An Athenian Diary

11

Kolonaki Car Crash

At about 4 in the morning a skittering clatter jolted Edie and me awake. "What was that?" It sounded as though someone had dumped a couple of garbage cans full of scrap metal and bricks down the stairs. First thought was Alison's bed -- the slats have fallen out sometimes, sending the mattress crashing to the floor. Edie crawled out of bed and checked -- but the kids were fine, sound asleep. She crept downstairs and looked around, but nothing. Back in bed, we were awakened repeatedly by the screech of motorcycles and conversations down outside our window.

Morning brought explanation. I went out to wait for the bus with the kids, and there on the sidewalk was an abandoned car, smashed up in the front and resting skewed against a tree. The steel post that holds a chain blocking off the gate to the school had been ripped from its foundations, shattered bits of concrete lying around. The lock lay in two pieces fifty feet apart (Caroline reunited them). Three stiff metal poles were bend to the ground like paperclips. A tree a good six inches in diameter had been completely uprooted and lay partly under the car. Inside the car was no sign of injury (blood, body parts), and no exploded air bag. A woman walking down the street asked me what happened, and I told her the few details I knew, from our experience last night. She pointed out that the car wasn't Greek (notice the "C" in the tag) and suggested, with a contemptuous gesture, that the driver had been drinking. I heartily concurred. Later

speculation (by police and Telos, the School's business manager) suggested the car was stolen. The keys were left hanging out of the trunk lock.

The kids' bus pulled up and they were off to school. I took my pictures and wondered how long the wreck will adorn our sidewalk, and what happened to the driver. Twenty years ago a burnt-out hulk of a Land Rover sat on the street the entire year we were here. Meanwhile, an insurance inspector and the director of the School appeared to inspect the damage, and a few minutes later two of Athens' finest showed up on their motorcycles. When I returned from me Greek lesson in the afternoon, however, the car was gone. Perhaps a result of efforts to beautify Athens for the Olympics? Or just the pull of the all-powerful American School?

October 20, 2003

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