Had a delectable good-bye dinner at Zorba's (where else???)
last night. Grilled Octopi for all (except Tex, who is still raving about the lamby chops), Tzatziki, Greek Salad, Ouzo,
Fruit, and plenty of Mythos all around. May I say YUUUUMMMY one more time?
Mike's home, visa in hand, getting all packed up. I
would do it for him, but I'm sure I would do it wrong. . .
And, kids, we are almost wheels up and outta here.
This is the last report from Athens. You will need to retrain yourselves and hit the Israel button up above.
Roger, we have lift off. See you all inTel Aviv.
KRUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHH (That's the sound an airplane makes)
Monday, July 16, 2007
A Report on Andros Island, and PACKING (which I should be doing instead of this)!
ANDROS ISLAND
This is a Cycladic Island in the Aegean sea, about a 2 hour
cruise from the port of Rafina (which is northeast of Athens about 25 miles or an HOUR on the bus). It's a fairly large
island, by Greek Island standards, and definitely off the tourist track, although you wouldn't know it by the HUGE ferries
pulling in at frequent intervals all day and night.
And, it's very, very windy. Not breezy, not gusty,
but a constant wind (think about 35 mph with gusts). Not a lot of soil. And best to hold on to EVERYTHING, including
beach towels (especially very expensive ones like ours), ball caps, and even sunglassess.
We decided to stay in Gavrio, the port city. We had
high hopes of getting on the bus and exploring a little, but we never left the resort and the town. Just too busy eating,
drinking and laying in the sun. Walked into town on Saturday night, pretty quiet, but had a nice dinner. Ate a
lot of seafood, jumbo shrimp, calamari in tomato sauce, mussels, grilled octopi (all of this by me, in just two days!), plus
a pizza. And a gelato. OMG, no wonder I'm getting so big.
It was pretty. Lots of blue sea and blue sky (and a
blue pool, too!).
What wasn't fun was the bus ride to Rafina (so unfun we spent
the big dollar and took a cab back to Athens) and the ferry ride. I was surprised as it was a very large ferry, but
I think 2 hours is my max. It wasn't really the ferry, but (and I hate to say this) the people. Yes, the Greek
people. They are sincerely, as a whole, getting on my nerves. Common courtesy? What's that?
A line? Never heard of it. Sit up on a long upholstered seat so someone else can SIT DOWN? I don't think
so. C'mon people.
I don't think there are many "random acts of kindness" going
on here. Unless I'm doing them. . . Geez.
Okay, enough about that (I think, it's possible I might derail
into more venting).
The Andros Holiday Resort where we stayed was a (European)
three star, which in state standards equals something a LOT less. It was run-down romantic chic. The common areas
were quite quaint, but the room was, well, substandard. How much does a screw cost anyway (all that was keeping our
shower from working properly). And a little noisy. But, it was on the other side of the hill from the port, secluded
and quiet (although it was hard to hear ANYTHING over the roar of the wind). And the staff were friendly and nice.
Always a plus.
PACKING
Yep, doing that again. Actually almost done, and almost
sure I'm overweight (well, me AND my luggage). Will have to see what El Al thinks about that. . . Probably nothing good.
IN OTHER NEWS
The Embassy was getting Mike's visa for Israel. He
was suppose to have his passport back Friday or today. Found out this AFTERNOON that they needed to RESEND it back to
the Israeli Embassy because they forgot to send some paperwork with it. Who knows if it will return tomorrow? Apparently
not the people from the Embassy who sent it over there. Not much concern, either. Nice.
And, ATHENS IS BURNING. Well, at least the mountain
right next to our house. They've had some severe forest fires this year, on the mainland and the islands, and one other
in Athens, but this one is the closest. Looks like they've got a handle on it, though. About seven "water bearing
sea planes" (don't know what they are called) circling over our apartment right now.
Leaving Rafina Friday night
The ferry we rode in on
A crooked view from our balcony
Our little swatch of Aegean Heaven
Around our hotel, notice those wind-swept hills.
Along the harbor front
Pirdy lighthouse
Cutey fishing boats in the Gavrio Harbor
Fire. Fire's cool ehhehehehee
Circling the fire and our house
The water dump
Thurday, July 12, 2007
Travel Update and Random Things
TRAVEL UPDATE
I'ts all real. I've bought my ticket (one way on El
Al airways, always wanted to fly with them, they're in the crosswords all the time. Come to think of it, so is Tel Aviv!),
changed my return to 11/17/07 from Tel Aviv to Atlanta, Atlanta to home. Mike gets his passport back from the Iraeli
Embassy tomorrow.
And, TJ is going too. AND, his friend Natalie (from
Hong Kong, and our friend, too, but TJ's friend friend, know what I mean??) is coming to visit in two weeks.
And we will be there in 6 days. Holy cow.
I'm experiencing very little emotion about the whole thing.
Not sure it it's denial or what.
But, we are still going to Andros Island tomorrow! Yea
us!
RANDOM THINGS
I just sneezed and it sounded exactly like. . . my MOM!
Wondering if relocating to Tel Aviv will make Mike and I's
pee stop stinking. It really stinks. BAD. Would worry about it, but it's both of us. We can't both
be dying of the same makes-your-pee-pee-smell-bad disease, can we? Must be something we are eating (too much of) or
drinking (again, probably too much of). Whew. It smells.
Somhow I lost Mike's favorite pair of shorts. Last sighting
was after returning from Mati last weekend. They are gone. . . probably with the wind, off the clothesline.
I wonder how hard it is to design/make crossword puzzles.
Maybe a side job? Hmmmm.
It's still HOT in Athens. And it's almost as hot in
Tel Aviv. Click hereif you care.
I don't think I'm going to miss Athens very much. Although
we've had some nice times here and made some great memories, I'm not experiencing that normal sense of melancholy I get when
it's time to leave somewhere.
All for now.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Holy Meshugass*, Batman!
From Santorini and Souvlaki to Shawarma, Just Like That!
A klog is mir**. Just when I thought I had everything
handled - NOPE!
Everything is scrapped. We leave Wednesday the 18th
for Tel Aviv, Israel for 3 months.
I must scramble. I'm so fachadick***.
Yiddish is cool.
Of course, this is totally my fault on two accounts.
When Tel Aviv hit the schedule I said, "Cool, I'd like to go there,". But, Mike said it wouldn't happen, as it was starting
before we were done here.
Then, last night at dinner, I said, "Well, maybe they'll
call you with some cool place to go", meaning in September or something after we'd had our island vacation and some time at
home. But, when we got home, there was an email to call the office.
Holy hashem****.
*Meshugass is Yiddish for insanity
**A klog is mir is Yiddish for Woe is me
***Fachadick is Yiddish for confused
****Hashem is how you take the name of the Lord in
vain in Yiddish. :0
Monday, July 9, 2007
Two Weeks, Baby . . . Maybe!
Theoretically, two weeks from now we should either be:
Enroute to Santorini
Already on Santorini
Still working in Athens
Life's so hard. Project still giving Mike minor fits,
so no way to plan our upcoming supposed vacation of the Greek Isles, hypothetically commencing at 5 PM on Friday the 20th.
We have no ferry tickets, no hotel reservations, NADA. And, to add to the bedlam of trying to plan a vacation, I absolutely,
positively have to be out of Greece on the 31st, or face some (?) unknown, unmentioned, undescribed punishment from the Greek
government/immigration control/EU.
Fortunately, I do have a seat secured (with Mike) on a flight
that day. Unlike some of the other poor folk working here who can't seem to change their tickets, as there are no seats,
because this is when EVERYONE and his BROTHER come to Greece (not my brothers, though).
We are making a run to Andros Island next weekend, leaving
Friday evening, returning Sunday evening. It is rumored it even has SAND beaches. Forgive me for being a
Paris Hilton-y spoiled rotten brat from a state with over 200 miles of SANDY COAST, but when someone says beach
to me, I envision long swathes of sand and crystal blue water. Not a bunch of rocks abutting the sea.
Anyway, Andors Island is the road less traveled for most tourists,
and should prove to be interesting, and at least as much fun as hanging in Mati.
Which we did again this past weekend. I tried to get
reservations at the same hotel we were at Tues/Wednes, but they were full. Had to settle for the 3 star down the road,
which was only 5 Euro less a night. But, boy, what a difference one star and 5 Euro maketh. . .
A nice getaway, and good to spend two nights away, makes you
feel more like you actually went someplace. A few snags with the bus to return worth mentioning, though!
Wednesday we were told the bus from Mati to Athens runs every
2 hours and we walked down to where our hotel this weekend was to catch it at 4 PM. It arrived at 4:35. Okay.
Sunday, we were out front with our bag at exactly 4. At 4:10 I thought, "Hey, it's Sunday, maybe we should check and
make sure the bus schedule is the same, eh?". That's me, always thinking. So, I go inside, guy tells me the bus
is at 4:15.
Back outside. Wait until 5 PM. No bus.
Walk a mile UPHILL to the main road. Find bus stop.
WAIT. WAIT. WAIT. In the sun. Shade from bus stop cover is in the middle of the road at this time
of day. WAIT. WAIT. I have seen no busses. Are they on strike? Will we have to walk back to
Athens? What the heck is going on? (And the Mati bus never came up from the ocean, either). Finally, a little
after 6, here comes the bus. And again, they will not open the luggage compartment for our bag. NICE. We
waited two hours for a forty minute ride back to town. ARGHHH. Note to self: Do not set your watch by the
Athens bus.
A little annoying. And disturbing, as we are planning
on using the bus on Friday to get to the Rafina port to go to Andros, and if they are that late we won't make the ferry!
What to do, what to do.
But, we did make it back in an air conditioned bus, with two
seats left for us. AND, we went to ZORBA's for octopus and tzatziki (which was the first tzatziki we'd had there, and
it was THE BEST!). Life is good.
When Greece gets you down, remember the old adage, "Well, at
least the food is good!"
The "beach". That is rock, folks, not sand! Although to be fair, about 20 yards out it's all sand
Windsurfer out in the big blue. . .
Wait?!? It's JULY!?!? Then we might as well just leave these xmas decs up, then!
Mike waits patiently for the bus. . . at first, and then we both LOSE IT!
In other news, the New Seven Wonders of the World have been
voted on by the general public, and selected. They are (in alphabetical order):
Chichen Itza - Mexico
Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio de Janiero, Brazil
The Great Wall of China, China
Machu Pichu, Peru
Petra, Jordan
Coliseum, Rome
Taj Mahal, India
Which, I have seen 4 of, and Mike 5. And, to be fair,
Egypt pulled the Pyramids of Giza out of the running, as they are the ONLY remaining wonders left from the ancient world (and
we've seen those!).
However, I have to say, I think Angkor Wat was sorely overlooked
and could have easily replaced the statue of Christ or Chichen Itza (and possibly even the Coliseum, whose spot I think should
have went to the Acropolis).
But that's my untraveled, unknowing, pithy opinion. And,
I still need to see the Great Wall to complete my 7 Wonders of the World.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
A Day Away
Packed up our new and expensive beach towels and headed for
Nea Makri on Tuesday evening. Staying at a lovely four star hotel called Aquamarina.
