I really do hate it when people who can’t afford it lose money. My sister Ceri has mislaid the receipts for medicine and doctor’s visit that could be claimed off insurance when back in South Africa, a loss of well over 100 euro. That is quite a loss, as aggravating as the time I was pick-pocketed in Athens to the tune of 70 euro and I know how I felt about that. Evidently the pickpockets are out in force at the moment because both Dennis and Chris were almost done whilst there last week. They are extremely adept at what they do and when I was done on the escalator at Ommonia, I knew nothing about it until I went to pay for my lunch in Neon only to discover a totally empty pocket. Even my daily transport ticket had gone which meant a walk back to Victoria and, as I was catching the ferry back to Crete that night it meant a three hour sit in the bank to replace the lost money. All very angry making though I couldn’t help but admire the expertise with which it was done. The ridiculous thing is I watched the two youngsters who perpetrated this crime against my person, walking away merrily chatting to each other, to go down another escalator. I thought in my naivety that perhaps they had got off at the wrong station. Little did I know I had been robbed and they were more than likely going down to repeat the process. I wonder how many more there were that day. It will never happen again. Once bitten as the old saying has it and I warned my sister and brother-in-law before they left England to be really aware that these wolves were about.

Mention of Neon makes me wonder just what is happening there. My favourite lunch/ teatime hangout in Athens has been closed for over two years now for renovations. We are informed that it is actually a government owned building which probably means it won’t open again for another two years if then. I only hope they haven’t stripped it of its wonderful period architectural features. It’s so sad how, with the passing of time, things change. Most people would call it progress but there are some losses that can never be replaced. Just along the road from the Athens flat was a traditional old taverna, one of perhaps only two or three left in the city but, unfortunately the older generation who patronised it are all dying off and the owner felt he was unable to keep going. We called it the tin shed, the food was brilliant, and cheap, the atmosphere terrific, the hospitality fulsome and we will sorely miss it, just as I miss popping into Neon. Such is progress.