passing by

The first time I imagined Athens I was reading Sophie’s World. I was Sophie. I was transported to Athens during socratic times and I loved every bit of it. Gaardner was a genius to me at 15. Standing by Melina Mercouri’s statue I thought of all the times my mom said my sister was named after her for her work in the Greek parliament and the ministry of culture. From there, I looked up to the acropolis and felt again transported - The ancient hill, the city expanding, the birth and demise of western wisdom’s cradle. Athens seen from the Acropolis There was coffee, as always (a fantastic Burundi at Taylor-Made at that), and jazz and flea markets with old numismatic collections with my frolicking around to pick some. There was breathtaking scenery up by the funicular with timeworn advertisement for some alcoholic beverage. Of course there was Zorba dancing. There was souvlaki and seas. But most importantly, there were stars. Navigating in the middle of the ocean, at the meet...

The bells were singing at a non-descript, non-specific hour; it was 10:12. Why were the bells singing? Because they can, it is fairytale land- Or so you would think by the way the sun hits the orange façades, the small canal crossing town and the Rapunzel-tower-looking churches scattered around. The 18 th century houses with wooden columns would not stand an earthquake (none happen here) but they give a rounded architectural feeling to the city– an artist at the art festival in Ridehuset painted them as though in a bubble and called the piece ‘Nostalgia of Aarhus’ – oh so accurately. Some people say I may be in a honeymoon period with the city but I wouldn’t say that is the case. I have heard too many complaints, the same you hear of any small city that is not the main one in any country – not as many things to do as in X (insert capital city). But the distribution of Aarhus makes it seem as though around the corner there is a different space where you can be someone completely dif...