Finally, FINALLY, the weather cooled down a bit. To celebrate this wonderful turn of events I cooked fakes (lentils) for dinner, much to my sister's disgust.
The Athens Film Festival has started! Hooray! I'm off to see a film or two...
Thursday, 18 September 2008
Monday, 15 September 2008
Snapshot from Athens
Often Athens is ugly and dirty. Some times, if you squint, it's quaint and oriental. Others it's laid back and trendy(-ish). Others still, it's amusingly peculiar.
The other day I had to go first thing in the morning to the Ministry of Culture to hand in some architectural designs for a building we're trying to get licensed. (Greek red tape is marvelously convoluted and senseless at times.)
The Ministry of Culture, I found out, is behind the Museum. (The Museum being the Archaeological Museum, proving by it's name just how many proper museums we have in Athens.) The Museum is right next to the Polytechneio (the old building of the school of engineering where nowadays only the architecture department is housed.) In between Greece's biggest and oldest museum and the old venerated university building there is a paved street with trees, a bit of greenery and a couple of statues. It sounds nice, doesn't it? The sort of place you'd like to sit on a bench and feed pigeons or read a book.
Only I wouldn't advise you to. Because, you see, this cute little paved street has probably the highest concentration of junkies in Athens. Junkies in Greece are mostly harmless, all they do is ask for money. They do have, however, the strange habit of snorting or shooting drugs in broad daylight. So it's nine in the morning. Some homeless addicts are still sleeping on the benches as I pass. Others are waking up, and yet others are taking their first hit of the day. I feel kind of weird, passing through in my office clothes on the way to the Ministry for official business.
It gets even more surreal as I reach the top of the paved road to find the front of the ministry crawling with police officers and security cars. I can't help but laugh. This is so typical of Greece. The police could care less about the junkies shooting up (and possibly overdosing) a stone's throw away, as long as they stay away from the Ministry building. Everyone minds their own business and everyone is happy.
I can't help but wonder if this sort of thing happens in many other European cities. Maybe it's a general phenomena and I never noticed.
The other day I had to go first thing in the morning to the Ministry of Culture to hand in some architectural designs for a building we're trying to get licensed. (Greek red tape is marvelously convoluted and senseless at times.)
The Ministry of Culture, I found out, is behind the Museum. (The Museum being the Archaeological Museum, proving by it's name just how many proper museums we have in Athens.) The Museum is right next to the Polytechneio (the old building of the school of engineering where nowadays only the architecture department is housed.) In between Greece's biggest and oldest museum and the old venerated university building there is a paved street with trees, a bit of greenery and a couple of statues. It sounds nice, doesn't it? The sort of place you'd like to sit on a bench and feed pigeons or read a book.
Only I wouldn't advise you to. Because, you see, this cute little paved street has probably the highest concentration of junkies in Athens. Junkies in Greece are mostly harmless, all they do is ask for money. They do have, however, the strange habit of snorting or shooting drugs in broad daylight. So it's nine in the morning. Some homeless addicts are still sleeping on the benches as I pass. Others are waking up, and yet others are taking their first hit of the day. I feel kind of weird, passing through in my office clothes on the way to the Ministry for official business.
It gets even more surreal as I reach the top of the paved road to find the front of the ministry crawling with police officers and security cars. I can't help but laugh. This is so typical of Greece. The police could care less about the junkies shooting up (and possibly overdosing) a stone's throw away, as long as they stay away from the Ministry building. Everyone minds their own business and everyone is happy.
I can't help but wonder if this sort of thing happens in many other European cities. Maybe it's a general phenomena and I never noticed.
Sunday, 14 September 2008
September Blues
I'm back!
(My sister/flatmate is busy having a meltdown because she just permanently stained our new extra expensive sofa SHE insisted on buying. I refuse to get involved.)
Where am I back from? I had three weeks leave over August. Obviously I wasn't going to sit around in boiling Athens. I disappeared to the islands. I went camping and swimming and sunbathing. So where did I go? First to Crete, then to Donousa and then to Kuthnos. I know it's all Greek to you (tee hee).
