I remember the first time I saw someone snort cocaine. I was at a Rolling Stones concert in Montreal in 1989 - fresh off "the Rock." Despite the fact that most of Jagger's and Richards' tunes were written about, or under the influence of some hardcore drug or another, it rattled me. I remember that scene more vividly than the still pimply-faced 45 year old Stones strutting around the stage of the Big O.
I also remember the first time I saw someone inject heroine. It was about 30 minutes ago on a side street next to our hotel in Athens. "Put THAT in your blog," says a wide-eyed Deb as we passed the disturbing scene of three young men crouched on the sidewalk shooting up on our way home from dinner. The experience was made all the more surreal by the site of Shannon skipping by them singing a song from the soundtrack of the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" which we all watched last night (serious chick flick alert btw).
Athens may once have been the cultural and intellectual centre of the universe, but it is showing some rough edges these days. In all honesty, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. The city is covered in graffiti and it has way more than its fair share of pan handlers and homeless people. That is to be expected from a country that is an economic basket case I suppose. But right up until I walked past the small gaggle of young men with needles sticking from their veins, I was remarking to myself how pleasant the place is.
We've spent all our days in Athens down around the Acropolis and in the adjacent Plaka district. The area is full of lovely, cafe-lined streets and bustling squares full of street performers and fruit vendors. A single ticket to the Acropolis gets you seven days of unlimited access to the "Rock" and a slew of other historically magnificent sites such as the ancient Agora, Hadrian's Gate and Library, the Temple of Olympian Zeus etc. etc. We spent our first day touring the Modern Acropolis Museum which was built a few years ago, largely to shame the British into accepting that Greece is capable of housing the Elgin Marbles, which were removed from the Parthenon in a brutish fashion by His Nibs 200 years ago. I'm convinced! The bright, open display floors exhibit the surviving statues and friezes from the building as well as relics from the ancient villages that once thrived on the slopes of the Acropolis. It is well done from top to bottom and easily manageable with kids in a few hours. The modern, to scale rendition of the Parthenon on the top floor displays the ancient marble masterpieces in a striking way. Another highlight, albeit shiny and new compared to the company it keeps, is the silver cup that was presented to the marathon winner from the first modern olympics held here in 1896.
The next day we hiked up the Acropolis in the heat of the afternoon sun. It was tough to pass by the sites of the Agora without stopping, but we were determined to get to the Parthenon while the sun was shining. I remember the day I first learned about this famous place in junior high. I remember it because Greg Gill and I walked home from school that day repeating the names "Parthenon" and "Acropolis" in Donald Duck voices. These were imaginary, impossible and meaningless places to two young boys who'd never been off their own "rock." Seeing it for the first time didn't impact me in the same way the Taj Mahal did, but it sure was special. We had the place practically to ourselves, with the exception of the construction crews who are beavering away at the Greek government's plan to restore the site to its former glory. The Parthenon was the focus of our attention, but we were equally taken with the Temple of Athena Nike, Erechtheion, the Theatre of Dionysus and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Too bad Greg and I didn't get those names down in Duck language back in grade 7. We surely would have cracked each other up.
Last night we let the girls stay up way too late watching the afore-mentioned movie that was partially filmed on Santorini (it's pathetic what we let pass for home schooling these days). After a bit of postcard writing and exercise this morning, we made it back down to the Plaka by about 2:00 pm. We strolled through the Agora for a few hours marveling over the foundations of history's original legislative assembly. "Do you think they had a polar bear on the floor like in ours?" Shannon inquired. Where to begin with that one? Let's chat about it over some souvlaki and baklava shall we?
The Acropolis was lit up and glowing above the ancient city in the early evening darkness as we strolled up Athenis Avenue on our way back to the hotel. As we turned east onto Sophocles Street, the girls started thinking back to some of the more "mature" scenes from last night's movie. "Why did the blond girl feel guilty the next morning after kissing that boy on the beach all night?"
"Ummmmmmm . . . Welllllll . . . . Ahhhhhhh . . . . Hey kids, check it out! Junkies!"
Thanks Athens. You saved me from a tight spot there. Tomorrow we'll spend our last day visiting some ancient and century-old Olympic sites (apparently the sites from the most recent games are far too deteriorated for visitors!) Then it's an hour and a half flight up to Dubrovinick - the last flight we'll take on our travels before flying home to Canada in July. Still a few trains, boats and bikes to hop on before then!