(Dear Aquamarina-you have a lovely hotel, with great views
of the sea and a gorgeous spa. You need to hire someone to go out on a boat and take some pictures of your hotel, perched
just on the edge of the Aegean, as all your website pictures look like you are located on a PARKING LOT!! You are totally
underselling yourselves! Also, you have the WRONG MAP on your bookings page, which for neophytes on the bus, makes it
a bit difficult to find you! Other than that, BRAVO!)
Arrived in Nea Makri, where Bob and Maria (BBQ at their house
friends, Mike works with Bob) picked us up at the bus stop and drove us back to our hotel, thank you, thank you, thank you!
Checked in, had no electricity, moved rooms, hit the bar and waited for Bob and Maria to come and pick us up for dinner at
the Taverna Argentina, located up on a mountain above Marathon.
A long and winding road, but the temperature is soooo nice,
about 15'F cooler than Athens. Restaurant specializes in BEEF, BEEF and more BEEF. You pick your cut on the way
in, they throw it on the BBQ, you eat a bunch of stuff first, and then they bring half a dead cow to your table and toss it
in the middle on a wood slab.
I honestly never saw such a big piece of beef for four people.
But, we did pretty good with it. A nice chunk left over, but we tried. It was the best beef we've ate in Greece,
so hard to stop.
And, cheap too!
Wound back down the mountain, stopped and had a nightcap
on the ocean, and were dropped back at the hotel around 1 AM.
Wednesday we lounged around the pool until 3 PM, then caught
the 4 PM bus (actually arrived around 4:40, but whatever) back to Athens.
Today, it's very warm again. Trying to find someplace
to head for the weekend. Ferry schedules are about impossible to anywhere we want to go and am getting FRUSTRATED.
May just head back to Aquamarina on Friday, stay until Sunday night.
Lovely, cool and perfect for an overnight escape. . .
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
American Diversity in Athens
Last night we ventured down to an area just below the Acropolis
for a pre-dinner drink and some food. After stopping at Bretos for a beer, we walked up to a restaurant with a nice outdoor
garden directly underneath the most eastern corner of the Acropolis.
It was not a great epicurean experience, but the night air
was wonderful, we had a family or two of cats and kittens to entertain us, and besides one other table, basically private
dining for most of the evening.
The other table was a table of five. We discovered they were
American by the simple act of eavesdropping on their conversation. Now, five Americans in a taverna in Athens does not a blog-entry
make, but after observing them and thinking about it, I thought, "Well, maybe it does!".
You see, they were a veritibal sundry of Americans. Three
guys and two girls. One guy definitely of Middle Eastern descent, probably Iranian, another guy Chinese descent. One girl
of un-known origin, but guessing would say Latino and Asian or Inuit mix, looked somewhat Polynesian, but different. One gay
guy (whitebread) and one girl that if you close your eyes and think of Iowa, this is what you would see. All middle-aged.
All Americans.
Which led me to think, if they were five people from Japan
(or China, or Korea, etc), Russia, Germany, India or almost anywhere, you would know. They would be pretty much uniform.
Which makes me celebrate our country, America, where so many
different races, religions, sexual preferences, and cultures can co-exist if not in perfect harmony, at least without blowing
each other up or civil war. And, in the whole scheme of things, based on how youthful our country is, we're doing it quickly
compared to a lot of the world.
Plus, they kept calling the Acropolis (which we were RIGHT
underneath) the Apocalypse, which is damn funny. Not only diverse, but humorous.
Cool bar. Roger and Frederique went once, we've walked by 100 times, finally went!
Give me souvlaki or DIE, BIOTCH!
So, Happy Birthday America, and Happy Fourth of July to readers
back home. We're taking off for Nea Makri and the beach tonight, return Wednesday evening. Possibly off to Andros
Island this weekend, if I can get a stinking hotel to answer my email! Arghhh.
Monday, July 2, 2007
What's In Your Closet????
Remember this dress?
July 26, 2001, On the Nile, Cairo, Egypt. . .
This dress is what is referred to by many in my family (and
myself) as the "tree dress". My Mom was with me when I bought it, and she was not enamored by the dress, told me it
made me look like a tree. . . Okay.
But, the point is, this is THE oldest piece of clothing in
my closet. And, you might ask, how old is it????
I'm really not sure. But it's old. I'm thinking
mid-90's. I bought it at Casual Corner (the outlet!). I'm sure it's pre-Mike (11 years). Is that a
crime?
But it travels so well, and works great for hot climates
as it barely touches my body! I made my brother bring it over with him.
Is it still in style? Was it ever in style? I
guess I don't care.
What's the oldest thing in your closet?
Yesterday, I made Mike go to the Acropolis. Four months
in Athens, and he hasn't been. He's seen it from many angles, but never paid the obligatory 12 Euro to enter.
Someday he'll thank me (wishful thinking).
I now have take-out menus to every restaurant in Athens.
They shove them under the door every day. Unfortunately, none are in English. But they have pretty pictures. .
.
Weather has been PERFECT! Don't want to say that, but
it has! Cool at night, nice breeze during the day. Lu-u-u-u-VING it!
Sunday, June 30, 2007
Thank GOD!
The heat broke. It's been liveable for the last two
days. However, now we've heard that monsoon rains are on the way. . . HUH?
Didn't leave for the weekend, but have been very comfortable
here in Athens. Only (only?) in the 90's during the day, and it's 68F tonight. Feels cold. . . BRRRRR. . . heehee.
Loving it. Had dinner outside last night in Kolonaki
and tonight in Thissio (another full moon over the Acropolis).
Awesome.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
This Just In!
As
reported in the International Herald Tribune Today: (Reprint not by Permission!)
International
Traveler Update
Athens
Temperatures
in Greece rose to record-breaking levels in a heat wave that has already killed five people, let to dozens of forest fires,
power cuts and disruptions at archaeological sites like the Acropolis.
A meteorologist,
Manolis Anadranistakis, said Wednesday that the temperature of 44.8 degrees Celsius (112.6 Fahrenheit)
in central sthe
day before had been the hottest since temperatures were first tracked there in 1897. The heat hit 36.2 degrees Celsius (115.2
Fahrenheit)
in the Athens suburb of Philadelphia, where
records began 52 years ago.
Employees
at state-run museums and archaeological sites threatened to walk off their jobs. "Marble reflects the heat - temperatures
reached 55 degrees Celsius under the sun at the Acropolis," a labor leader, Costas Oikonomou said Wednesday.
Temperatures were expected to drop below 40 degrees (104 Fahrenheit) starting Thursday.
Yes,
folks, we are the harbingers of bad/hot/wet weather, where ever we go. . . Didn't want you to think we were just being babies.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Happy Anniversary to Us, Seven Years and Counting!
Another hot wedding anniversary. I swear, it was hot
as heck the day we were married, and it's been hot every time since, no matter where we were. But, we had a lovely ceremony
at St. Paul's with the Reverend Malcolm Bradshaw officiating in full clerical garb and all. It was great. Very
moving.
Pre-renewal jitters. . . NOT!
The kiss. . . well, almost!
All done!
Ah, grilled octopus is such sweet reward. . . . LOL
And, I got a "chain" made out of #6 ground wire (?whatever?)
that is too big for my wrist and has no clasp, so is therefore, too small for my neck. Maybe some worry beads/chain?
Who knows? But it is COPPER, which is better than what Mike got from me. GIFT FROM ME TO MIKE=NOTHING. (Except
I did make him a nice homemade card).
Afterwards, we headed to Zorba's for grilled octopus!
YUMMY! And, lots of beer, as required for any festivities. . . heeheee.
That's it for this year's anniversary folks. Stay tuned for
next year! Who knows where we shall be. . .
But, it is nice to be married to such a wonderful man who
loves me so much, and who I love so much, too!
Addendum to 7/25/07
Fact of Life
If you are 37 years old and you burn your neck with your
curling iron, in 5 days you will look like a 37 year old WOMAN with a HICKEY. Nice.
Monday, June 25, 2007
"Only" 96' F today. . .
Forgive me for not posting lately, it is so difficult to
see the computer screen through the sweat pouring off my brow. . . And the fact it requires me to leave the bedroom,
the only AIR CONDITIONED room in the house, to do so. . .
In response to the unbearable heatness of being, we decided
to escape to the coast for the weekend. I thought it would be wise to leave Friday night, but Mike cabashed that and
we left on Saturday morning. Our destination? The Eden Beach Resort on Sounion Road on the way to the Temple of
Poseidon (those who were here and made the trip, it's on that road).
Snagged the LAST TWO seats on the bus at 9:40 Saturday morning
and had a nice AIR CONDITIONED ride to the hotel. Arrived at 11, checked in, cranked the AIR CONDITIONING in our room,
put on our suits and hit the pool.
Oh wait. Not true. First we had to plunk down
38 Euro (yes, that is almost $50US) for two beach towels, because apparently in Greece a Beach Resort does not provide you
with towels by the pool, but they do provide you with a boutique where said objects can be purchased for outrageous amounts
of money.
But, in a fashion totally unlike me, I willingly payed and
hardly bitched at all. Nor did I even worry/care/obsess (hardly at all!) about putting on my bathing suit for the first
time in over a year, at my most fattest in over a year. . . I just rolled with it, kinda like a roly-poly! No pictures,
though. Hardly took any pictures at all.
Got spots in the shade. Swam in the water (which was
a salt water pool, how odd). Heaven.
At 2 PM we moved to the beach, had lunch at the cafe there,
watched the people, realized you probably had to arrive around 6:30 AM to get a chair with an umbrella, and went back to the
poolside.
Swam. Slept. Burned.
Cleaned up for dinner (included in our room rate! Nice
surprise), but first decided to go and watch the sunset at the beach bar. Had a couple frosty beers, watched the sun
disappear into the haze, enjoyed a nice breeze off the sea. Watched the Greeks continue hanging in their chairs under
the umbrellas til well past 8 PM. Realized we were not fully accustomed to "beach lifestyle".
Went to dinner at about 9:15 and seriously ate the worst
meal ever in Greece. Dog food buffet. But, we were a little buzzed up and it filled the pit. No nightlife
to speak of, went back to the AIR CONDITIONED room. Slept for TWELVE HOURS! Missed breakfast.
Did manage to find some coffee, get acclimated to being vertical,
check out by noon. Spent the afternoon enjoying the pool, some Stella Artois', a nice Ceasar Salad, and the shade.
Jumped the 4 PM bus back to Athens, back in the hot 'hood around 6. Stopped and had a couple beers on the way home.
Sign said it was 42' C (107' F) at 7 PM. Egads.
Unpacked, took cold showers and went to Pizza Hut and sat
in the AIR CONDITIONING until 10 PM.
