Biz here. I arrived in Athens a couple days ago,and have been having a great time since. I'm staying in Eleanor's apartment with her CYA flatmates, and they're all very nice. I spent my first night eating the most delicious gyros and and a chocolate cake, followed by a slumber party at Eleanor's apartment building. The next day was jam-packed with things to do: getting sandals from the Poet Sandalmaker, had a wonderful meal at Eleanor's school (stuffed tomatoes), packed her up, and picked up our tickets to fly to Budapest. I saw the changing of the guards, the efzones, at Syntagma Sq, and they must be uber flexible with the way they march. They also pick the handsomest and tallest to qualify for these special guards. One funny incident: Eleanor and I had just picked up the airline tickets when I accidentally walked over a vent and my skirt flew up a la Marilyn Monroe, getting an enthusiastic "Hopa!" from some passing guys. We spent the evening going out to a posh bar with her flatmates, getting the coolest cocktails we could find. I decided to refrain from much alcohol, so I got a Gordon's Space, which was Gordon's gin, lemonl, and ginseng (ginseng!). By this time it was almost eleven, so we had sandwiches for dinner, visited the guys' apartment, and went to bed early, so we could do a sunrise (6.15am) hike to Lycavittos hill, the highest point in athens, which was two blocks away. It was absolutely gorgeous, well-worth getting up that early. Today, Wednesday, Eleanor and I got a late start b/c we forgot some things back at her apartment, so instead of walking we took the really cool (and really clean!) metro to the acropolis, which was packed at 10.30am with tourists from EVERYWHERE. It was quite beautiful, especially the contrast between the butter-colored Parthenon against the clear blue sky. However, my favorite has been the Caryatids, which I had studied in Art History. Something about them really speaks to me, but I don't know what. After that, Eleanor and I went to see the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the biggest temple in all of Greece, which is mostly gone except for a few 17m columns and the outline of the foundation. we had another fabulous lunch at the center, this time dill-flavored meatballs with fries and a greek salad with the best feta I've ever tasted. This afternoon we're going to see the Greek and Roman Agoras and tomorrow, the Natl. Archaeological museum and a little relaxation. We leave for Budapest on Friday, May 19, and even though I've only been here a few days, I'll really miss Athens.