On the wrong side in London

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I'm a little shy to admit - but because it's so funny I will - it took me a few days to realize why the so-called "civilized" people of England were walking on the wrong side of the street. I can't stand idiots walking on the left side of the walk (Mexico..!) but then, since I had to keep mindful of looking right when crossing the street, I suddenly understood: oops, I'm the idiot walking on the wrong side of the way. Hahaha!

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Scenes from Greece (Athens)

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Greek sky
(my finger mistakenly hit the button but, hey, I think it turned out to be a nice shot...so I kept it.)

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On the tram in Istanbul

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It's 2012!!

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Happy last New Year, folks. I rang it in (rainy)Istanbul...because Berlin was too cold, Paris doesn't suit me, done it already in Barcelona, no part of Italy suits me, Zurich is too cold and expensive, and London can wait.

it's so smokin' that two weeks in and I still can't  get these damn pics turned straight. C'est la vie.

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Racist Greek airport security (Athens)

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So I'm going through the metal detector wearing no metal when the damn thing beeps anyway. This utterly defies the laws of physics and Reality but, then again, racism is far from scientific. Explanation: The pricks pushed the 'detected' button.
Reason: I'm black.


I get the full-body pat down, including two-finger swipe around the inside of my waistband. And although the X-ray machines were being used they did not work either because my carry-on luggage had everything removed from it. The racist Greek even looked through my set of photographs. All done in the name of flight security, of course.


Athens is a dump and the only thing(s) worth any interest are pressed into extra virgin oil or over 3000 years old.  

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I feel very Black in Athens

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You really have to be a smug so-and-so to turn up your nose to customers in the midst of economic crises. Or just Greek. Maybe these austerity measures effect customer service as well--because nary a clerk or merchant afforded me a smile, hello, or "merry Christmas." 


On Saturday, Christmas Eve, I went to the flea market in Monastaraki. Ha. They have nothing on Berlin or Paris or south Chicago or Istanbul. Those cities know flea market. So, anyway, I'm browsing around the junk - "antique" - lots looking for something that might catch my eye. The only thing I catch, however, are suspicious eyes. These mofos watched me like a hawk. One racist jackass even closed up shop abruptly after I showed up!


I made up my mind then and there to NOT spend another euro in Greece that I didn't have to. I bought a fountain pen from a brown (translation: immigrant) merchant for 5 euros and went about my business. At the supermarket I finally had to call out one of these snooty Greeks. After noticing he was following me around the store I very calmly called his attention to the following:

Excuse me. If you don't want me to shop here I'll gladly take my money elsewhere. I'm not a thief and you've been following me around like I'm a criminal.

He claimed not to understand my English but I said, "Oh I think you do," and walked away. Suddenly he comprehended English very well and started on about having the right to follow anyone in his store. Then do it, I snapped."And don't just follow ME because I'm black. That's racism. And I know racial discrimination is against the law in Greece."


Greece deserves it's economic crisis. And I won't buy one crappy souvenir to help them out. And I thought Parisians were full of themselves!    

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Can do without Athenians

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Athenians seem to have a bug up their butts. Maybe it's just the crappy rainy weather or their crappy politicians who have sunk them into a crappy economy and forced austerity measures but they don't at all give off a welcoming vibe. And I've noticed how the Greek people turn up their olive oil noses or scowl at the dark skin people around. Greeks are not the physically beautiful folks we were led to believe. Just another Greek myth, that. 
It may be more xenophobia than racism - yahoo! big difference! - but it ain't welcoming all the same.

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