267.April 9

Athens, Greece

Lars bought breakfast. Becca and I slept in a little, and then she took a shower. I had many dreams all night that were strange (Acropolis stuff). I didn't get to take a shower. At 11:00 we descended from our pensione after much confusion about what to do. We climbed the hill a little behind us and found a beautiful view. We stored our bags in the bus station (difficult, outside of a hotel room) and then climbed the castle mount. It was very high and huge, and gave us a beautiful view, the best anywhere. The plants are allowed to grow there, so it smells wonderful. There's a strong wind today.

POSTCARD: We spent our second night in Nafplion. The castle on the hillside was incredible. The city is on a peninsula, and on the hillside was the strongest wind sweeping up at us from a dark blue sea. There were wild flowers, like daisies and poppies all over, and lizards.

In the morning we had breakfast there with a kitty. Then the hike up those steps, which was very tiring, and we had to pay a small amount at the top, but it was entirely worth it for the best view I had ever seen. Then we took a bus to the outdoor theatre at Epidaurus, where we had a picnic on the seats. We caught the 17:15 train to Athina.

That night, we made our way to the Plocka, where the restaurants and hostels are most prevalent. After some tired unhappy searching through the muck of Athens, we found a dorm-type room that all three of us could sleep in, with six beds in all. The super looked like a real scum, but he was nice and the place didn't smell too bad (except in the bathroom where you had to throw used toilet paper in the garbage, not flush it). I took a hot shower (no cold water at all, burning hot) and then we all went out to eat. First, Lars and I had gyros. Yum. It was good lamb and excellent tomatoes. Then we had Greek salads and retsina at a very well decorated (great colors) restaurant, with big wine barrels painted with Greek myths. The salads were drown in a heavy olive oil, which was not to my taste, and the olives were the strongest I've ever had. We roamed around the other restaurants up near the acropolis, which was glowing in the night. There was lots of live music from the streets. Then we went to bed.

POSTCARD: We took a train to Athens. We ate so many gyros, and drank retsina (white wine stored in pine resin sealed barrels, so that it tastes like the resin) and ate Greek salads. Athens is dirty, but the Acropolis sits in view from almost any point. You can sit outside at a cafe and look at almost the oldest monument in the world, and definitely the best known.

1994

I motorcycled to work today in the 35 degree weather. I was dressed very warmly in my balaclava and leather pants, so I was not cold, but it was very refreshing.

2010