Walking through Vathy, the hub of Samos, Greece, I feel like a tourist in a picturesque Greek postcard. Boutiques and stores filled with organic products line the narrow, cobblestone streets, making it easy to forget about last night’s stabbing in the food queue. Luscious Greek garden tavernas with the aroma of gyro meat and fresh seafood mask the ammonia smells of a thousand homeless people without access to a bathroom. The glimmering Aegean Sea beckons any curious soul to basque in its blue waters, a kilometer away from where 25 desperate souls recently contributed to the ever-growing massive underwater grave for EU hopefuls. Tourists blissfully stroll through the white-and-blue architectural sights and the Greek locals happily do business with them. Both are completely oblivious, purposeful or not, of the happenings nearby, on the edge of town, uphill from the idyllic shoreline promenade.
