A Ferrying We Will Go

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We began Adams birthday in a fashionable bar down the street from our hotel in Athens. We wandered in and found seats amongst the low-lit modern lamps and tasteful decor. Looking around, I realized I was about the only female in the bar. The rest of the couches and barstools were filled with pairs or trios of men. Even the bartenders were male. We had a good time playing cards and laughing that the Greek term "day bar" is the equivalent of our term for gay bar.
The next day we spent in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, where many important discoveries had been made concerning early Greek life. The exhibits included many marble and bronze figures that had been laying underneath sea water for decades after a shipwreck until a fisherman unexpectedly found them in his net! It was fascinating to read about the restoration work that had been done to cut off the barnacles and other sea life that had encrusted themselves upon the bodies. Later in the day, we headed to the Olympic Stadium that was built for the 2004 Olympics. They still sell t-shirts. We watched a kids swim meet and decided that people all over the world are brought together by the common playing field of athletics. I guess thats what the Olympics is all about.
Our biggest adventure came at 9:00 that night when we loaded onto the massive ferry bound for the Greek island of Crete. We had booked tickets at a travel agency without any further instruction. Once on board, we took the escalator up three floors to "Reception" where our tickets were scanned. It was a 10 story floating city! I didnt know whether to expect a cabin, or chair, but it turned out that our ticket covered neither. We were only guaranteed deck passage-which is a glamorous term for "fluorescent floor space" Over the next few minutes, the floor morphed into a refugee camp of passengers spreading out blankets, duffel bags and marking their territory. We contemplated sleeping on deck, but decided against the cold winds of the Agean Sea, as the lights of Athens faded behind us. I examined the possibility of sleeping in front of a cabin door, but was deterred by the "Distinguished Class" sign and thoughts of being stepped on during the night. I finally settled on the end of a hallway next to the garage door, where they keep the vehicles of the ship. It was a quiet, though firm and well-lit bed for the night. Needless to say, by the time we finally arrived in Crete, we were exhausted.

Don't always believe guide books. They have a tendency to lie.

Lonely Planet writes, "A short walk into the old town of Hania" turned into 2 hours, 3 guides, and all the energy we could muster to find a place to stay. In the winter time, the city of Hania is brimming with empty rooms to rent. A mustached old woman pulled us from the street and enticed us to look into one of her rooms. We politely declined, saying we would look around more then maybe come back later. We wanted to see a few other places for comparison, but that was difficult to explain: her limited English, my complete absence of Greek, and her refusal to understand that we wanted to leave. "You like? Thirty euros!" We started to walk to the door. "No? Twenty-five. OK." Winter must kill landlords.
After leaving the musty room, we found our dream apartment: a loft with balcony, mini-kitchen and jacuzzi bath. The selling point? A huge glass table for Scrabble. We spent the rest of the afternoon recovering from the previous nights lack of sleep.

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Photos

Adams Birthday Pudding
Happy 23rd!

Practice Olympic Pool
Athens, Greece

Athens Flea Market
I want that plate on the bottom.
Are you kidding me?