Sunday, November 18, 2007

it happened in athens

athens!


the home of Socrates, the Acropolis, the first ever modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and some damn fine cheese pies! (i'm sure the cheese pies have some proper fancy Greek name, but as far as i can tell, if you ask for a cheese pie, they'll know exactly what you're talking about)


my adventures in athens:
buy a corn-on-the-cob and some roasted chestnuts from a street vendor, only to remember that you don't like roasted chestnuts . ride the underground metro at 11:30pm at night, just to see where it takes you . watch the changing of the guard at The House of Parliament . eat dinner in a rowdy greek restaurant, with the brightly-lit Acropolis looming in the background . listen to a greek song on the radio, which sounds remarkably like a drunken Tom Hanks singing at the top of his voice . browse through the stores at Plaka (navigating your way through the "stalls" of counterfeit designer goods laid out on the pavement) . purchase the obligatory fridge magnet for the collection . buy a "circular bread" only to discover it's just a donut . never get used to the amazing sight of ancient ruins in amongst the main streets . take a million photos of the Acropolis . eat a Greek salad, in Greece . walk through the streets, and convince yourself that you know that that word means "chemist" -- (and secretly be a little confident that that word means "sex-show") . be warned about going into town on a day famous for its riots and protest demonstrations, but go into town anyways . when first speaking with the locals, make an elaborate display of silent charades to get your point across, only to realise that the majority of the locals speak english . have a woman feel sorry for you when she sees you taking photos of yourself at Acropolis, and have her offer to accompany you around the ruins to take your picture . get attacked by a swarm of pigeons, and not care cos it's a swarm of pigeons attacking you IN ATHENS!!!


here are the photos:




stay tuned, next week: KUALA LUMPUR!!!!


let the good times roll!!

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