The Acropolis, adventures, and Greece in general

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So today, Tuesday afternoon / evening here in Athens, is my birthday.

So first and foremost, I must thank everyone who sent an email, posted a comment, or in someone's case, hosted an adventure I'll remember always. Thank you all tons for caring about me and saying something nice; I know I'm getting to experience awesome things for a 21st birthday, but sometimes, hearing from the people you care about is as refreshing as seeing what I am seeing.

Ok, but with that aside, it's time to brag:

I got to see Athens up close and personal, both old and new, and I had a blast.

I know posted yesterday a bit about my travels up until Saturday night, so I guess that means I should continue with Sunday morning. We got up and got ready a bit later on Sunday than on Saturday, had some Nutella sandwiches (man, Nutella is so awesome. I have lit the fire in Kirsten for it now too and I couldn't be more proud), and made sure we knew how to get to where we were heading: the Acropolis.

Literally, the Acropolis is the hill that all of the awesome structures of old rest on, and going to the Acropolis gets you access to several of the city's more classic sights to be seen, like the Parthenon, the Temple of the Olympiad Zeus, the Theater of Dionysis, etc. But we went up to the Acropolis and immediately we remembered I didn't put on sunscreen, but we pressed on. I am now burned a little, but can't say it's all that bad.

We headed up to the Acropolis and walked by a large street filled with books and magazine stands, all selling just about anything they could to make a buck. We marched on up the hill towards the structure, passing monuments as we went, with views of escalating awesomeness, like the one to the right.

Then you reach the top of the hill and at that point, we were both already sweaty. Which is not cool, and at the top of the hill, meaning no shade. Also not cool. But you know what is cool?

The Parthenon.

Which I saw.

It's tough to really describe such an ancient and famous monument in a manner that justifies it's breathtaking beauty, but I'll give it a shot. It's about 2,500 years old, or you know, about 140 generations ago to put that in any perspective. It's really amazing to see the stonework and arrangement of such huge rocks in such a precise and beautiful order; everything is so symmetrical, aesthetically pleasing, and obviously really well built, since the damn thing has made it over 2,500 years.

We marched around and just went slack-jawed for a while. I mean, what do you really do in the presence of such an awesome sight, one that is known world-wide? We took pictures like tourists (and KK and I have both updated our picture sites, and with her permission, I'll link you through to hers too so you can see them all.)

picasaweb.google.com/kkgoestogreece
picasaweb.google.com/nomomentwasted

The plethora of languages spoken there alone was mindblowing, and let me just say: I have never had a more difficult time finding someone to take a picture of me than we had at the Parthenon. We finally tracked someone down who would, and they proceeded to take a picture WITHOUT THE MONUMENT BEHIND US! I mean, what were they thinking? "Oh these people want a picture taken that they're in but what they're seeing isn't, of course!"

So we had to find another person, and we did. And, touristy as we may look, we have now a really awesome picture next to the Parthenon, proving we were there. Mission accomplished!

There are other buildings on the Acropolis, too, and I shall post more pictures of them too. Apparently, you can't pose for pictures with Athena (the Goddess) statues, since it's offensive to the Gods. Although Greece is Greek Orthodox Catholic, which has one God. So, if they don't believe in these faiths, why can't you take pictures? I am culturally sensative and did not pose with them, but you can still take them, which I did.

It was soooo hot up there though, and we were both starting to overheat, so we took it all in for a few more minutes and decided to head down the hill.

Woohoo. What a sight-seeing day. But it's not over yet, oh far from it, in fact. We then decided to get some lunch at a cafe, and we got some Souvlaki, or a Greek Kebab, essentially, which took forever and a day to come, but it did eventually and was delicious. We then decided to go back towards The Temple of the Olympiad Zeus, which we could now enter with our Acropolis tickets. It's right near the National Gardens and the Olympic Stadium, which are on the way back to Kirsten's apartment, so it was very convenient.

The Temple is very much in shambles now, but that's not to say it wasn't beautiful and indicative of what used to be there, because it certainly was. We took some pictures, but it too was directly in the sun, so we didn't linger long. Too hot.

We went back and got cooled down, siesta'd for a while, and then just went out to get some pizza for dinner at a local restaurant, and had a few beers and some great pizza before heading back for the night to just relax. It was a hot day, and Kirsten had class early the next day, leaving me time to post to the blog yesterday. We did a little shopping, too, and I made some Pesto Pasta and turkey melts for meals, encouraging KK to use her little, under-equipped kitchen a bit more.

That was yesterday, though, and today I went (sans camera, unfortunately) to the Theater of Dionysis and got a nutella and Bailey's Crepe, which was awesome. The Theater was the birthplace of Greek Comedy and Tradgedy performances, and the ampitheater there definitely worth seeing, I'm glad I went back.

But that really wraps my Athens Trip. I took the Metro to the Airport and here I am, about to board. I hope that showed a few cool things off, and I'm sure I'll have more to say about this trip later, just thought I'd give a quick post.

Oh, and happy birthday to me.

As always, until next time.

Ciao.