Greece Is Great! (Just not Athens)

After a long day of traveling from Lisbon to Rome to Athens, we arrive at the Art Hotel. Did we mention it cost us a $60 cab ride from the airport? Sheesh. Even though we traveled all day, T&I thought it would be a good idea to check out a bar in the area and have a drink with the Greeks. M was too tired and was all about staying in and reading email. So on we went towards the nearest square. Wow, we were not expecting Athens to be so GHETTO. It smelled like urine, but we weren't sure if it were the lamp posts or some of the sketchy people. At one point, T&I stopped speaking to each other, because it was just so scary. One guy had a unibrow, a dirty face, no shoes, and smelled like pee. When Sergio from Lisbon mentioned "sh*t people" he probably meant some of the sketchballs in our neighborhood. But of course, this isn't all of Athens, and it is otherwise an exciting, historic and interesting city. But even the locals will tell you it is not the safest or most aesthetically pleasing, especially at night in our area. When we got back, with no drink in our belly, T described the scene to Marisa as "the outskirts of hell."

In the morning, we had a decent and FREE breakfast at the hotel. Ok, it was a big deal to even have breakfast in Europe, and to wake up early enough for it. Even though our hotel recommended us to take the Metro to the Acropolis, we decided to walk. We were excited to add another historical site to our list of sightseeing we've done (and that they kept getting OLDER!), but the Acropolis is simply a shell of what it should be. After viewing pictures, M's dad said he was surprised at how "run down" the Parthenon was. Some of the statues were still marvelous, but overall, having seen the preservation of Sintra's Moorish castle and Pena Palace, it was kind of a let-down. But it was still a great experience and I am grateful to have seen it and the views from it.

After a day of sightseeing in Athens, we got on our ferry to Mykonos! On the boat, we half-slept and half-watched the football match between New Zealand and Italy. When we got to our stop, our hostess Irene was waiting for us. She is just GREAT. She recommended a nearby restaurant and we had our first Greek salad! T also ordered the chicken souvlaki platter, M got the grilled sardines, and I had some lamb in lemon sauce. A wonderful end to a long two days of traveling! xoxo from Greece!