Athens I

We were requested to disembark by 8 AM so that the crew could get things ready for the next cruise. I felt like I was being thrown back out into the cold, cruel world. Well, cold it certainly wasn't and the prospect of a few days in Athens is hardly a cruel fate. Still, the moment I stepped out of the cruise terminal I was left to my own devices. Since I couldn't check into my Athens hotel before noon, I had a lot of time to kill. Pardon me for reporting the mundane, but travel is not all razzle dazzle. It is in how one copes with the minor, sometimes unpleasant moments in a trip that determines a good or a wretched experience on the road. I was not going to pamper myself and take a taxi and was determined to get to my hotel using public transportation. First I had to find the bus that went to the Piraeus metro station. I am grateful for the kindness of strangers for pointing me in the right direction. The metro was constructed for the 2004 Olympic Games. It's a bit clunky, but it does the trick. I chose a mid-scale hotel in the nice neighborhood called Ambelokipi, just north of Lykavittos Hill. There are plenty of cheaper hotels in town, but they seem to be clustered in the Omonia area which is rife with drug dealers and pimps at night. No thanks. 
And now some thoughts on the Greek's aesthetic sense concerning colors. They tend to like dull, neutral colors and avoid patterns of any kind. This sets then apart from their flamboyant neighbors to the west, the Italians, and even more so from the Turks who love to swathe themselves (the women, anyway) in clothing with bizarre color combinations and patterns. My hotel, the Proteus, is actually quite nice. It's clean and friendly. The lobby was done up in kitschy but subdued décor. You can't imagine my shock when I opened the door of my room to find a bright red carpet and furniture painted pepto bismol pink. To complete the 'ensemble' there are posters of the Eiffel Tower and the Arche de Triomphe on the walls, adding a certain je ne sais quoi to the whole effect. Oh, and I forgot to mention the floor to ceiling mirror on one wall. It looks like a room in a  brothel. When I went downstairs later the concierge asked me if the room was okay. I said it was fine but would have liked to add: But wouldn't you rather be renting it out by the hour?
Some thoughts on the Greek alphabet. A surprising number of signs are written in Roman script. I think the Greeks must consider it cool and cosmopolitan. Among the changes from the ancient to the modern language there seems to have been a general trend to simplification. As far as I can tell there is only one 'o' vowel in the language, pronounced as an open 'aw'. But what is the point of having two different symbols for the sound, omicron and omega? The same thing seems to be true with the 'e' sound. There is no open and closed differenciation; both are open. But the aplhabet still has eta and episilon, yet both are the same. Diphthongs have lost their qualities and most seem to be simply 'i'. The letter beta is not 'b' at all, but is pronounced 'v' -- alpha, veta, gamma, etc. To write the 'b' sound you need m plus p, or MP. It actually makes sense when you think about it.
I intended to take the walking tour suggested by my guide book this afternoon. It took me 20 minutes to walk to the downtown. One of the more interesting sights was the honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which is in front of the Parliament building. The two soldiers wear the most outlandish uniforms: pompoms on their shoes, tight leggings, a short skirt, a red hat with a tassle that comes down to their waists. It is quite a sight. They perform a choreographed strut, like a goose step in slow motion, followed by rhythmic stomping. Who thought this up? It is entertaining but rather strange. Down the street was the site of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It was the largest ever built, took 700 years to complete. Of its original 104 columns only 15 remain standing. Still, it gives a good ides of the size of the place. I thought I would just walk around the circumference of the Acropolis. By mid-afternoon it was time to eat. Virtually in the shadow of the Acropolis I dined in a Greek taverna. I would normally eschew anything that smelled of tourist trap, but this place was authentic. I sat on the shaded deck, admiring the view. There was also a pomegranate tree hung with fruit. Are they kidding me? This is too perfect! And the food was delicious. I had egglpant baked with feta cheese (I have to try this at home), a salad of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers (the much nicer European variety) sweet onions, green pepper and olives. It was lightly seasoned and dressed with Greek olive oil. Molto delicioso! For desert I had Greek yogurt, so creamy and rich, topped with Thassos honey and chopped nuts. That was heaven. And the whole meal was very reasonable. I thanked the gods for leading me there. After that I ambled over to the site of the Athenian Agora, where Sokrates wandered. I love being here.