Blogs from Athens, Attica, Greece, Europe - page 106

My hostel is in a strange neighborhood. I was surprised to see a hammer and sickle because this is the headquarters of the Greek Communist Party, and people are not overly friendly but they aren't hostile either. I can't help but feel like an ugly foriegner though. I only slept and relaxed today, and so tommorow I'll take a walking tour and see Athens proper. The weather is much milder than I expected. I like the way Greece looks, its the opposite of Alaska. I will write more later.... read more

Its about 3:30 pm on June 6th, and KJ, Megs and Als are off to start their Acropolis walking tour (Yes, they arrived safely and are so far enjoying their adventure!). Jeanna, Aisha, Aditi, Jessica, and I (Melissa) started off around 9 am with coffee/coke to start our 20 min walk up the hill to the Acropolis. The Acropolis is currently under restoration but there was still plenty to see. Luckily, we went at a time before the droves of tourists came in so we could really take our time to view in awe of buildings that have been around since B.C. We met two groups of Minnesotans while walking around and tried to pick out our hotel from the spectacular view of the mountains, sea, and Greek architecture both new and old. The Parthonan still ... read more

I'm sad to leave Turkey though I'm much relieved not to have to pay anymore for the privilege to use a squat toilet and then flush my business by hand with a water jug. As with all of my other trips to third world countries they always seem to give me the parting gift of serious travellers stomach upset. Janice and I both got it, and luckily I have ciprofloxin with me. We did contemplate going to get Janice her own personal antibiotics but that would require going to a hospital. Do they not have personal doctors operating out of small clinics that like dealing with friendly travellers like us? We spent a day on the island of Samos suntanning in the little town of Pythagorias. I'm proud to say I've finally immersed my whole body ... read more

Good Morning. Its just before 7 am here in Athens and I am enjoying a morning orange juice while waiting for Aisha and gang to finish getting ready so we can head out to Corinth. The sunset off of our hotel balcony is a stunning mix of orange, red, and pink overlooking the mountains opposite the Acropolis. The night lights of the Acropolis light the mountaintop on fire with such a glow that makes you want to climb up and look down over the city of Athens. The air this morning is crisp and the hotel is bustling with guests who are ready to adventure out to various locations throughout Greece or the world. Everyone has been super nice so far, with a smile or hello. The hotel rooms are smaller than my room in EC ... read more

Only have a minute. Today we did a bunch of touristy stuff. Saw the Acropolis, Roman Agora, Ancient Agora. It was more interesting than this blog, but we gotta run. More later!... read more