Colliding Continents

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Greece '97

illy coffee in the pouring rain. That is what I first think of when I reminisce about my trip to Greece in 1997. Then my wandering through La Placa in Athens, finding myself in a 'men's only' cafe where women were not allowed. I didn't realize this until I looked up from my coffee and noticed the significant amount of men and severe lack of women, to my dismay. At first I thought it was a gay bar, but in fact it was not.

During my wanderings in La Placa, I discovered something which every traveler hopes to find and every guide book wishes point out. Tucked away behind a wrought iron gate covered with ivy was a restaurant which served amazing Greek cuisine. From the street you can barely see that it is a restaurant, it seemed more like a garden with a private party. Although, if you look close enough you will see a sign on the gate door and a door handle at waist height.

Not a single foreign face amongst the patrons. Since I never don the traditional garb of tourist or backpacker and given my complexion and dark features (which often confuses many people) I avoided the looks that foreigners receive from locals when arriving upon something forbidden to outsiders. I am also Helvetian and when you tell someone from Greece that you are from the Confederation of Helvetica they seem to accept you more. It must be the Greek root word of Helena that turns them on. Helvetica, by the way, is the Latin name for Switzerland.

I sat outside and watched the sky turn from yellow to a solid blue through grape vines which ran across the small garden. Somehow, in the middle of La Placa I found myself in what felt like someone's backyard, looking up at the sky, enjoying a fantastic meal away from all the noises of a tourist tap.

As the night took full hold of Athens the lights of the city illuminate the ancient metropolis. small lanterns light up the stalls and, maybe it was the wine, but there was something romantic about it all. Roaming past all the stalls, I always found myself at an illy cafe (which by the way is all over Europe). It was almost like a tradition before I went to sleep, that and my walk past the temple of Zeus which at the time equated to a couple of pillars and stone slabs which were illuminated with deep green, blue and violet lights.

My time in Athens was very short and would be again four years later. On this particular trip I traveled all over Greece, the next time around I found myself in Crete. I look forward to going back to Athens but maybe I'd like to keep my experience the way it is....mine.

Written at 3:25 PM by Sebastien.

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