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beyond their bows, great walls with battlements embraced tightly the city
that expanded indolently to the north. At the right end of the walls, a
turret with loopholes was rising, its canons aiming at the sea. As the light
grew brighter, Alexandros saw minarets behind the walls, nailing the sky
that, due to last night’s heat, had still an indistinct color. Then, among red-
roofed houses that were climbing the surrounding smooth hills, he saw
scattered cypress trees and knew that before long, when the sun was bright
enough, this scenery would be beautiful –he wished he had his artist case
with him, to set up his easel. Everything he set his eyes on felt pleasant, this
city that waited for him was like no other. And they’ve been in many cities
until then, starting from Trieste, where he embarked.
Approaching the shore, though, the sea started to change its colour, the staying in the same closed space with
beautiful blue was disappearing, every kind of trash seemed to flow on his strange son– Alexandros felt as if he
the surface of the water and the air was becoming heavy, almost thick. suddenly was inside the Babel Tower,
In the meanwhile, the sun was high enough, its beams started to burn so innumerable he found the languages
the inexperienced young man’s arms like sharpened blades, and a blend spoken by the people there, while in Paris,
of humidity, heat and odors compelled him to search his pockets for a for example, he almost exclusively heard
handkerchief to cover his nose. conversations in French.
Forgetting his sick stomach, Alexandros continued to observe the city Pericles, who took pride in the arrival of his
that was revealing itself to his eyes slowly, almost wantonly, like a blushing son –we don’t know whether this pride came
girl who takes off her veils one by one on her wedding night. From this out of fatherly love or out of his joy that
distance he could discern the domes and the bell-towers of some Christian everything finally went his way–, explained
churches, together with clusters of trees following up the east walls to end to him that in the city, except the Sephardic
in verdant hills. These hills looked as if they were supporting an attempt to Jews, the Greeks and the Turks, lived Vlachs,
hold in check the city’s development upwards, to the north. It was evident Serbs, Bulgarians, Albanians, Armenians,
that the city was asphyxiating inside the limits the Byzantines had marked Ukrainians, Romanians and many Franco-
out and built on. Levantines. All these people, beside the
Ladino and the Turkish they used for their
When Alexandros allowed forcibly this image to leave trade, spoke their mother tongues, too.
his eyes and got ready to disembark. All sweaty,
He didn’t forget to point out that this
the ship weary, almost exhausted from the long journey panspermia of nations also created dialects
turned –he had travelled across virtually the whole of consisted of two and three languages, and
thus, the colourful carpet of sounds that
Europe changing trains and ships– he climbed
left to down the wooden gangplank and observed the covered the city’s alleys was made by this
activity, rather vivacious as the ship arrived.
language mix-up.
anchor, Loud and restless porters were making a big fuss But it was not only the countless sounds,
shouting orders, requests and promises in front of
it was also a plethora of synagogues,
a square tower filled with cannons, while trying to of Christian churches and of Muslim
undertake as many luggage or cargo as possible. mosques, it was the different houses –
courtyards for the Jews, courtyards
“This city is beautiful...” murmured Alexandros absently, coming out from and lattice windows for the Muslims,
the Abbot’s shipping agency beside the Tophane gate, where he had met his open windows facing the street for the
father. Christians. It was the various, strange
“Yes,” his father answered him loosening the grip of his handshake to attires, the fezzes and the kalpak caps, the
another man –he gave handshakes to everybody and sent smiles, Alexander sariks and the top hats, the bare feet of the
was impressed. “Yes, Salonika is a high-born lady!” No “Welcome” or porters, the tsarouchia and the soft boots,
“How are you, son?” nor hugs, let alone kisses. the well-polished low shoes of the Francs.
A few hours later, strolling along the city’s streets –this was Pericles’ What impressed Alexandros the most,
suggestion, because he started to realize that he was having a hard time however, was the endless variety of

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