Antoniette Vickio

A Rose Under the Bull

The streets are bustling with people dressed smartly in navy, khaki, and black suits, with touches of patterned neckties, red lipstick, and sparkling jewelry or wristwatches. There are those who adorn Gucci and Louis Vuitton bags and some trying to make a name for themselves in creative mixtures of vintage clothing and modern hairstyles. The smell of sweet roasted almonds and sizzling gyros are as consistent as the sounds of honking yellow taxis, yet the streets never had the stale sameness that came from the slower living I found in the suburbs of my southern hometown.