Confessions of a tired traveler. . . Last week we actually
ate at TGI Friday's one night for dinner. Not that we were to lazy to walk further (which we were, and the Friday's
is right on our corner), but we thought that possibly being an American chain restaurant, it might be MORE AIR CONDITIONED
than a "Greek" restaurant. It wasn't, but it was more overpriced than a "Greek" restaurant. So, chalk up one TGI
Friday's visit and one Pizza Hut visit and one Hard Rock Cafe Happy Hour for our 4 months in Athens. Not bad.
It is SOOOOO hot. But, it does look like it will cool
down this week, only be in the 90's, and they are calling for 68 in the evening on Monday, July 2. PLEASE LET THAT BE
TRUE!
Anyway, you know what we will be doing every weekend starting
at 7 PM on Friday until the time we leave here. Us and the entire population of Athens will be beach bound.
And next Tuesday night, too!
This is how we do it. . . even though we didn't do it this way, pretty beach, though!
UPDATE ON BURMA PROJECT: Seems we dodged the bullet
and Scott and an unknown accomplice will be doing the Burma project, starting June 27.
UPDATE ON VACATIONS: Besides our weekly upcoming jaunts
to the beach, we will NOT be going to Helsinki at the end of the project, but instead are looking at doing a 9 day, three
island hop around the Aegean. Planned islands for now are Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete. Still departing Athens
on July 31.
So, besides trying to survive the heat, our plans for the
week include our wedding anniversary tomorrow! Seven years - whew-hoo. Time for the seven year itch already!
Will be renewing our vows tomorrow night, in the heat.
Also, a complete absence of home cooking is assured, and
possibly a strike on laundry as well.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Our original leave date. . .
Oh dear God in heaven, it's going to be 97 degrees tomorrow.
. . HELP ME.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
MWF seeks intimate relationship with air conditioner.
Must have large BTU capacity, able to fulfill all cooling needs. Willing to relocate. Non-jealous husband interested
in menage a troi. Current air conditioner unable to meet demanding needs of user.
It is bone-melting HOT here. No reprieve in sight.
I know it's a dry heat, but it's still 90 degrees of dry heat! In a big city. It's HOT. And yes, Mom, it's
hotter than when you were here. I'm dying.
Telephone widow again this weekend as Mike is working hard
trying to move this one step closer to completion. . . again. Keep your fingers crossed, friends.
We will, however, be here until the end of July. I
changed my tickets this week to 7/31/07 return. Hopefully, we won't be working that long, and can still bop on up to
Helsinki to visit our friend Freddy sometime late in the month. I can't stay any longer (in the entire EU) than August
1, so I gotsta go. . .
Ideally, what we want to happen after this project is to
go home for 4-6 weeks, get Mike all chilled out, let him play a little golf, visit his family, then go to Peru in September.
However, while talking to his office the other day, they asked him, "How would you like to go from Athens to Burma?".
Yikes.
That would be Mike's third trip to Burma, and my second.
On the upside, we could go to HK and get our visa's. On the downside, no break. There is a strong chance that
neither Burma or Peru will pan out, but it's hard to turn down work in this unstable climate.
I bet it's hot in HK. . . and Burma.
Was planning on going shopping today (for something other
than foodstuffs and TP), but man, it's HOT (have I mentioned that?!?!). Only 10 AM and our apartment is stifling.
Can't be much worse on the street. Air currents have shifted and even our balcony is not getting any breeze. But,
I haven't left our neighborhood since Wednesday, so should probably get out.
Remember our friend "Fred" from my last post? His wife
and son (he sent his other son home a week early, per his request!?!?!) are supposed to leave this morning. Mike got
a call before going to work from Fred, who is at the airport with said wife and son. Apparently, they are saying his
son has no ticket out of here. What's up with that? The hits keep on a coming for Fred.
Did stock up on books from the Embassy yesterday. I
get a bit nervous when there's only one unread book on the shelf. Could just stack them up at arms length of the bed,
sit in the air conditioning and "chill". Actually, sounds like a dream. . .
In other news, my computer keeps shutting OFF, not down,
OFF. Anyone know what would cause that? Does it while I'm working on it, and while it's idle. In fact, just
had this all typed out and it shut down, so had to redo. Aggravating. Only 18 months old, and not behaving well.
Maybe it's just HOT!
Miscellaneous Messages:
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, to my Daddy-O and to all and
any Father's reading this! Have a great day, put your feet up, pop a beer, and ENJOY!
Sympathies to my sister-in-law and brother on the
loss of their precious kitty, Pearl, who was put to sleep due to cancer on Monday. She was a cute cat, who didn't care
for me much, but will be sorely missed. . .
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Sundae Sunday, drugs, and a discussion on TP
Those of you who know Mike know that he doesn't eat sweets
very often. In fact, he sometimes almost tips his nose down in disdain at those of us who absolutely need chocolate
in order to survive. So, it was quite surprising on Sunday when we went over to Thissio to have a late lunch and enjoy
the sunshine, and Mike ordered a chocolate mocha sundae for lunch and a large vanilla shake to wash it down with. WTH?
I, of course, gained 3 pounds just watching him eat it. I'm sure he considered it a "light lunch", as it really is a
liquid, right? Dang.
Finally got off my duff and made dinner last night, including
a salad despite my "brush with death" the last time I made one. Dined al fresco on the patio, was lovely. Okay,
enough cooking for a week. . . heehee.
So surprised at the disparity of drug prices here.
Most things aren't cheap, but those drugs that border perscription/non-perscription are inexpensive. For example, my
high blood pressure pills are $10/month at home. Here, they are 4 Euro. At home my inhaler costs $25 stinking
dollars. Here, 4 Euro. Why do we pay so much at home for drugs that are generic, have paid for their patent by
a million times, and we usually need to go to the doctor to get a perscription for? So troubling. . . Can't buy any
valium or anything "fun" though. . . Sigh.
Okay, there's this guy here named Fred (name changed to protect
identity) who Mike works with. His family recently has come to visit. This conversation took place at work, so
I have to rely on Mike's memory, which can be a little sketchy, but anyways. . .
Mike: So, how's the family visit going?
Fred: Man, I can't believe how much toilet paper they
use.
Mike: What do you mean?
Fred: Well, when I got here (NOTE: that would
be in FEBRUARY) I went down and bought two rolls of toilet paper and carried them to the house. And last week,
I had to go buy two more!
Mike: Two ROLLS? Or two packages?
Fred: Two rolls.
Mike: For four months? Two rolls?
Fred: Yea, and now I'm probably going to have to get
two more. I don't know what they are doing with it!
I think I have an idea what they are doing with it.
My question is, what is Fred doing WITHOUT it?
Two rolls, four months. Not an equation I'm familiar
with. Then again, maybe I'm just a wasteful person.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Living in a DREAM. . .
Went out for grilled octopi at Zorba's last night, going
to the cutie patootie place in Psiri tonight. . . I should have went on cooking strike a long time ago. . .
I'm getting spoiled.
In other news. . . NOTHING. I have read 9 books in
the last 7 days. Junkie. Nothing but a junkie. Oh, I did some laundry, and a couple crosswords.
Slug.
Have recovered fully from alien encounter/self-concussion/Mike
kicking me in the head (?). No worries.
Did have a dream last night were I woke Mike up telling him,
"Oh, so now we have a new jail". You can't keep me quiet, even in sleep. . .
Also, for those paying attention, we have secured a location
and a Reverend to do our marriage renewal ceremony here in Greece on June 26. Rev. Malcom Bradshaw at St. Paul's Anglican
Church, the oldest Christian church here in Greece. . . Wow! Gifts are copper or wool for 7 years, any ideas?
Anyone? HELP.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007!
How I concussed myself, or was abducted by aliens. . .
A boring weekend with Mike working WAY too much. Put
in 16 hours on Friday, 11 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday. I was going through major Mike withdrawal. Should be the
same as during the week, but I didn't get my Mike-facetime. Missed him. . .
Sunday night was relatively calm, went out and had a bite
to eat, came back and watched a movie (?what movie. . . hmmmm. . . oh yea, Hollywoodland, about George Reeves, the orginal
Superman's murder/suicide. How strange his last name was Reeves, never made that connection with MY superman, Christopher).
A normal Sunday evening.
Except I woke up Monday groggy, dizzy, light headed and with
a headache (and no, this is not normal, despite my lifestyle). I wandered around feeling odd for a while, then went
back to bed. . . until 11 AM! Got back up, was on the computer, and rested my left side of my head in my hand, and OUCH!
Sent shooting pains all through my head and body. Upon further investigation, found my head to be all swollen, right
above my ear. Took some aspirin and laid around for a little while longer.
What the HECK? Did I bang my head on something in the
night? Did Mike kick me in the head (I probably deserve it sometimes)? Did aliens come down from space and put
a brain probe in, providing themselves with liquor soaked brain matter to dissect? It is a mystery.
I still have an egg sized lump just behind and above my ear.
Friday, June 1, 2007
HOLY COW, IT'S JUNE ALREADY!
Thursday night I kept my pledge to stay out of the kitchen
and we went to Thissio to eat. This is one of my favorite areas of Athens, as it has the best, most unobstructed view
of the Acropolis. And, I wanted to see it at sunset and at night. We invited Mike's workmates Tex and Donna (who
had never been there) to come along.
And, much to our chagrin, they had display tents set up all
along the perimeter of the cafes there, almost completely obliterating our view.
But, much to our enjoyment, it was a full moon rising over
Athens. Which, once you snuck behind the tents, was awesome.
At twilight. . .
You know I have at least 50 pictures of this. . . .
It has come to my attention that my hits on this page have
decreased by almost half since last month. So, either I bored everyone to death with my family visits story, there was
one, strangely addicted visitor that hit my sight 20 times a day for a month, or it's summer and everyone has something better
to do than read my drivel. Any input on this (if you're the stalker, you were bored, or you're busy), let me know.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
How I Almost Died Last Night
Those of you who know me, know this. I am honestly,
entirely, and completely afraid of worms. All worms. Anything that looks like a worm (except, oddly, a snake).
I cannot tolerate these creatures are allowed to live on the same planet as me. I will NOT come into physical
contact with them for all the darn tea in China. They scare me, and quite often will get up on their hind legs, hiss,
show their fangs and threaten to kill me.
In other words, I HATE WORMS.
So, last night, I'm innocently preparing another fine dinner
for my husband an I, including a lovely fresh salad prepared from exquisite and inexpensive Romaine lettuce. The potatoes
were nicely browning in the skillet, the red cabbage getting warm, the salmon broiling beautifully in the broiler. I
had shredded the lettuce, peeled and chopped the onion, cut up the red pepper, crumbled the feta and went to do a little clean
up in the sink (of course we don't have a garbage disposal, this ain't America folks!).
And, there, right in my sink, was a light gray, dual antennaed
SLUG! Oh God, I'm glad I took my blood pressure pill this morning. I think Mike is napping on the couch, waiting
for his call to dinner, and I make appropriate "I'm going to die" sounds, but quietly, so as not to wake him. I think,
"It's okay, you can do this, you don't need a man,". I had just killed a big ole spider stalking my stovetop earlier
that day. No biggie.
