You have to feel sorry for the fine people of Elefsina (or Eleusis as it would have been translated from ancient times). The smell of petroleum is the first thing you notice about the place, from some distance out, approaching it from any direction and in almost any wind direction.
You can even smell it from up wind.
It's the sort of smell that makes you wonder if it's safe for anyone in this region to be a smoker, or make their coffee on one of those small gas camping stoves. Maybe they just bottle the air and use that in the coffee cookers. I'd be reluctant to be around anyone about to strike a match.
Elefsina sits at the top of the Saronic Gulf, between Athens and Korinth. It is in a super industrialized area characterized by oil refineries and tank farms.
We drive through the edge of Elefsina about half of the times that we leave here to go somewhere, just before we get onto the motorway westbound. We haven't taken any photos of modern Elefsina environs because that would be unkind to its history. Link here for history
Eleusis was, in classical times, the second most important pilgrimage site after Delfi. Today Delfi is still a top international attraction and a protected world heritage site, and poor Eleusis is an extended industrial wasteland off the edge of a motorway.
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| When I get control of the driving seat.... |
Hari OM
ReplyDelete...but folk with the money would surely by villas far away from the eau d'petrol? I kinda know what you mean when you describe it; my grandparents (dad side) used to live near some of those big gas bins that go up and down and there were days when there was no getting away from feeling gassed. Blargh - I can smell them now in my nasal memory... &*p
Hugs and whiskeries, YAM-aunty xxx
Not that much money - just not living on welfare. Their town centre isn't half empty like, say, that of Piraeus where you find lots of empty shops with dirt caked windows and dusty interiors. I agree our thirst for hydrocarbon fuels has blighted every minute of the lives of some communities.
DeleteThat has given me a thought for a post sometime about what we we all be like as consumers if it wasn't so convenient to ignore the blight that manufacturing and waste disposal industrial processes represent to the bits of the world that genuinely have to deal with it. Paying a lot more for their services and sacrifices would be a start. xxx F
Fascinating look at a totally industrialized region and its fascinating history.
ReplyDeleteOne of the least expected things that strikes us about the area is eucalypts (Aussie gum trees) - unexpected green and a really distinctive shape.)
DeleteI am happy to say I have not smelled that smell, but my hometown was the sight of a huge papermill, no idea why paper mills smell but it is the kind of scent that sticks to your clothing if you work there, and also to the car you drive to work. and at times we felt we could not breathe when the wind blew our way with that odor. I am now wondering about other places that are full of industrial smells that I don't even know about. did not know about petroleum until now.
ReplyDeleteF agrees that papermills have a weird smell. Tokoroa in New Zealnd smells of that smell.
DeleteI wonder if all that money is worth it when your life is cut short from the toxic fumes?
ReplyDeleteBut I guess it’s just a sign of the times. We all do what we have to do to survive for as long as we can
Maybe we gave the wrong impression at the end, this place isn't 'wealthy', it just doesn't reek of unemployment along with all the other toxicity they suffer. Unemployment is fairly toxic and life shortening too.
Deleteoh the smell of petrol is not good to breathe in. It kind of goes to your head and gives you a headache. Hope you managed to get in some fresh air.
ReplyDelete