Did That Just Happen?

Let me first say that I have debated whether or not to write about this experience for a while and finally decided there wasn’t any harm in it. Let me also clarify that the people of Greece are wonderful people, and I was never offended by anything it was just too funny, and I couldn’t resist putting it on my blog.

So one day while my daughter was napping in the hotel, and my husband was reading a book I decided to go shopping in Plaka. This is an area in Athens that is mainly designed for tourists. There are rows and rows of shops with any souvenir you could possibly imagine.  I stopped in this one shop when I saw a cute sweatshirt that simply said Greece on it, and decided I must have it. There was this lovely lady about my age who was seemingly normal helping me pick out my size.  After I paid for my item and was about to leave she stopped me, and came out from behind the counter until she was right in front of me. She looked at me and with a thick Greek accent said, “ You have the most beautiful breasts.” Then came the even stranger part of this. She reached out and grabbed them turning her hand in clockwise motions totally feeling me up, and said again, “very nice!” I am sure my eyes popped out of my head as I was thinking what kind of buffoonery is this? Did that really just happened? Well, before I had time to think she yells at her sister in Greek and has her come look at me. They are speaking Greek to each other and I don’t understand a word but I get the idea she is talking about my boobs as her hand jesters seem to coincide with what just happened. I smile and try to awkwardly step away when all of a sudden she grabs my hand to take me in the back area. She is wildly excited at this point. I don’t know if she's drunk or if I am hallucinating or if there is some kind of Greek reality hidden camera. However, I think that now since she has felt me up me she thinks we must be family or at the very least friends. We get to the back and she poinst to this little tree,” Can you believe I am trying to grow a chestnut tree in Athens.” She laughs hysterically and looks at me. I giggle nervously and start to inch my way back to the front when her father stops me. “What’s your name?” he says in broken English. ” Heather” I say. He says,” NO NO last name?” I tell him and he says more as an accusation than anything,” AH Ha you Greek!!” I say,” No my husband’s family is from here and they are Greek.” So then he narrows his eyes at me taking a closer look and says,” So you speak Greek?” I again say,” No”. The man then shakes his pointer finger at me while saying,” Tisk Tisk next time you come you know Greek.” I smiled just barely as I feel like a small child that has just been scolded. I said, “Yes of course.” “Okay then,” he says and waves his hand in permission for me to go. I back out of there slowly and wave to the sisters who are smiling with wide eyes and waving like mad. I slip out into the bustling Greek streets with a shake of my head I mutter to myself, “what the Hell just happened in there?”