I have mentioned the Platka
in a couple of my blogs as the place we go to shop and eat and hang out when we
get tired of being in our own neighborhood.
On one of our many adventures down to the square, we stumbled into a
store on the flea market side called Byzantium.
We went in looking for worry beads and souvenirs but left with so much
more.
A family consisting of the mother, father, and son owns
the shop, Byzantium. Walking in
the shop, we found icons, worry beads, antique jewelry, beautiful plates and
various evil eye things. We were greeted
by the son of the family Stratos who was a wonderful man! As we browsed the jewelry section he
encouraged us to “sit and stay a while”.
I think it makes Greeks nervous when we stand because we are constantly
asked to sit when we are talking to people; maybe it makes them feel like we
will stay longer… I don’t know. He insisted on buying us a coke, and honestly, in 300 degree whether, who is going to turn down a free cold coke, not this
girl! The three of us girls pulled up a seat and were suddenly engaged in
conversation. He told us about how he
studied at Michigan State and how much he loved America. The only reason he came back to Greece was to
help his mom and dad (who look to be pushing 70) with the shop. He explained how the store had been robbed
three months prior and how his family was crushed. They brought their priest in and asked what
they should do with the shop. “ And here we are today! Selling icons and
religious things like the worry beads and rosaries. If the priest told us to do it, we do
it!” It seems to be working out for them
I must say! They also have a small
collection of jewelry comprised of the items left behind from the robbery. Many of the souvenirs I have for you guys are
from this store :).
Stratos told us a story about his trip to the states and
how one of his professors took him under her wing, almost like a son. He loved and appreciated everything she did
for him and to reciprocate the hospitality, Stratos has been begging her to
come to Greece for the past five years.
He told her that all she has to do is pay for the plane ticket and he
has got everything else covered. It
hurts his heart that she keeps refusing because she thinks it is “too dangerous
in Greece”. Word for the wise: IT IS
SAFE HERE! If anyone offers you an all expense paid trip to Greece, jump on the
opportunity or pass my name along. I
honestly cannot say it enough; I have never felt in harms way on this
journey! More to come on that note in a
later blog…
Anytime
I think about Stratos and his family, the song “you’ve got a friend in me” from
Disney’s Toy Story pops into my head. I
think he fact that he had studied abroad makes him more sensitive to our
situation. He is one of the only people who has taken the time to get to know
us on a personal level, for who we are not just judge us by the color of our
skin and the lightness of our eyes. He
looks out for us like any big brother would do.
We brought a couple more of our friends in to meet him one of the days
we were down in Monastaraki. As the five
or six of us walked in, a man who looked to be another tourist followed us in. Stratos looked him straight in the eye and
asked him to leave. “What was that
about?”, we asked. He told us that the guy
was a stereotypical pit-pocketer. “He had no teeth, but was dressed in nice
clothes and carrying a bag. He had been
eyeing your purses since the moment he walked in”, Stratos explained. It is crazy how the Greeks are so good at
reading people. It's like they know a
person’s intensions just in the flash of their eyes. Another time we were in the store and Stratos
asked a man to leave. When we asked what
was wrong with this guy he simply said, “Eh, I don’t like the way he
looks. And it’s my store, so I ask him to
leave.”
He has drawn on a map places we
should experience while in Athens and stresses the places we should never
go. He helps us figure out our lives and
is a much-needed source of inside knowledge we can bounce questions and receive
answers from. We have learned so much
from this amazing man; he has told us about the life he lived before and how he
went into a coma that would change his life for the better. He said, “I have done many unchristian things
in my past that I am not proud of, but it as made me the person I am
today.” His faith in God is outstanding
and you can feel his positive aura through every word he says. He is
one of those people that can light up a room with his presence and I feel safe
whenever he is around.
Stratos told us; anytime, anything we ever need, their
doors are always open. Its nice knowing
we’ve got a friend in Greece.
No comments:
Post a Comment