It was hot and windy - as per usual. The seas where blue (and freezing in Donousa). Everywhere was crowded with Greeks and Italians and Frenchies. We spent our time visiting new beaches, swimming, sleeping in the sun and eating. A typical Greek holiday. The only amusing anecdotes I have are snipets of overheard conversations.
Crete: (A ditzy blond is getting a henna tattoo from a good looking blond blue eyed guy with a street stall.)
DITZY BLOND MAKING SMALL TALK: So where are you from?
TATTOO GUY: I'm Serbian
DITZY BLOND TRYING TO BE OPENMINDED: Wow! It doesn't show!
Donousa: (Student Girl is playing rackets with Average Guy on beach in front of us she has just met)
STUDENT GIRL: Are you a student?
AVERAGE GUY: No, those days are long gone.
STUDENT GIRL SURPRISED: How old are you then?
AVERAGE GUY: I'm thirty.
STUDENT GIRL SHOCKED: Oh my god! You certainly don't look it! (MEANING: I don't believe I'm actually talking to someone so old.)
Kuthnos: (I'm sitting with Maria, Boula and Elly at a restaurant.)
WAITER: What will you be having?
MARIA: I want fish. What fish do you have?
WAITER: We have gilthead, mullet and mackerel.
MARIA: I don't know if I like any of those fish.
WAITER: The mackerel is very good.
MARIA: I don't know if I like mackerel. I'll ask my mother.
WAITER LOOKS GOBSMACKED
MARIA ON MOBILE: Mum, do I like mackerel?
MOTHER: I don't know, but you father does!
MARIA TO WAITER: I'll have the mackerel.
Truth is, I have been back for two weeks now. And Athens in September is awful. After three months of blistering heat you would really like a break instead of having to suffer through September, which is invariably hot and muggy.
I might try and post some holiday photos later on...
(My sister/flatmate is busy having a meltdown because she just permanently stained our new extra expensive sofa SHE insisted on buying. I refuse to get involved.)
Where am I back from? I had three weeks leave over August. Obviously I wasn't going to sit around in boiling Athens. I disappeared to the islands. I went camping and swimming and sunbathing. So where did I go? First to Crete, then to Donousa and then to Kuthnos. I know it's all Greek to you (tee hee).
It was hot and windy - as per usual. The seas where blue (and freezing in Donousa). Everywhere was crowded with Greeks and Italians and Frenchies. We spent our time visiting new beaches, swimming, sleeping in the sun and eating. A typical Greek holiday. The only amusing anecdotes I have are snipets of overheard conversations.
Crete: (A ditzy blond is getting a henna tattoo from a good looking blond blue eyed guy with a street stall.)
DITZY BLOND MAKING SMALL TALK: So where are you from?
TATTOO GUY: I'm Serbian
DITZY BLOND TRYING TO BE OPENMINDED: Wow! It doesn't show!
Donousa: (Student Girl is playing rackets with Average Guy on beach in front of us she has just met)
STUDENT GIRL: Are you a student?
AVERAGE GUY: No, those days are long gone.
STUDENT GIRL SURPRISED: How old are you then?
AVERAGE GUY: I'm thirty.
STUDENT GIRL SHOCKED: Oh my god! You certainly don't look it! (MEANING: I don't believe I'm actually talking to someone so old.)
Kuthnos: (I'm sitting with Maria, Boula and Elly at a restaurant.)
WAITER: What will you be having?
MARIA: I want fish. What fish do you have?
WAITER: We have gilthead, mullet and mackerel.
MARIA: I don't know if I like any of those fish.
WAITER: The mackerel is very good.
MARIA: I don't know if I like mackerel. I'll ask my mother.
WAITER LOOKS GOBSMACKED
MARIA ON MOBILE: Mum, do I like mackerel?
MOTHER: I don't know, but you father does!
MARIA TO WAITER: I'll have the mackerel.
Truth is, I have been back for two weeks now. And Athens in September is awful. After three months of blistering heat you would really like a break instead of having to suffer through September, which is invariably hot and muggy.
I might try and post some holiday photos later on...
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