I Wear My Sunglasses At Night... and other Greek trademarksMar 28, 2006
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In Ancient Corinth
A view of Ancient Corinth (look on the mountain... the big castle/hideout...
A whole bunch of headless statues (I think all the Romans stole...
| I'm sitting at an internet cafe with a slight sunburn, sticky fingers from eating fresh oranges off a tree, and a belly full of baklava and souvlaki... and loving every (well, most every) minute of it! Greece has been incredible... brilliant sunshine, cool breezes, the Mediterranean, outdoor cafes for people watching... and among all this are scattered ruins that are not 70,000 years old as my last trip journal stated but 700,000 years old! I was off a whole 630,000 years. Wow! But, I have developed a list of three ways to blend in with the Greeks: 1) Wear your dark sunglasses... ALL THE TIME. It doesn't matter if it's early morning or late at night, in a church or in a restaurant, on the train or in a shop.... if you don't have on your glasses, you are NOT a true Greek. 2) HATE all Americans. Yep, this is the crappy part of the trip. People are great to me until they find out I'm from America. Then they automatically quit talking to me. No joke... the Greeks have a strong dislike for Americans because of our involvement in the Iraq War and because of earlier involvement in the Greece Civil war back in the 1970s. Geez... get over it people. 3) Drink a cup of coffee, smoke a cigarette and oogle passersby. That's the favored activity in Greece! The typical breakfast is coffee and a cigarette. More people smoke here than anywhere else in the European Union. It is interesting to walk down the street past the lovely cafes... everyone sits facing out toward the street to watch people stroll by. Yes, the trip is going well although my impression of the Greek people is very mixed. They are either unbelievably nice (the lady in Corinth who gave us free baklava and cookies) or extremely haughty (the employees at the train station who refused to tell us when the next train left as they laughed in our faces). Again, I have found my niche with the guys here.... and I have a whole new meaning for "bringing home the bacon." Yes, I seem to be quite attractive to the butchers in the Athens market and could quite easily bring one home with me (don't worry, I'll pass!) It was honestly quite awkward... as Nadia, me and Jackie (a girl we met in the hostel) walked through aisles of meat stands in the Athens markets, all the little butchers in their white smocks would walk over to shake my hand. STRANGE! Besides the meat market, I have seen some great sights. We spent yesterday just strolling around Athens. We went to markets and fashion shops, saw the changing of the guard, roamed outside the Acropolis, viewed quaint residential areas and toured Greek Orthodox churches. Then today we went to Corinth and Ancient Corinth. It was a marvelous area of ruins, and the old building where the Apostle Paul used to preach was partially standing. I can't wait for you all to see the pictures because words do not do this place justice. We also made it to the seaside in Corinth (not much to see, but the water was a beautiful turquoise and so clean you could see to the bottom! Tomorrow we will officially tour the Acropolis and Roman Agora here in Athens and then take the overnight train to Thessoloniki. It only seems appropriate to leave you with one of my favorite verses from Corinthians... spoken by the Apostle Paul... 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 "You know that many runners enter a race, and only one of them wins the prize. So run to win! Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever." A great reminder for me that some crowns and things are fleeting... but a lifetime with God is something to work for! Hugs to you all! |
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