Paradise Royal Mare Kalithea

... the visitors were on the top corner with no one below or beside them. The stadium was also divided into 4 different sections separated by clear walls in between the seats with jagged metal at the top to prevent people from climbing over. There was also metal detectors with a one in at a time rule and the gates to let on one out with out a stamped ticket and knowing where you would be going. Then there were the fans. NUTS! Opposed to really cheering for ...

... Its a state secret where all the dogs went but sausage sales dropped off in Athens dramatically in 2004 I am told. In Lykovrisi the area is almost all multi family upscale small apartment buildings with little or no yards. Everyone knows each other and their pets. A few doors down from us a lady lives in a ground floor unit with some citrus, olive and fig trees, a few flowers and a little patch of grass. She also has a cocker spaniel that ...

... were informed they wouldn't begin embarkation until 11:30. I discovered Marie hadn't yet had a frappe and hadn't even had a cup of coffee that morning, so we went to the little café and both enjoyed our Nescafe buzzes and talked about things you'd normally only talk about with someone you know really well. I like her a lot. Most of you don't know about these frappes, but it is THE daytime drink for Greeks: Nescafe instant coffee, maybe some milk and/or ...

... burned there. Finally we came to the Phryne statue of Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles. Ancient Athenian married women were almost completely cloistered, and were not permitted to interact with any men except their husbands. Indy explained that slowly sculptors began to depict women in advancing stages of undress, but they got the anatomy all wrong because they really didn't get to look at a lot of real women. There were a class of women ...

... where I worked mostly one-on-one with professors rather than sitting in class: it's because I'm unfit to be a student in a regular classroom. I'm that obnoxious nerdy student the cool kids hate. I'm so excited to show the professor what I have worked so hard to already know, and I'm even more excited to learn from the professor all the amazing things I don't already know. I want to ask a million questions. I want to do extra work to learn more. I ...

... the teaming cars and think of swarms of insects, probably roaches. They honk, yell, cut each other off; tempers rise. We can't find our hotel for the night but, when we finally stop in a less crowded neighborhood of Vari to ask for help, the young couple who manage a store there get us sorted out. In fact, the husband, named Costas, returned to his Vespa and led us through rural back allies, next to sere fields, dry red soil and grey rocks and ...

... night. My second night , I moved to a hostel that cost 15euro. and was a bit out of the limelight. Supposedly, Athens has one of the largest pedestrian malls in all of Europe, with car-less shopping streets being miles in length. Step outside the main areas, however, and you find yourself in an area where pickpockets, prostitution, and drug dealers are common. Most backpackers and tourists coming to Greece hit Athens as their first stop, and then ...

... a rooftop bar looking up at the Acropolis. Free Internet connection too. We walked for 7 hours exploring the city which is fabulous. Lots of narrow streets with interesting cafes shops and innumerable ruins. The Acropolis is surrounded by cranes and scaffolding which is a pity but if they want it to survive for future generations they are having to rebuild it. They say the acid rain and the poor earlier restaurations are having serious ...

... I'll need to go by boat next time to check out more of the islands. I found it interesting that with all the olive trees in Greece, the biggest export is actually canned peaches. For olives to be eatable they must be soaked in brine. Greece is the world's third largest producer of Olive oil, but has the best quality of extra virgin oil. (Spain and Italy are number 1 & 2)

... the Acropolis. Its Caryatid porch has been photographed and painted so many times that it is immediately recognizable as something of significance. The crowds aren't really too bad. I can only imagine what it is like during the busy season. It is nice to be able to enjoy the sites without tripping all over people. www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0FMcGNYkD0 The Theater of Herod Atticus is carved into the wall of the ...