Athens - 27 March

Athens has been invaded by aliens, illegal aliens that is.

Back in Athens, the weather is glorious and having completed the morning tour's scheduled activities, we made a quick escape to find a place to eat.

The table at the restaurant we choose for lunch has a commanding view of an intersection where a popluar leisure square meets and intersects with two roads used by both vehicles and pedestrians.

Quenching our initial thirst we begin to relax and watch the crowds noticing a high police presence. The police are joined by other officials (immigration) who begin to interview people who appear to be from the continent of Asia and specifically the region in and around india. Our voyeuristic behaviour, while we munch on a delicious tuna salad, pays off because we notice that there are two men (formally of interest to immigration) who seem to be 'watching out' for police. It soon becomes very obvious that these guys are 'business men'. Immediately the coast is clear of police, one uses his mobile phone resulting in a number of men of African decent 'salemen', appearing with large wrapped sheets containing rip off designer merchandice. The business men direct the salesmen to positions on each side of the pedestrian way. Before you know it the passes by have been corralled along the avenue of salesmen, browsing and purchasing.

Suddenly there is a signal from the businessmen and the salesmen hasitly bundle their goods into their sheets and make a dash for the allies off the road. Sure enough along stroll the police.

While dinning we watched this circus occur three times.

Our tour guide mentioned that of the 5 million residence of Athens at least 1 million wold be illegal immigrants. She went on to explain that the position of Greece in a troubled region exposed its shores to people escaping these worries. She was concerned that recent events (e.g. Syria, Egypt, Libya) woujld only exacerbate the already dangerous troubled Greek economy.