On the other (older) side of the world.....Athens Day #1-3

Arriving in Athens with hardly a wink of sleep proved to be no challenge for Lu and I as we took the hour long metro to the area of town where our hostel was supposedly located....all the while wheeling our suitcases completely fitting the tourist profile. After a quick shower we hit the town to find a bite to eat.We tried some new cuisine at the restaurant.....actually I had no idea what I ordered, turned out to be a delicious sort of macaroni and cheese. And as has become custom, we finished off our meal with a dessert consisting of watermelon. Good stuff.

We have had a few run-ins with some Greeks who weren't the friendliest of folk, but thankfully our encounters are beginning to change for the better. It's about a 50/50 chance at this point when we meet the locals. One of the nicer fellows turned out to be our waiter at the cafe we visited yesterday, I learned that Greeks are known for their frappes...Yet another thing to love in this Mediterranean land.

I've never seen such old things in my life. Half the ruins and artifacts we've laid eyes on here are from 500-400BC. It's hard to even wrap my mind around those dates. My jaw has hit the floor more than a few times. I'll never forget the moment we walked off the metro and started wandering up the hill towards the acropolis and first caught a glimpse of the monumental wonder. It was one of those "immediate goose-bump experiences".

We got pretty lucky as we were making our way around the "Acropoli" and stumbled upon an outdoor cinema we had read about in our guide book but didn't plan on finding. They were showing "Charade", the old movie with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn....we fit right in with all the Greek locals and thankfully the movie was shown in English with Greek subtitles. Phew.

On our second day we decided to pay for a tour to Delphi, also known as the bellybutton of the world. It is said that Zeus sent two eagles in opposite directions and they met in Delphi, making it the center of the world. Here sits the remains of the Temple of Apollo where the wise Oracle was housed. People from all over the world have come over the last THOUSANDS of years to seek advice in this place. Famous kings of the past often made the journey to this very place to figure out what would become of their future, for better or worse.

We also went to the museum with our guide and our group from all over the world (Japan, India, Brazil, the US, Mexico - very proud were we, Australia, Russia....shared lunch with people from 3 different continents) and saw artifacts from the 6th Century BC.....it's hard to accurately put all of this wonder into words, but we're off to a great start on our Grecian journey.

I have also learned that it pays to say you are Mexican or at least travel with a Mexican....we have received free shots of tequila among other beverages while traveling around Greece. Salud or as we say here.....Yamas!