But, I'm freaking out. FINALLY, Mike comes into the
kitchen to see what all the low level whimpering is about, and I scream, "THERE'S A WORM IN THE SINK!!!!!". And do the
uggah buggah dance and run for the safety of the living room.
Knowing fully this irrational fear of mine, he bravely goes
directly to the sink to remove the offensive object. But, he's in there going, "What should I do with him?", and I'm
wondering how he knows it's a male (okay, I'm NOT, I'm wondering what the H3LL he's asking me for, just get RID of it!).
So, I suggest throwing it out the window above the sink (No, there are no screens on our windows, this ain't America!).
And he does. And I live.
And, I toss the entire salad into the trash.
It's nice to be married to a hero.
Although I am afraid he didn't launch the little guy out
the window far enough, and he may be slowly edging his way back up the wall, leaving a trail of slime and gore, to
our unscreened window, waiting to take his revenge on me while I sleep. . . .
The whole experience lends credence to a thought I've had
recently (READ: most of my life), that I should just STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN (unless it's to get another beer. . .).
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
A Percentage of the World, a Sunday BBQ and a whole lot of nothing
I found this to be quite interesting. Even though Mike
and I have been to over 60 countries cummatively, between the two of us we've only seen 26% of the world. . .
Unfortunately, the link doesn't provide the percentage calculation, but looks like we still have a long way to go (especially
me, who's personal percentage is only 36 countries, 16%)
It's also a little misleading, as the web page I "stole"
this from does not classify Hong Kong as an independent country, but part of China (and Macau as well), which technically
it is, but are still recognized, like Taiwan, as a country. So, even though neither Mike nor I have ever set foot on
mainland China, we get the whole country colored in. It DOES, however, recognize Gibraltar. The percentage thing
seems a little screwy, too, as there are about 200 recognized countried (according to Wikipedia), which would put our percentage
a little closer to 30%. Oh well, an interesting tool.
Anyway, it was kind of fun going through the list of countries
and checking them off.
I'm having a VERY hard time believing it hasn't even been
a week yet since my parents and brother left. It seems like a long time ago. Time is a strange thing.
Bob, a guy Mike works with at the Embasy who has been here
as retired military for a long time, and is married to a great Greek gal named Maria (who loyal readers may remember I spent
an afternoon with a while ago at the museum) invited the whole crew out to their house for a BBQ on Sunday. What a riot.
Everyone made it but Herb, as his wife had just arrived from the states on Saturday. Most of us caught the bus
in our neighborhood and rode for about an hour, where Bob met us at the stop and walked us to his house.
If you are EVER invited to a Greek BBQ, I have one piece
of advice. GO HUNGRY.
Upon arrival, I peeked out back and saw Maria's Dad, George
(my new boyfriend), at the grill with 3 chickens and about a half of pig going round and round on the spit.
Papa George minds the grill
Needless to say, there was a little wine, a little Raki and
a whole lot of beer consumed pre-feast. And then, the food! In addition to enough meat to feed an army, we had
12 pounds (!) of mashed potatoes and gravy, hot peppers, sweet peppers, greek salad, pita, grilled bread, feta, olives, corn,
grilled eggplant, tampanada of spicy cheese, and green salad. INSANE amount of food, but delicious. I passed on
the dessert, but heard that was great, too.
Pre-dancing and craziness photo (minus papa George and baby George)
After dinner, things took a serious turn toward some serious
drinking. Enough to get everyone up and dancing. Some higher up than others (although, in fairness, Bob doesn't
even drink!).
Our host with the most. . . on the bar
Trying to learn some fancy footwork from our hostess. . . .
Regrettably, I don't have pictures of what this eventually
turned into. Maria and her friend (who's name escapes me) got into some heavy dancing, joined intermittently by Donna,
Vicki and myself, and flower petals were thrown in abundance. The tile floor was turning all colors of red, pink, and
purple from the trampling they were taking. Probably as close to a Greek wedding as we are going to get as far as celebration
craziness. No one seemed remotely concerned about the mess, though. You know my anal self would have been going
nutso.
After a couple dance lessons, a group of us wanted to walk
down to the water (only about 1/4 mile from the house), so off we went with some travelers to see the beach. Very nice.
The whole area where they live is great. Quiet, serene, green, clean (that's a whole lot of rhyming). I'm sure
it can be a madness when the hot weather hits, but much preferable to living in Athens, even with the hour commute to work
every day. I was jealous and ready to move there. . .
View down the coast, a mere 10 minute walk from Bob and Maria's house
The property surrounding Bob and Maria's house is mostly
owned by their family still. Maria has a school there, and her parents live next door to the school. On the way
back we stopped off to re-visit with them, have some ice cream, chat a bit more. We had arrived around noon, and it
was approaching 8 PM, and everyone (but Bob and Maria, I think) had to work the next day (it was also a Greek holiday in addition
to being Memorial Day for the Americans, although Memorial Day is not one of our FIVE, count 'em, FIVE paid holidays a year,
so everyone still had to go to work). Decided catching the 8 PM bus would be a good idea. . .
Tex takes a break. . . from the Raki. . .
My two boyfriends. . . .
While we were on our walkabout, Doug and Vicki caught a cab
back home, so it was just Tex, Donna, Mike and I on the bus going home. Arrived back in our neighborhood just after
nine, so invited Tex and Donna up for a nightcap and to lend them some movies. And then, BED. FULL!
The weather was awesome, the food terrific, the company great.
Bob and Maria are wonderful, fun folk who made us feel at home in their home and with their family. Unfortunately, Momma
and Pappa didn't speak English (and we, of course, don't speak Greek), but Maria did a lot of translating for us. Her
Dad is 72 and looks about 55. He was a cutie. I told Maria to tell her Mom I was going to steal him away, and
she said, "You can have him!". Too funny. Her Mom was awesome, she prepared a lot of the food, danced with us
a bit, and was still going strong when we stopped back to see them. Maybe there is something to this Mediterranean lifestyle.
. . I'm kinda getting used to it. . . Eat, drink, rest, and be very merry!
I also love the way Greeks on a whole still respect and honor
their families. It's a very refreshing aspect of the human condition that sometimes seems to be lacking in our own (American)
society.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Recap of last days of parental visit, more semi-humorous stories, and a good-bye to Denny
Okay. Saturday, my last post day, the parents and Denny
went to Delphi. They followed my instructions to a tee and ditched the tour halfway through and ran down and took pictures
of the circular temple that Chris, Jen and I missed on our trip. I told them they weren't allowed back in the house
without these pictures. They were a little intimidated by how far the other excavation looked from Delphi, but made
it there in 10 minutes, spent about 7 minutes there, and hoofed it back and were early for the bus departure time. But,
I got my pic - even though I wasn't there to see it with my own eyes (except from a vast distance). Kudos to them!
Dad and Den go get me photos of the temple Chris, Jen and I missed. . . THANKS!
They returned Saturday evening a little earlier than we expected
them, but had a successful tour. Fed them pasta salad and we all sat around and chatted, called it an early night.
Dad and Den got up and went to the flea market at Pireaus
and in Monastiraki on Sunday morning, while Mom and I cleared out and left Mike to a leisurely morning. Finally got
Mom her Mother's Day present while strolling through the Plaka.
Dad and Denny go to the flea market. . . both of them!
About 1 PM, I called Den and Dad, and they were just finishing
up in the flea market. Called Mike and we all met up for lunch at Zorba's (I HAD to have the grilled Octopi again, and Dad
joined me). Also, was Mike's first time to Zorba's, and that area of the "upper" Plaka. Sent him back home to
rest, and Denny, Mom and I continued shopping while Dad went off "exploring" on his own. We returned to the apartment
about 5:30 and Dad made it back a little after 6. Don't think he really saw anything "new", but he had fun wandering
around on his own, and didn't have to shop. . . .
He did see a guy sleeping (we hope) in the bushes and took
his picture, but didn't take his pulse! Also, got a "crack" picture for Denny, the dirty old man. . . heehee.
Zorba'as for lunch. . . I should be getting a commission from these folks!
Dad takes a picture of some dude who appears to be dead. . . but we don't know, and he didn't check!
Out to dinner at the old taverna by our old hotel, so Denny
could have the experience. Not much of a selection tonight, but had a nice time. We had a bit of rain during the
day, and no one but Mike had an umbrella, so we were all packing umbrellas to dinner. Mikes was in his back pocket and
he had his fleece on over it, and it looked like he had a tail wagging back and forth all the way to the restaurant.
I didn't notice it until about halfway there, and almost had an accident from laughing so hard. I wish I had a video.
He looked like a puppy dog.
Monday we sent Mike back to work to make
the bacon, and the rest of us headed off to Hydra. . . after we got Denny out of his comfy sleeping spot. . .
Denny snug as a bug in a rug. . . his bed for the last 10 days
Dad and Denny at the ferry pier. . .
A taste of the islands for the visitors - for more Hydra pictures, scroll down
Apparently, there are freaks and crack ho's everywhere. . . even Hydra. Girl or Guy? Hmmmm.....
Stairs on Hydra
Don't even think about it. . .
Dad takes our picture from the high road
One of the windmills on Hydra
Had a nice lunch on the island, and a gelato, did some shopping
and a little more exploring than my first trip (due to Dad's intense desire to climb every hill and flight of stairs), so
saw a few new things. If you want to see more scenic pictures (and haven't already), you can scroll down to past entry
when Mike, Roger, Frederique and I went to Hydra. . . Otherwise, enjoy the family photos. . . :-)
But, for some reason, Denny was intent on going for a donkey
ride. He talked Mom into it, tried to shame Dad and I, but we resisted and they went off on a 15 minute amble through
the side streets of Hydra town on donkeys. Dad and I sat down and had a beer (or two).
The highlight of Denny's trip to Hydra. . .
In order to remain in the will, I will not post the extremely
hilarious pictures I have of Mom getting on and off the donkey, but know that they do exist. Also, upon request,
will send hilarious picture of Dad sitting on the subway, unless it interferes with my inheritance. . .
Also, saw my same litter of kitties that made the website
last visit (with the messed up eyeballs), and although some of them are still seemingly blind, they do not look as hideous.
And someone is feeding them, and their Mom, so I feel better.
Jumped the 5:40 "bus" back to Athens, called Mike and Herb
to join us for dinner at the Taverna known as "Sederis'". Found out the actual name is Faga something else Greek, which
translates to eat and drink, which explains why we like the place so much. Mike suggested going to play some darts,
but we were all pretty tired, so went home instead. The trip is starting to get draining, we haven't had much "down
time" for recuperation.
Tuesday was Mom and Dad's last day, and it was slightly overcast.
Decided we HAD to go to the top of Lycovittos Hill, as no one would hear the end of it if Dad had to go home without this
experience. Walked up about a million stairs to the tram and rode that up the steepest part (the part I made Chris and
Jen climb). It was pretty hazy up there, and the views were not spectacular.
