Wednesday 17 September 2008

And That's the Last Time I'm Ever Sleeping in a Casino...

Coming back to Athens, we needed a place to stay for the night. We looked at our options:

Plan A: Crash at Tim's penthouse
Plan B: Use our extra key to get back into Studio 11
Plan C: Sleep on the couches of the Mezzanine and Athens Backpackers
Plan D: Buy a room for the night


Thank goodness for contingency plans because we went all the way to Plan C! It was actually a good, warm sleep and we went off to the Acropolis the next day.

In Greek, the Acropolis literally means ""The Sacred Rock, the High City." Sitting at 150m above ground level, the Acropolis is comprised of various monuments, many of which are dedicated to none other than the Greek God of Love, Athena.

The Temple of Athena Niki

Lillie and me in front of the Erechtheion


The most popular monument in the Acropolis would be the Parthenon, a temple of Athena, built in 5th century B.C. The Partheonon was the epitomy of Doric style (as opposed to ionic which is more elaborate) and was actually utilized as a treasury building.

We had the same camera, so naturally they asked me to be in their picture!

The view from Areopagus Hill looked worthwhile, so we had to make the small climb. Too bad we were slipping and sliding the whole time causing my foot to actually get caught in the rocks! Worth the pics nonetheless!

In classical times, the Areopagus actually functioned as the highest court of the land. Myth has it that Ares was tried here by the Gods for the murder of Poseidon's son, Alirrothios.

The gorgeous view from Areopagus Hill

Julia slipping and sliding down Areopagus Hill

We then stopped by the flea market to buy my mom a doll and a shotglass for my collection from every country. I was ecstatic that shipping the doll back to the U.S. only costs 7.32euros (and that included the packaging!). We said goodbye to our hostel and headed on the long journey to Italy!

Greek public transportation is fantastic and clean. The buses are actually coaches with air conditioning and the occasional television set. Although it took us about five hours to get to Patras and my sore throat was killing me, the Superfast Ferry was beautiful! It had multiple bars, a casino, a nightclub, etc. It was definitely cruise-ship style!

Some older gentlemen tried speaking to us, but we were busy reading, planning out Italy, and working on the laptop (it was a great excuse - whew!). As I was completely face-planted onto the table, another one tried speaking to Lillie in Espagnol, but I popped right up to confusion...one of those "you had to be there moments."

We didn't want to spend the 35euros to upgrade and there were no couches; hence, we slept in the casino! It was cold...loud...no blankets...no pillows...Superfast sucks! Oh, how our thoughts changed! At that point, we were willing to pay the 70euros on the ship, but unfortunately the attendent was not working. Thus, I spent the night sleeping in the casino with some Greek ladies sleeping an inch away from my head. Oh, the sacrifices of not upgrading!

Lille and Julia...we are never sleeping in a casino ever again!

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