Akropoli

Circling the Parthenon, it's a beautiful day in Athens. There are fighter jets and dozens of other military aircraft zooming past our heads. I suppose this is all part of the Independence celebration, or so we've been told.

There are hundreds and hundreds of people swarming all over the Acropolis. It's hard to imagine what this place would look like in high season. It's even harder to imagine what the Acropolis would have looked like centuries ago. What has survived time and is still intact is remarkable. Even so, putting the entire picture together is no easy task.
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Hard Rockin' in Athens

The rain hasn't subsided, so we declared today a 'museum day.' We just finished at the Benaki Museum, which was suggested by our new friend, the math teacher. It really was a spectacular museum, and a tour through history.

We're now at the Hard Rock Cafe, or, as I like to call it, the American Embassy in Athens. I know, we should be eating more lamb and pita while we're here, but the thought of the Legendary 10oz Burger (here called the Legendary 280g Burger), quesadillas, and free refills was far too tempting to pass up.

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Raining in Athens

It's raining in Athens, on Independence Day, no less. But there's a silver lining to this cloud (again, no pun intended): the same storm that is drenching us in Greece will be bringing us fresh snow for our ski trip in the Dolomites.

Our hotel in Athens has more than made up for the disappointment of the weather. The bathroom is larger than our entire bedroom at Santa Chiara and the beds are Athens' only 'American Style' double beds with goose down feathers in no short suply. Also, I almost forgot to mention the we can see the Acropolis from our balcony; not too bad.

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To Athens

"Attention please. All passengers are informed that the ship is ready to sail."
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Going Nowhere Fast

We've made it on the ferry, which is more like a cruise ship than the ferries that run in Galveston, and have been told that we'll wait in port until the weather improves.
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So long, Santorini

The clouds are rolling in and we're rolling out. When we got wind (no pun intended) of the coming storm, we gave our notice to our innkeeper that we wouldn't be needing our last two nights. With just a little screaming in Greek over the telephone, the manager on duty told us we were free to go.

We're off to Athens now, waiting at the ferry terminal in Thira. We'll now have a few extra days to see the ancient city. We met a math teacher on our sailing excursion yesterday who was bringing a group of his students through Greece to his family's home in Cyprus. When he heard that we would have 2 days in Athens, he was eager to give us his list of things to see.

After we returned from our trip to the volcano with the math teacher and had a beer at the old port, he arranged for (and paid for) donkeys to take us back up the cliff. We'd taken a cable car on the way down; the donkeys were more fun.

Thira was great. Of course, I wish we had more time, but there's no fighting the weather. The black sands at Kamari and the hike to the red sand beach at Akrotiri and the sail out to the volcano and swimming through the freezing water to the hot springs were all memorable experiences.

What I might miss most, though, is the food: it's healthy, delicious, and cheap. I can hardly think of a better meal than lamb or pork cooked for hours on a spit stuffed into a pita with veggies, french fries, and Tzatziki (a concoction of yogurt, cucumber, and garlic).

It looks like the ferry might be arriving soon. More on Thira later.

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To Athens

We're checked in and ready to board our flight from Venice to Athens. For this first trip to Athens, at the beginning of our spring break, we won't see much of the city. The plan is to wake up early and head for our ferry to Santorini. We aren't entirely sure about when or how often these ferries leave, but I imagine that's something we'll soon figure out.

At the end of our week in Greece, when we return to Athens, we should be able to see more of the city.
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We're on a EuroStar train to Venice, and just now passing through the Bologna station. To borrow a phrase from Ferris Buler, "If you have the means, I highly recommend it." The window shades are automated, there are reading lamps and leg room, and tables and bar service. It almost seems like a waste to sleep on a train like this.

I have 16 days' clothes with me, having packed for four days in Venice, a week in Greece, and few days of skiing in the Dolomites.

Updates to follow...

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