We watched the rain move all around Athens, but it missed
us up on the hill, Denny got his dome burned, and we sat down at the cafe and I revisited the yummy mushrooms and feta cheese
rolls with honey and anise (two of our appetizers from our dinner with Chris and Jen). Everyone agreed they were delicious
(except Mom, who doesn't care for mushrooms, but dug the cheese rolls), had a Mythos and walked down. Walked home
from the hill, and everyone was getting pretty draggy.
Arriving home, Mom went directly to her lounge chair on the
balcony and laid down. She had such a smile on her face. I think it was the happiest she was all day. . . heehee.
The happiest Mom looked on Tuesday. . . :-)
Mike had to work a little late, so Denny and I sacked out
on the twin couches, Dad played on the computer, and we all were revived for dinner at Craft, Dad's treat! YUMMY!
Thanks Mom and Dad!
Last family dinner at Craft micro-brewery
The parental leaving was scheduled for 6 AM on Wednesday,
as they're flight was at 8:45, so up at 5:30 to have a cup of coffee and hugs and kissess good-bye. They insist they
had a good time. . . and I don't doubt it. It was a great visit for everyone.
And, this was DenDen's last day, so I took him for some last
minute shopping, lunch at Goody's, a surprise find and gift for Mom, a stroll through the Central Market and a visit to the
Archeological Museum. It was a little more interesting this time, as we had actually visited some of the locations that
the major treasures had come from. And, I noticed a whole collection of bronze statues called the "Ambelokipi Hoard"
(Ambelokipi is our neighborhood) that the water and sewer department found about 20 years ago. It was in the same room
as that gear mechanism thingy, so it was no wonder I missed them the first time. Worth a second trip for me, and Denny
enjoyed it too.
Interesting marketing skills at the Central Market
Denny finds a hedgehog at the museum he likes
Big old urn
And, I just walked Denny up to the subway station to catch
the train to the airport. Also received an email from the parents this morning informing us they are safely home and
extremely beat. So, all is well in the universe and my webpage will return to it's orginal banality instead of a recap
of visitor's excursions and pictures of family members. The hotel is closed and Mike and I have some exploring of our
own to do. Thinking about a weekend trip to Helsinki to visit a friend of ours we met in Bolivia, and of course, some
island jaunts. Going to try and fill our weekends with fun and relaxing activities.
RANDOM THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED OVER THE LAST THREE WEEKS
THAT MADE ME LAUGH:
My sister-in-law Jen is prone to taking headers/falling down/running
into things, especially on vacation. Even with much ribbing to this effect, she made it through her time here without
anything happening. Their last day we were returning to the apartment and I sprawled myself out on the stairs.
Seems karmaic. . .
My Mom (and myself) have a habit of stealing food off of other
people's plates. Last week she reached over and picked something off my plate and threw it in her mouth. I didn't
see what she plucked, but she immediately spit it out. Seems she thought my olive pit looked appetizing. . .
This is only funny because he didn't get hurt, but walking
home from dinner one night, with Mom and I out front and Mike and Dad following, he suddenly heard the unmistakenable sound
of someone falling down. It was Dad, sprawled out on the sidewalk. The sidewalks are a bit treacherous in this
town. He popped up pretty quickly, but I guess he suffered some bruising.
I was sharing some of Mike's uneaten meat at the Taverna with
Denny, and as I was delicately moving it from Mike's plate to his, I dropped it directly into his beer glass, which in turn
looked like a science experiment gone wrong. . . or something that should be packed away in formaldehyde.
SOMEONE left an unexplainable wet spot on my couch. . . harmless,
though, I think. . .
NEW HERB-ISM: "giving him down the country". As
used in a sentence, "I was giving him down the country about the job he was doing." Any idea? I guess it means
a chewing out. Another new one on me!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Day tour through the Peloponese, a trip to the Temple of Poseidon, a welcome reprieve
from the heat, and some mildly amusing anecdotes of a family reunited. . .
Oh, we are keeping busy around here! Today is my day
"off", as I sent the family unit to Delphi and poor Mike is at work. It's been raining off and on all morning, but now
it's pouring. Hope the weather is better over there, although I did equip them with umbrellas. Those marble rocks
get a bit slick in the rain, however. . .
I've been trying to do laundry (3 loads!), but keep having
to run in and out with it, due to the rain. A bit of a pain in the neck, but I'm sure it will get dry. . . eventually.
. .
So. . . even though I was excited about Mom, Dad, and Denny
all coming to visit, I have to say I was a little hesitant to have us all under one roof for such an extended period. But
all is going very smoothly (although I'm not there to referee today, so who knows). It's been really a pleasure,
and I can't believe there are only a few days left to show them more of my favorite places in Athens.
Wednesday, after we had lunch at our fave cafe in Thissio,
the boys went into the ancient agora and climbed Mars hill while Mom and I wandered around Monastiraki, doing a little cheap
clothing shopping. We both got an outfit (surprise!), and Dad and Denny got lots of pictures of more old rocks.
Met back up around 6 and headed home. Made a brief stop at Syntagma station in order to show Denny the old skeleton
in the wall. . . if you know my brother, you know he likes "dead things". . .
What you will look like after your dead 2400 years; ruins in subway station found on excavation
There's a nice looking little restaurant very near the house
(next to Applebee's, for those in the know) that I keep saying we need to check out, so decided to head over there for our
evening meal.
Was delicious, the staff was GREAT, and we found out they
also own our cheap eats place on the way to the subway. It's called Agora, if anyone cares. WAY too much food,
though. Huge portions. Came home, had some nightcaps and conversation, and went to bed early, as the four of us
who aren't working were off for an early tour Thursday morning to Mycene and the theater at Epidaurus (and a couple other
stops).
Got to the terminal for the tour on Thursday morning (without
going the wrong way on the subway this time). And, as always, there's always some annoying dude (or dudette) on every
tour. Ours was sitting behind us while we were waiting for the bus, griping about how unorganized everything was and
what a mess the tour operators were making of everything. Felt like telling him to go down to the Aliens Bureau if he
wanted to see inefficiency in action. . . More about this idiot later. . .
Off we go to our first stop, the Corinth Canal.
A BRIEF HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY LESSON: Mainland Greece
is connected to the Peloponese area of Greece by a small Isthmus called the Corinth Canal, dug to connect the Ionian and Aegean
seas. The project was actually started in the 7th century BC, and re-attempted by many ancient rulers, but never completed
until 1883. It cuts through solid rock and is over 4 miles long and 70 feet wide. The sides are about 200 feet
high. An impressive sight!
The Corinth Canal, which separates the Peloponese region of Greece from the Greek mainland
CON'T LESSON: I'm sure you've all heard of the Trojan
War, started by Paris stealing Helen away from Agamemnon's brother. Well, Mycene is the city that Agamemnon started
the Trojan War from, along with his brother, and the Argolis Plains surrounding Mycene and Argolis is where the battle of
300 was staged (from the movie of the same name out now). So, very historical place and grounds. Not quite as
impressive of an Acropolis today as what stands in Athens, but in it's time was probably a major center of the ancient world.
The Acropolis at Mycene
Lions Gate, above the entrace to Acropolis at Mycene
Looking out over the country side from Acropolis at Mycene
Dad has a habit of wandering out onto rocks and such were
he probably shouldn't be (as I may have mentioned in some previous posts). Anyway, we let him wander off to check out
the cistern at Mycene, and then we went to "hide" from him. Waited, and waited, and he didn't come, so I went back to
look for him. As I rounded the corner, I saw this dude standing up on top of a wall about 12 feet high over a cliff.
. . and for a brief moment, I thought it was Daddy-O. But, it wasn't, so we let him live. Dad finally came crawling
out of a dark hole and I led him back to the pack. . . We really shouldn't leave him alone, although he didn't do anything
bad. . . this time.
Then, a short stop at Agamemnon's grave, recently discovered
when a small church built on top of it's floor caved in, and there was this large abyss underneath it, which was the entrance
to the grave. The inside is built in a beehive Egyptian style, but there's nothing in there but a few random rocks,
dirt, and a small side room where they buried Aggie's horse so he could ride it into the afterlife.
Quick stop off at the tomb of Agamemnon
Next, the required souvenir stop at a store in the middle
of nowhere with museum knock-offs and jewelry. Spent about six minutes in there, walked out and saw Dad sitting on a
rock across the street (of course, they lock you out of the bus for the stop - everyone IN the shop, NOW), and Denny points
at Dad and says, "Look at that ancient relic!". Then Mom went over and sat on him, and I took a picture. We bought
nothing.
At out required souvenir stop on the way to lunch. . .
By this time, we are STARVING, and it's time for lunch at
a large restaurant in the Argolis Plains region, surrounded by orange and lemon trees. Our group of 29 were the only
diners, and they overfed us, as typical of Greece. First course, Moussaka, second course, Greek Salad, third course
Souvlaki and French Fries, and oranges for dessert. At least I didn't hear anyone ask if the oranges were local. . .
But, the grumpy guy didn't want to eat his lunch, nor did his wife. . . and was really rude to the waiter, who couldn't speak
English. Oh well. We knew he was a jerk from minute one. . .
After our HUGE lunch, I'm holding our desserts
Like always, we stop in this really cool town. . . for ten
whole minutes. We had to pick up another couple for the Epidaurus tour and transport them back to Athens. Anyway,
the town is Nauplia, and it's absolutely islandesque (I may or may not have made that word up). I want to go BACK.
It was the capital of Greece for five years, glad they moved it to Athens and didn't "destroy" this little gem of a place.
Appears to have some ancient and medieval ruins, as well.
Medieval fort in the port at Nauplia the first capital of Modern Greece, for five whole years. . .
Acropolis at Nauplia above the modern town
But, we must push on to the ancient theater of Epidaurus
(the main reason I took this tour, really). I didn't know, but the town of Epidaurus' main attraction in ancient times
was actually a hospital, and was revered as far away as Rome for its healing powers. Seems those ancient Greeks were
pretty smart, and knew the surroundings could affect health, so they built this sanctuary and practiced a lot of holistic
type healing, including hypnosis, aromatherapy, herbal treatments, and SNAKE LICKING. They didn't lick the snakes, but
rather had the snakes lick you. This is believed to be why two snakes winding around a staff is the symbol of modern
medicine. Most of the hospital is in ruins, but the theater is the most preserved in the world, and is unsurprisingly
a World Heritage site.
The theater itself was built in the 3rd Century AD, seats
14000 people, is still used today during the summer for performances, and has AMAZING acoustics. It is said that a coin
dropped in the center of the stage can be heard from the highest seats. I tried to get Mom to sing or Denny to belch,
but no takers. Many people did "take the stage" and read poems or sing while we were at the top, and it really was astounding
how well you could here them, even above the average tourist noise.
Mom and Denny both looked at the size of the theater and
debated about climbing up. It became a "shame game", as neither would let the other go without going themselves.
Didn't want to hear about "well, Denny did it", or "well, Mom did it", so they both ended up going up to the top (really wasn't
that bad, looks a lot worse than it is).
And, our idiot in the group FELL DOWN while descending.
Fortunately, he didn't get hurt, but I think it bruised his pride a little. . . .heehee. Hate to laugh at others misfortunes,
but I did find it a little amusing. . .
