The walk about. I've mentioned before the enjoyment of walking about the cities. There's not much to see in terms of tourist spots but just looking at the shops and people, hearing the sounds, and smelling the smells is joyous.

There are also that elements of good, bad and ugly when you walk around. The bad: trash in abundance sometimes. Dumpsters overflowing, plastic bottles and plastic bags stuck on trees, refuse of all sorts. The ugly: beggers on the street corners....people who beg because they are missing limbs and belong to "marginalized" segments of society. You know there is an even more limited social structure here to help them.

The good: the sharp smells of cheeses--usually white cheeses similar to feta--for sale in small, storefront shops. Bright colors--fruits and veggies of all colors, including some I don't recognize. Plastic tubs heaping with wonderful green olives--buy a scoop for a small sum. The scoop is usually cut from a plastic water bottle. Meat--there's a butcher shop located just down the street from Vizion Plus. I walked past and saw about a dozen lamb carcasses hanging and awaiting final processing. Did I mention the open front to the butchery? It's slightly below ground...the smell is not unpleasant--earthy--and no, there were no flies around. Primitive? Perhaps but certainly not offensive. The smell of people....cigarette smoke, perfume, sweat, laundry detergent...all the smells that are part of being human. Dust in the air--not a favorite part but a realistic part of life. It may have just rained but within a day--maybe two--dust will coat merchandise in roadside stalls. Today, a guy selling bedding was spraying water on the street to hold down the dust in front of his shop. Spices and herbs for sale....many familiar. Some not familiar to my nose but perhaps are familiar to my taste? The rhythmn of conversaton...people laughing, discussing and arguing.

The tone of speech here is hard for me to judge....the flow of words often sound harsh but it is just a different language pattern and people aren't as angry as they sometimes seem to be.

The taxi driver's horn speaks multiple messages but all sound the same: watch out pedestrians, hello fellow driver, don't you pull out in front of me, hey fellow--would you make room for me, speed up/slow down, look out ahead....I've heard all of these as a passenger and while walking the streets.

There are people everywhere selling something. The most basic sellers are the boys dodging traffic in the intersections to sell auto freshening fragrances. And, the old men and women, who supplement their pensions with the sale of roasted sunflower seeds...just a few cents for a shot glass size order. There's also the authentic smell of chestnuts--roasting on a charcoal fire.

I wish most of all that I could convey an adequate picture of the faces I see. They are wonderful. I watched two pensioners (retirees) playing dominos. There was not only laughter on their faces but in their voices and twinkling in their eyes. They smiled at me when they noticed me watching and were probably more amused as they realized by my words that I was a foreigner. Were they curious as to why a foreigner would watch a game of dominos? I was their only spectator in the quite spot where they'd found a cardboard box for their game table and a broken concrete block and a paint bucket for seats. (They were playing the same game my granddaddy taught me to play when I was four or five.)

I do have a camera but I could never take enough pictures to show you all of the intense and interesting faces I see here. Second, I rarely take pictures of people. This isn't a place where people are use to tourists snapping shots. I'm thankful to have a small digital camera for the shots I do take. The faces are rugged....they show the passage of time. I cannot decide if people here look their age or I don't quite look mine. (Although on my last trip home my daughter told me I was turning blond--she was really referring to the silver/gray in my hair.)

Cigarettes and coffee are a part of daily life--especially for men. You see dozens of bars--coffee bars. It is another wonderful place to sit and look as life passes you by.

Are these sights and smells much different than what I might see in the U.S., if I took my time and looked? Probably not but when you're part of another culture, you do take your time.