The poor woman is complaining that she wakes up at the crack of dawn every week on market day. Listening to her pleas, I start driving slowly while my mind wanders back to 1987 and a small township in Germany where I grew up.

And the first time I brought my husband to meet my family. A typical German summer, it's July with 12 C temperatures in those days and a dark sky which doesn't inspire leisurely walks in the country.

We arrived late in the afternoon, very tired, and after a light meal we decided to go to sleep.

We lived then on the ground floor in a wonderful neoclassic building situated on the town's main street – on Marktstrasse which means "Market Street".

We fell in bed at 9 o’clock. For Germany, this is a normal "going to bed" hour. The sleep was sweet and beneficial after our long and tiring journey. My husband, who wakes up early whether he is working or vacationing, got up first and went straight to the window. Though I was still in a deep sleep, a loud voice made me jump up fast. It was my husband, by the window, with curtains open…he couldn't believe his eyes!

The street market was fully set up, right in front of our window, from the wee hours, without so much as a peep.

Of course for me that was absolutely normal – the market being set-up every week without disturbing the residents but I was curious as to why my husband was so surprised.

I got my answer one year later when we came to Greece and began living in an apartment where the bedroom faced the weekly Friday street market!