I know I am prone to motion sickness so as a precaution I'm rocking some seabands, so hoping I'll have a cool seaband tan. I just ordered a cappaccino latte because I knew it'd have milk so I figured I'd just add sugar. It's aight.
I just realized that if I write my posts while they are happening I can take pictures to match. So this will have images!
Yesterday was good. Since our hotel in Tolo was near the beach and beaches are, you know, part of the Greek experience, we had a lazy start.
Yesterday was good. Since our hotel in Tolo was near the beach and beaches are, you know, part of the Greek experience, we had a lazy start.
Spent two hours on the beach before heading off to Epidaurus, which was way cooler than I expected. The acoustics really are great and I really love climbing things. Climbing things here makes me feel badass, too, because it's all marble, which is really slick, so you're basically sliding all over the steps and could basically die if you have bad balance.
OK, joking about the dying part. At first I thought it was just my rainbows failing me, but then I noticed everyone, including people in sneakers and "hiking" sandals, were slipping all over the Acropolis. So it's just the marble. And that was dry!
It's the dust that slips on the cool surface. Wonder how slick it is wet? Does it actually rain in Athens? We had a few clouds yesterday and it was surprising.
Anyway, Epidaurus actually had a large archaeological site besides the theater, which surprised me because all the books talk about JUST the theater. The site was pretty cool, too, but I am a bit ancient-sited out, unless it involves climbing, like the theater or the fortress in Nafplio, which I will return to one day sans my mother and navigate to the tippy top. I will. You wait. Anyway.
After Epidaurus we headed back to Athens which I navigated flawlessly without directions until I got off the highway just a bit before Athens, in a town like 15 km from Athens that LOOKED like a city. So my flawless internal GPS failed me. Once. In a country that doesn't label streets (no, seriously, these were the google map directions -- WHAT ROUNDABOUT?) and with someone signs only in Greek. Which, you know, doesn't use Latin characters. You know. I think the "th" is φ?
Guys, I just had to install the Greek keyboard to get that and that's dangerous. OK, then what. Then we went to our hotel near Piraeus Port for today's ferry ride.
Piraeus is not as...well-groomed?...as Athens. Lots of trash. Our hotel was nice, though, and dinner was delicious. Nothing exciting...a turkey burger and fries. I wanted to make sure I'd look good in my bathing suit today, you know. I also had Belgian beer!!! The best. Framboise lambic. Wish they sold it more Amurrica.
Today I got up at 5:30. I needed coffee, so I paid 5 euros for the hotel breakfast and ate a toast and drank two cups of coffee by myself while my mom finished getting ready and I felt badass eating by myself. That is all. I did. And now here we are.
Here are some general observations:
1) I passed someone in a no passing zone. Ha!
2) There were cops on the highway yesterday! What
3) The speed limit is 120 km on the highway, which is LOVELY. The highway. It's a toll road, but seriously great! It was like 5-7 euros overall for tolls? Not bad. But gas was like 80 euros. I allotted for that but we can't complain about gas prices in the US when Europeans pay that. What! We were driving a Hyundai accent, so it's not like it uses much gas.
OK, joking about the dying part. At first I thought it was just my rainbows failing me, but then I noticed everyone, including people in sneakers and "hiking" sandals, were slipping all over the Acropolis. So it's just the marble. And that was dry!
It's the dust that slips on the cool surface. Wonder how slick it is wet? Does it actually rain in Athens? We had a few clouds yesterday and it was surprising.
Anyway, Epidaurus actually had a large archaeological site besides the theater, which surprised me because all the books talk about JUST the theater. The site was pretty cool, too, but I am a bit ancient-sited out, unless it involves climbing, like the theater or the fortress in Nafplio, which I will return to one day sans my mother and navigate to the tippy top. I will. You wait. Anyway.
After Epidaurus we headed back to Athens which I navigated flawlessly without directions until I got off the highway just a bit before Athens, in a town like 15 km from Athens that LOOKED like a city. So my flawless internal GPS failed me. Once. In a country that doesn't label streets (no, seriously, these were the google map directions -- WHAT ROUNDABOUT?) and with someone signs only in Greek. Which, you know, doesn't use Latin characters. You know. I think the "th" is φ?
Guys, I just had to install the Greek keyboard to get that and that's dangerous. OK, then what. Then we went to our hotel near Piraeus Port for today's ferry ride.
Piraeus is not as...well-groomed?...as Athens. Lots of trash. Our hotel was nice, though, and dinner was delicious. Nothing exciting...a turkey burger and fries. I wanted to make sure I'd look good in my bathing suit today, you know. I also had Belgian beer!!! The best. Framboise lambic. Wish they sold it more Amurrica.
Today I got up at 5:30. I needed coffee, so I paid 5 euros for the hotel breakfast and ate a toast and drank two cups of coffee by myself while my mom finished getting ready and I felt badass eating by myself. That is all. I did. And now here we are.
Here are some general observations:
1) I passed someone in a no passing zone. Ha!
2) There were cops on the highway yesterday! What
3) The speed limit is 120 km on the highway, which is LOVELY. The highway. It's a toll road, but seriously great! It was like 5-7 euros overall for tolls? Not bad. But gas was like 80 euros. I allotted for that but we can't complain about gas prices in the US when Europeans pay that. What! We were driving a Hyundai accent, so it's not like it uses much gas.
4) You can't flush toilet paper. Nope.
Not allowed. You throw it in the trash can. I am SO BAD AT THIS and keep accidentally tossing it in the toilet. Why am I so bad at this? I am a terrible American. I am sorry, Greece. I am sorry I am clogging your bad plumbing with my toilet-tossing-instincts.
5) There were tons of orange trees along the road to Nafplio.
6) Two hotels so far have provided qtips and cotton balls (or pads, swabs, whatevs), which I think is fab because I need the pads for my face wash and because I am obsessed with qtips. American hotels, get on this train.
7)I could think of more, probably, but I want to drink my cappaccino latte thing and stare at the ocean. I will post this in Paros with pics.
For now I leave you with the image if me asking random gas state attendants (it's not self serve here) and patrons where Athens is.
"Do you speak English?"
"Yes" shrug, smile
"Which way is Athens?"
"...um."
"Like, which direction?"
Points in a general direction. "There? Ask someone."
I guess giving dumb Americans driving directions isn't part of the English instruction in school. Oop!
This is why I don't drive without my phone.
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