Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Athens - a city of interesting people watching


Last Saturday Brett and I set out for a trip to Greece and Italy. Our first stop was Athens. We were in town for just one night, but managed to see the expected sites like the Acropolis. We also saw some things we didn't expect like:

1) Having our cab driver pull over on a highway to pick up another customer who hopped in the front seat. (We later learned that shared cabs are quite normal in Greece - but surprisingly, that doesn't mean the fare gets shared too).

2) Watching a woman begging at a stop light who pulled up her shirt to flash her pregnant belly at drivers.

3) Butchers in the meat market hacking away at meat with such force that pieces of meat were flying through the air.

4) 10-15 African street vendors carrying "hobo sacks" of their wares while they were being "herded" up the street by police offers on scooters. Maybe they didn't have permits?

5) A unique way of "busing" tables at a restaurant with narrow aisles and high turnover. Simply place a plastic tablecloth on top of the cloth one. When the diners are done, scoop up the 4 corners and carry away. China plates and all.

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