Building Memories (BM) uses personal experiences and relates them to topics of importance to building.
This BM explores our trip to Zakynthos, Greece.
We revisited the Island of Zakynthos, which was featured in one of the 2023 Building Memories. I had not been there since the summer of 1980, when I helped a new friend, Tony, rebuild his historic family residence. His family had lived on the property since the 16th century, and the house had been destroyed in the earthquake of 1953. In 1980 a majority of the properties throughout the island were still destroyed. Built out of un-reinforced stone masonry walls, the structural integrity of most of the houses and commercial buildings had simply collapsed. In 2024, the island had changed, significant improvement in the infrastructure (electricity, water, and roadways) were visible though most of the island. But you could still see extensive damage and ruins that remain in place 71 years after the earthquake. One of the problems is that many families have moved away and life circumstances, or lack of interest, have not allowed them to re-build. Additionally, Greece is a very seismically active area and multiple earthquakes (although not as bad) have hit Zakynthos and the surrounding areas in the following decades.
When I was there in 1980, I hung out with three lovable characters Tony, Niko and Tasso. They all lived in or near the town of Skoulikadon, which is where I lived and helped re-build Tony’s house. I visited Skoulikadon three times over the course of our visit and was lucky enough to track down two of them. Tony (see photo #?) still lived in the house he built 45 years ago, and Niko (see photo #?) was still a working electrician helping build some of the newest homes in the village. The church at the top of the hill had become too dangerous for services, and someone was working on a portion of the structure to make it safe, but I suspect it will be years, if not decades, before it will be usable again.
I had forgotten how beautiful the landscape and seas of Zakynthos were. The color of the Ionian Sea is gorgeous, and the island has four distinct eco zones.
- The beach and coastal areas
- The inland valleys that were predominately used for farming
- Lower areas of the hilly slopes that were filled with thousands of olive trees
- The island is filled with mountains, and the highest rises 2,480. Which is high enough to be significantly cooler than the beaches, above the tree line and is significantly windier than the lower zones.
And if that is not enough Zakynthos participated in many of Greece’s storied and mythic history, in the Iliad and Odyssey, the Trojan War and more recently played a part in the resistance to the Germans and Italians in World War 2, one notably story included the saving of the island’s entire Jewish community numbering 275 people.
Many times, when you revisit your past, it can be a disappointment. The reality of the present is not able to measure up to the fantasies your memory has built up over the years. But I am very happy to say Zakynthos did not disappoint!