From their earliest years Elita and Martha were made aware of their social standing. Friendships were established early among the children of Kolonaki – even as toddlers they would be introduced to playmates, some of whom would remain friends for the rest of their lives.
The National Park on busy Vassilis Sofia Avenue was a popular meeting place for children. This world-famous park was laid out for the first modern king of Greece, Othon, son of Ludwig of Bavaria. In 1834 Othon had been elected to establish a monarchy in Greece; his German queen, Amalia, was not popular among Greeks, but she did have this impressive garden laid out in honour of her husband. With time it became the National Park and the residents of Kolonaki have come to regard it as their own. It contains plants from all over the world in spectacular gardens, rare animals in beautiful enclosures and numerous statues, including one of the English Romantic poet Lord Byron, who fought in the Greek war of Independence and died in Greece of a lung infection.
Here the nannies of Kolonaki would bring their charges for daily outings. A mini-apartheid of nations prevailed: The English nannies had their own little England, the French their territory, as did the Germans. Elita’s nanny, Paulette, was Swiss and French-speaking and it was here that three-year-old Elita met her lifelong friend, Maria Geurtsos. At their parents’ insistence, both little girls had to learn French; later Elita would see it as the reason why, at six years old, she was not accepted into a Greek school. “I could already read Greek well and even write a little, but I could not sing a single Greek song or recite a single Greek rhyme. So I was turned down!”
In addition to French lessons, there were hated ballet lessons. Elita and her playmate Irene Doxiadis – who was later to become the respected Irene Lemos of Greek shipping and business circles – were in the same class. Elita preferred to leap like a rabbit rather than dance on her toes, simply refusing to become a “good” dancer.
Irene and Elita loved the enchanting stories their schoolteacher told them – which included the assurance that they, like seed sown in the earth, would one day grow into pretty flowers. Elita always remembered the story and believes that this is where her great love of flowers and gardening originated.
Nitsa’s insistence on a French education did not waver and in summer Elita and Martha would attend school in the French-speaking region of Switzerland. It was during one of these summers that George Lanaras realised that his seven-year old daughter had a mind of her own. In a reply to a letter from her father, she wrote, in Greek: Dearest Papa, I am not well. I am bored. Please let me come home. Later she wrote again: Dearest Papa, I read your letter with great joy. But I don’t want you to send me love or photos. I want to come home. Your daughter Elita. But coming home was out of the question, until term was over.
Sometimes Elita and Martha would be sent with Paulette to the island of Corfu for a short holiday. The sisters came to realise that these holidays would always coincide with times of extreme tension in their parents’ marriage.
Even as a small child, Elita felt that her mother did not understand her and she would often flee to her bedroom, overwhelmed with a sense of loneliness. Realising early that she was inclined to get depressed, she began keeping a diary, which became a lifelong habit. As did slipping away quietly to be alone.
She also found refuge in books and here the girls’ French governess, Monique, proved an inspiration. Monique introduced them early to the world of Victor Hugo, to Russian writer Gogol, Mallarmé, and even Baudelaire. That the latter poet could be read to two sheltered young girls is a reflection of Nitsa’s determination that her children had to be introduced to the very best even if that meant the inclusion of works by the libertine Baudelaire.
Their relationship with their father was more fun, because George took his daughters on adventures. He would “kidnap” them in his car and they would stop along the road and eat peasant food – dishes like kokoretsi, (similar to liver cakes) — and the sauce from the liver and onions would drip on their clothes. This was definitely not the kind of food that Nitsa’s housekeeper would prepare at home, where the compulsory glass of carrot juice on waking every morning was the first challenge of the day.
On these outings Elita and Martha would be continually bubbling with laughter and their delight in these adventures encouraged George to take them out more and more often. He would let them “drive” the car and take them to cowboy films. He was a great fan of John Wayne and, although Elita went along happily, she announced that she was very glad that she had not been born a man and so might have had to become a cowboy. When it came to Mickey Mouse, she dug in her heels: the cats were too fierce and she didn’t like Minnie’s shoes.
George built a holiday house at Anavissos on the Sounion coast, site of a celebrated temple to the sea god Poseidon. For the sisters, holidays here were for a long time more enjoyable than the many overseas trips on which they accompanied their parents.
The rebuilding of Greece in the 1950’s had little direct effect on the children of Kolonaki. Privileged, even spoilt, the only shadows were in their immediate family circle. And the fact that George was so easily able to win and keep his daughters’ favour also placed an undue emphasis on the distance between Elita and her mother, something the little girl was unable to perceive at the time.
Five: Very pretty, but oh, so conservative
In Greece’s great post-war economic blossoming the Lanaras family, like nearly all their friends, established international business interests and so began travelling the world.
They were also able to enjoy an international wave of Greek popularity, inspired by stars such as singer Nana Mouskouri, with her hit song about the white roses of Athens, actress Melina Mercouri, who would become world famous, and the rising young soprano Maria Callas.
The astonishing wealth which Greek shipowners had begun to amass also drew world attention to the remarkable recovery that their country had made.
Before long the Lanaras daughters were equally at home in London, Paris, New York and Milan, all cities where Nitsa enjoyed shopping. But these expeditions were not always unalloyed pleasure.
When it came to choosing clothes, Elita was a difficult child. The world’s leading department stores were often the scene of confrontations between mother and daughter, with Elita stubbornly refusing to bow to her mother’s indisputably excellent taste.
Nonetheless the daughters have clear memories of Nitsa’s relaxed and sunny mood on these shopping trips. She was always very aware of fashion trends and even when very young both her daughters had their favourite designers. Elita became a devotee of designer Courrèges; later her taste in clothes would lean to classic tailoring and subdued colours.
In Athens the Lanarases had won a place in political as well as social circles. Like everyone in their circle of friends, George and Nitsa had great respect for the royal couple, King Paul and Queen Frederika. Although the royal family set the tone in society, where the easy-going, sport-loving king was very popular, relations between the palace and parliament were often strained. Queen Frederika, a granddaughter of deposed German Kaiser Wilhelm, was a very young princess, Friederike von Hanover, when she married the much older King Paul. She was a controversial and outspoken woman and, although not as popular with the Greek elite as her husband was, she took on challenging welfare projects and enjoyed great support among the people.
According to local gossip, the flamboyant and idiosyncratic Frederika used to enjoy swimming naked off isolated beaches along the coast, a story which may have had its origins in the frequent trips to the sea made by the royal family, who loved sailing. Attractive, daring and often unorthodox, she was the subject of gossip even in pro-royal circles, but it was the communist and socialist factions who hated her.
Frederika was also well known in South Africa. In 1942, as crown princess, she was sent there from war-ravaged Greece for safety reasons. She forged a fast and lifelong friendship with General Jan Smuts and his wife, known to everyone as Ouma Issie. To the end of his life General Smuts