The Athens garbage collectors are on strike, and have been for the past three weeks. I think it’s sweet that they’re on strike, but stinky for the rest of Athens. Normally, people throw their trash into the big dumpsters all over the city and the trash guys empty them every few days. So, with the workers on strike these dumpsters are currently over-flowing out of control. It’s incredibly disgusting and the city is now worried about health concerns. While the weather’s been pretty nice lately, it poured last night and has been drizzly today, so that’s made it even more gross. If I had my computer right now I would post a picture, but I’ll have to do that later. I’ve been covering my mouth every time I quickly walk by them in Pangrati (on the way to school from my apartment I walk by roughly…five of these overflowing dumpsters, some worse than others, but none getting better, oh wait I’ve seen one on the main street that was somehow emptied last night). I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but in Athens you can’t throw toilet paper down the toilet, something about the sewage not being able to handle it or something. So, you have to throw your toilet paper in the trash, everywhere you go in Greece. This makes the trash problem even worse because people throw their used toilet paper and bathroom whatevers in the dumpsters as well. I’m worried about the cats because I’ve been seeing them having a hay-day in the dumpsters the past few days and thats going to make the germ situation even worse. A lot of people, including the mayor, are angry at the garbage workers for protesting, saying it’s illegal. But I personally am a supporter of protesting in general, even if it is not for completely valid reasons, though it sounds like theirs is. I think the government should deal with the protests in whatever way they need to, but they’re gonna happen so if it happens to be the garbage workers than they need to have some way to deal with the garbage while they deal with the strike. We’ll see what happens, but there what’s happening in this gorgeous city :)