Velvento 7 - Catching Up With History

Early on the second morning, my dad took a walk around town to "reconnect with [his] memories of running through the streets of the village". He took some photos of houses and gardens as well as the town center and the old clock tower which has been standing since the mid 1800s. He wanted to walk on his own so he could soak a bit of the atmosphere and history (his history) in on his own before we all talked about it.


After breakfast we all took the walk again with him. He described things he could recall like playing soccer and other games in the town square, running around the stone streets without shoes on, and especially the old clock tower at the central church. There were bullet holes and even larger holes from canon fire! This was partially from the German forces in WWII, but most of the damage had actually been inflicted by the Turks. The builder in my dad and me also discussed how well built such a thin tower must have been to withstand such force! This is a true testament to the care that Greeks, and especially those in Velvento, put into their homes, buildings, and roads.


It was a moment when we all realized how scary this was for Velvento and all of Greece, and how my father's story was shared among many Greek families during terrible times, the hope that he (and many other children) could find a better life in America.



Dad has a an early memory of hammering away at a neighbors rock. His sister Marianthi also told my dad a story the first time they spoke on the phone (in 50 years!), before we left for our trip, and before knowing what he does for a living: "I remember you playing outside with a hammer and nails". He said "I'm still playing with a hammer and nails!" We even had the pleasure of showing her a picture of me at age 2 - I was standing inside the frame of the base of a house my dad was building, had a mini tool belt on, and was wielding a hammer! She cried when she saw it because it was just how she remembered my dad.



Once we learned that the family men had built their own houses, a church, and many other things in town, we realized that even after all of these years and with so much time spent in separate worlds, an Agoratsiou man is always a builder, whether in their small village in Greece, or a big city in America. Every Agoratsiou is a builder (even our cousin Giannis who has a desk job but builds as a hobby)!


We also walked passed a carpenter standing inside his wood shop, and all got a laugh when we agreed: "Dad, this would have been you if you had stayed in Velvento".