What is the Grand Tour?
The Grand Tour refers to the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by European men in order to expose themselves to particular works of art and other contributions from Classical Antiquity that have left behind a cultural legacy. During the Renaissance period, there was a renewed interest in Classical Antiquity. The European men who studied the classical works of Greece traveled to the country in order to visit the places they learned about, and were given the opportunity to engage with actual inhabitants. As such, by embarking on the Grand Tour, these men were capable of grasping a deeper understanding of the literary works they reviewed by drawing connections to the reality taking place at the time in Greek society.
The Grand Tour acts as a constant dialect between the past and the present. I quote: "The Grand Tour gave concrete form to Northern Europeans' ideas about the Greco-Roman world and helped foster Neoclassical ideals".
My Grand Tour
For instance, George Gordon Byron, commonly referred to as Lord Byron, was an English poet who traveled to Greece in 1823 and joined the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. Contrary to the expectations Lord Byron had of Greece prior to travelling to the country, he visited during a situation of crisis: enslavement by the Turks. He stayed in Greece during a pivotal period and fought for the country's independence, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. By fighting in the Greek War of Independence, not only did Lord Byron become a war hero, but he also lived a much different experience during his Grand Tour of Greece over that of merely reading about the Classics. Today, Lord Byron is regarded as a national hero who has a suburban town named after him in Athens: Vyronas.
In the winter 2014 semester, I had taken a Modern Greek Culture and Society course, the credits of which counted towards my Neo-Hellenic Studies minor. Professor Anastassiadis, the instructor for the course, exposed us to various Greek and English films that related to Greek culture and society. We had the privelege of meeting Sotiris Goritsas, writer and director of Ap Ta Kokala Vgalmena, a film we spent a substantial amount of time analyzing in class. The film focused on the chaos taking place in Greece, particularly within the health care system. For instance, the hospital waiting rooms were overcrowded, the doctors were not being paid their salaries and therefore prioritized patients who offered them "fakelakia", meaning envelopes with money. Brazilero, another film we watched by Goritsas, also shed light on the misconduct taking place within the country. In the film, the main character was being audited due to the fact that the E.U. money was being used towards purchasing a Brazilian soccer player, rather than for its intended purpose, a Museum of Art. Through these films, my classmates and I acquired insight of what was taking place in Greece: disorganization and corruption.
Similarly to the European men who travelled to Greece after reviewing the works from the past, I embarked on my Grand Tour after completing my own studies. Based on what I learned after thoroughly discussing the circumstances in Greece with my professors and peers, I traveled to the country with completely different expectations from the reality taking. Aside from the material I was presented with in my courses, the media played a major role in my perception of the situation as well. "Severe Debt Crisis" headlines in newspapers, and news channels demonstrating the protests occuring as result of the crisis, led me to believe that I would be travelling to Greece during a tragic period, especially for its citizens. I was expecting to walk out of the airport and I would instantly be able to detect the crisis. To my surprise, when I arrived in Athens, I was pleased to witness the cafeterias and restaurants full of customers. My first impression was that the Greek citizens were not as distressed as I anticipated them to be. My Grand Tour explored the spatial variations of the debt crisis (which will further be discussed), following the trajectories below.
A map outlining the trajectory of my Grand Tour in Athens.
A map outlining the trajectory of my Grand Tour in the Peloponnese.
A map outlining the trajectory of my Grand Tour in Kefalonia.