Athens lights up at night (again)
Night, stop, one moment! When was the last time I met you? I mean normally, wearing my goodies and my black glasses (pun) and I spent an authentic “night out”, without masks, restrictions and hours? It was exactly one year and nine months ago. There in March 2020 heard about a deadly virus from China coming up illustratively. The naive – and perhaps not exactly naive – rather thirsty 18-year-olds at the time, we could not have imagined that running towards the freedom of adult (student) life would shake something, that our right to carefree and well-being would be questioned, us who lived a decade full crisis and limitations, where there was no constant, no trace of carelessness.
So that March, we naive people, after we had exhausted all possible and improbable analysis that “nothing will close in Greece”, because “our economy can not stand it, find!”, We experienced the shock on Monday that the first two-week lock was announced. We reassured ourselves and said “okay, better, we would not have school for two weeks”. Karma laughed, because karma (surprise) exists and is pronounced “ha”. We experienced perhaps the most difficult time of our lives. Tele-education, tele-torture, sometimes for fun and entertainment, alienation from friends and classmates. We had a very difficult time, guys, we were tested.
And when some things were opened timidly, then they were closed again. And when we started gathering with friends at home or going out again when the measures relaxed, he was in no mood for anything. Nothing looked the same. We were afraid that we had been “institutionalized” in some way. And how not to do it, after all? And in the shops, one without music, the other until 12, the next without masks and not over a certain number of people and they certainly sit. Sucks.
Saturday night, however, was the first day that you would allow the right people to be vaccinated indoors, with music, without hours, without restrictions. We went out timidly. Athens was full. In Exarchia crowds. He had a live, which did not happen in the end, but again. The same in Gazi. Damn combined with fun. At the club he went to, after we were told IDs and vaccination certificates at the entrance, we looked lost. I do not think we could dance without any restrictions. It was magical. It was as if it was 2019 again. It was normal. It was as it should be and as we deserve. Athens lights up at night (as the song says) and unfortunately lights up again.