Finding Parking

Of course I do need to rent cars from time to time, especially when there are visitors around. And the money I save on car expenses means that the cost of renting isn't such a sting...

This past week I had (more!) guests in town. (One would ask why I haven't opened up some sort of hotel or half-way house by now... ). I decided to rent a car so we could spend some time down the coast, beach side.

Driving in Athens is in fact not so bad - and I would say has gotten better over the years. Compared to places like Rome or Istanbul, driving in Athens is a walk in the park. But by far the biggest challenge on Athenians road, morning or night, is the miracle known as Finding Parking.

Finding Parking happens only for the lucky few, those chosen souls who have clearly lead better lives than I have, and for whom the universe has decided to provide the last remaining spot in the city.

Finding Parking is the last hope of every desperate driver. When every sidewalk, driveway and ditch - literally every open space - is jammed with headlights and tires, the only thing to do is accept that Finding Parking was not your destiny. When you are three and a half hours late for an appointment, Finding Parking is surely to blame. When you have to drive around the block 75 times, only to find that someone has left their spot and someone else has taken it while you were at the bottom of the street, make peace with the Parking gods, since you will not win.

When I returned the car the other night, I breathed a sigh of relief. My two feet would get me home ('in' the house, not 'near' the house) in half the time it would take me with Finding Parking.

And that's the way I like it.

Until next week,

Jack

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…