Athens, Thursday

Admittedly, I haven't been writing here much. However, that should not be interpreted as uneventful. Quite the contrary!

Today, I wandered around Athens on my own... looking for a replacement cell phone charger since I had left mine behind. However, finding one in Monastiraki was more difficult than I had imagined. I enjoyed asking the people in the shops where to find a cell phone charger, even if no one knew.

I happened upon this rug shop, where a fellow named Yamas offered to help. He sent one of his workers, Roberto, off to see what he could find from the "black guys" because he would be able to find a deal. I gave Roberto the information for my new LG phone, and he went out.

While I was waiting, Yamas poured a glass of Greek wine and began to show me the beautiful Greek rugs. His sales methods were very intriguing! He began by asking me what kind of floors I have, to which I answered hard wood. Then he asked about the colors used on the walls in my house and of the furniture. Finally, he showed me the first rug... and it was beautiful. A mixture of rich greens and blues and beiges that shimmered in the light. Quite breathtaking actually. Then he unrolled the second, which impressed me even more than the first. That rug was beige with a green border and blue shapes inside.

He continued to show me several more rugs, but I kept going back to the second I had seen. However, while he was showing me the rugs, I insisted I didn't have the budget for such an extravagance, nor any way to get it home. It was then he showed me the bundles they roll the rugs down into for travelers, and then he shot me a price. The rug was listed for €180, but he offered it to me for €80. Of course, that was outside of my budget, but Yamas wasn't finished. He pulled out a rug with the same design as the one I liked, but it covered a smaller area. This one was priced at €80, and he offered it to me for €35. We had a deal.

While the monetary part of the transaction was taking place and he was rolling/wrapping my rug, Roberto returned with a cell phone charger. The charger was purchased on the black market for €3. Unfortunately, the charger was for the LG Chocolate phone, which mine is not... but it wasn't a problem, they didn't pass that cost on to me, and Roberto thought he could return it.

I moved to leave the shop, and it was apparently time for Roberto to leave too. Before I could leave, they asked if I was in any sort of hurry, and I wasn't in too much of a hurry to return to the group. It was then that Roberto slid forward on his scooter seat and told me to hop on. After a quick second of apprehension, I figured I had nothing to lose, so I hopped on. I was longing to ride a scooter or drive a car through Athens anyway!

While we sped through Athens, occasionally just missing hitting a car with my knee, Roberto was making conversation. One thing he said stuck out, and I recognized it as a variation of something I once read. He said, "A brave man dies only once having lived, but a man who is afraid dies many times everyday." Powerful words!

Anyway, after hopping a few sidewalks, running several stop signs and stoplights, and waiting where there were traffic cops, we found a charger at the second store we tried. Since it was near Roberto's flat, he dropped me off at the Metro, purchased my pass, and told me which stop was close to his rug shop. After a short subway ride, I returned to my group with a tale to tell during dinner.

Flickr: Athens | Greece