After the theater took a quick run through the museum to
see some ancient medical instruments, some preserved parts of the hospital facade, and some statues and heads. . .
Cute rooftop above the entrance to the theater at Epidaurus
What a setting!
It's a big ole theater. . .
Mom makes it to the top, no problemo
The relics on top of relics. . . heehee
Statue of Hippocrates, Father of Medicine at the Museum at Epidaurus
So, that was the end of the tour, hopped back on the bus
and had a nice view of the Saronic gulf for about the first 45 minutes, then I took a snooze as we turned inland. Did
wake up in time to take a picture from the bus of the other side of the Corinth Canal (I was too lazy to walk over there when
we stopped the first time, but Dad did it, so I can always steal his picture. . .). Pretty nice weather most of the
day, never really got too hot, even with all the climbing. Helps to have an air conditioned bus. . .
View along the coastal road of the Saronic Gulf, back to Athens
Catching some Z's on the tour bus, Mom thought I'd be to "proud" to put this up. . . NOT
Called Mike as we arrived back in town and he walked down
to near our subway stop for a quick dinner of fast food pizza and a couple of beers. We were whipped. Mom and
Dad split a Bailey's Irish Cream/Chocolate/Banana crepe for dessert, came home and crashed out.
Slept in a bit on Friday, as our plan was a self-guided (read:
Rachelle guided) trip to Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon. Loyal readers may remember that Mike, Herb and I did
this about 7 weeks ago. Walked down to the bus stop and JUST MADE the 11:30 AM bus. Seriously. We stepped
on and sat down and it dropped into gear about the time our butts hit the seats. Cool.
Once you get out of Athens and down past Glyfalda, it really
is an idyllic drive. The last time we did this, I said, "It sure would be nice to stop at one of these little restaurants
right on the sea for lunch before going up to the Temple", (as there really isn't much to see up at the Temple besides the
Temple, which takes about 40 minutes). Today, we did that!
Resort town on the coast, one of many
Greek dog and greek doghouse, on the side of a hill, kinda in the middle of nowhere. . . odd
Fishing boats along the coast on the way to Cape Sounion
And, it worked out pretty good, as far as having lunch.
Dad and I split the grilled octopus and fried mussels, Denny had the octopus and fried eggplant, Mom had the greek salad .
. . and it was DELICIOUS with a nice seafront view.
If it seems I spent an exorbiant amount of time WRITING ABOUT
FOOD, it's because the food here, as I may have mentioned a thousand time, ROCKS! It is sooooo seriously yummy.
My attractive brother with a mouth full of grilled octopi
We/I was told the busses run from Athens to the Cape every
hour, so we got off the bus about 1:30. While having lunch, we saw another bus go by, well less than an hour into our
lunch. I asked our waiter when the busses usually go by and he said on the "hour and twenty minutes", so we skipped
the bathroom break we kind of needed and rushed over to the bus stop. And sat, and sat, and sat. We didn't even
see a bus coming back from the Cape. We seriously waited for almost an hour for the next bus, which did come at 3:20.
Geez. Bad tour guide, bad, bad. Back on the bus for the 25 minutes more to the Temple, and it was chilly!
First stop - Water Closet! And it was National Museum Day or something like that, so we didn't have to pay to go in,
which was cool.
THINGS I'VE LEARNED I INHERITED FROM MY MOTHER: The
ability to hold my water forever. I always claimed I was part camel. That if I get off my eating schedule, I get
VERY grumpy and must be fed (not that she got grumpy, we were just talking about it).
Waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the bus. . .
Here's that dang temple again. . .
And again. . .
One for the scrapbook
European Vacation - Greece edition
Denny holding up Temple of Posiedon, bad camera angle. . .
Better camera angle with me. . .
Grabbed the 5 PM bus back to Athens, arrived at Syntagma
about 7. Called Mike and he and Herb met us in Psiri at the cute place (they're all cute places, wish I knew their names.
. . ). Again, ATE WELL, and Mom ordered a 'large' wine (which is a liter, the equivalent of almost a bottle), and
pretty much drank it all. What a gal! Possibly another thing I inherited from my Mom! She was in a good
mood when we left. Sent them packing home and Mike, Herb and I went and played darts til 1:30 AM. They needed
to get home, as they went to Delphi today at 8 AM.
Has taken me pretty much the whole of today to get this down,
what between dragging laundry in and out of the rain, ironing, a little grocery shopping, dishes and making pasta salad.
There goes my "free day"!
Dad and the Den are planning on going out to the flea market
in Piraeus tomorrow morning, saving our Hydra trip til Monday on account of rain (not supposed to rain there on Monday).
The weather is sure a LOT cooler when it rains, but the forecast is calling for rain for the better part of the remainder
of the familial stay. . . that's a bummer. We'll see. . . have about as much faith in the Athenian meteorologists as
American ones.
Mom posing outside our cutie restaurant in Psiri
Bring on the FOOD!
Happy Momma, after a liter of white wine. . . she shared. . . a little. . .
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Arrival of Dennis, Metro Strike, and other fun. . .
Den's flight arrived on time, and he made it to the apartment
okay on his own, although the cab driver seemed to have charged him an exorbitant amount of Euro (more on that reason later).
Dad had went down to greet him at the door, but took a walk around the block and missed him. So, when he arrived, I
went down and brought him up, but there was no sight of the Daddy-O. After about ten minutes, I went back downstairs,
hoping Dad wasn't lost, and he was sitting on the stoop across the street. I hollered, "Hey, you want to see your son?",
and he came up. . . Silly Daddy.
Den had bought a bottle of whiskey on the plane, and he seemed
to have consumed a "bit" of that, plus he didn't get much sleep. We gave him a shot of Ouzo, and he was pretty pleasantly
buzzed, but didn't really want to lay down or anything.
Holy Cow! Tell me Denny isn't turning into Dad! A slightly buzzed up Denny tries on the hat. . .
We decided to go to our cheap eats place for gyros (do you
see a pattern here), and then take him around town for a bit.
After lunch, we walked down to the subway station, and it
was CLOSED! Not knowing there was the possibility of a strike (I hadn't bought the paper since Sunday), we walked over
to the station next to the Embassy, and alas, it was closed as well. Uh oh. Now we know why Denny was charged
so much for his taxi ride. . . the rates go up when the metro's on strike!
Being the ambitious people we are, we decided to just walk
on down to Syntagma Square and figure out what to do from there. Leisurely walk down Vassilios Sofias, past all the
Embassies and Museums to Parliament.
Marathon man on the way down to Syntagma Square, made out of green plates of glass
Arrived at Syntagma Square pretty hot and thirsty around
2:30. Grabbed some water and took a break under the trees. Dad wanted to see the changing of the guards (on the
hour), so we rested until just before 3 and walked up and watched this silly ritual. They walk like ostriches!
Took about 10 minutes, and Dad took a video which I tried to post on here for anyone interested, but I think it takes up to
much space, so may or may not be here, and may or may not load. . . .
Waiting for the changing of the guard, and getting Denner sobered up a bit. . . :-)
Finally caught the changing of the guard at Parliament, these guys are strange walkers. . .
Afterwards, we cut through
the National Gardens to Zeus' Temple and Denny caught his first good glimpse of the Acropolis.
The bro and I on the ancient soil around Zeus' Temple
Everyone chilling at Zeus' Temple
Pretty tired by this time, especially Denny as he had walked
off his buzz by now. . . Took about 25 minutes to get a taxi to agree to take us to our neighborhood (for double the normal
price), but hey, we weren't about to walk it back.
Stopped at the Carrefour for a few provisions (basically
beer and salad fixings), came home, washed up the chicken to find it had gone bad in one day in the refrigerator, so off I
went to the store to get more. Finally had fresh chicken to put in the oven and had a nice family meal on the patio.
A good first day for the Denner.
Another meal at home on the terrace. . . and yes, we fed Dad, too. . .
Dad likes the pink light on "our" mountain at twilight
Up and about at a decent time this morning, called a family
meeting to plan the remaining days. Everyone wants to do some field trips out of Athens, but we needed to plan on what,
where and when. So, they are pretty booked up for the remainder of the time.
Tomorrow we are doing an all day tour to Mycenea, Nauplia
(the original capital of Greece), and the Epidaurus Theatre, Friday off to Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon, Saturday
here in Athens, including Lycovittos Hill, Sunday and Monday are interchangeable, depending on the weather, but one day they
will go to Delphi and the other to the island of Hydra. Tuesday we are all off to Corinth for a half day trip and Mom
and Dad leave early Wednesday morning, leaving Den and I to have that day to play catch up on anything else he wants to see,
as he leaves on Thursday morning.
Going to be busy, busy, busy, but I'm glad they are going
to see some "new" things. I should have plenty of pictures of "new" old rocks by the time all is said and done. . .
Weather looks iffy starting tomorrow night. Calling
for three days of rain. I would hate it to rain, but the country surely needs it, treacherous walking around in it,
especially on slippery marble surfaces. Hopefully, they will be wrong as always, or maybe it won't be raining where
we are!
Sent them all off to the Acropolis in the heat this morning,
waiting for the call to meet them for lunch in Thissio, then either all of us will go to the Agora, or just them. . . hard
to say right now. My energy level is a little low. . . their's probably is, too, but I have TWO MORE MONTHS here, as
it looks like the cut date for the project just got pushed another week. Of course, by July I probably won't want to
leave the apartment due to the heat. IT'S STILL HOT!
More adventures and photos as I have the time. . . which
looks to be pretty full!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Orientation, Mother's Day and another Island Expedition
Thursday night Mom and Dad slept like rocks. . . until 11
AM! I actually went up around 10 to see if they were still breathing. Reminded me of when I was a teenager and
used to sleep in til noon on Saturdays. . . made me want to go up there and yell at them to get out of bed, they're sleeping
their lives away (just like they used to do. . . heehee). They must have needed the rest!
Took them to our cheap eats place up the street on the way
to the subway for their first Greek meal in Greece. Mom loves Tziziki now, and we all had gyros for lunch. And,
Dad and I had a couple Alfa beers. Mom gave me a hard time about having beer for breakfast, but HEY, it wasn't MY breakfast,
I'd been up since 8! It was Dad's breakfast, but he didn't get much grief. . . hmmmm. . .LOL. In Mom's defense,
I've always told her I don't drink during the day (and as a rule, I don't), but when I have someone to drink with during the
day, well, WHY NOT!?!?
Got their weekly subway passes and jumped on the train to
Monastiraki for a quick walk around the front of the Ancient Agora and the Acropolis over to my FAVE area in Thissio for a
quick refreshing drink with the second most awesome view in Athens of the Acropolis.
