the main roads, but not on the inner, smaller routes.
‘This place is crazy,’ Joel complained as he manoeuvered the car through the quiet streets. ‘I thought driving in New York was bad, but Athens is impossible! How can anyone get a car down these narrow streets?’
‘My father does not have a problem,’ Stella said.
‘Your father must be crazy,’ Joel muttered.
As Stella directed them to the Acropolis Museum, Joel turned down a particularly narrow road; he miscalculated the width and smashed into a parked car.
‘My father’s car!’ Stella cried.
When they inspected the damage, they saw that the entire side was caved in.
‘What am I going to tell him?’ Stella groaned.
‘Nothing,’ Joel said. ‘He’ll think the car was stolen. We’ll use another car to get you back to the temple.’ He looked around the area. ‘But it’s too dangerous to leave it here in the street.’
‘I’ve got it,’ Emily said. She stretched her right arm in front of her towards the damaged car – it lifted off the road, over the top of the parked cars and then it was lowered on its side to the narrow pavement. ‘Let the police try to figure out how it got there.’
‘I am in such trouble,’ Stella sighed.
‘Not as much as the Olympians,’ Emily said. ‘Take us to the museum.’
Joel once again took the position behind Stella’s wheelchair as they made their way through the deserted streets of Athens.
Apartment buildings, shops and boutique hotels lined the way. It almost reminded Emily of New York. But the comparison ended when she became aware of graffiti on all the buildings and closed shutters of the shops. It seemed there wasn’t a single doorway or wall that had escaped the street artists’ spray paint.
Another difference was the calm feeling of the place. Despite it being the middle of the night, the few people they passed on the street gave them friendly greetings and smiles instead of the suspicion that was built into all New Yorkers. Of course, Emily reasoned, it could be their Olympian dress that caused all the smiles.
Somewhere along the way, Emily became aware of a large chocolate-brown dog following them. When they stopped, the dog came straight up to Emily, wagging its tail and wanting to be petted.
Emily knelt down and stroked the dog’s pretty face. ‘You look just like my mum’s dog, Mike. Go home now, I’m sure your family is missing you.’
‘He has no home,’ Stella said. ‘That red tag on his collar means he is a street dog. He has been abandoned. The government has veterinarians who treat them. But it is the public who feed them.’
Emily looked at the red tag. It had a date and serial number on it. ‘Who would do that? He’s so sweet.’
‘Look around you, there are lots of abandoned dogs in Athens. Sometimes pets grow too large and people release them to the streets. Just leave him and he will go away.’
Emily became aware of the other dogs sleeping in doorways or wandering the streets. ‘Are they all homeless?’
Stella nodded. ‘It is normal. There are dogs everywhere. Cats too.’
‘Normal?’ Joel said. ‘It’s not normal to abandon pets on the street. That’s awful.’
‘We have always done it,’ Stella said.
‘That doesn’t make it right,’ Emily said. She gave the dog a final pat. ‘I’m so sorry, I wish we could take you with us,’ she said to the dog. ‘But you can’t come where we’re going. Stay here.’
But the dog refused to leave and continued to follow them.
‘Just ignore him,’ Stella said. ‘He will leave eventually.’ She made Joel stop pushing her chair and pointed up. ‘There is the Acropolis.’
Emily and Joel gazed up to the top of a tall hill rising out of the ordinary city streets and graffiti-covered buildings. They drew in their breath at the amazing sight.
The Acropolis was actually a series of several ancient temples built closely together at the top of one of the highest points in Athens. Spotlights shone
‘This place is crazy,’ Joel complained as he manoeuvered the car through the quiet streets. ‘I thought driving in New York was bad, but Athens is impossible! How can anyone get a car down these narrow streets?’
‘My father does not have a problem,’ Stella said.
‘Your father must be crazy,’ Joel muttered.
As Stella directed them to the Acropolis Museum, Joel turned down a particularly narrow road; he miscalculated the width and smashed into a parked car.
‘My father’s car!’ Stella cried.
When they inspected the damage, they saw that the entire side was caved in.
‘What am I going to tell him?’ Stella groaned.
‘Nothing,’ Joel said. ‘He’ll think the car was stolen. We’ll use another car to get you back to the temple.’ He looked around the area. ‘But it’s too dangerous to leave it here in the street.’
‘I’ve got it,’ Emily said. She stretched her right arm in front of her towards the damaged car – it lifted off the road, over the top of the parked cars and then it was lowered on its side to the narrow pavement. ‘Let the police try to figure out how it got there.’
‘I am in such trouble,’ Stella sighed.
‘Not as much as the Olympians,’ Emily said. ‘Take us to the museum.’
Joel once again took the position behind Stella’s wheelchair as they made their way through the deserted streets of Athens.
Apartment buildings, shops and boutique hotels lined the way. It almost reminded Emily of New York. But the comparison ended when she became aware of graffiti on all the buildings and closed shutters of the shops. It seemed there wasn’t a single doorway or wall that had escaped the street artists’ spray paint.
Another difference was the calm feeling of the place. Despite it being the middle of the night, the few people they passed on the street gave them friendly greetings and smiles instead of the suspicion that was built into all New Yorkers. Of course, Emily reasoned, it could be their Olympian dress that caused all the smiles.
Somewhere along the way, Emily became aware of a large chocolate-brown dog following them. When they stopped, the dog came straight up to Emily, wagging its tail and wanting to be petted.
Emily knelt down and stroked the dog’s pretty face. ‘You look just like my mum’s dog, Mike. Go home now, I’m sure your family is missing you.’
‘He has no home,’ Stella said. ‘That red tag on his collar means he is a street dog. He has been abandoned. The government has veterinarians who treat them. But it is the public who feed them.’
Emily looked at the red tag. It had a date and serial number on it. ‘Who would do that? He’s so sweet.’
‘Look around you, there are lots of abandoned dogs in Athens. Sometimes pets grow too large and people release them to the streets. Just leave him and he will go away.’
Emily became aware of the other dogs sleeping in doorways or wandering the streets. ‘Are they all homeless?’
Stella nodded. ‘It is normal. There are dogs everywhere. Cats too.’
‘Normal?’ Joel said. ‘It’s not normal to abandon pets on the street. That’s awful.’
‘We have always done it,’ Stella said.
‘That doesn’t make it right,’ Emily said. She gave the dog a final pat. ‘I’m so sorry, I wish we could take you with us,’ she said to the dog. ‘But you can’t come where we’re going. Stay here.’
But the dog refused to leave and continued to follow them.
‘Just ignore him,’ Stella said. ‘He will leave eventually.’ She made Joel stop pushing her chair and pointed up. ‘There is the Acropolis.’
Emily and Joel gazed up to the top of a tall hill rising out of the ordinary city streets and graffiti-covered buildings. They drew in their breath at the amazing sight.
The Acropolis was actually a series of several ancient temples built closely together at the top of one of the highest points in Athens. Spotlights shone
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