A landmark of a man in Syntagma Square

"The tall doorman in the green suit" is how most people who work, live or frequently pass through Syntagma Square in downtown Athens know Dimitris Taktikos, even though they don't know his name. Taktikos has stood at his post in front of the elegant entrance of the Grande Bretagne for the past 35 years. To regular guests at the historic hotel, the doorman is a friend; for most Athenians, he is as integral to the landscape of Syntagma as Parliament, the National Guard and the fountain in the square.

Even sitting across the table from me, his impressive height - 1.93 meters - is impossible to hide. "I've become an attraction. Japanese tourists come and ask for selfies and there are even stuffed toys in my image," he laughs, referring to a souvenir teddy bear dressed in the Grande Bretagne livery at the hotel's gift shop.
There was a heat wave on the day of our meeting and...