lisap

In an internet cafe in Athens, up on the second floor (by myself, and not getting pickpocketed), I've got the Afghan Whigs on the iPod, and I couldn't be happier.

London was a whirlwind. I slept for the entire flight thanks to the wonders of Ambien, arrived around noon, met Karen and Sam (her 6 year old son) at Great Portland St. station, dropped off the bags, and we went walking. Karen and I hadn't seen one another in years, so we had ample time to catch up, and we managed to get to three different pubs! Yesterday, I realized that, in London, the only thing I drank was WKD Blue.

My flight to Athens seemed longer than the one to London since I was awake.... and worried that the battery on my iPod was going to die...I'd forgotten to charge it. When I arrived in Athens at 5.30, I was shocked to realize that, oh, right! the Greeks don't use the English alphabet! There are English signs around, but that didn't stop me from walking back and forth across the street outside three times while looking for the train because I couldn't figure out where it was.

Once I managed to get ON the Metro, I sat down and hoped I'd be able to find my hotel. A girl travelling alone sat next to me and we started chatting. Australian Ema had been visiting her grandparents in Rome and, since she works for Qantas Airlines, decided to jump on a plane and go to Greece for her birthday (which was yesterday)... she's taking a cruise around the islands tomorrow. She didn't have a hotel last night, so she figured she'd get a room at my hotel, then we'd go out. I was happy to have the company...

As it turned out there were almost NO hotels in Athens last night... my hotel was booked, and when the concierge at my hotel called others, they were booked, too. We decided to put her stuff in my room and find one on our own... this took no less than TWO hours, but we pulled the birthday card and found her a room a few blocks away from mine. Once she got settled, we went out to dinner. We asked the concierge at her hotel for a recommendation, and he sent us to a place where the Greeks eat... not a tourist trap. It was AMAZING... and cheap (30 euros for the two of us). I got their card, but the place is named with Greek characters, so I don't know what it's called in English.

Off we went to Monstiriki (I know I am spelling this horribly wrong) to the bars... and they are terribly expensive... we know this because we went to three of them. We would have been better doing as the Greeks do... sitting at a cafe for the night and making fun of strange American and Australian girls who wear tennis shoes with their dresses... our feet were trashed!

This morning after breakfast, Ema met me at my hotel, and we ventured to the flea market... I hoped there would be lots of food around (what's better than olives? buying olives from some random guy on the street!), but it was a typical flea market... aside from some leather goods, worry beads and icons, it seems that the vendors simply drag junk from their houses to sell on the streets... and people WANT that crap! The ubiquitous purse sellers are there, too... same styles they had in Italy last year...

I'm almost embarrassed to write this now, as I'm tired and can't remember the names of the places I've been.... so let's just say that I went to the ruins... not just the Acropolis... but the ones around it... Agora? Anyway.... we spend a few hours wandering through the ruins... they are peaceful, grassy, and they smell like flowers. Athens is in bloom. There are poppies, various yellow and purple flowers everywhere, and it smells beautiful. You can't sit on or climb on the ruins like at Pompeii... I know this because I got yelled at when I was staging a photo....

It's a good hike up to the Acropolis... and the buildings up there (again, the names are going....) have scaffolding on them, but the Parthenon is extraordinary nevertheless... you can't see it from where you immediately enter, and when you do... it's overwhelming.... the most famous building in the world... completely majestic. I felt like crying. The porch of the Caryatids on the temple of Athena are incredible, too.... you can't get anywhere near them, though. Unfortunately, the site closed at 3, so we left then and went to a cafe... then home for a nap.

I'm running out of time, and I'm going to meet Ema for dinner in a little bit, so I'm ending this here.... I'm not sure where I'll be tomorrow... the ferry to Crete only goes overnight.... so I'm going to see where I can go tomorrow... and go! Wish me luck!