Nafplion, Sunday

Friday, our itinerary took us away from the city of Athens towards the Pelopennese. During the bus trip through Athens, I was amazed at how much influence America has had over here. Not unlike any typical city in the states, there is either a Subway, Starbucks or McDonalds within each mile radius. We even saw a Pizza Hut.

Leaving town was refreshing, however, as we ventured through the gorgeous Greek countryside. At the time, I had Simon & Garfunkel playing on the iPod, which created a zen-like feeling within—quite relaxing! I imagined speeding along the same country roads in an MG Midget towards my own Greek villa. Someday, for sure!

En route to Nafplion, we made a stop at the ancient theatre of Epidaurus. The Greeks clearly saw the value in theatre, and I, for one, am glad... as someone who's *almost* obsessed with theatre myself. The Greeks saw theatre as cathartic, as a way to purge emotions. Read any Greek tragedy, and the extreme lows will trigger an emotional response in anyone!

Ah! If only there were some way to see one performed, complete with the masks, the aura. Or, perhaps performing onstage, in front of 10,000 people who hear me, un-miked, as clear as if they were sitting and talking with me one on one.

And, how many butts sat in the same theatre seat as I? Thousands? Tens of thousands?

The theatre was truly amazing... and up to this point is the highlight of the trip! I have no roots in drama, yet it seemed like some sort of Mecca for me... perhaps confirming my hidden desires to take the stage, and act in front of an audience, to get over myself and shed the inhibitions holding me back.

Nafplion is quite possibly the most beautiful place in the world. This picturesque city is filled with narrow streets of stairs, connecting fabulous villas with a port on one side, a beach on the other and a Venetian fortress overlooking it all.

I must admit that the investor inside is enthralled with these abandoned and condemned resorts overlooking the beach. What potential money makers! What could have happened for these to close? Management would have to be extraordinarily bad with a LOT of money skimming off the top to make a resort here go under. Definitely money just sitting... waiting for the right investor.

I would love to be that investor. Imagine, having a valid reason to visit Nafplion once or twice every year, just to check in on my investments... and perhaps to make new ones.

Friday evening, instead of taking the afternoon siesta (to which I've become accustomed to), I ventured down to the beach with three others. For my first swim in the salt water, I had a lot of fun. The beach was a bit rocky, but the stones were smooth enough so walking on them wasn't terribly unpleasant. Perhaps it is finally time to relearn how to swim.

Saturday included a visit to Agammemnon's old stomping grounds, Mycenae. More ruins. At least there are no restoration efforts in effect here. My feelings about the ruins here are terribly conflicted. On one hand, I'm not impressed with the restoration efforts going on at the parthenon/Acropolis, but these sites are so "ruined" that it is sometimes difficult to visualize how things must have looked.

Flickr: Epidaurus | Nafplion | Greece

Athens, Friday

Yesterday, I finally laid eyes on the ancient ruins of the Acropolis. I must admit I was somewhat disappointed. I suppose I was looking forward to seeing what was left, complete with missing chunks of marble and rock, but what I saw was a restoration in progress. They are working to fill in the missing pieces with white marble, making it obvious what is new v. what is old, but I think the phots are much less pleasing as a result, and will be for many generations to come. And then there is the scaffolding.

The highlight of the ruins tour today was the Temple of Hephaestus in Agora Park. For such an ancient building, it is in remarkably good shape. Apparently, when Greece was in the process of being Christianized, the Greeks destroyed all of their pagan temples... except for this one, which was converted into a church, perhaps because it was (at least near) the site where Paul spoke about the unknown god.

What is amazing about this temple to me is imagining the amount of work, both engineering and slave labor, involved in creating so much architecture. The few pieces that remain are quite simply amazing. I look forward to seeing more!

Today, we toured the archaeological museum in Athens, which is an amazing collection of what has been found all over Greece. There is one piece that really spoke to me, I could have stared at her all day. And then of course, there were the statues.

While touring, there was a guide leading a group of his own who seemed very knowledgeable of the subject matter. It was unclear as to whether he worked for the museum or was leading a group of students or tourists not unlike us, but it was apparent how passionate he felt about the pieces and the era they represent.

Favorite pieces: the bronze of the African child riding the frightened horse in the red room, and the figure of Aphrodite which the horse was facing in the room.

Flickr: Athens | Greece

Athens, Thursday

Admittedly, I haven't been writing here much. However, that should not be interpreted as uneventful. Quite the contrary!

Today, I wandered around Athens on my own... looking for a replacement cell phone charger since I had left mine behind. However, finding one in Monastiraki was more difficult than I had imagined. I enjoyed asking the people in the shops where to find a cell phone charger, even if no one knew.

I happened upon this rug shop, where a fellow named Yamas offered to help. He sent one of his workers, Roberto, off to see what he could find from the "black guys" because he would be able to find a deal. I gave Roberto the information for my new LG phone, and he went out.

While I was waiting, Yamas poured a glass of Greek wine and began to show me the beautiful Greek rugs. His sales methods were very intriguing! He began by asking me what kind of floors I have, to which I answered hard wood. Then he asked about the colors used on the walls in my house and of the furniture. Finally, he showed me the first rug... and it was beautiful. A mixture of rich greens and blues and beiges that shimmered in the light. Quite breathtaking actually. Then he unrolled the second, which impressed me even more than the first. That rug was beige with a green border and blue shapes inside.

He continued to show me several more rugs, but I kept going back to the second I had seen. However, while he was showing me the rugs, I insisted I didn't have the budget for such an extravagance, nor any way to get it home. It was then he showed me the bundles they roll the rugs down into for travelers, and then he shot me a price. The rug was listed for €180, but he offered it to me for €80. Of course, that was outside of my budget, but Yamas wasn't finished. He pulled out a rug with the same design as the one I liked, but it covered a smaller area. This one was priced at €80, and he offered it to me for €35. We had a deal.

While the monetary part of the transaction was taking place and he was rolling/wrapping my rug, Roberto returned with a cell phone charger. The charger was purchased on the black market for €3. Unfortunately, the charger was for the LG Chocolate phone, which mine is not... but it wasn't a problem, they didn't pass that cost on to me, and Roberto thought he could return it.

I moved to leave the shop, and it was apparently time for Roberto to leave too. Before I could leave, they asked if I was in any sort of hurry, and I wasn't in too much of a hurry to return to the group. It was then that Roberto slid forward on his scooter seat and told me to hop on. After a quick second of apprehension, I figured I had nothing to lose, so I hopped on. I was longing to ride a scooter or drive a car through Athens anyway!

While we sped through Athens, occasionally just missing hitting a car with my knee, Roberto was making conversation. One thing he said stuck out, and I recognized it as a variation of something I once read. He said, "A brave man dies only once having lived, but a man who is afraid dies many times everyday." Powerful words!

Anyway, after hopping a few sidewalks, running several stop signs and stoplights, and waiting where there were traffic cops, we found a charger at the second store we tried. Since it was near Roberto's flat, he dropped me off at the Metro, purchased my pass, and told me which stop was close to his rug shop. After a short subway ride, I returned to my group with a tale to tell during dinner.

Flickr: Athens | Greece