Odos (way, path, road)

Snapped on my way to the bus-stop to get to the airport this morning. A lot has changed in Greece in the last 2,500 years, but the alphabet is the same and I can recognise an astonishing number of words from the ancient Greek I picked up at an after school club 40+ years ago. Even some of the important people are the same - this is Achilles Road.

I stopped to buy myself a spinach pie (spanakopita - not ancient Greek) for lunch and on the way out of the bakery saw a man sitting in the odos behind two small crates of apples next to the back of a tatty van containing a few more apples and some green beans.

He had his head in his hands. He might have been tired. He might have had a row with his daughter last night. He might be trying to make ends meet by selling the harvest from his smallholding now he's lost his job in the ministry. Even if my Greek was up to finding out I wouldn't have asked, but I thought at least I'd buy one of his apples for my lunch. I could remember the ancient Greek for apple (milo) and it turns out to be the same word now. Body language was a bit more effective than my 2,500 year-old pronunciation though.

I wonder how many words used 2,500 years ago in the 'British' Isles would be understandable now.

I'm back home this evening, so I hope to do some catching up over the next few days. Many thanks for all the comments while I've been in Greece.

2012challenge: old and new