The System Is Down. Have Some Gavros.
From noon to noon. Just another day in my homeland. It began with a notification from Airbnb. Upcoming charge. Rental in Athens. A place I had set up for a friend. X…
Stories Archive
Stories, observations, and absurdities from Greece and beyond.
155 published stories
There Is Always Another Village
Greece has thousands of villages with fewer than 500 people. Thousands. My search suggested somewhere between 7,000 and 7,500. For a country roughly the size of Florida, that number feels insane. For…
When Your Greek Last Name Becomes a Business Plan
We spent a couple of days in Methoni, which is what you do when you live in Kalamata and suddenly remember there is an actual castle by the sea just sitting there,…
The Husband My Wife Met Again in Greece
After our younger son left for college, Karen and I looked at each other across the quiet house and had the conversation many parents have when the last child leaves. Now what?…
Πού Να Στα Λέω? (pou na sta leo)
There are phrases in Greek that cannot be translated. Not because the words are difficult. The words are easy. The problem is that the phrase does not arrive alone. It arrives with…
Diples Had to Go to Psara
Coming back from Methoni, my brain was still full of Athanasiou bakeries. Athanasiou in Kalamata. Athanasiou in Methoni. Athanasiou here. Athanasiou there. Athanasiou everywhere. At this point, I was beginning to suspect…