The Last Leg

So Athens was our last stop on the trip.  Traci and I planned almost 3 full days there thinking we'd need that much time to see everything.  I am glad we did because not only is it so hot you want to die, but The Acropolis was closed on Sunday.  Had we allowed only 2 days we would have missed it.  Why was it closed you ask?  Oh, because the workers went on strike.  Ya, just closed for the day.  Open tomorrow.  Wiered but so typical of Europe.

Anyway, we took a 4 hour VODAFONE ferry from Mykonos to Athens and arrived shortly after 2.  Our trip had run smoothly from the beginning.  No lost reservations, no injuries or deaths (save the nearly fatal donkey ride), no stolen items or missing limbs.  So all in all it was EXTREMELY smooth.  Well since we hadn 't slept the night before (stayed out dancing all night in Mykonos), navigating the streets of Athens proved to be a little more cumbersome.  Desaree was barely standing, Hilary was wasting away without food, Traci was melting from the heat and I encompassed all three of those things.  It was awful all the way around.  So much so that it was almost comical.  We were barely standing yet had to manage a 45 minute trip through the city.

We got really lost looking for hostel and there was no Thor to carry Hilary's bags.  Every time I turned around Desaree was falling farther and farther behind.  She looked like a dying turtle with her green pack weighing her down.  HIlary could barely roll her bag through the narrow streets of Plaka and Traci was trying desperately to read the map and having little success.  We wandered and wandered.  We whimpered.  We staggered.  We stopped.  We swayed.  But one thing we did not was find the hostel.   It was misterable.  But finally, FINALLY we were able to get our bearings and finally arrived at the Student Traveller's Inn in the area of PLAKA.

Having no sleep in our systems we walked the 4 flights to our room and collapsed into bed.  Getting to our beds proved to be quite tricky as the room had two bunks only 2 feet apart.  I am not sure how they squeezed these two beds into a 9x9 room.  And we had our backs to boot.  But we didn't care.  We stripped down to practically nothing and quickly became unconcious for the next 5 hours.

We finally woke up at 9 pm and decided we needed to eat.  Entering the street we were met with a HOARD of people.  They were everywhere.  The once silent cafe's now bustled with activity.  Music played, plates clinked, people laughed and I was quickly reminded how Europeans dine.  Slowly and gracefully.  And late at night.

I love this about Europe.  They hybernate in the day because it's so miserably hot and then wait to eat until almost 10 at night.  This usually take 2-3 hours and consists of a cover (bread), with oil and vineager, wine, food, and of course, lots and lots of smoking.  Everyone in Europe smokes.  It's crazy.  And there's no A/C anywhere so everyone sits outside.  In the evenings it's lovely because it's finally cool.

Athens is actually quite dirty and possess almost no charm.  But at night, when the sun goes down and it's dark, you can't see the smog which hovers above the city.  You can't see the grafitti that covers almost every building.  You can see the rows of apartments, packed in like too many white socks in a drawer.  All you can see is winding streets with little shops.  Cafe's with candle light dinners.  You feel an almost cool breeze and you see clean ,refreshed local and tourists enjoying life.  You see The Acropolis in all it's majesty, lit from every corner and it looks like something out of a movie.  You stop and think, 'Thousands of years ago, people dined here and looked in awe upon this place'.  And you realize how small you really are.  How life is but a breath and soon others, hundreds of years from now, will stand where you stand and think the same thought you are having at this moment.

At night, Athens reminds me of a slightly less popular Paris.  A wannabe if you will, but something that comes acceptably close.  The Greeks are beautiful and warm people.  They love that have tried to learn their language and I am certain most would take you in and feed you should the need ever arise.  The Greeks are loving and friendly.  They smile alot.  More than other countries I've seen.  To me, to be Greek is to be great.  Hilary, I am jealous.  Your tribe is just perfect.

And Athens, although dirty, and a place I would NEVER visit again in summer, is a place, like many other European cities, where life happens.  I am convinced the Europeans live longer and healthies lives, despite their smoking and poor health, because the take time to live.  They laugh, the eat together, the talk.  They just live.  Someday we as Americans might want to think about adopting this idea ever so slightly.  I know I already have.  That's why I am here.

So Athens was spectacular.  The time spent with my girlfriends was irreplacable.  It was a prefect way to spend the last few days of our trip.  I was desperately sad to leave the girls as I packed my things the night before.  As my alarm rang at 4 a.m. I grabbed my things and kissed the girls goodbye.  now I am here in Istanbul ready for my next adventure.