Monday morning, Athens sketches out of Spain.

Meltemi clean, the city stretches, metro - long, through reign of terror architecture. Ano Liossia, Nea Elvetia, Neo Psychiko, Neo Phalero, Nea Smyrni, Neapolis, Nea Ionia; the list of Neas is as endless as the view from Mt. Lycabettos; an untended architectural garden of white blocks dribbling to the edges of Attica and more. A city of cement straining to breathe.

Monday morning, city centre north, a plethora of cavorting birds line up at the birdbaths. The air from a thousand trees permeates a bucolic verdant park. Distinguished- looking olive trees are sprouting their abundant olives, lavender bushes are giving their last wave to the levantines; graceful pine trees and stately cypress trees are reaching for the sky. In the background through a pistachio grove, a cluster of buildings (old Turkish stables), recently rebuilt to their 18^th century glory, repose gracefully in their rebirth as a restored soap factory. The lawns look clipped and green, well-watered from underground springs; they surround a 19^th century villa, designed by an Austrian architect. From a distance this old Attica enclave is lost behind the surrounding office buildings and massive street signs advertising ephemeral highs. I wonder when this green enclave will surrender its oxygen, its serenity, and its myriad gifts of nature to the cancerous concrete growth of the city?

Legally slated to be expropriated by the Department of Education for the construction of school buildings, it has survived as long as it has by extended court battles. A ray of hope has been raised by a government edict of the Ministry of Culture, declaring the buildings and surrounding green areas a protected zone; however OSK (the Organization of School Buildings), is determined to press on and take the land.

Charlotte Rampling, British actress, shooting her latest film in Greece; Ali Tuygan,Turkish Ambassador to Greece; Ian Vorres, director of the Vorres Museum; Akis Tsohatzopoulos, Greek Minister of Defense; Petros Fysoon, Greek actor; Liana Caneli, reporter; John Flattau, New York photographer and his daughter Anna; Antti Viinikka, Deputy Mayor of Helsinki, in Athens to discuss his city’s participation in a project entitled "A Day for Culture 2000"; Marina Lambraki Plaka, director of the Pinakothiki of Athens; Alexia and Spyros Mercouris; Jim Haynes, American author living in Paris; Eli Papaconstandinou, theatre director with the AthLon Company; Greek artists Vangelis Vlachos, Dimitra Barba, Despina Isaia, Aliki Palaska, Alexandros Georgiou; Deni Vachlioti, award winning costumier; Elizabeth Wengstrom, from the Municipality of Stockholm; curators Alexandros Stanas and Marina Fokidis; Villis Andreou, film producer; Manos Haritatos, director of The Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive, Alexis Bacopoulos, professor of Mathematics at the Athens Polytechnic.

Nicholas Burns, American Ambassador to Greece with Father William P. Leahy, President of Boston College; David Goldberg, professor of Philosophy at Hiram College, discussing a program on ancient law in Greece; Marla McLeod, from the American Heritage Association; theatre director Jorge Guerra; Andrew Nobel, lead actor in the Athens Centre production of "UR FAUST"; Kathy Pearson from Old Dominion University; Lewis Fortner, director of International Programs at the University of Chicago.

In April, Dr. Fred Ahl, of the Classics Department of Cornell University, presented his version of Euripides "Orestes" in the Athens Centre courtyard. Students from various university programs and from the Centre’s modern Greek language courses were invited to attend. A reception for the cast and audience followed the production.

In the Spring, the Irish-Greek Society, as part of the Ireland in Greece Festival, sponsored a lecture by Anne Cronin entitled: "From Itilo to Inniscarra: Greek Influences on an Irish Garden".

University of Chicago

The University of Chicago’s first spring quarter in Greece took place from March-June this year. Twenty- one students participated in the program, under the direction of faculty members Chris Faraone, Chairman of the Classics Department at UC, and Rob Nelson, of the Art History Department, with the assistance of graduate student Carolina Ruiz-Lopez. The students took part in courses in ancient and modern Greek, classical and Byzantine Greek civilization, with field trips to Delphi, the Peloponnese, and Thessaloniki. A highlight of the trips was a guided tour of the site of ancient Corinth by Guy Sanders, director of the Corinth excavations. Students were also invited to a lecture on ancient Greek drama, organized by members of the UC Greek Alumni Association, which included a discussion by Chris Faraone and Nicholas Rudall, founder and long-time director of UC’s Court Theatre. A reception for the students preceded the talk, which was followed by a dinner at a traditional taverna in Plaka.

Ohio University

Students from Ohio University spent three weeks in Athens in April studying modern Greek, as part of their bi-annual Program in Greece. Bill Owens was the OU Faculty of Record in Athens; he also lectured at sites and museums visited by the students.

New World School of the Arts Theatre Program

The New World School of the Arts, part of the University of Florida/Miami, sponsored their second theatre program in Greece, bringing to Athens their production of UR FAUST, an original work by Director Jorge Guerra and Octavio Campos. Described as a "lunatic-mythical work for the Millenium", the play was presented at the Hyterio Theatre in the Kerameikos area of Athens. The theatre is housed in a cultural complex which was originally an old iron foundry; it has been restored and turned into a theatre/exhibition space by Mihalis Mitroussis and his wife, Roubini Vassilakopoulou. The New World School of the Arts, part of the University of Florida/Miami, sponsored their second theatre program in Greece, bringing to Athens their production of UR FAUST, an original work by Director Jorge Guerra and Octavio Campos. Described as a "lunatic-mythical work for the Millenium", the play was presented at the Hyterio Theatre in the Kerameikos area of Athens. The theatre is housed in a cultural complex which was originally an old iron foundry; it has been restored and turned into a theatre/exhibition space by Mihalis Mitroussis and his wife, Roubini Vassilakopoulou.

                                    A Scene from UR Faust

Greek Language program on Spetses

The Centre’s annual summer language program on the island of Spetses took place from July 4-24, 1999. Students from Europe, the U.S., Canada, Japan and Turkey took part in the three week session. In addition to four hours a day of classes, students had additional hours of conversational practice to reinforce their vocabulary skills.