Nekkies!

oooooh my head is still spinning.... lol.

we got up this morning and i swear, i never even heard fotis come in last night although he says it was about 3 in the morn when he did so. i was in the living room on the sofa and johnny was in the bedroom this time, i knew he would get better sleep in there cause it was quieter....

we got up and did our morning thing, although i was a little louder than i really should have been cause i didn't think fotis was here. (which i apologized for later)

we went to the grocery store down the street before we headed out and bought some assorted greek snacks, nuts, and raisins for the day. i also got several delicious oranges and some milk for breakfast. the store was typically european, with more than one floor for goods and an elevator to get from one floor ot the next. a litle odd, but nothing new.

after check out we headed, once again, to the pastry shop and got breakfast foods as well as a sandwich for later. we headed for our spot on the wall by the elementary school and had our breakfast before heading out for the city center to get tickets for the bus. we decided we were going to go to the beach come hell or high water while we were in athens and found out from the tourist board that all we had to do was go to the syntagma square and buy tickets for the bus, then get on the express 22 and head out of town.

said directions were followed and with ticket in hand we stood waiting for the bus. it actually didn't take long at all, surprisingly, and we were soon on our way to the beach. we sat at the back next to some trendy guy and later a group of girls, tourists, got on the bus a stop or two after us. they were speaking greek, but obviously had no idea what they were looking for since they had maps out as well. there was another guy that got on the bus at the same time and he had a more "local" attitude about him.

so we're going down the highway, passing through small village after small village, and crappy sand beach after crappy sand beach when we come to the stop where the two guys, who were locals, were getting off. i nudged johnny and said we should get off too since they were locals and probably knew where the beach was.... well- they got off and ran on down the highway a little ways then disappeared over the edge into what looked like a ravine. johnny and i followed suit and then as we were walking johnny looks down towards the water and goes "is homeboy nekkid???" , referring to some other guy that was already down by the water, and sure enough he was! omg, i laughed - we had gotten off at the nudist stop! lmao!. ha ha ha

I didn't care, the water looked great - so we started to climb down the cliff, in the general direction away from the nekkid man, and as we got closer to the water all these people started popping out of nowhere! we got down to the water and rounded a big boulder then all of a sudden we were surrounded! ack! it was a whole colony of nekkies! then johnny did the unthinkable and took out the camera to take pictures of the water.... i think one of the guys thought we were taking pictures of them and as we turned to go back up the cliff (cause we weren't staying there) he started yelling at us and wouldn't give up even after we were half way up the cliff. i think part of it was him shouting to his friends, but he was definitely shouting at us for part of the time.... :o)

so we got back up the cliff... *whew* and decided to take the bus further on down the coast to a sandy beach. we waited and eventually caught the next bus that came. after some more winding turns around the coast line we came to a little coastal town with a marina and lots of hotels and stuff where two young girls got on. they looked like they were about johnny's age and as they sat in front of us i could see one flipping through papers. she had gotten her results from her ESOL (english as a second or other language) exams through cambridge university and had gotten a first class honours. this,of course, meant that she spoke very good english, and taking the opportunity to get directions i started up a brief conversation with her and her friend.

we asked them where to go for a nice beach and they recommended we stay on the bus until the end of the route because the beaches were nicer that way. right after saying that they got off the bus at the next stop (which was the middle of nowhere - like most stops) and we continued onwards. when the bus finally did come to a stop we got off and went to the beach but found a crappy patch of sand with a bull dozer going at a patch down the way a few hundred yards. the fat chicks there didn't help any either, but that's for another day...

we quickly decided we weren't stickin around so we hopped the fence and ran back across the square to catch the bus again, which was still sitting at the stop waiting to start his route over again in a few minutes. we were kind of bummed between nekkid old people and crappy beaches and wanted to find something nice.

as the bus took off it went a few stops and then after a while a bunch of loud teenagers got on.... i made some disparaging remarks and then after a few stops we went to get off and they all got off with us - ack! oh well, it was a younger crowd, better than wrinkly old nekkid people. :o) as we walked back to the beach access point we walked under the road through a tunnel and came out on a beach with little palm-frond tikki umbrellas and a tavern or two with lots of young people around. cool crowd i guess, so we found an umbrella, applied the sunscreen generously and i sat in the shade as johnny ran away to go look at the water and the beach. he ran into the water up to his knees and came back to the umbrella screaming - THAT IS SO FREAKIN COLD! ha ha ha ha.... he was so ready to just jump in the water but got in up to his knees and ran out. lol

he took his camera and went down the beach to look at the rock formations and stuff and i just sat under the umbrella with the wind blowing, people here and there, enjoying the beach for the first time in months. aahhhh, vacation!

i took a few pictures of him wading out into the water and then decided to pack up the stuff and walk down the beach to where he had been for a good 20 minutes or more. i laughed when i got over there because he had been trying to take a picture of himself by putting the timer on the camera and running back in front of it. i took it and got a few shots of him walking in the water then put everything up and waded out with him.

the water was so unbelievably clear! we could see straight down to the bottom and as we walked out onto the rock formations, which were covered in green and brown algae and seaweed, we noticed sea urchins everywhere. their spiny black bodies littered the floor of the area in the deeper parts between rocks and we took care to watch were we were so as not to accidentally step on them.

