My NeighborhoodNea Makri

I live in a little town away from Athens called Nea Makri. It is located in the northeastern part of Attica facing the island of Evia.

The area was once known as Plesti, but following the 1922 Greek military disaster in Asia Minor and the subsequent repatriation of Greeks from the town of Makri, It was renamed Nea Makri (New Makri).

Also in the late twentieth century the U.S. Navy operated a radio communications base which has been saved till today and can be seen north of Nea Makri in Kato Souli.

Some of my older neighbors still collect olives from their olive groves to make olive oil …

… and grapes to make wine from vineyards virtually the same way they did thousands of years ago.

The Penteli mountains that are covered with forests lie to the west and southwest. Beaches full of hotels, restaurants and ‘‘tavernas’’, as we Greeks call them, cover all the eastern shore.

Nea Makri is also linked with Marathonos Avenue. Every year a special event called “The Marathon’’ takes place there in commemoration of the fabled 26 mile run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides. Pheidippides ran all the way from Marathonas to Athens with the message that the Greeks had beaten the Persians. And every year a 26 mile road race takes place to honor him.

My family and I cheer the runners on every year as Marathonos Avenue is only a few blocks away from my home.

The people that live in the neighborhood are nice and kind. However, they don’t always follow directions and respect the environment and community. An example is the picture below. The sign reads: DO NOT THROW GARBAGE AND BRANCHES.

Sadly though, Greece has a big problem with fires. The very hot summers and careless actions like throwing a cigarette without making sure it’s completely out, can cause a lot of destruction. This summer, two fires burned through the forest of the road above my house.

It was an extreme experience to watch the burning of the trees, the ruin of

some houses and the desperate attempts of the fire fighters to contain

the fire.

I am really lucky to live 2 minutes away from the sea and the Port of Rafina. I can see from my balcony the ferry-boats leaving for the islands of Evia, Andros, Tinos and Mykonos.

The climate is great too. If we are lucky in the winter it might snow…

And we are only 5 minutes away from great sandy beaches.

By Kostis Alexopoulos

Bibliography:Photos: From my cameraInformation: Personal

knowledge.