Trying to get home...Greece: Day 3

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I didn't want to wake up again late today since it was our last day in Greece. We found out from Dean that because of the whole Greek Orthodox 'Christian Thing' and he did use "air quotes" Saturday Night everything shuts down early to prepare for the dya of rest kind of thing. He then asked if me and Rose were sisters--the finny thing is we were just talking about how we wondered if people thought we were sisters. We slept through the 8 oclock alarm but were and out of there by 10. What sucks is that I had to carry my backpack around the city all day. At this point, it had to be 30 pounds with everything I bought. We got on the metro and headed to the Acropolis.

It was beautiful out, warm and sunny. We met an American couple here for the week from Houston. They commended our smart decision to wait until Sunday to come becuase it's free entry. Walking up the path to the Acropolis I couldn't belive how lucky we got. We came during off season and the weather was still lovely

The first big ancient thing we came to was the Amphetheatre. It was still so intact--and to think nowadays after 5 or 6 years a house is 'old' and needs work. I wish I could have gone down into it. It looks like you should have been able to becuase there were hand rails installed in it. I doubt they had metal or aluminum back then. This was also one of the only things there that didn't have scaffolding all around it. Coming up to the parthenon wasn't as spectacular as I was hoping it would be. It did feel very Indiana Jones in a way. My backpack on my back, wind blowing my hair --I was tired and weary. I just climbed up a mountain to get to the fortress I've been waiting to explore for years and...where is it? OOOOOooooohhhh....Is it those chunks of marble I can kind of see under all the metal scaffolding? At least it wasn't also covered in tarps!

We came at just the wrong time of day. School groups and tourists hurded around us in dozens. Young couples on vacation, older couples sitting on a bench...if you listen carefully you can hear most languages. Everyone is taking pictures and drawing in sketch books. Now a days you know that in a matter of hours facebook and travelblogs everywhere will be updated. The scaffolding took away that instant gratification of awe but when you walked through these buildings, you can't mask the splendor and history. Acropolis is a hill amidts the city giving another 360 degree view. From there I saw the 'hill' we calimbed just two days earlier. I was amazed at how tall it really was. After a few (maybe 100) pictures Rose and I headed back to town I'm not sure what building it was, however you could walk through it ant it was what you saw before the Parthenon. Walking through there on the way out was when I was struck by the presense of history. I was standing looking out at this amaing view where some famous and powerful Greek gods and rulers stood before me. At 19 years old I was transformed back thousands of years. Standing in the same spot as though in a different dimention I could feel their power and presence. I doubt however, they were forced along by a few hundred other people under scaffolding. They grumbles of those stuck behind me snapped me back to 2007. They wern't as entranced and impressed with the unseen as I was apparently. Rose was ready to go home and my bag was getting heavier and heavier so we opted out of seeing the temple of Aeus which saddened me. We headed back to the shopping centers. Rose insisted upon going in every jerlery shop--or shop with jewelry looking at every necklas and bracelet and ring..and ...and...and....that was rubbing my last nerve. THey all looked the same to me. But I know my short string with people so I druged along. Nothng really amazing caught our eyes--I mean everything was nice but it was a lot of the same stuff. We ate at a little cafe and I got a Greek salad...nothing in comparison to the one we got that first day... We zoomed past some cool stores after that in search of a toilet for Rose--Greek Cuisine was not for her. It was in a Jewler's shop she found a place to go. I mingled with the locals slightly impressed on hearing my story of majors and travels. Back on the shopping scene we hit little shops here and there until..UN-TIL...we turn a corner and VOILA! A street market! It's what I've been looking for all weekend. Handmade gifts for people, maybe I will find the journal I've been looking for for weeks. Even if it wasn't hand-made or anything special...God help me...I WAS GETTING A JOURNAL! haha

Me and ose split-up and I was getting a necklace made. It's Rebeka in greek...how cool! As I'm waiting Rose omes up to me and smiles. "What" I ask her, now starting to smile myself. "They have journals here! But," she says, "they are huge and made out of wood." Very excited, I impatiently wait for the guy to fnish with the necklace. I pay him and go on my search for these wooden journals. I see them. There are like ten of them sitting on the table. They are beautiful. Some have Da Vinci, some are butterflies, one just has a design carved in it. One, has an old world map on the front of it. I pick this one up becaue although butterflies are my thing...this was for my story of the world, what better a cover. There is a groove around the map I run my finger along. I could see myself doin this a lot...A soman comes up to me and tells me she made this bound the book with leather. "How much?" I ask her, frightened of what the answer will be... "20 euro" she says. INSTANT SHOCK! I would be hurt to pay twenty bucks. Then again I am cheap. She made this with her hands (supposedly) But twenty euros....I tahnk her and walk away picking up a few other odd and end gifts. Rose...thank God for Rose...talks me into geting it. All she needed to say was "common, you wanted a journal from Greece. This is hand made. You'll be mad if you don't buy it" She was so right! So I bought it...obviously! haha

