Standing at the entrance of 'Voula Beach B' in the Vari neighbourhood of Athens, I feel a part of my heart break. The words "Open Public Beach” have been sprayed across the gate in green paint, while debris, abandoned buildings and an unbearable smell is all you can see once you cross it. I look at the beach facilities – the public toilets, dressing rooms, dining rooms – once reserved for the upper echelons of Athenian society they now provide shelter for the homeless. Meanwhile, just a few metres away, at the next privately owned beach, bathers are stacked one over the other.
The beach had been closed for over a decade, until last March when Vari’s Mayor, Spyros Pannas, “opened it” again. According to him, that was a symbolic gesture, expressing the City Hall's desire to bring local beaches under the management of their administration instead of private landlords. "We'll be here every day, to care, to preserve and to turn this into the most beautiful beach in the Attica region,” he'd said. Two and a half months later, nothing has changed.
I called City Hall and talked to their PR manager, Georgia Koutri: "Unfortunately, the beaches are still privately owned and not under our jurisdiction," she said. "They are owned by ETAD [Greek Public Properties Company]. As it stands, we do not have the right to perform any kind of action on that beach.”
Despite my repeated attempts, I couldn’t get through to anyone at ETAD. I guess all we can do for now is swim next door.
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