Mom and Dad enjoy a drink with a view in Thissio on their first day
Continued down and around the Acropolis, bypassed Hadrian's
Arch and Zeus' Temple for today, and headed up into the Plaka and around. Did a little browsing, grabbed another pair
of sandals for my sister-in-law Jen (she requested another pair, as she LOVES the ones she got while she was here), bought
some pistachios and just enjoyed the afternoon. Stopped by the post office to get Mom some stamps for her postcards,
took a quick glance at Parliament and jumped the subway home. Went out to Kolonaki to our fave little tavern there for
dinner (otherwise known as Sederis', as he's our waiter there most of the time and we like him!). Then, off to the Red
Lion for some after dinner drinks and darts. Got the parents up to the line for a few games of killer. It was
getting a little late, and they decided they were going to catch the last train back home, so off they went by themselves
to the subway.
Mike, Herb and I stayed for a couple games with our friends
Michael and Costas, but the day was catching up to all of us, so we left shortly after. . . by cab, and caught Mom and Dad
just as they were heading to bed. They didn't believe that we didn't just stalk them home as a test to see if they could
do it on their own. And, they did, with no problem, so we were pretty proud of them!
When I got home, I checked my email and our friend's the
Shooks informed us that my Mom and Dad's friend Luie's Mom had died the day before (she was 96 and had been pretty ill, so
was rather a blessing), but our sympathies go out to their family.
Saturday morning was another slower start, as Mom didn't
get much sleep the night before. Mike had to go into work for 4 or 5 hours so I decided to stroll with them to the National
Gardens, the old Olympic Theater and Zeus' Temple and then decide what the plan was. Nice walk through the gardens,
although it's more like a park/zoo/aviary than finely manicured gardens. But, the weather has been extremely HOT, and
the gardens are shaded and nice, so seemed better than Dad's grandiose plan of climbing Lycovitto's hill, which can kill you
even when the sun is down. So, I gained "Mom points" from saving her from Dad's plan. . .
Itty bitty Mommy and Daddy under the HUGE palms at the National Gardens
Future site of Mike and I's renewal wedding ceremony. . . I think. . . in the National Gardens
While sitting in the shade outside of Zeus' Temple we debated
on whether or not to go in, or wait for the Denner (my brother) to get here, and then go. It felt so good to sit down
in the shade we talked about it for longer than necessary. . . :-), and finally decided to save it. But, we were all
feeling pretty good, and it was still early, so we decided to go over to the backside of the Acropolis and climb up Filopappos
Hill (my ABSOLUTE fave view in Athens of the Acropolis). Grabbed some water and continued on. It's really not that
big of a climb, and most of it is shaded, but the reward is phenomenal! Mom and Dad liked it, too. . . although it's
quite slippery up there and Dad was hanging out on the side of the rocks a little too much for my liking. . . again, I'm starting
to feel like there's some role reversal going on in my life. . . Although I don't think my Dad is quite of the age that I'm
allowed to tell him what to do, it seems I can't help myself! Of course, part of this is how would I explain to
everyone else that I let my Dad fall off the mountain whilst trying to get the perfect photo of the Acropolis!
Hanging out on top of Mount Filopappos with the Acropolis in our background
After climbing down, we decided to go back to the same cafe
we stopped at on Friday for a drink to have a late lunch (very late, it's about 4 PM now). Split a pizza three ways
with a Greek salad starter, and beers (even Mom). Jumped the train back home, where Mike was finishing up some work,
snacked our way through supper time, and then we ALL went back to the bar for more darts. They are showing some improvement!
Grabbed a cab home around 11ish.
Sunday was, of course, MOTHER'S DAY. And, again, VERY
hot. We had kinda pre-planned taking Mom to an island for lunch, and after much debate, decided to go to Aegina, as
a price vs. time on the island thing. Didn't have prepurchased tickets, and on a Sunday this might have been a good
idea (bad me, bad, bad me), but arrived at the port around 11 AM and were able to catch the noon high speed boat, which got
us there around 12:45, in need of lunch!
I am ALL ABOUT the grilled octopus, so we find a nice waterfront
cafe and proceeded to eat our way through fried cheese, crab salad, mussels in a very nice tomato, garlic, feta sauce (they
even took them out of the shells for us), a loaf of bread and mousakka, all washed down with a couple icy cold Mythos.
HEAVEN.
As before, we walked over to the ruins of Apollo's Temple,
but we only had a half hour to go through, as the site closes at 3, but plenty enough time out there in the baking sun.
Dad and Mike hanging out on the ferry
First stop. . . Mother's Day lunch!
What some of us HAD for lunch, albeit grilled. . . . YUMMMMMMM
The Momma and me on Mother's Day in front of Apollo's Temple on Aegina
The Weaz strikes a pose "on top of the world"
Walked through the shady back alleys of Aegina Town, doing
a little shopping, wandering, etc. Dad had tried on a couple Greek Fisherman's Hats in the Plaka the day before, but
finally found the right one. . .Not sure, I may prefer his ballcap with the ponytail, but he looks pretty cute in this one.
. .
Daddy-O gets himself a new Greek Fisherman's Hat. . . .
And, so did Mikey!
And lets Mike try it on. . .
Just ANOTHER quaint little alleyway. . . I can't help myself
Monkeying around while taking a much needed break walking around the island
Moseyed down back to the waterfront, and back out into the
beating sun (did I mention it's like REALLY HOT), and looked around at the church and the boats, and the beach, and saw a
cute bar right out over the water, and decided to have a couple afternooners before jumping the boat back to Athens.
Mom had TWO (count 'em) margarita's, but as it was Mother's Day, we let it slide. . . heehee. We (Dad, Mike and I) sucked
back two cold Heinekens a piece, and back on the boat. NOTE: Although these were the long, tubular ferries that
in the past when we rode them were SUFFOCATINGLY hot, they weren't really bad this time, either way. Nice surprise!
Everyone had a nice day on the island. Happy Mother's
Day Momma!
still loving this cutie little landmark on the ferry pier at Aegina Island
Had planned for (and on) making dinner when we returned,
as I figured we'd be too tired and whipped (and possibly smelly) to go out somewhere. Although everyone insisted
they weren't that hungry, six porkchops, a loaf of bread, a huge salad, and some yummy dessert disappeared quite rapidly.
We ate out on the terrace by candlelight. Very nice. Off to bed. . . whew.
Today Mom and Dad headed off on their own to the Central
Market and to the National Archealogical Museum. I gave them some strict rules to follow, we'll see how they did. .
. They ain't back yet, and it's 4:30. And, the elevator quit working! I myself did shopping, laundry, and
ironing (and of course, this), all day while my lovely Albanian cleaning lady, Mimosa, scrubbed our apartment clean.
I've tried to call them twice (they have Mike's phone), but apparently they can't hear it ring. Just want to make sure
Dad isn't killing Mom by walking her too much. I'm sure he's still inside the museum, in awe. Mom did bring her
book with her, just in case. . .
Tomorrow Denny arrives! Updates on that when I can!
Friday, May 11,
2007
The Parents have Landed
Just in case anyone is checking this site to make sure my
Mom and Dad got here okay, they did. Made it to the apartment at about 11:30, their flight was a little early coming
in.
Dad left/lost his wallet at security in Frankfurt, though.
How convenient, now they have no money. . . heehee. Spent a little time reporting credit cards lost, etc., and then
Dad remembered where his wallet was.
Will try and call them this morning about it. No proof
of life photo yet, but I guarantee they were alive when I dumped them into bed last night.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Next Guests, please!
Sunday night we met up with Frederique's friend Magda's god-daughter
who lives here in Athens. Nice night in Kolonaki, followed by snacks as dinner at home.
Last night was Roger and Frederique's last hurrah, and after
a day at the Central Market and the Museum, we decided to go down to Psiri and find the restaurant I've been wanting to go
to since the first time I walked by.
Psiri is an up and coming area of town filled with Taverna's,
and we have ate down there a couple of times, but never at this ONE PARTICULAR place. I had intended on bringing Chris
and Jen down there, but we never made it, but the Frenchie's got to go! And, me too!
It was as cute as I remembered, and everyone said their food
was great (Mike and I had the same spicy kebab, and it was really good, and spicy), and the prices were very reasonable.
Service fast and good. Just can't tell you the name of it. . . heehee
My cutey cutey restaurant tucked away in Psiri - FINALLY!
The kids mugging for the camera, waiting for food!
The kitschy inside. . . so cute!
The owner just looked to typical, had to take the pic!
So, a good last night. Met a nice couple from Australia,
Hank and Joanne, was going to post their picture, but they didn't turn out so well (sorry you guys, if you are reading).
Their son was married on Santorini (Greek Island) last week, and now are off to England for the reception and then a week
barge trip through France. How cool.
Good to catch up with Roger and Frederique, always a pleasure
to have them.
COMING SOON: Adventures of the parents and the youngest
bro in Greece. . . Stay tuned. . . .
Addendum to May 6, 2007
Omission of Roger
Just got an email from sister Kathee yelling that we didn't
post a picture of Roger. . . He's alive and well, and here's the proof!
There he is, Kathee
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Becoming a Legal Alien, the arrival of the "Frenchies" and a day on Hydra Island
Finally wrapped up the saga of extending my visa on Thursday
morning (and afternoon, truth be told). One of Mike's colleagues, Doug, also needed to go to the Aliens Bureau, so we
met at the Embassy around 8:30. Went and checked our paperwork with Human Resources before we left, and of course, I
needed another letter. Went and had a coffee while they prepared it, finally in the cab to go around 9:30. Our
driver spoke a little English but was not familiar with our destination, until we pulled up in front of the place, and he
says, "This is police station!", to which I replied, as Doug paid him, "Yes, we are coming to bail out my husband,".
He looked slightly startled.
Anyway, through all the rigmarole and chaos, it "only" took
two and a half hours to take our money (464 Euro!) and stamp our passports. The same "helpful" young lady was there
who wouldn't help me last time, and she attempted to tell me, "I was too early," one more time, but I was having NONE of that,
and I think she might have picked up on my seriousness to have this done TODAY. . .
Exasperatingly, there is no number system there. You
just walk in (with the numerous other people there) and swarm the counter. No order, no system, just nuts. Also,
I needed two copies of each of my letters from the Embassy, plus copies of my bank book, so I had to LEAVE the station, go
down the street to a little box on the side of the road, and get photocopies made. For 10 cents a piece. I would
have paid them 50 cents at the station, and there were several photocopy machines there, but OH NO, that would be too easy.
In addition, we were sent to the back of the building to
Counter 1 to pay our money. Obviously, this is were Greeks probably come to pay parking tickets and other minor offenses,
as there was a large counter and waiting room back there. With a LCD display of the number being served, chairs with
backs on them to sit it, and an overall feeling of organization. Thank you, Greek government, for making each little
step in this process for foreigners who want to stay and spend MORE money in YOUR country so easy and friendly. NOT.
BUT, I'm a legal alien now, at least until August 1!
Thursday was also the day (although to be specific, it was
really very early Friday morning), Uncle Roger and Aunt Frederique arrived from Paris. Their plane landed at 11:45,
so we expected them around 1 AM. I was very tired from a late night before, and early, long, and tedious morning at
the Aliens Bureau, but caught a nap between 11 and 12:30 and was "fresh" for their arrival. Chatted for about an hour,
then to bed. No Ouzo for them, just some beer and wine.