after walking around a bit and then going back tot he beach we decided to pack up and actually head back to the cliffs cause the highway was still within 20-30 feet of the beach and i wanted to drown out the sound of cars and the city altogether. not to mention that the beach was actually very durty, littered with cigarette butts, plastic bottles, garbage bags, and all other manner of garbage. :o(

after waiting for the bus for a little while at a shack next to the road which sold bottled water, lottery tickets, and every porno known to man, we caught the next bus and went back to where we had gotten off the first time. taking care to overshoot the nekkid colony, we walked on down and then went out to a point but soon found that near the water the rocks were steep and not nice so we walked around the point into the nearby cove. here we found a little shack built on the side of the rocks and there were lots of young people swimming in the crystal clear, beautiful water. we climbed down to the water and i put my feet in to swish them around a little, then johnny decided - what the hell, when am i going to get the chance to swim in the mediterranean again?! and took his shirt off and jumped in. he came up screaming! shouting and hollering he swam out so fast it was hilarious! he shouted out and started jumping up and down when he got out saying that was the coldest water he'd ever been swimming in. i just laughed and took pictures. :o)

after a while we packed up and went back down the road to the other side of the nekkid old people. i wanted to get in the water at that point and so we climbed down to where we only saw one nekkid person on some other rocks. (sheesh, they're all over the place!) we went out on a point and then rounded it, then we had the same problem as the last point - the rocks were too steep. we back-tracked and went back to the cove we had passed on the way down where the water was clear and there was no one else around. i got down to my bathing suit and stuck my legs in the water trying to build up the gumption to jump in. i kept shouting to johnny that i couldn't do it and then he got the camera and i just jumped in. OMG. i had the same reaction as him, coming up gasping for air and shouting at the top of my lungs at how cold the water was! it felt good, but i freaked at the thought of some strange sea monster coming from the rocks and eating me up (since i'm so cute and all, ha ha) so i swam back to the rocks and quickly climbed out. i toweled off but stayed undressed and then decided i was going to get in again. i went back tot he water and squatted on the rocks until my chest was half submerged for a while. i figured everyone else was doing, why not me - so i lost the bathing suit and jumped in the water to swim around for a while. i paddled out into the middle of the cove and was absolutely amazed at how cleat the blue blue blue water was. i could see straight down 20 feet or more and make out rocks, fish, boulders, sea urchins, etc. as i paddled around johnny exclaimed - "your shorts are gone! they went to the bottom, i can see them!" omg. i paddled over to the side and sure enough, my shorts had been taken by the waves and were now resting on the bottom of the cove. ha ha ha ha. i had to hold my breath and totally submerge myself to grab them with my toes off the bottom before coming up for air and tossing them onto land. too funny!

i swam a little more then crawled out of the water, put on my bathing suit, and toweled off before drying the rest of the way in the sun. we crawled around a little more then packed up and headed back up the cliffs to catch the bus back into town.

we were both tired, i could tell. pooped, we got off the bus in the city center and schlepped back to the apartment where we took turns showering and then waiting for fotis to get home. no time for naps! :o( poo. fotis got home and we finally got to hang out! he finished up his laundry as we chatted and he explained that his younger brother was coming over before we drove to piraeus to drop him off for a physics tutoring lesson since he had exams the next day. he was great to sit and chat with, lots of fun and when his brother got there we all piled into his little bitty european car and took off for piraeus. ha ha ha ha ha ha -- it was like a roller coaster ride! zoom zoom, eeeeerrrrr -STOP --- zooooomm zoooommm eerrrrr STOP..... and so on ... rinse, repeat, ha ha ha .... totally fun and scary at the same time. i swear, he could have been a taxi driver. he told us, as we went through one particular square, that this old lady had jumped out in front of him five years prior and he ran her over. he said "she came out from in between the garbage cans like flash gordon and i just ran into her!" all this said as we come up to a cross walk and this old lady stands there with her cane. we all just laughed. :o)

we arrived at the harbor and got out in front of a tavern where we sat for dinner. fotis ordered for us and we got a bunch of greek tapas which we all shared and a small bottle of ouzo so that johnny could try it. personally, i hate the stuff. ick. it tastes like black licorice *gag* and even when you mix it with water it's still gross. anyway, i wanted johnny to tr it while we were there so we did. shortly after we got there and had a little to eat bill, fotis' younger brother, went for his tutoring lesson from the fiance of one of his good friends who lived a few houses down. we stayed and finished the food then chatted for another hour or so before calling down and then walking tot he apartment. when we got there they were playing playstation games and we all laughed and said "ugh huh, studying eh?!"

we went out on the balcony and chatted, then soon they brought out shots of something else - i'll have to get the name from fotis - and we toasted and drank. after that they brought out MORE alcohol of some other sort that was like a greek version of grappa, which is a liquor made from grapes (high proof, not wine) omg..... that's why my head is spinning!

we chatted, chatted, chatted, and then at some point i decided we needed to get going cause we have to be at the ferry shop to catch the bus for 8:30. we said our goodbyes, kissed everyone twice, once on each cheek, and hugged, then got back in the car. this time i put johnny in front and could see him grab onto the oh shit handle and hold on for dear life. i giggled to myself.

when we got home we pretty much passed out. johnny packed and i did too, for the most part, so we wouldn't have to pack in the morning, i started this blog, and then at some point passed out, too tired to finish it.

at 5 in the morning i woke up with a splitting headache, as i usually do when i drink anything, and had to down a liter of water or more. woke up at 7:10 and everything was good. such was the end of our stay in athens! we had a great night and were very glad to have had the chance to hang out with fotis finally. we got him some chrysanthemums to thank him again, along with the thank you cards and mardi gras beads. :o)

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