Action-Man, 24 June, Athens, Greece
Athens improved everything for the 2004 Olympics. Matthew Gutman, an Israeli correspondant for USA-Today, told me that Athen's metro is one of the best in Europe. Its signage is clear, escalators and stairs and platforms all tidy. Drew said that the stations in Paris are more beautiful. In the city, there are new hotels and clean squares. Many roads are freshly paved, and they built a new city tram and a scintillating international airport. I hope that it all lasts and keeps its luster.
Drew and I spent the afternoon on the sunny island of Egina between Athens and Peloponnesus. Our hydrofoil docked and as we began walking, much to our joy, we found a quiet beach with blue seats and white umbrellas. The water was salty, but open eyes under the clear, warm water revealed smooth rocks and sand. Sweetly situated and free! But no sooner had we sat down than they slapped down a six-euro charge. Immediately Drew resolved to escape and not pay.
So I took my shoes and Drew's books in my hands and started walking down a dirt path away from the beach. The guys at the counter were busy talking to a man on a moped, so Drew followed lightly, his shoeless feet pattering on the sand behind me. I saw a path up a hill to my right and broke for it. The way was steep and I felt small pricks on my feet from thorny things. "After them, or we'll have no man-pies!" the giants bellowed as Jill and Eustace and Puddleglum fled in The Silver Chair. I raced through trees bearing summer fruits and sparse plants that looked like tumbleweeds to the highway above.
It is the middle of the night in the Athens airport. We cut it close coming here tonight. We left our beloved hotel in Metaxourghio at 11:30 and caught the red line in Syntagma. The doors of the metro cars shut like a guillotine. We went east to Doukissis Plakentias, but the metro closed at midnight. We were still 30 kilometers from the airport, so we caught a taxi. He gave us a break on the price, and shook our hands at the curb.
Sam
Drew and I spent the afternoon on the sunny island of Egina between Athens and Peloponnesus. Our hydrofoil docked and as we began walking, much to our joy, we found a quiet beach with blue seats and white umbrellas. The water was salty, but open eyes under the clear, warm water revealed smooth rocks and sand. Sweetly situated and free! But no sooner had we sat down than they slapped down a six-euro charge. Immediately Drew resolved to escape and not pay.
So I took my shoes and Drew's books in my hands and started walking down a dirt path away from the beach. The guys at the counter were busy talking to a man on a moped, so Drew followed lightly, his shoeless feet pattering on the sand behind me. I saw a path up a hill to my right and broke for it. The way was steep and I felt small pricks on my feet from thorny things. "After them, or we'll have no man-pies!" the giants bellowed as Jill and Eustace and Puddleglum fled in The Silver Chair. I raced through trees bearing summer fruits and sparse plants that looked like tumbleweeds to the highway above.
It is the middle of the night in the Athens airport. We cut it close coming here tonight. We left our beloved hotel in Metaxourghio at 11:30 and caught the red line in Syntagma. The doors of the metro cars shut like a guillotine. We went east to Doukissis Plakentias, but the metro closed at midnight. We were still 30 kilometers from the airport, so we caught a taxi. He gave us a break on the price, and shook our hands at the curb.
Sam
posted by Unknown at 11:46 AM
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