Ithaka Bound

Things I swore I’d never do again, yet always do again

I swore never to show up in Athens again without a reservation.
I swore not to pack so much.
I swore not to eat a cheese pie every day.

I’ve heard that a lot of people will skip Athens entirely and head straight to the islands, especially if they’ve visited Athens before.  Maybe it’s due in part to [...]

Night in Athens

My first night in Athens, I walk the pedestrian promenade to keep myself from falling asleep too early.
Children play ball on the marble walkway, as they have for millennia, their voices ringing out in laughter from the shrubbery of the southern slope of the Acropolis.
A tightrope walker manages the distance between two trees, ten feet [...]

Cost of Traveling to Greece

I’ve gotten more than a few messages asking about costs related to traveling to Greece, so I thought it warranted a blog post.
The good news: compared to most European nations, Greece is extremely affordable.
The bad news:  if you’re American, you’re still getting about .60 euro to $1.
Timing is everything.  Prices go down by as much [...]

Greek Crisis

There’s been much talk of Greece in the news lately, what with all the protests, strikes, accusations, and public spankings related to the cover-up, or glossing over, of the national debt.
I’ve been keeping abreast of the ever-changing situation but I have no right whatsoever to comment on it.  Things are never truly as they seem [...]

Deadline

You might remember this post regarding my  60 euro fine with the Athens Metro.  Well, it’s officially been two months and I still haven’t heard anything.  Do you think that means I’m off the hook?  That must be what it means, right?
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Athens Meat Market

My last day in Athens I was strolling from the ancient Agora up to Omonia when off to the side I spotted the dark entrance to the old meat market.  A whole other world lay inside.  I tried to find out how old the market was, but the only answer I got was “Really old.” [...]

Sing to me of the Man, Oh Muse…(III)

Emboldened by their new prosperity, prestige, and power, Pericles and the Athenians began to pursue empire.  Despite their protestations to the contrary, they began to treat their allies as their subjects.  Ideologically committed to their own form of radical democracy, they saw it as their mission and their right to foster, or if necessary to [...]