100 nuns. The inhabitants are kind-hearted and the women are beautiful. “They wrap their heads in a yellow scarf….”
MYKONOS: … for foreigners the stay in Mykonos is very pleasant. (The island at that time was the seat of the consuls of Russia, France, England and the Netherlands.)
EVBIA: The most beautiful island of the Aegean after Crete. The bridge that connects Euboea with Boeotia, made of stone and with 5 small arches, leads under a tower, built in the middle of the strait by the Venetians. There is a wooden bridge about 20 steps long, half of which is raised towards the town and half towards Boeotia for the ships to pass.
IOS: The Turks call it Little Malta because it was a haven for Mediterranean pirates.
CHIOS: The capital of the island is the most well-built state in the East. Houses beautiful, comfortable, covered with wooden roofs and wide and hollow tiles, terraces paved with good mortar. Compared to the other cities of the Aegean, where one sees nothing but mud houses, the city of Chios looks like a real masterpiece.
The Traveller from Venezuela 1786
A traveller from distant Venezuela arrived in Greece in 1786, at the age of 34. Francis de Miranda. A fiery, liberal officer. His tour of Greece (Zakynthos, Patras, Corinth, Athens, Central Asia) lasted three months. He was interested in antiquities, but also in everyday life. About the Parthenon he notes in his diary… “Oh! What a magnificent monument! ‘What I have seen so far is worth nothing when compared with it!’ He was impressed by the cheerful character of the Greeks and their love for music and singing. He also admired the solidarity of the Greeks. “Everyone takes care of his neighbour. Having a neighbour in Greece is more important than having a relative in Venezuela.”
……On one of his treks in Attica he met a Greek travelling on horseback…He was impressed by the fact that the Greek got off his horse and kindly offered it to the tired traveller……
If Francis de Miranda were to travel to Greece today, I would like to believe that he would be met with similar courtesy.
I wonder how today’s travellers see us and our homeland?
