Max here again. As Nikki said, yesterday we piled in the little hooptie Hyundai and headed for greener Greek pastures. Driving out of the big city was accomplished without too much drama and I drove toward the Peloponnese. Athens is perhaps the city of great philosophers and Hellenistic heroes, but now it is a cramped metropolis that smells of piss, garbage and stray dogs. Athens is worth seeing for sure, but don't spend more than a day there. Whereas the city fails to deliver on my romantic preconceptions of Greece, the countryside has charm and beauty to spare. Our ocean side drive over curvy mountain roads was more enjoyable for me than for Nikki, as she repeatedly asked me to slow down. I eventually obliged as keeping pace with the modified Focus and Peugeot proved fruitless for the little buzzing Korean monster. We arrived safely at each destination despite the efforts of every other driver to kill us. We figured out the meanings of most of the signs in short order, and before long it was old hat. The trick, I've discovered, to driving in Greece, is to drive like a complete a****** all the time, do whatever you want to do on the road without any consideration for others or regard for the posted rules. This manner of driving, although stressful due to the required concentration (instead of driving defensively like every car is out to get you, you know for fact that they are actually out to get you), is a welcome break from driving in the US where I have to be wary of breaking the law and the local police are there to write you up for the most minor of infractions. The plan for the next couple days is to remain in the area and see the sights. In Nafplio today we'll hit the beach and relax a bit, and then go to a medieval hilltop fortress that stands dominantly over the town below. Then tomorrow we'll seek out more ancient ruins and likely find a place to stay in Korinthos. More later.