Panic at the Parko

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One of my favorite things to do is to have coffee on the veranda. The world goes by. I get to search for cars I like or look for ferries coming into Piraeus. Sometimes I'll spot a sailboat changing tack. It's a delight. And on nice days that also fall on a weekend, it's downright entertaining.

Everybody comes to the "paralia" or seaside. Families come from all over. Across the way from us is a huge park that has lots of play areas for kids, an outdoor cinema, and is close to a newly updated marina that has cafes and shops. Oh sure it's fun when you're in there but for me, I just love watching the people try to park.

All over Athens, and in other major cities, are posts that have been placed along the sidewalk so cars don't park on the sidewalk. During the week down here, this law is followed. But on weekends, mass mentality sets in and they all park--not on the sidewalk--but on a very busy thoroughfare. Taxis continue to stop wherever they want, buses cannot access those who wait for them, and traffic builds quickly. Honking ensues.

This year, however, Greece is in a crisis. The change I've seen is that these illegally parked cars are now getting ticketed. You'll kindly notice in the above photo a double parked car on the far side on the truck. That car belongs to the police. While one officer writes tickets, the other one is just waiting in that car. Ahh, Greece, the more you change, the more you truly stay the same.

More to come...