Αθήνα and me

The demonstrations here continue. The Harald Tribune reported that some of the demands of the people on strike are to increase in the minimum wage from 700 to 1400 euro/month and to stop changing the pension system. My tour book also mentions the pension system as a cause of frustration here... so I assume this is an on-going struggle. Yesterday, I heard the demonstration in the morning and then in the early afternoon I saw people re-converging after lunch to continue the demonstration in Syntagma Square. The protesters all had black flags, but instead of young college-age anarchist types, they were all older men. I asked some friends later if these men were anarchists as they had black flags... my friends said it was more likely that they were plumbers.

The Athenians I've met often ask me what living in NYC is like. This morning, NYC was a lot like here. I stumbled out of my apartment onto a series of challenging obstacles. In the first 5 minutes i encountered this:
1. walk out of building and immediately have to get out of other peoples way.
2. people on sidewalk brush against me as they walk by.
3. cross street and have to negotiate double parked van unloading boxes.
4. get to an intersection and have a smiling person with clip board launch into their pitch.
5. get asked for a Euro from an American.
ok.. I'll pause here. the most puzzling event of the day was encountering this American pan-handler. He was tall, mid 30's, clean cut, and with a backpack. he stopped me and very politely introduced himself with very slow simple English (he thought i was Greek). He said he was from America and was traveling around the world but now he is stuck in Greece. then he asked me for a Euro to get something to eat. I didn't have a Euro, but i was also too confused to speak. A traveler out of luck and stuck in Greece, maybe sleeping on the street? I never imagine Americans as being in this situation abroad. i imagine immigrants from developing countries or refugees from the baltics asking for money and maybe local teenagers, but American tourists?

I had to escape the busy streets, so i walked up the north slope of the acropolis and found Anafiotika. This small area was built by stonemasons from Anafi to resemble their home island. It looks just like towns on the Greek islands I've been to. It's peaceful, but I feel a little uneasy to be in an area that resembles nothing like the rest of the city.