Greece (Better Late than Never)

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Well, I spent almost two weeks in Greece. I know that some relatives must be getting impatient to know what I've been up to, so here is my belated report.

Athens is a big city, not unlike other European capitals. About half of Greece's population of 10-11 million live there, I'm told. I had been bracing myself for the place to be filthy and smelly, since Athens has for some time held the distinction of being Europe's most polluted city. With the Olympics though, maybe the city cleaned up a bit, and I didn't think it was too bad. One thing that was different than other cities I've visited was the dogs. Everywhere there were strays wandering about, lying on sidewalks, and following around anyone with food.

I visited the Acropolis, the Agora, and a few museums during my first few days. As is the case with so many of Europe's top attractions, the Parthenon was covered with scaffolding, but was of course impressive nonetheless. I got restless in Athens pretty quickly and was anxious to get to the islands. So, on my fourth or fifth day I caught a ferry bound for Santorini with a guy from North Carolina I had met in my hostel.

Santorini's natural setting is almost impossibly gorgeous. The island owes its geology to a nearby volcano, the active caldera of which is visible sticking up out of the sea just off shore. The island's main towns are set high up on cliffsides. White-washed buildings are almost literally stacked atop one another, with narrow little roads winding between them. Truly, it was postcard Greece at its finest.

I spent a few days on Santorini going to the beach, enjoying the views, etc. The weather seemed to be getting cooler each day, and there were very few people around since the tourist season was almost over.

When I got back to Athens, I appreciated the place more I think, not being so eager to head somewhere else. My last evening there, I climbed a hill opposite the Acroplis with an Australian guy and an American girl and had a fantastic panorama of the city at night. It was one of those great moments that a person has when travelling (or at least that I find myself having), which make the hassles, discomforts, occaisonal homesickness, or whatever worthwhile.

From Athens, I headed north by train to Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. There wasn't anything in particular I was too interested in seeing there, but it was a nice midway stopover on the road to Istanbul. Soon after arriving I met Paul from Brighton, England who I explored the town with. For two people who theoretically speak the same language, we certainly had some difficulties understanding each other at times. The other people staying in the hostel were Germans, and when they told Paul they couldn't understand him, I had to reassure them that I couldn't either.

After a night in Thessaloniki, I was off to the East, or at least the stepping stone to the East, Istanbul.

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Photos

The Parthenon
Here I am in front of Greece's most famous ruin, the Parthenon. And yes, my shirt is terribly bleached thanks to the wash I gave it the night before.

Santorini
Here you can see Santorini's main town, Fira, and its dramatic cliffside location.