Going to Greece

Even after so many flights, taking off never fails to make me smile. A smile of pleasure and of expectations, of joy and of wish. That superb feeling of conquering the sky.

Then comes the landing, in a strip of land half sunk by an earthquake, black of lava and blue of cobalt. Can't wait to start taking pictures.

But the kiss of the southern sun on my skin is too tempting to ignore. A gentle touch, a light caress is all I need for today. Discoveries, adventure, pictures, maybe tomorrow. Sorry world, today is for me.

Are we strangers?

There are times when the Bible saying "aliens and strangers in this world" comes to my mind.

Sometimes it is a political statement. If we (cristians) are aliens and strangers, simple pilgrims in this world, why should we impose our laws into the codes of a country? If you believe and divorce, you will go to hell, but not to jail.

Sometimes, it is about life. A twist of logic makes someone's mistake become your fault.

Sometimes it is about Belgium.
In my home town, we say "little blond heads" and we mean a bunch of children from some remote north- or east- European country.
In my country of adoption, they say "little blond heads" and they mean their own children playing in the backyard.

Calessi

A beautiful day, shining of light, smelling of summer.
A breathtaking sunset, red of desire, or of deep pain.
And then the moonless night came. Invincible darkness swallowed summer, desire and pain.

Was it real or was it a dream?
Was it life or was it a tale?
Was it true or was it a lie?

Was it love or was it a hackney cab?

Athens, here we come

Landing in the south starts always with a nice feeling: skies are higher, the sun is shining, the air just smells differently. Or it's the spring, maybe. But actually it's the same: for a Brussels expat springtime and south Europe are synonyms.

A walk through Monastiraki and Plaka, a visit of the Acropolis and of the new Acropolis museum (where the basis of "my" statue - ancient Filoumeni - is on display), souvlaki at Thanasis, a day-long intense meeting on Greek Broadband.

A good dinner in a restaurant with a view of the Acropolis is certainly for tourist, but who cares, we are tourists. More for locals, drinks in the posh Kolonaki area. There my friend asked "so, where is the crisis"? Young, well dressed people enjoying themselves with a cigarette and a drink. In fact, one of the Greeks we met remarked that Briatore's Billionaire in Porto Cervo is nothing special once you've seen Athens' clubs.

Definitely a very nice trip. That said, I don't think I would like living in Athens. And here I am, back to Brussels.