Athens

Land of Ouzo and great food!
This picture goes out to JMFC, for all the obvious reasons.



Athens has a bit of a reputation for being a rather polluted and boring city to visit, but our five days here were very enjoyable. The Acropolis and all the rather obvious targets were great, but in addition to all that, the food was fantastic, streets clean and people overwhelmingly friendly. The olympics made a rather solid mark on the city, and I think that made a big difference in our stay.

Like we said, the people were extremely friendly, with one exception of a rather angry homeless man who attempted to engage in 'aggressive negotiations' (fistfight) with Brad. In response, Brad took on the typical Canadian defense of being quite friendly and smiling a lot, though was preparing for what has become his traditional holiday rumble. Just in the nick of time though, a half dozen shop keepers came streaming out of their stores screaming at the man and chased him off. They all apologized profusely for being bothered by him and said that not to worry, as they were there to help us.

The Acropolis was in the process of being extensively restored. So much so that entire temples had been taken offsite and were still in the process of being 'rebuilt'. The Parthenon was getting a major overhaul, rectifying the previously disasterous 'restorations' of the 1930's. Platium wedges, newly carved pentatic marble and a great deal of care are being used to repair the ravaged building to it's former glory. Cranes and scaffolding don't make great postcards, but we were glad to see these incredible places finally getting the attention they deserved.

Fast Fact: The death mask of 'Agamemnon' was orginally filled with chocolate.

The museums here were drop dead spectacular, and we actually able to participate in the designing of the New Acropolis museum - meant to hold all of the objects of the Acropolis, including the controversial 'Lord Elgin Marbles'. A small building to the left of the construction site has some small temporary exhibits displayed in a variety of different lighting, labelling and case variations. An archeologist interviewed us afterwards about our preferences and feedback - refreshing stuff!

Lord Elgin was the British ambassador to Greece in the very early 1900's and still written/spoken about with barely concealed rage by all of the museums in Athens. He was basically a good old boy of imperialism, and claimed everything of value or beauty for Britain - most of which are in the British museum. As a result of this, a deep distrust of foreigners in museums is still evident, with up to four curators per room clicking their tongues in annoyance.

A rather frisky 'Pan' makes a move on 'Aphrodite', who goes to slap him with her sandle. A guide pointed out that everyone was smiling and having a good time though. Equally frisky were the Ancient Greeks, who had a bit of a penchant for 'erotic pottery', which provided Brad with no end of amusement.

Behold! Temple of Zeus, 700 years in the making, versus Anette, only 22 years in the making. An absolutely jaw dropping temple, this must have been quite the place back in the day. The Parthenon looked downright small when we compared the two. Only 14 of the original 110 columns remain standing, but even that was of a staggering size.

The food was great, but even better was the dessert. A 75 year old chocolate shop staffed with white gloved Greek ladies helped us out. To make sure we were eating a balanced diet, we bought some orange slices covered in chocolate.

This is Tom. He's in the shadows behind Anette there cradling an old rocket launcher, nursing an enourmous bottle of scotch and wearing a flak helmet. A handy pair of military binoculars allow him to lavciously compliment the fine women of Greece even at a distance.



He's a bit of fixture here, and even our lonely planet book mentions him by name. He's an Northern Irishman who served in the UK army down in Africa for 6 years before leaving (or being asked to leave!) and joining an Israeli security unit. He became unpopular with that government ten years ago and was deported to Greece. I think he's been drinking on that sidewalk ever since.

We told him we were from Canada, which got a big laugh and a 'bullshit' out of him. 'Even these Californian girls with their big --ts and rubber lips say they are Canadian.' Sad but true. Tom isn't the first person to look at us doubtfully, and I've spotted and heard quite a few 'fake Canadians' myself. A bit frustrating on the whole.

The Athens flea market was worth a look. Gild framed Acropolis paintings, mopeds and pith helmets made it an interest place to wander around. If it weren't for the cost of shipping, we could have decorated the new apartment!

We're off on a 'Superfastferry' to the quiet Greek Island of Folegandros, where mopeds of furious power will be rented and seagulls molested. Are YOU prepared for the action?