Before we catch a bus west today thought that I would write a few things before they go into the delete tray of the brain - or the hodgepodge....
Starting at the beginning and quickly catching up to date. We arrived in Manchester to sunny weather - hurrah which we had for all but one of our days whilst in England. We, Clive, got to admire the Ironbridge with a pint on the way. An engineering marvel that has been on to the 'to see' list since we fly into Manchester most often. We enjoyed seeing all of the family (except Chris who was working)...pretty good. We thank them all for the opportunity to get together and see how they are all doing. The kids keep getting taller... and of course, us older people don't change....much. Laura is just back from New Zealand, Hayley has worked a year now, the boys are settled into secondary school and so on. Mark, Kerri and family enjoyed their unscheduled extra week in Abu Dabi.
Then on to Greece. We were on schedule in spite of the BA strike. I had booked us 4 nights in Athens thinking that meant 2 days???? Good thing - as there was a transportation strike for our last day there and we would not have gone anywhere. We settled into enjoying walking and seeing Athens. Good thing that Clive can remember where we have been and follow the map with all of the triangular streets and Greek writing to boot. I just do the walking. Not to say that we didn't walk a few extra miles as a result. One evening after we had been to see folk dancing near the Acropolis we thought that we would use the exit that the others were using. We got a little lost and it took 1.5hr. to get back to our hotel. As Athens is built on hilly terrain and everything is down and out from the Acropolis we went down the wrong side of the hill and so a long way back to the right bottom of the hill. A bit like an upside down ice cream cone with a flat top....have to use that imagery as on the day of the transportation strike we walked out to the Hellenic Cosmos, a sort of virtual theatre and saw the math exhibit and had a short geometry course laid out for us. Visualizing the area and volume of triangles, cones, etc.....oh so much fun.
The Acropolis can be seen from so many vantage points as you wander the city....a bit like a city tower but quite a bit more romantic. We wandered streets, ruins, parks and ate. From breakfast to mid-morning coffee (keeping habits) to lunch midafternoon with a beer or wine, to dinner at 9 or 10 in the evening we have adjusted to the schedule here. Food is available at all hours (unlike Spain) but we have managed to fit into the local custom of hours. We sample the foods and enjoy trying different spots often using our lonely planet for guidance. Lots of salads with cucumber and/or tomato and possibly feta cheese. Lots of fried foods, meatballs, fish and boiled greens. All very good and much to our liking however it does not vary a lot from place to place (no Chinese and few pizzas here). You always order your dishes and then eat Chinese style that is take what you want off the shared platter. I am amazed at how the Greeks have a table of food in front of them and sit for ages with it still there. Food is socializing and not just a time to eat. Lots on the table appears to be important. They charge for bread whether or not you eat it and they often throw in a free dessert of deep fried doughnots in syrup and a spirit called raki (like firewater). People are loud and talkative and having fun, often in groups. We don't ever seem to miss a meal even the day that we didn't have lunch until 4pm.
We have found the people to be mostly friendly and helpful though not always. Our first impressions were amazing but not always supported in subsequent encounters. On the metro in from the airport, we saw a couple of people give up their seats to elders. The tourist girl at the airport was amazing and the one in town did not want to be of any assistance! So it is all chance encouters that you draw conclusions from. We have seen the African migrants selling that handbags or sunglasses on a sheet - the same as Spain. There are people coming to the tavernas selling roses - just like home. So many people out late at night and all through the day.
The one day transportation strike seemed an inconvenience that everyone seemed to say was something that happens occasionally. No one seemed to want to dwell on it - at least anyone that we encountered that spoke English. We saw graffiti everywhere, everywhere. There are also blobs and smears of red paint in lots of places,,,on the pavement, etc. We did see the bank that had been bombed last month and 3 people died. The front entrance was entirely black and lots of dead flowers piled high there.
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