As I sat staring open mouthed at the spectacle passing by me, I reached blindly into my purse for a tissue to blot at my teary eyes because I couldn’t spare one moment to glance away for fear of missing something else amazing.

Author note: This entry into my blog was written prior to the Olympic opening ceremonies last night. I tried to upload the story just before the ceremonies but unfortunately the internet wasn’t cooperating. So I ran off to see the opening and have to say that what was shown on Greek television did not even come close to capturing what I knew the attendees were experiencing in the stadium. The Greek camera shots were basically one continuous tight shot which did a great disservice to the multitude of things that were happening at the same time. The drama, the scope and the beauty of the pageantry was all lost in an effort, I guess, to show the detail of the makeup and the costumes. I was like watching an on-stage play while wearing blinders. Without peripheral vision you could not appreciate the majesty of setting and the event. I only hope that TV viewers in other countries were served better by their media.

What follows is a glimpse into what I was privileged to see and experience during the ceremony rehearsal. I hope in some small way it can convey what was truly one of the most moving events I’ve ever witnessed.

I was attending the Olympics Opening Ceremony practice and literally crying with joy at what I was witnessing. I will never be able to properly convey on paper or verbalize accurately the depth of emotion, the enormity of my pride and the wonder of my intrigue while watching the rehearsal. I had no idea the Greeks could create such a beautiful display of their history in such an artistic and modern way.

Each segment of the opening was incredible in its own right, each made a statement that boldly but classily declared, “Look at us world, we are re-deemed, we are once again the civilization that was admired for its stunning architecture, its contributions to science, and philosophy and art. We have once again taken our rightful place as a country of beauty and intelligence.”

I know I’m prejudiced on this issue, but I think being of Greek heritage gives me a greater insight to the enormity of what was accomplished, along with a more critical eye. All Greeks criticize Greeks – our disorganization, our lack of punctuality, our mega number of political parties, the pollution, and the attitude. We know it, we’re raised with it whether we live in Greece or out, so believe when I say, I and other Greeks would be among the harshest critics.

But this I cannot criticize. It takes a lot for me to find something so beautiful it moves me to tears...in fact I don’t think I’ve ever been teary eyed in my life at looking at an artistic work. This may be a first and last for me.

Not only was being able to attend the rehearsal a treat, I was even more blessed by the incredible seat I had. It was a good karma day for me because it wasn’t my original assignment. I was approached at the stadium by someone who just happened be looking for a gate 35 ticket so she could sit with her friends. Of all the people in the 70,000 seat stadium she approached me. I readily exchanged tickets but as she gratefully said thank you I thought to myself that I hope these seats don’t suck.

But when I entered gate 24, I saw to my immediate right the press boxes. SCORE!!! They always put the press boxes in the most advantageous place and my seats were directly above them! Woo hoo!! Adding to that, the people seated directly behind me were a Greek-American mother/daughter who had lived in Los Angeles. We soon struck up a conversation and I sat next to them once the show began so as not be wedged between to loud middle-aged Greek women who were staring at me with blatant distain.

Anyway, so here I am in primo seats, with friendly company but the show was 15 minutes late in starting. Earlier, we had observed a workman come into the stadium trying to fix an underwater (yes, underwater!) light and wondered if that what was holding us up…After all, the rest of the world wasn’t going to wait for Greek time for the festivities to begin! And then they appeared – yet another group of workman…with hammers…”Oh no, we’re gonna be waiting awhile,” I thought.

But the strange thing was, you could here them pounding away on the rim of the lake (yes lake!)…almost as if they were miked! And just as I caught on to what was happening one of them stood up and proudly declared…”that’s it, the stadium, it is finished!” And the music started pouring in and the pre-show began.

This self-depreciating shot was met with a lot of laughter because the Greeks know the world has been criticizing their lack of timeliness, and not without some good cause. Apparently the Olympic stadium in Barcelona was done a year in advance and the Aussies were super organized. In contrast, the Greeks spent the first year and a half arguing amongst themselves.

The MCs for the ceremony introduced themselves, cajoled the crowd, etc. etc and then asked the crowd to pay attention to the jumbo monitors as they played a short history of the Olympic preparations.

The opening image was a International Olympics official saying in a thick accent “the preparations for the Oleempics in Athens is like a Grik dance, it starts slow, gets progressively fahster and in the end, you cannot keep up with eet.” Then a famous Greek song, whose name is just about as long as this story, begins V-E-R-Y slowly.

Da…….ra….. dat…… dat……..dat…….and images of the old stadiums that they would tear down appear along and people arguing over plans. And the tempo picks up a bit.

Da…ra…dat…dat…dat…and pictures of the excavations appear and interviews are shown with people expressing their skepticism. And the beat picks up again.

Da..ra..dat..dat.dat.. And more images zip by showing all the stadiums are only partially built and more people expressing worry. And then the song kicks into its final gear.

DARADATDATDATDARADATDAT. Images of workers scurrying about like ants in a food frenzy and construction being completed as if by magic fly by at sonic speed and it all ends abruptly with images of the stadiums complete and ready to go!

Whew, dancing to this song is always an aerobic exercise that leaves it participants gasping for breath and this video was the same way, only this time people were gasping for breath between gales of laughter. I wish I was a good enough writer to convey the good humor the Greeks showed at laughing at themselves this way…But the best part was it was also an extremely clever “fuck you” to their critics…and good for them, after all no one understood Greek time…

Well after this bit of fun, the pageantry began in earnest and truly I do not think that the most talented cameraman or director will be able to capture on television what we were so privileged to see in the stadium. We viewed the entire run-through save the last 10 minutes that will feature the lighting of the torch. We couldn’t figure out how they were going to light because it was towering over the stadium; a mystery that would have to wait until the real event.