Friday morning was beautiful and sunny, so we went off on
a circular tour of downtown Athens. Did a full circle around the Acropolis, they decided to wait until Sunday morning
to go up to the top, and then down to Zeus' Temple. Of course, did some various shopping for sandals, jewelry, postcards,
sunscreen, and hats along the way. By the time we had finished at the temple, we were all in need of lunch, so I walked
them up to Zorba's so Frederique and I could have grilled octopus (same place Chris and Jen and I went while they were here,
and this time was done to perfection!). Roger doesn't care for octopus (putting it mildly), but found their lamb chops
to be delicious.
Walked down through Monastiraki and the Plaka, enjoying the
atmosphere and looking for a place to get ferry tickets to Hydra the next morning. Success, although a slight misunderstanding.
Frederique had read in her guidebook (which is much more recent than mine) there is a new high speed ferry to Hydra that only
takes an hour. We asked about it, and were told, yea, this is what we were getting tickets for, and all the routes were
direct. HOWEVER, we had one stop on the way there, and it took two hours, and the trip back was only an hour and 15
minutes with no stop. NOTE TO SELF AND OTHERS: Let's make sure we get the right tickets next time.
Plus, we were all stunned (especially me, after riding around
Hong Kong on very cheap ferries) at the cost. Round trip it was 43 Euro. . . A PIECE! Dang.
Friday night we had dinner in Kolonaki at our favorite place,
then walked down to The Red Lion for a quick drink and a couple games of darts. Home early, we were all worn out.
View of Parthenon through the trees. . . DUH
Should be spending more time here. . . wonder how this actually translates into Greek
Our boat for Hydra left at 10 AM Saturday, so we were out
the door here at 8:30 AM. Arrived a "bit" early (about 35 minutes), but were able to get on the boat, have a coffee
on board, and just relax.
Hydra is an island in the Saronic Gulf, about 55 miles south
of Athens. Unlike most of the other Greek Islands, there are no cars or scooters allowed, except police and service
vehicles. It is an old island, and used to be quite rich, so the architecture is all very nice, with large private homes
scattered upon the hills.
Very quaint, and we all enjoyed just wandering around, doing
a bit of shopping, enjoying the peace and quiet, watching the ferry, cruise, fishing, and private boats come in and out of
the harbor, and having some eats and beers. We were there for around 5 hours, and it seemed like plenty. Saw
the largest privately owned boat I've ever seen. Was probably over 100 foot. Beautiful. And, a seemingly
extravagent extravagance!
Not really a lot to "see" in Hydra town, although there are
beaches on the other side of the island (accessible by water taxi's, don't know the prices), but a nice place to while away
some hours eating, drinking and shopping (although, like Athens, things seemed quite expensive, but Frederique found
a ring and I found a pair of earrings and a necklace to buy fairly inexpensively).
Hydra Taxi's (does that translate to water taxi?)
Charming Hydra Town. . .
Short break before lunch, Frederique and I, harbor in background (DUH AGAIN)
The piece of rock we had lunch on
Mike and I and the boat we rode in on. . .
Parked Taxi
Typical fishing boat in the harbor
Check out this goof ball. . . Jerry Garcia LIVES
To Jen, with love. . . heehee
Biggest, baddest boat I ever did see. . .
Hydra, like Cyprus and Athens, is overrun with cats. When
we were in Cyprus, we were told the reason for this was snake control. Initially, the island was infested
with snakes, so they imported cats to the island to kill them. And, they did. But, as cats will do, they reproduced
to a problematic proportion.
While we were having drinks, Frederique got itchy feet
and went on a little walk. When she came back she told us of a window around the corner where there was a mommy cat
and five kittens. Roger and I walked over there to see them, and three out of five had SEVERE eye infections, and two
were fully blind. And, one was a monster. It's been a while since I took a disturbing photo and posted, so if
you are a huge lover of cats, and can't stand to see them suffering, don't click this link, but if you are like my youngest
brother, who will probably put this on his refrigerator, go ahead and look. It's basically a advertisement for why you
should spay your animals. This poor little kitten.
Stopped at our little local cheap eats place (I STILL don't
know the name) for a quick dinner, then grabbed some cold brewskies at the party store while Roger and Frederique browsed
the pastry store on the corner and Frederique had some ice cream. Everyone tuckered out.
A little cooler this morning, so Roger and Frederique headed
for the Acropolis, some shopping in the Plaka and hopefully, time allowing, the Archealogical Museum. We are meeting
a god-daughter of a friend of Frederique's for drinks in Kolonaki tonight at 6. Don't know what the plan is for dinner,
as I've been WAY too busy to get to the Carrefour (it's closed today). Tried last night, but they were already closed.
All for now! For Mom and Dad and Denny, the weather
is definitely heating up! Whew. Was much cooler on the island, but is quite warm here in Athens today!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Of Earliness, Elevators, Eczema, and Extraneous Images
EARLINESS:
Before I forget to admit to this (I promised Mike, Chris,
Jen and Herb I would put this on the website), you may remember last week Thursday we went to the Badminton Theater
to see "Jesus Christ, Superstar", which, incidentally, I also forgot to review for you. Okay, first the review (from
my perspective): It was pretty good. I had forgotten the play was entirely portrayed through song, however.
And I enjoyed the second half much more than the first. The production company that brought it here did it a little
differently than it's original. If you've seen the original, you know everyone was protrayed as hippies and flower children.
This was more industrial/grunge/gothic in costume, setting, and scenery.
Herb had never seen the play, but we were joking around,
and I said to him, "You know how this ends, right?", and he says, "Yea, I read the book,". Was funny. (FYI - If
you've never seen the play, it ends with Jesus dying on the cross. No resurection scene, just, "It is finished").
ANYWAY, the thing I promised to tell you was I made us all
an hour early to the play. You see, I have some kind of mental block when it comes to military time. Now, obviously,
I know how it works, but for some reason if you say 21:00 to me, I have to stop and think. . . HARD. . . about what time that
actually is. When we originally talked about going to the play, we were going to go on the weekend, and because they
do two productions on Saturdays and Sundays, the times are different than during the week. So, on Sat and Sun, the play
starts at 8. In HUGE numbers on our tickets, it says 21:00, but me, being military time challenged and basically an
idiot, just assumed (and we all know what that means) it was at 8. We raced through dinner (at the Chinese/Greek place
in the basement of our building), and because we were walking and didn't know exactly how long it would take to get there,
we "lit a shuck"* (explanation on that one in a minute) out of there , and got to the theater at 7:45. There were a
few people around, but not many.
When I had went to buy tickets, there were lots and lots
of seats available, so at this point I am attributing the lack of people there to two things. 1. The Greeks are
inordinately late for everything, and 2. They didn't sell many tickets for the show. Well, Jen and I needed to
use the bathroom, which was downstairs where they admit you to the theater, so an usher begrudgingly let us down there, and
as we exited the bathroom, we were immediately told by another usher, "You are not allowed down here right now!", so we scampered
back upstairs.
But, I'm thinking, "Curtain is in less than 10 minutes, why
aren't they seating us?", so Chris goes and asks, and they tell him, "Curtain is at 9 PM,". And, of course, it IS, because
that is what 21:00 MEANS! FOOL!
I did this to us in Bali, too. Made us four hours early
to the airport instead of two. I am no longer in charge of interpreting military time.
To make up for it, I did buy us all a round of beer to idle
away the time. And, in perfect Greek style, the curtain went up at 9:20. . .
*"lit a shuck"- Our dear friend Herb, being from Alabama,
is full of southern colloquialisms like this. Apparently, if you are trying to get somewhere in a hurry, or sometimes
just leaving someplace, you "light a shuck out of here", or "He lit a shuck home". It comes from "olden days" (READ:
pre-flashlights, or cars, or whatever) when they would light a corn husk to see their way home. Anway, he says it occasionally
and it never fails to crack me up. Other personal favorites are, "Well, golly-bum," and "diddybop", as in "I diddybopped
on over there," (seems Herb does a lot of this diddybopping). Also, Herb never takes or brings anyone or anything anywhere,
he is forever "carrying" them or it. As in, "I carried my family out for dinner last night,". Now, I promise,
I'm not making fun of Herb, or even of how he talks. I just get a kick out of some of the things that come out of his
mouth!
Okay, that was a long and drawn out explanation of being
early to the play. . .
ELEVATORS:
We live in a fairly old building, with a fairly old elevator.
It is posted on the outside of the elevator and on the inside, not to have more than three people or 250 kg (around 550 pounds
for the metrically impaired) in the elevator at a time. Now, in the 7 weeks we've lived here the elevator has been fully
operational, as far as we know. HOWEVER, after walking Chris and Jen up to the President's Hotel for their cab ride
to the airport at 2 AM on Tuesday morning, upon my return the elevator was broke. Now, we just rode it down not 20 minutes
prior. Apparently, us three and their luggage weigh more than 550 pounds (a rather scary thought indeed, I'm blaming
it on the olive oil). So, I got to walk up six flights of curving stairs in utter darkness. To the buildings credit,
it was up and running when Mike left at 7:30 AM for work. Make note of this, future guests!
ECZEMA:
Sometimes I have a slight case of eczema on my index fingers
and elbows. Definitely an adult onset thing, and definitely not chronic, but somewhat reoccuring. Obviously, something
here in Athens, be it the water, the air, the weather, I don't know, is making it flair up quite painfully on my right elbow.
I went to the pharmacist about three weeks ago, looking for
some hydrocortisone cream, as this usually takes care of the problem. The pharmacist (and no, not the HUNKY HUNKY one),
told me in Greece they do not sell hydrocortisone, but sold me something different they use for eczema. For about 4
Euro. When I got home, I googled it, and the NUMBER ONE INGREDIENT in it is hydrocortisone. Okay, whatever.
But, it hasn't really been working well. So, yesterday, I stopped into a different pharmacy (they are everywhere!) and
talked to the pharmacist there (and old, fat man), who recommended Elidel. I go to pay for it, and it was 42 EURO!
Golly bum, it better work!
EXTRANEOUS IMAGES:
I made copies of most of the pictures Chris and Jen took
while they were here, and here's a couple to share (all photo credits to them, except the last shot, which is SO GOOD I need
the credit - NOT).
A great picture down from the Acropolis looking at Zeus Temple on a much clearer day than my photo
Three card monty game on the street in Psiri, Chris identified the shill and the lookout. Pic by Jen
Taking a break on the way up Lycovittos Hill for dinner Saturday night.
Remember those lamb's heads from the market? Here they are on a BBQ spit on Aegina! YUCK!
One of many, MANY animal shots Jen took, this one on Aegina
This is particularly funny, as our friends Pat and Molly have a book called "The Field Guide
to Shopping Carts" or something like that which features shopping carts abandoned in odd settings. Yes, a strange book
indeed, but also strange to have a shopping cart on our roof. The explanation seems to be it's for transporting the
laundry from the machine to the line. . . Okay. I would have LOVED to see them get this thing up here!
