I’ve pondered the progress of the Greek economic crisis with interest and confusion. Much of the xenophobic rhetoric around the crisis made me side with the Greeks long before I’d grasped the finer details of the situation.
The austerity and injustice inflicted on the working class Greek people made me want to kick the banks, punch the City and poke the establishment. Instead, I went to Greece for a holiday.
Greek Tragedy
The media have largely portrayed a country torn apart and crumbling. On the news, we saw riots, poverty, outrage and destitution. Greece had seemingly lost its Shirley Valentine shine. My friend George hails from Thessaloniki and suggested a trip to his homeland. Despite my reservations, the wisdom of a local made the prospects much more inviting. He suggested a few nights in gay Athens, then a jaunt to one of the islands.
In gay Athens, we stayed in a sensational Airbnb apartment, bang in the middle of Psyri, one of the edgier nightlife districts of Athens. The neighborhood was once home to revolutionaries during the war of Independence. It’s been a bohemian magnet for years, famed for raucous tavernas, hashish and rembetika. Today, Psyri’s a lively mix of working class industrial business, high-end hipsterism and dive party debauchery. In the space of a two minute mince, you’ll see ‘Fuck the Police’ graffiti, bustling hardware stores and speakeasy cocktail bars.
By Stewart Who – Full Story at Gay Star News
Greece Gay Travel Resources
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