Athens, Greece: Day One and Two

All right! Here we are! Our flight on Saturday went very smooth, transfers were good, and we even got our luggage and a taxi relatively quickly after touching down. It's a little overwhelming, as everything is in Greek, but there's plenty of English on signs and stuff. Also, many of the shop owners know English...but we are trying to speak a little too. We have used 'parakalo' (please) and 'efkharisto' (thank you).

It's pretty hot here. In the 90s/100s. We had the afternoon yesterday to ourselves, so we walked around an area of town called "Plaka" which is known for its shopping. The streets are small and crammed with stores left and right (no cars in this area). Parts of the city are dirty, though, and we've seen a few beggars, etc. There was also a flea market going on here too, which Brent and I passed through quickly...most of it's junk from people's garages. Makes me think of some Saturday mornings here.

The hotel is nice, except Brent and I couldn't figure out how to turn the lights on. We called down to the front desk and asked how to do it. Very humbling. Turns out you put your card in a card reader right by the door and leave it there...that's what keeps the lights on. Also, the shower head is one of those funky European deals that blasts the water out really hard and peels your skin off. Although, yours truly did figure out the trick to it this morning. Skin is completely intact.

So....day two...still really hot here. High of 109 yesterday. About the same today. We are sweating through clothes like crazy and taking two showers a day. This morning, we started with a bus tour of Athens, then a walking tour of the Acropolis. There were a lot of people and rocks...not to mention the Parthenon - huge temple for Athena. But it was still very awe-inspiring. I really don't even have the words to describe it.

Then we went to the National Archaeological Museum. We saw lots of sculptures and vases dating 400-500 B.C. As soon as I finish here, we're going to try to squeeze in a trip to the Turkish Baths. Tonight we get a fancy dinner and to see some Greek folk dancing.

We start a three-day bus tour tomorrow, and computer access will prolly be limited. We'll be seeing Delphi, Olympia, Mycenae, Epidaurus, and Napflio before heading out to do some island-hopping for another three days. So until then...see ya.