Ludus on the road, part one

Ludus is drawn to movement, to the world, to difference. We think there is a lot of artistic potential in the experiences we cross through as ordinary, everyday life. That is, any outing, whether a walk around the neighborhood where we live or three months traveling across Europe, holds exactly the same artistic potential, even while being two completely different things. That is because it is through the contingencies and the exchanges of the process that we absorb stories, ideas, material that later grows into art. Often art is far more about who makes it than about anything else. We love to think of territory as a body and an artistic object, as history and narrative. And we love getting to know new things.

So we decided to step into a big movement for the next three months. We will be semi-nomadic, itinerant, working from our laptops and turning our wanderings and travels into more art and inspiration for LUDUS. That said, we write to you already from the road, because the last few weeks have been very fast here. We are now in Palermo, a gorgeous city in Sicily, an island in the south of Italy. But before we talk about this place, let us tell you a little about our adventures in Greece, where we spent two weeks of holiday. Inside these notes we will also drop a few tips for enthusiasts, travelers and artists who love to travel, like us, because we came to feel that each of our experiences was a kind of artistic experience, shaped by how we chose (or chose not) to live it.

Athens

It was our first destination out of Brazil. We spent three days in this capital, which felt more like three weeks for all the walking, thinking, seeing, talking and absorbing we did. Athens really is a very complex and interesting city. We picked a neighborhood without knowing much, going off the best value Airbnb that showed up for us at booking time. The neighborhood is called Exarcheia, and it was only in the first walks around the area that we understood it was a fiercely political part of town. Our first interaction was even a little strange, since we felt we were some of the only tourists around (which we loved), but the neighborhood was covered in posters and paste-ups on the streets and walls that read: TOURISTS GO HOME!

Complexities aside, it was only two days later, when we finally got the chance to talk with locals, that we understood this “fight,” or dilemma, a bit better. There really are tourists and tourists. We walked about 15 km a day, and on our first day we went out early to try a very traditional yogurt at a shop running since 1940. The texture and flavor of Greek yogurt really are impressive. We tried goat and sheep yogurt. Both drizzled with honey (also a local delicacy).

We decided our main means of transport would be the metro and our own feet, and it is worth saying that the Athens metro is very organized and works really well. A great option for budget travelers like us who like to move around like the locals. You kind of need to speak English to get by in Greece. Almost every Greek speaks a little, and beyond that language it is hard to hold a conversation with them. Another curiosity is that in summer the days here are very long, the sun does not set until around 9 pm, so the feeling of living more is real.

We carried on to a contemporary art museum a bit outside the city, called Public Tobacco Factory. Honestly, we had seen photos online of a show that was no longer running, so we recommend checking the current exhibitions before making your way there (duh). But we had a lovely surprise, because the show we did see had a few meeting points with our research on the Sound Walk, and we even used the walk back to turn it into a piece. We will write a text saying more about this, since it is one of Ludus’s ongoing fronts, including for this trip.

Back toward the more central area, we walked a lot around the district next to the Acropolis, where there are several markets full of trinkets and souvenirs, and there we ended up doing an olive oil tour with free tasting that was wonderful. We learned how olive oil was and still is made, tasted several kinds, and it was really cool. Greek olive oil is an ancestral and very special practice, the flavors and the oil-making techniques we found here really are very refined.

At night, we had the magical chance to watch a performance by a Greek composer and pianist at the ancient Roman theater Odeon of Herodes Atticus, on the south slope of the Athens Acropolis. Built in 161 AD with room for 5,000 people, you can take in the grandeur and the advanced acoustics of this landmark during the concerts and operas of the Athens Epidaurus Festival in summer. We had the brilliant luck of being there in that season. It was a moving show, an experience that is absolutely worth the visit.

Coming back from that surreally beautiful experience, we went to check out a restaurant a friend had recommended, Birdman. Tasty, but nothing São Paulo could not top. We ordered this tonkatsu sandwich that was worth it.

The second day was extraordinary, since we started early visiting the Acropolis and the Parthenon, a kind of unmissable tourist walk. It really is fascinating to take in the grandeur of the structures, the history that place holds. Luís cried for the second time on the trip with that feeling, which really does overflow. We also visited the Acropolis Museum nearby, and then ate our first gyros of the trip. Soooo good.

We decided today would be the day to explore “YAMAS!” our own way. Yamas means something like “cheers,” a toast greeting. There is a saying that with every toast you have to say Yamas louder, up to a point in the night (after a few glasses) where you shout it. We started work in the late afternoon, walking and drinking Greek beers around the neighborhood, passing through a super charming antiques market full of surprises. Then we went for a few aperols on a good value terrace, where you could see the city in the beautiful light of the end of the day. Very special.

We carried our journey on to a club/bar we really wanted to check out, Pharaó, but when we got there it was packed, so we ended up at another bar nearby. It was the best decision of the night.

You know when just seeing a place or a person, you already feel the energy click? That is what we felt with this super charming bar right by our Airbnb, which honestly seemed to be a bar very well frequented by LOCALS. TCHIN TCHIN is the name of this incredible place. It’s a must. There we toasted about three more Yamas and made friends with the DJ, a formidable Greek who knew a lot about music, including Brazilian music.

We got free shots, talked a ton about politics, culture, music and even about our own project. It was so cool to hear the curation of Theo, the DJ of the night (and a resident of the bar for many years), an inspiring and very fun night. We told him about our music project and our release, and he gave us his email, since the guy was so low profile he did not even have WhatsApp.

We closed the Athens season buzzing, ready for the sun and the crystal clear waters of Kefalonia, the next stop of our holiday.

Hasta luego,
Ludus.