No St. Anthony, I.

[vkioulaphides]

Greetings, all.

Last Saturday morning I was strolling the streets of Monastiraki, one of the oldest neighborhoods of Athens, beneath the Acropolis. My steps brought me down those narrow alleys full of tourist-trap trinket-shops; such ~illustrious~ businesses include, of course, shops selling musical instruments— nothing I'd ever recommend, needless to say. But window-shopping is a sweet pastime, so... why not?

Hanging from the rafters in one of those shops, there was a surprisingly good-looking mandola. So I walked in and inquired: Greek-built, yet with a canted top— a bit extraordinary, in that respect. I asked to have it unhinged, I plucked a note or two, felt the instrument in my hands. Not bad, not bad at all! (Wretched, stone-dead carbon-steel strings but, hey... what could I expect?)

The scale was a handy 42 cm; the price, 600-some euros, with all the VAT/shmat surcharges count on $1,000± Had I had my Blackberry in my pocket, I'd have gladly sent out a message to all points north and west (of the sunny tip of Europe's southeast). I don't play the mandola (at least not yet ) and I did not want to run another hefty charge on my credit card; pricey air-fare is plenty, thank you :-/ Nor am I the one to buy to sell. Mando-commerce is not my line of business.

But it was a fair temptation, no doubt. No St. Anthony, I. Skeptical, cautious, stingy, perhaps; or simply without my PDA when I needed it most.

Cheers,

Victor

[Schlegel]

Was the mandola in the form of a pile of gold?

[vkioulaphides]

Not that temptation; it was, however, a shapely bowl, and a finely wrought soundboard that struck this errant saint.

Cheers,

Victor

[brunello97]

A classic tale, Victor, thanks for the imagery. Miei padrini are Paduani so San Antonio is just a few notches more important than Our Savior himself, but no explanation is necessary for that.
Bowlback mandole (a trio of which I am blessed with, in variou states of repair) are in their own way extraordinarily tempting. But the nexus of your tale, is of course, your momentary lack of instant communication. So we get to enjoy your escapade the 'old fashioned' way through an electronic postcard. WWHHD? What would Hemingway have done?
Mick

[vkioulaphides]

WWHHD, indeed... This entire trip lay under the long shadows of ghosts (as Pirandello might have put it), and was quite surreal in more ways than could/should ever be discussed on a public forum.

The world being small, after all, it appears that the same mandola has caught the eye of several people I know, or know of via others. So I would not be at all surprised if I were to re-encounter that instrument some day, in the hands of a friend and colleague, perhaps even someone from the Café.

But for that I'll let the Fates spin their thread in their usual, mysterious ways...

Cheers,

Victor

[Schlegel]

I like to think of it less as giving in to temptation, and more as "rescuing". Who knows what terrible fate might befall these bowls if I fail to act?

[vkioulaphides]

True enough; for that, however, you'd need to channel St. Michael instead.

That, or have more to spend than I do.

Cheers,

Victor