Grèce. 2024.
And then one day, you have to leave.
Overturn all the certainties you'd barely managed to build
and turn your back on what makes your heart beat.
and turn your back on what makes your heart beat.
Some departures taste more bitter than others.
So you trust the Greek myth to get back on your feet.
You throw yourself into the streets of Athens the way you lose yourself in literature just to bear being alive.
You throw yourself into the streets of Athens the way you lose yourself in literature just to bear being alive.
Looking for crosswalks,
realising there aren't any,
resigning to risking your life every time you cross a street.
realising there aren't any,
resigning to risking your life every time you cross a street.
Melting into a life slowed down by stifling heat :
the yellow taxis,
the golden morning light over Monastiraki,
the smell of sweat on the metro,
the packed alleyways of Plaka, its tourist shops and its flower-covered balconies,
the bus driver smoking at the wheel,
the warm, gooey pains au chocolat from the coffee shop on the corner,
the creaking sway of the elevated metro,
the uneven cobblestones,
the packed terraces and the gyros that are a nightmare to eat.
the yellow taxis,
the golden morning light over Monastiraki,
the smell of sweat on the metro,
the packed alleyways of Plaka, its tourist shops and its flower-covered balconies,
the bus driver smoking at the wheel,
the warm, gooey pains au chocolat from the coffee shop on the corner,
the creaking sway of the elevated metro,
the uneven cobblestones,
the packed terraces and the gyros that are a nightmare to eat.
Revelling in getting back to the air conditioning when you come home.
Discovering the port of Piraeus,
its white chapel with a blue roof,
its boats tossed by languid waves,
its rocky beaches and stray cats.
its white chapel with a blue roof,
its boats tossed by languid waves,
its rocky beaches and stray cats.
Making a ritual of those late afternoon walks on the warm Filopappos hill,
with views over the Parthenon
and the Aegean Sea in the distance,
under the light veiled by the sandy wind
like your eyes clouded by bitter nostalgia.
with views over the Parthenon
and the Aegean Sea in the distance,
under the light veiled by the sandy wind
like your eyes clouded by bitter nostalgia.
Clinging to the rooftop barbecue nights in Athens, 10 people from 9 different countries,
in Monastiraki,
its lively terraces,
its narrow streets dotted with coloured lanterns,
swaying to the hum of bouzoukis.
in Monastiraki,
its lively terraces,
its narrow streets dotted with coloured lanterns,
swaying to the hum of bouzoukis.
On the way home, wandering through the multicoloured lights of Psyrri,
to the plaintive creaking of an accordion
under the lanterns floating in the blue sky
while the illuminated Acropolis watches over from afar.
to the plaintive creaking of an accordion
under the lanterns floating in the blue sky
while the illuminated Acropolis watches over from afar.
Some nights, lying under the stars
and letting the tears fall onto the sticky rug, unable to stop them,
until the air becomes breathable again,
filling your lungs like you're finally breaking the surface.
and letting the tears fall onto the sticky rug, unable to stop them,
until the air becomes breathable again,
filling your lungs like you're finally breaking the surface.
After weeks underwater.
Hora quieta. Island of Aegina.
Soledad. Island of Sifnos.
Leaving a place where you feel you belong comes at a price. After nine months in Spain, I left for Greece.
With time, you learn everything. But nothing fades.
With time, you learn everything. But nothing fades.