Even though there were still some kinks to be worked through, there was not an attendee in the stadium that was not awestruck. I won’t go into every detail as I’d be writing for hours but here are some of the highlights.

The base of the Olympic stadium is filled with water. Apropos since this is a culture whose history and commerce is based around the sea and shipping. They incorporate it in the program in such a way that it adds a new dimension to the proceedings. Almost activity focuses on or around this “lake” including:

• A water ballet that symbolizes the romance and beauty of Greece


• A reflection of life, with the water’s still surface reflecting all the activity going on around it and stars in the night sky


• A display of classic and modern Greek sculpture that evolves and “performs” over the lake and metamorphoses into the islands of Greece resting in the sea


• A drumming “duel” between an ancient Greek and a modern Greek drummer with the water serving as the bridge between the centuries


• Serving as the source of conception as it gives “birth” to the symbol of Greece, the olive tree


• Symbolizing the source of life as a laser light DNA strand emerges from the cosmos and man emerges from the sea, and finally,


• It serves as the backdrop to not only flaming Olympic rings but the most spectacular procession of a country’s history I’ve ever seen.

But the show creators were not content with symbolism of the water. Perhaps worrying it may be too subtle for some observers to understand it’s meaning the evening then follows a parade of floats visual describing the history of Greece from the days of mythology through the classic Greek art period with its famous vase painting to the Elgin marbles (another clever dig...to the Brits I think), through to the revolution against the Turks up to the modern day. Also included were: recognition to the influence Egypt had on ancient Greece; portrayals from famous mythological beliefs; lively images of early athletics known through their depiction on classic vase art; a tribute to the 1896 Olympics; an acknowledgement of the diversity of Greek culture within Greece depicted through dancers wearing the traditional Greek garb that is distinctive to each region and island of Greece.

The first float features a highly decorated mythological figure whose name I forget, writhing and bending to music in ways that humans cannot move. After wondering how this first statue is capable of moving in that way, you notice all the magnificent statues and scenes that follow. But upon a second glance you see the statues begin to move in unison; it appears they are anatromic lifelike robots. But oh no, they are performers, bedecked and painted and posed like the statues they portray. As the procession rolls on, they come alive, move to the haunting music and bring to life the great and glorious history that was Greece. Young warriors, painted red and black as they are forever captured on ancient vases, jump over bulls; statues slowly don their famous pleated togas and take their seats in the Elgin Marbles (see side bar on the Elgin debate); the Caryae maidens raise their arms to welcome you into the Erechtheum of the Acropolis; brave soldiers take back their country from the Turks. Tears spring to my eyes again while writing this.

I had been overwhelmed to discover the Greeks could envision and depict the use of water in such a powerfully subtle way but to bring forth this historical parade that seemed part Cirque de Soliel in it’s inventiveness and part ancient Greek processional, I wondered if this encompassing awe I was experiencing was what my ancestors felt when they gazed up at the brightly painted Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike and the other buildings of the Acropolis and made their way up the polished marble steps to give thanks and offerings to their gods.

I was at once both fiercely proud to know my blood flowed with the same genes as those who were such an amazing people and curiously, also saddened because at that moment I never regretted more not knowing my family’s language better. I dabbed at my tears and realized that a part of me now understood why my father was so much like the patriarch in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, believing with all his heart (true or not) that all the good in the world came from the Greeks. I finally understood why my dad was so disappointed when I was kicked out of Greek school and why he insisted we spend as many family vacations as we could in Greece. I could finally see what he understood his whole life. I could finally and truly understand what it means to be Greek.

A side note:
After the pageant’s conclusion the parade of nations began with sign holders, adorably dressed as Greek vases led each nation carrying a rotating sign with the country’s name in English and in Greek. Up on the screens, and not shown on Greek TV, was the population of the represented country and, in a cute tribute to tourism, the distance of the country from Greece.

All the participants entered the center ring and the flags of the world were lined up. At the end a runner bearing the Olympic flag does a turn around the stadium, breaking through multiple finish line tapes as an announcer simultaneously names the previous host countries since 1896. Twice the runner stops, the first is a fall on his face as the announcer solemnly declares, “World War I” and the second when he abruptly halts and touches the flag to the ground while the announcer declares, “World War II”. Curiously there is no mention of the terrorist acts that took the lives of Israeli athletes at Munich or the bombing in Atlanta in 1996. Perhaps it was better left unsaid as the concern of terrorism is top of mind to all participants in this year’s games. I only hope that what has started as a jubilant celebration will end that way.

The Elgin Controversy

In the early 1800s, Lord Elgin removed the 2000 year old sculptures from the frieze of the Parthenon and transported them to Britain. At the time, Greece was under Turkish rule, and coincidentally (ha!) Lord Elgin was the ambassador to Turkey. He intended to keep them for a private collection but sold them to the British Museum when he was a bit low on cash. After the Greeks gained their independence from the Turks they demanded the Parthenon Marbles’ (as they are known in Greece) return. For over 180 years the Brits have refused to return them. With the coming Olympics the Greeks became hopeful that the English would make a gift or loan of the marbles and return them to their rightful home. No such luck.

On the other hand, had Lord Elgin not removed the sculptures who knows if they would have survived the attacks on the Acropolis that twice happened in the 1800s or the pollution which is particularly fatal to Greek marble as it has the effect of dissolving the material. So in the end, though the Greeks believe the marbles to be unlawfully taken from their country (as are many artifacts in museums around the world today), Lord Elgin may have unwittingly saved them from destruction.