Grungy Athens

Trip Start Apr 01, 2008
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48
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Trip End Oct 05, 2008


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Flag of Greece  , Attica,
Saturday, August 30, 2008

Back in Athens, I tried to book a room at the youth hostel I enjoyed during my previous stay, but they were all full. So I was faced with the prospect of returning to the dismal youth hostel I stayed at before or paying out for a hotel room. I looked around and found the cheapest room I could find, which was still 35 euro or more than 50 dollars! It was located in a sketchy neighborhood of Athens called Omonia, surrounded by drug addicts and hookers. I decided to explore anyways, but not before I left all my valuables in the room. Wandered down one street and people kept offering me something in Greek, I assume it was heroin. Athens apparently has a huge junky problem. At the end of the street were riot police ready to move in. I quickly got out of there only to find another street lined with black hookers--not one white one or any other nationality--all black, strange. Several of them followed me around for awhile trying to figure out what language I spoke since I was not responding to them.
Finally I made it out of the Omonia and to an area where lots of young people were hanging out. Said hello to some locals and started a conversation with one named Thomas. He gave me a good perspective on growing up in Athens and we talked about everything from politics to the new "emo" style. He claimed most of the population of Greece was actually communist, but their were so many leftist parties that their vote was constantly split and that conservatives maintained their dominance through a strong coalition. He also told me that he had never been to the acropolis. But he appreciated that I enjoyed it. Finally we talked about the emo fashion, a variant of punk rock, that all the kids were sporting. After talking to him for awhile, I braved the streets back to my hotel and passed out--thoroughly enjoying having my own private room and air conditioning.
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