Fish Out of Water

Athens // Greece

By Lauren di Matteo

WRITTEN BY NICOLE BRAVO

Step inside the fish market and the first thing to greet you isn’t a person, but the wretched stench of fish. I enjoy eating seafood whenever I can but an hour in there was enough to make my stomach turn for quite a while afterward. All of the fishmongers were wearing hefty boots and there we were with our sneakers, carefully lifting our feet at each step as we trudged through a half-inch layer of water and fish guts covering the floor. Surely we would be giving our shoes a good scrubbing later. We passed one man swiftly slicing off fish scales into the walkway and many others having a smoke in front of their stands. These men were intimidating and unapproachable, yet somehow Lauren managed to soften them with her smile, enough even to make some of them smile.