Greek Series: Contrasts of a Metropole
In the Greek series, I recount my travel through the country in the past September. This one is all about contrasts and the different faces of Athens.
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In the Greek series, I recount my travel through the country in the past September. This one is all about contrasts and the different faces of Athens.
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A short introduction to the series
In September 2013, friends and I backpacked through Greece and discovered a beautiful and amazing country torn between its ancient history and the struggles of the present. I shot a ton of pictures in these three weeks, and it took me months to sort them out. But my plan was right from the beginning to publish them on this blog. I just didn’t know how exactly. So, after some brainstorming, I decided to organize them thematically and post them in separate collections and not in chronological order, which didn’t seem like a good fit for this blog. So anyway, this is the first part of a long series of pictures that will continue through the winter. Occasionally, there may be some postings with wintery shots from Vienna, but apart from that, it will get sunny, at least over here (well, maybe not right from the beginning) 🙂
In full awareness of the ancient history of Greece and its stunning remains, I want to hold the old stones back for now and show you some impressions of urban life in Athens as I saw it.
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Impressions were collected in late November around Prater and Donaucity.
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Largely unnoticed, the new university campus of the Economic University of Vienna (Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien) was built in a relatively remote part of the city. So, most of us knew about the construction plans, but little did we know about the futuristic character and the sheer extent of the sight. What a surprise! The campus consists of about 6 to 8 buildings constructed by different architects in different styles. In common, they have a modern and environmentally friendly approach. They are centered around a student plaza, effectively creating a public space for its “citizens.” There are also a couple of cafés and shops there. One is the “Campus” (shot 4), with a mixed approach of modernism and natural elements of wood and plants. The centerpiece of the campus is the library (as it should be). It was designed by an architect from Hamburg and is simply astonishing (shots 2 – 3 exterior, shots 7 – 9 interior).
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Shot during one afternoon on the 10th of November. More information about the series is in the last post.
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This is one kind of “The Viennese Central Cemetery Part 2,5,” or the outtake. Two shots I really liked but which didn’t fit into. In the second picture, you see the fabulous Karl-Borromäus church in the center of the cemetery. Plus, another shot from Vienna’s streets captures autumn’s colors.
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