In one travel company, what in Athenes big set, I
In one travel company, what in Athenes big set, I
Has asked: why among all of them numerous rounds are not present in the program
One to Ukraine? The head of firm was confused. You know, he has told, no
For some reason interested persons.
But why? Kiev from it polutoratysjacheletnej history is Really uninteresting?
Either Lvov? Or Chernigov? After all Greeks so are betrayed to olden time, they piously
Protect monuments of thousand-year prescription. And Odessa? After all here much
It is connected with Greece. And not only with its emancipating war and secret
Society "Filiki Eterija", memory about which and now is piously saved in
To Odessa, and and the sea connected with Greece by sea ways and strong bonds.
-- I know, I know. And what, by the way, in that place where was "Filiki Eterija"?.
-- How it - that? A museum. Also there is it in the centre of Odessa, on a corner
Streets which and is called - Greek.
-- Yes? - My interlocutor, apparently, has become interested. It has rummaged in papers
On a table also has found among them for the prospectus of the firm. I saw it earlier,
Therefore has come to it. In the program of this large prospering
Travel agency appeared both Austria, and Hungary, and France, and
England, its rounds lie even to far Cuba and to Hong Kong. And only in
The CIS countries, including to Ukraine, - any. Whether it is strange?.
-- Know that? - My interlocutor has quickened. - I will acquaint you with
The person who in tourist business knows all. Talk to it.
If to you will not tell it Manolis anybody will not tell at us.
This person - Manolis Stavrakakis, looked exotically enough. Tall,
Dense, with black attentive eyes and shortly cut, on
To fashion, a beard, he has been dressed in an unusual T-short - black colour, on
With which the white were allocated... Rulers with notes.
-- What is it? - I have asked having stuck it in a breast.
-- Dances from "Marriage Figaro".
-- You like Mozart?.
-- Certainly. But I searched for Stravinsky, and in Vienna were only such.
And he has started talking not about tourism, and about music. It is its passion. And it is difficult
To tell, a hobby it or a trade, because all its tourist voyages
Are anyhow connected with music. In Vienna where it happens on mnogu
Time in a year, it carries the tourists in such "musical" places,
Of which are not known by many local guides.
-- So you are a guide?.
-- Not absolutely. I the organizer of tourism, - and it have stretched me the visiting
Card on which appears: "Manager".
What does it mean - the manager of tourist business?.
Manolis does not serve in one of travel agencies, but when at
Any of them very important trip with responsible, as is planned
Consider, group invariably address to it - with the request
To head it. So, in day when we have met, it has just arrived
From the darling to its heart of Vienna, and tomorrow early in the morning, should fly from the new
Group to London. In five days it will return, and it will be waited by the new
The demand, already from other company, and again to London, and after it - in
China. I have asked it, in skolkih the countries it has visited, and he has responded,
That just under New year has counted up, as it again should change
The passport - in old, despite loose leaves, already is not present a place for visas.
-- So how much have counted?.
-- Ninety. Considering and where Greeks fly without visas, - the countries
The European Union. However, - he has noticed, - it has visited some on two, on
Three, and even time there is more.
-- If so, I speak, Manolis, why and really all of you so
Bypass Ukraine? After all at us in the country the Greek community - one of most
The large: in it is 120 thousand persons. It is Mariupol, Odessa,
Kiev, Crimea... It is Really uninteresting?.
Here that was found out in this conversation. My interlocutor happened in Kiev, to it
The city is pleasant, the opera theatre in which too happened is pleasant. However, it
Now not such, as in those days when sang Litvinenko-Volgemut,
Patorzhinsky, Gmyrja, but the Ukrainian opera is special, very important and
The interesting section in opera art, considers Manolis, and among Greeks
Would be a lot of wishing to visit here. But.
Having stopped on this ill-fated "but", the tourist manager has stated
Especially professional sight at possibilities of the Greek rounds to Ukraine.
In due time its kind acquaintance, the owner of travel company in Athenes
"Akop travel", has begun constant cooperation with the Odessa
The organisations. That were not only fact-finding trips, but also
Improving, even the medical. As at you under tourist permits,
Has told Manolis, go in the Scandinavian countries behind cars or to us,
In Greece, behind fur coats so tourists from the company "Akop travel" flied to Kiev
To be treated. Akop has agreed with the Kiev Center of microsurgery of an eye, that
It will carry there patients. Treatment, certainly, paid, and in him were
Are interested both in the Center, and in Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
"Akop travel" has opened the representation in Kiev, it was located in
To hotel "Moscow" where representative Akopa also placed visitors
Tourists. He met them in airdrome, brought to a city, placed in
Numbers reserved by it, carried on treatment - in general, completely
Served them, not trusting in anybody, except doctors in which head stood
The known ophthalmologist professor Sergienko. All expenses entered in
Cost of the tourist permit, firm itself paid off and with
The medical centre, both with hotel, and with restaurant - a word, with all.
-- Not involving in it anybody from the local tourist organisations?.
-- -To th. They bore responsibility for all. Moreover, efforts
It Akopa (its surname Mkrtchjan, it the Greek of the Armenian origin) was
Athena air-line - Kiev - Athenes is opened. Under a guarantee of the same Akopa
Mkrtchjana this line was taken in hand by Aeroflot because she always was
It is filled by passengers. Planes flied once a week, and already there were plans
To double quantity of flights. It was interesting by all also to all favourably. As
Suddenly.
