greece--a bit late

this is me trying to retroactively chronicle my excursion to Greece. nevermind that it was over a month ago, or that since then i've gone to China, with yet more chronicling to be done.

well greece started off with a bang, as i left my cellphone in the taxi from the athens airport to the hotel. despite my repeated calls to myself(!), i or he did not pick up. we even tried a few taxi companies, but to no avail. needless to say, i wasn't thrilled. the first day was spent primarily eating, starting with a gyro lunch. now this wasn't the gyro i'm accustomed to in america, the shaved lamb that comes from the large rotating spit of meat--it was pork instead. and a gigantic portion. fortunately for me, i was getting a bit of exercise wheeling my dad around, and at times carrying him up stairs.
tuesday we hit the main attraction, the acropolis. tickets were normally 12 euros, but i paid 4 as a student and my parents paid zilch as a handicapped person and his escort. but we more than made up for it when we hired a private tour for a hefty 80 euros. the acropolis was remarkable, but i felt it lacked something that could really paint a picture of what it must have been like. we did get our fill of crumbling ruins, however, as the one ticket got us into 12 different sites. and all were crumbling. we saw temples and churches and markets and theatres and even an ancient public bathroom.

on wednesday we headed to the port to catch a "Flying Dolphin" headed for the island of Hydra. we settled on Hydra as we needed an island reasonably close to Athens, and the icing on the cake came in the fact that no cars are allowed on the island. instead, everything is transported by donkey! without a doubt, Hydra turned out to be my favorite part of Greece. or at least of the 2 parts i saw. we stayed in a beautiful hotel, with a charming south african lass as hostess. and it was refreshing to have little to do more than stroll through the streets, window shopping and snapping photos of the harbor. i gladly took the opportunity to hike to the top of the island, to a Greek Orthodox monastery that overlooked the island and the sea beyond. there i was met by a "brother", who beckoned me inside, led me into the chapel, and then gave me water and a piece of turkish delight to fortify myself for the journey back to the town. it was very pleasant to get off on my own, not hampered by crutches or a wheelchair.

everywhere we went in Turkey and Greece, i eagerly ordered stuffed grape leaves(dolmades), as it's one of my favorite mediterranean foods. in Hydra, i was desperate for some pasticio--greek lasagna, but was unsuccessful in my search. (fortunately, Olympic Airlines served it on our return flight to Paris--flying outside of america affords much more interesting meals.)

i honestly can't remember anything else that happened after Hydra, so i'll leave you with some pictures. enjoy.

Athens