Greece *full set

In 2015, I visited the motherland. Specifically, I went to Athens. While I did have some relatives there, Athens is starkly different from the island my grandfather is from.

Truth be told, my trip to Athens was a depressing experience. The city was very dirty. Locals and refugees alike were clearly starving and lacking the moral compass of a nourished humanity. People and dogs were picking through trash on the side of the street. There were heavily armed soldiers throughout the city. It is sad to see the city that built one of the first successful civilizations in such a state of decay.

Fortunately, I had a friend there, so I felt relatively safe, as my hotel was in a particularly sketchy part of the city.

I had already been to 3 countries in less than two weeks, and had never adjusted to the jet lag. Once I got to Greece, my immune system was already compromised, and I got extremely ill. I fell asleep in my hotel room at 5PM, and didn't wake up until the next day at 5PM. Yes, I slept for 24 hours straight. 

The highlight of my Athens trip was meeting and working with Alexandros. We made some beautiful and moody film photographs in a lovely 70's apartment that he had inherited from his grandmother. 

He gave me two polaroids to take home. I realized while I was in the airport leaving Athens that I probably should not be traveling to Singapore (my next location) with nude images that could be considered porn. Singapore is an extremely conservative country, known for public corporal punishment. 

So, at 10PM, in the Athens airport, I put my polaroids in an envelope with 6 United States' stamps, and addressed it to my mother (I did not have a home base at the time). I did not think it would ever be delivered. My mother messaged me three days later, and told me that my step-dad nearly fainted when he opened the mail. What is funnier is that my polaroids were delivered to my mom's house from Greece faster than her package could be delivered to me in Minnesota (which was supposed to arrive before I got back to the country, a week later).

These images were never posted anywhere, because the intention was to submit them to a publication. That never happened. I'm not sure if it ever will, but I did receive Alex's blessing to share these with my patrons, in the mean time. Enjoy.