It's about time to leave so we say goodbye to the city and head into the metro. I'm looking at the machine to see which tickets will get us to the airport and Rose --the little devil in my head-- goes "Becky, fifteen euro for this handmade table cloth, isn't that sooo good." The little old lady was still pushing this stinkin table cloth on us and there is no way of really telling if it was hand stiched or not. The woman looked desperate so I handed over the cash. "17 euro" she says "I need money for the metro, I'm sorry..." She hands over the table cloth almost disappointed. She looked at it one last time as if bidding farewell to a child...then I rally felt bad...like I just cheated her.

We got on the metro and about three stops from the airport I pull out my conformation and realize that I'm an idiot. I wrote down 7.55 checkin for a 9.55 flight. When I scanned the conformation earlier that day I just saw the 7.55 part. So we were going to be at the airport at half past 5. That's sooo early. We were talking with two American guys traveling through Greece. They were heading into Athens for a drink.Had they been young and gorgous I would have followed, but we got to the airport then turned around and got off a few stops later We got off In the station. Outside it was cold, dark, shady and in the middle of NOWHERE! We should be used to this at this point. I couldn't believe I made such a silly mistake. We give in and go back to the airport. We are both starving at this point so I thought we could chill at a coffee place with some soup and tea, but rose wasn't so happy and just wanted what she knew her stomache would be o.k. with...McDonalds. I can't believe this will be the second time this weekend I'm eating there. I felt terrible about the whole time mixup thing so I didn't push the issue.

In the Athens International Airport there was a museum. We couldn't believe how many museums there were in random places in Greece. The metro stations had them and now the airport as well. They were filled with the things they found when building. There is no way of making the next few hours waiting anymore exciting than it was. We roamed, read newspapers, I bought chocolate and ate it. Suer-exciting...I know. We finally went through security and sat down in the termanal and there were only maybe twenty minutes left to wait. There was a group of American students waiting as well. They were studying in London. I don't know this information becuase I talked to them..but because I overheard them since they were soo...loud! I've noticed that a lot. You can pick out the american college student. They are decked out in North Face gear. They talk and joke loudly and obnoxiously about the places they went to and where they are going next. They feel like it's impressive to just about shout about all the work they are ignoring from school by being here and how much they had drank. Had I been English I feel like I probably would have mumbled "bloody American's" as they were shoving into line. I had to remember though I was like that too the first two or three weeks I was here. Apparently they just haven't grown out of that. Wow...I didn't just sound pompus there did I? SOrry about that.

When we were boarding the plane I saw all the signs covered in Greek words I had seen getting off the plane only two and a half days earlier. They weren't as intimidating now, mostly because we were leaving now! Right before takeoff the captain came on and announced that we would be flying 'against 10 mph winds this evening' so it would take a little longer than expected. Rose at this point would ahve shot someone I think. She just wanted to go home, and eat, and not be cramped up on a plane... It was a looong flight for her. I was listening to music, writing in my journal, and chatting with the Englishman next to me. He told me about how diving is his hobby and his nine year old daughter just took an interest in it and his sons do it as well. We finally landed at Gatwick at about midnight.

We went through customs and rose got her baggage from baggage claim. We went to catch a train and we had to wait thirty-five minutess until 1:05 for the next train. So we went...where else...to Burger King to eat. I did like that we ate in the BK Lounge though. Very Dane of us. I was content writing in here about the week end so at twenty after Rose says "ok lets walk over, we have like fifteen minutes left" We head back down the escalator, through the airport, down into the freezing train station outside to see that Rose had the time wrong. Well, she had it right originally, but being tired mixed up the minutes. I never looked at it. She found the times first so I trusted her...Time mishaps on both our parts today. The next train didn't leave until 2:05 and I was waiting right there for it so we didn't miss it again. We went up the escalators so it was at least a bit warmer. At 2:00 we went down onto the platform again. It was the longest five minute wait ever...when did it turn into winter weather?? Rose and I slept part of the train ride home. At VIctoria station we waited for our bus which came like twenty minutes early...awesome right? WRONG! It was torture. The bus couldn't let us on for some reason so we stood next to it in 4 degree Celcius the whold time. I wasn't as cold as Rose was. I ate soo much fatty food over the weekend that it kept me warm. Sounds crazy but it's true. I was completely dazed on the bus and only snapped back to reality when we went past our bus stop. We had to wait until the next stop which was a block or two further from home. We walked home, my fingers were freezing. I dropped my stuff in the dining area and passed out cocooned in my blankets...it was just past 4 in the morning...it had been a good trip 😊

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