It "suddenly" operates, alas, and till now. The matter is that conditions, in
Which there were wards Akopa even in this, one of the best
Hotels of Kiev, were so bad, what is it went in any
Comparison with the most average hotels of the West. Perhaps, affairs now
Are better, the sad glory speaks about the Kiev Manolis, only
Service goes in the tourist organisations of Athenes and now. I do not know,
He has added, any group which has visited recently Kiev
And in general in Ukraine. I and itself with pleasure would head such group. I
I know there at you a number of places which would be very-very interesting to tourists
From Greece.
We long talked to it about tourism. Manolis - comprehensively
The erudite person, to it is not present also forty, but it has seen and with so much
stolkimi met, that can compare, where it is better and where is worse. It
Considers, that to us it is necessary to go, despite political instability
And eternal conflicts fight at the slightest pretext which reach from Kiev and to
Them. By the way, and between our Greeks at you - too, he has added. In
Kiev there are three associations of local residents of the Greek origin, and
All three fight with each other. Just as our parties here, grins in
The black beard the Athenian manager.
And now let's argue. In Greece are a good judge of the tourism organisation
- And in how to accept tourists from the different countries and where to carry
Tourists-Greeks. Tourist business takes the third place in economy
The countries after sea transport and agriculture. One
The industry of souvenirs for tourists means more than mechanical engineering,
Metallurgy and power. That circumstance, that the country became one of
The world's largest centres of the international tourism, has called, if it is possible
So to say, response - as never earlier, Greeks and
Were started up in travel. Autumn and winter in Greece - dead seasons in sense
Tourism, but here Greeks go strenuously, and especially last winter.
Their warm countries not so attract - the Caribbean and any Bahamas
A little they interest, there are at them the, and is not worse in any way. And here the northern
The countries for Greeks a bait - Finland, Sweden, Norway, England... And
It is characteristic here that: groups are going to on interests, is frequent from one
The organisations. Group in 40 persons from which Manolis went to Vienna,
Consisted of heads of large supermarkets and their wives, which in
To the head with the president have gone to a trip in musical places
Austria. Here Manolis has given all the best to the full extent - it carried them in
Salzburg, to Graz, and in Vienna has shown everything, that could. To London Manolisu
It was necessary to carry bank workers for whom it was their gift
The companies.
So it is a lot of offers, that Manolisa does not suffice on everything, but all want
It in explorers. At it trips pass faultlessly, any
Claims for all time.
However, one complaint all the same was. Manolis has told about it with laughter,
Though itself has concerned it more than seriously. After a trip to Prague
One of its group in a response has written, that is dissatisfied with the head of group
- That, under the statement of the tourist who has bought round, had the right to count,
That the head will concern it more attentively.
In what there was an inattention, Manolis did not know. The complaint - a stain on its reputation.
And he has asked, that somebody has called and has learnt, what's the matter.
It has appeared, that that demanded the woman in number, and Manolis declared, that in
The list of services of travel company the such does not enter.
But, when requests concern music, Manolis is ready to give all the best. In everyone
City he buys disks, and not only widely known products and
Fashionable executors, but also local. It switches on them in the bus, in time
Moving there music always sounds. When I was at Manolisa at home, that,
The word of honour, has lost count, having decided to count all its laser disks
On racks - them more than six hundred!.
Whether there are such experts of tourist business at us? Tourists at us
All "shuttles" going on the trading affairs through are considered
Travel companies. They and advertise the permits: possibility
To buy cars, fur coats or something so tempting. Statistics
Diligently registers: so much thousand Ukrainian citizens have visited in
Foreign excursions. Though and not all have come back back: for many
The tourist permit - no more as possibility to leave to the same Greece,
For example, and not to return back. In flight which I flied from Athenes in
Kiev, was only 30 passengers on 118 places. Though there and planes, and
Buses are always filled. That it for tourism such!.
Is even worse business with tourist trips to us is. Statisticans I not
I know, but after all and so it is visible, that since times of former "Intourist", buses
Which have always been overflowed, a little that remains.
"Filiki Eterija" about which spoke Manolis, it is a relic Greek
The people. I well know a place where these underground workers from "Friendly sat
Societies "as its name from the Greek is translated. There is it in
Lane between the Greek street and Deribasovsky, and its head in
The beginning of a century before last there was Alexander Ipsilanti, one of outstanding
Representatives of the aristocratic family, headed struggle of the Greek
The people for clearing of the Osmansky yoke. Its son - Konstantin - veins in
Kiev, here worked and too was a member "Filiki Eterii". Konstantin
Ipsilanti also has died in Kiev, it is buried in territory Kievo-Pecherskoj of monastery,
There to it and the monument is established.
Here is how communications of Ukraine and Greece have intertwined. At appropriate statement
Affairs from one Greece the never-ending stream of tourists can be pulled to us.
Manolis with pleasure would carry them here. And not only it - in one
Athenes travel agencies continually. And in that, with which
I have begun these notes, one of employees who was at us the translator,
Has added in the end п п я п п?я :.
-- Same your poet has written, how "three Greeks to Odessa carry contraband".
As him called, I do not remember.
It is right - that poet comes from Odessa - Edward Bagritsky, he well knew
Customs of that time and those Greeks. And it is good, that it still remember.
Jacob ZHUKOVSKY.
The Kiev news
2000.04.07.
//* an information Source: п п п п я я п?п?п?i п iя я i, 10.04.00
//* Reg. Nom. - 2100400091.04-------------------------------------------
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