Have I said how much I hate Sundays?

I do... with a passion. And normally, I find something distracting to just make the day pass...

One of the themes on The Daily Show this past week was how fucking Goldman Sachs ruined Greece, and it was nefarious, no one seemingly had could rein in that firm. And I sort of love that country, as unusual and wonderful as it was... and as usual, no one will be held accountable. Wouldn'tcha know, hey. They get advertising on MSNBC which makes me wonder.

I was just watching 'My Big 'Fat Greek Wedding' for the third time because I was bored, and it is funny, romantic, crazy, and entertaining... but memories got engaged. And there is a lot of truth in it.

My first encounter with Greece involved my high school history teacher, who was also my father's history teacher, and he once let out she'd come in with dark glasses in HIS time after a week-end bender. Hoppa! She taught European history, supposedly. But what she taught was Greek history. Mrs C could warp your mind with what I thought at the time was absolutely insane. She would tell us the Greeks invented EVERYTHING. Democracy, toilets, you name it, they were the first, and was so first. Suffice it to say that by the end of the year.... we were 'approaching' the ancient Romans.

Thank goodness I did have some courses at university which gave me a different perspective on 'world history'... without the histrionics.

Something must have stuck in my head. So when I was first in Europe, and we had a long vacation, I took it into my head to visit Athens. It involved a very long and dangerous journey that took over forty hours by train. Long story.

But I got there, and fell in love. It was gritty, loud... so loud.. but fascinating. I was in a flea-bag hotel, but being an early riser, would walk up early in the morning to the Acropolis, and sit there watching the sun come up. And could see all the way to Pireaus, and the ocean beyond. There weren't any guards back then. It was amazing. And there were people who would tell you all about the history of the place for a pittance, and it was Mrs. C all over again. Such pride in the country's history and their contribution to western culture.

But it was also about the immense hospitality they were showing. I was just a very poor student. But I had a knack for finding interesting places to eat. I went window shopping, and found what looked like a cafeteria, but there only seemed to be locals in it, so homed in on it.

They had a menu card that was so long, I thought, 'whoa, no way they have all this ready...' So a waiter came, and asked me what I wanted to order and I had three choices, and to every one of them he said, 'No, we don't have that tonight.' So I asked, 'What DO you have?' somewhat put out. And he cocked his head, and said, 'Come with me...'

And brought me into the cleanest kitchen I have EVER seen, and there were three ladies bustling about, and big pots on the stove. Salad stuff hanging down some sort of ladder thing, and a cooler of some of the most mouth-watering-making desserts you can imagine. Well, I could have been thunderstruck by Zeus. Knocked over by the most delicious smells.

And said, 'May I have some of THAT, please, and a sald with THAt please, and that over there for dessert?'

I guess I was a hit for choosing correcty. It was probably a kidney stew, a salad, and the dessert was so sweet it hurt my teeth. But was delicious.

They don't do that any more. I was astounded at the time, however. I don't want to see how most Austrian kitchens look, believe me.

The woman who ran the hotel was 'motherly', and seemingly liked me. And was into making money, of course, but she did a remarkable thing. She said, 'Hon, you have to go to the islands... get out of here for a day. Listen, you park your bag, you won't be charged, and go see what Greece really is all about.'

And I thought, 'Ok, may be a scam, but am interested...' It wasn't expensive. And off we went... To Aegina, it was not so far away, and a school of dolphins followed the boat, it was magical. And Poros, which wasn't so hot, but overrun with cats on the docks wanting fish-heads the fishermen brought in from their catch.

And then we sailed to Hydra. I melted. At the time, I didn't know that Leonard Cohen and some really awesome people were living there. I probably would have recognised him if I'd seen him.... But sailing into that tiny harbour was overwhelming. I slunk off on my own, and started exploring the coast-line, came to a fishing village, and everyone was wonderful.

But I got back, and to my room and there was a lot of shouting in the night. Police raid. I was more or less oblivious. I sleep like the dead, always have.

I had no idea what was going on. Got back home in one piece, although some stuff went down on the way to getting there because I was such a naive idjit.

I've been back once since. Athens got 'clean', and sprawls... it was amazing. We stopped at Hydra, and it is still heart-breakingly beautiful. And the Greeks are pretty cool, if sort of crazy about thinking they invented everything in the world. It's their heritage. And they have a lot to be proud of.

What I didn't know at the time: it was the Time of the Generals, a dictatorship, and there was a lot going on I had no idea of, because I didn't follow news.

Skirting on the edges of potential danger without a clue.

They recovered, but now? Goldman Sachs fucked them half to death. And when I see their ads I'd like to punch their collective faces.