Lost in thoughts
Posted in daily
I know, it’s been awhile since I last posted anything. Time wasn’t right, or my mind was elsewhere, or a bit of both.
Nevertheless, I’m posting this short note from my new CMS. Yes, I finally took the time to migrate my weblog from Perch Runway to Kirby! 🎉 I’ll detail more of the process soon(ish). I have a number of posts waiting to be published.
In the meantime, I’m enjoying some downtime on the island of Paros, after a short interlude in Athens. I wanted to reconnect with that city, albeit just for 48 hours. I have always been attracted by Athens, in a similar way I am by Kathmandu, Mumbai or Phnom Penh.
In Athens, I took the opportunity to explore two neighbourhoods for their local culture: Pangrati and Kypseli.
If Pangrati is like your preppy cousin working in fintech who likes pairing sushi with cocktails, then Kypseli is more like their younger sibling who doesn’t really like etiquette and sophistication, and would rather pick up a beer from the periptero before skating into the sunset.
Pangrati sits on the slopes between Mount Hymettus and the city centre. Its narrow streets and neoclassical buildings coexist with modern apartment blocks, reflecting continuous urban development since the early 20th century, some in sharp contrast. Most of the balconies are all flourished (like many places in Athens) and laurels or bougainvilleas in blossom splash their colours over the park cars (you can’t escape the cars, but the streets of Pangrati are quiet in contrast to the rest of the city center.
I found the overall vibe laid-back and welcoming. There’s a number of coffee shops where you can chill out. Varnava Square is lively with people of all ages, and offers a string of cafés and restaurants to choose from.
More to come. Stay salty ☀️