Athens

I’m quite a few blogs behind here. Wireless is somewhat scarce, internet is a mite pricey and my funds have been running low so bear with me the next couple days and I'll try to catch up~

Athens is quite charming. I spent a few days in the city, took a tour, ran around and pretty much had a great time. The climate here is so much like San Diego, just a little greener scenery. I stayed in a hostel just beside the Acropolis, which made for a nice view, especially at night. There are more stray dogs in this city than I have ever seen. But the beautiful thing is that the dogs LOVE tourists and hate the Greeks. The Greeks are mean to the dogs whilst the tourists are nice and stop to pet them, etc. Each night, I went out with a group of people and every time 2-3 dogs followed us, nay- escorted us to the restaurant, discotech- wherever. And every time they sat and waited (sometimes hours) to escort us back home to the hostel. They bark at passing cars and Greeks whenever they’re in close proximity. It’s fabulous. My favorite dog was one- Zeus; he had one eye and was burly, but absolutely friendly!

I’d heard a lot of horror stories about Athens in terms of crime, drugs, poverty. But, I think I chose wisely when I decided to stay in the central, more upscale part of the city because my experience was only positive. I did see one heroine junky who kept collapsing on a street corner, but that's about it. Aside from that, I visited the old ruins of the temple of Zeus, the original stadium of the ancient Olympic Games, walked the Agora and the old streets of Socrates and Plato (something that was really significant and important to me). And of course, I went up to the Acropolis and saw the Parthenon, which is under heavy restoration but still so freaking cool!

The food in Athens was divine. I never knew gyros could be so damn good, or so much better than what I’ve had in the States. Upon coming to Greece, I eat at least a gyro a day (that’s y-e-r-o, Mom, not Jiro) partially because they are so cheap- under 2 euros, mang- but also because they are so insanely addictive, healthy, wholesome, Godlike... however you want to describe ‘em. Greek Salads are awesome. They are served without lettuce, only: tomato, cucumber, onion, olive and oh the feta- which is totally different from feta in the states, not crumbly but served solid and somewhat creamier. Greek olives are really tasty too. You were right Dad, when you said that one day I would come to like raw onions. I was so defiant, and I never would’ve believed it, but almost everything here is served with raw onions and I’ll admit I’ve become a fan. How very much alike we are; it scares me.