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Postcard from Athens

by Robert Krygsman
September 2004

And they said we wouldn't be ready! Well, I am here to tell you Athens was ready, and the Games were spectacular! Believe me, when Enrico and I arrived here over a year ago after having left Beloved Bucharest (we still miss you all very much), we also remarked how we never thought Athens would be able to pull it off. But as the president of the IOC puts it: ''The Greeks are like Syrtaki music, which starts off very slow and builds to a resounding crescendo.'' This is what happened with the Olympics. Athens had seven years to prepare, but only really started building about a week before the opening ceremony.

I joke of course, but if there is one thing we have learned it is that Greeks really do love to get things done at the last minute. They get it done, but boy they make you wait and think it won't happen.

We were at the Opening Ceremony for these Games, and one of the best moments was before the official programme began, when three men in hardhats came onto the field and hammered in the last few nails and said ''Finished.'' It was very funny, and great to see the Greeks making fun of themselves as well. The Opening Ceremony was a beautiful, interesting event which came off flawlessly, serving to remind everyone of what these Games are all about: unity and peace in the world through sports. The choreographer did his country proud, and we were very touched and moved to have been invited to attend.

We went to a number of events at various venues, at which each of the facilities are amazing. The venues themselves are spectacular, some looking space age, like the Velodrome, others just simply modern and fabulous. The Olympic Stadium is breathtaking. Greece, and Athens in particular now have world-class facilities that will be available for decades to come. They should be immensely proud of their accomplishment.

In the process, Athens has become a 'new' city. The legendary nightlife is of course still thriving, but now you arrive at one of the world's most modern airports, travel into town on a brand new subway system or via brand new roads, have newly renovated hotels to stay in, and of course some of the most expensive prices in all of Europe to contend with. Athens has turned the corner from being a cheap holiday starting off point to get to the Greek islands to becoming a world class city in its own right, with great weather, superb views, fabulous restaurants, and of course ouzo! P.S. Some things never change though, and the crazy drivers are still here, who still have no clue that sidewalks are for pedestrians. But hey, they have come a long way baby!

I am of course here working at the fantastically renovated Hilton Athens, the official Hotel for the IOC during the Olympic Games. We were home to so many dignitaries at once I can't even mention them all here, but I must say it is fun when you go for lunch in our beautiful Byzantine Restaurant and see seven different royal families milling about in their sports gear, chatting with everyone. The ambiance was something I will never forget, and will miss very much.

I wish you all could come and visit Athens. Come and visit Enrico and I. You never know how long we will be here, so you might have to pay full rate once we leave!