ATHENS

This story is the result of a chance encounter, as often happens when you wander aimlessly in an unfamiliar city.
It's late October 1996, and I'm in Athens for a few days.
It's already the morning of my departure, and while wandering through the heart of the city, I stumble upon a neighborhood that is a succession of small printing shops.
Most of them are on the semi-basement or basement level, like descending into the bowels of the buildings.
It's a step back in time, a Dantean vision with flashes of neon.
In our country, the transition to digital printing is already complete.
Here, the soul of Europe seems to linger - it's unclear for how long.
But it's also an intense and unforgettable human encounter, full of ancient and moving gestures. Someone offers me a drink.
A gentleman shares his lunch of bread and apples with me.
Naturally, I cannot refuse. And I miss my flight.

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How will this cityscape sound today? I often wonder.
Since then, that metropolis has undergone more than one revolution. At least three: economic, social, and urbanistic.
It's time to return for a new story: Athens is waiting for me.