Athens, Greece, 2017.10.09
Café, Syntagma Square, Athens, Greece, 2017.10.09.
iPhone 7, all auto.

Locals, a French couple, no Americans other than ourselves.

In 1980 I organized dinner at an "American" restaurant near here. It was called "The Stagecoach"; the waiters wore chaps; there was a painting of a reclining nude behind the bar. They served hamburgers with real Heinz ketchup. It was expensive and glorious after weeks of cucumber salad. In 2017 I Googled before arrival: no longer exists, or I'd have been there in a hearbeat.

Many times over the last few years Syntagma has been filled by massive peaceful demonstrations against austerity, the EU, and the German banks. Estimates are as high as 500,000. Today, just a normal lunch crowd, and a few street entertainers at the center of small groups.