I just returned from a fantastic trip to Greece. Greece was the #1 destination I wanted to visit while in India (Vietnam and Australia are 2&3). This was the first large solo trip I've ever taken so I wasn't quite sure what to expect but it turned out great. I met tons of people from all over but Australia was definitley well represented. I met people from Darwin, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Victoria. Some days it seems half of Australia was in Greece.
The trip started with another unknown; this would be my first flight from the new Bangalore International Airport that had just opened about 1 month before. The newspapers had been constantly in "Airport Bashing" mode since it opened; not enough parking, the road to the airport wasn't sufficient, the control tower had problems, not enough taxi drivers, etc. Everyone I talked to however, said it was fine and definitley an improvement over the old one. That isn't a very high standard to set though. It's like saying George Bush Sr. was a better president than George Jr. When you set the benchmark low enough there's only one direction to go.
I had no problems getting to the airport; leaving at 4:30 am definitley helped. I made it through security with 1 hr before my plane left so I went in search of breakfast and coffee. I found the food court and although I could get a Pizza Hut pizza at 5:30 am, unbelievably there was no place serving coffee! So after exploring a little more I found a nice looking coffee bar. I got a raspberry danish and ordered a latte. The danish was eaten and part of the paper read and still no coffee had arrived. I was getting a little anxious as the plane would start boarding in about 15 min. so I went to the counter and asked if my latte was almost ready. "Yes sir, coming." I've been here long enough to know that could mean anything from "I just need to put the lid on it" to "Juan Valdez is picking the beans in Columbia now" so I stayed and watched. I watched as they made two latte's and poured each out. I was about to ask what the problem was when one of the 3 people working on my latte said "Sorry Sir, all milk is bad." Evidently the refrigerator was not working. "OK, I'll just have black coffee." "How about a coffee shake sir?" Hmm... "Doesn't a coffee shake need the milk you just told me was all spoiled?" It was almost as if Wily E. Coyote, Super Genius, was there and the cartoon lighbulb appeared above his head as this realization hit home. "Oh, yes sir" "How about that black coffee then?" 30 seconds later I had a nice cup of black coffee. I am thankful they checked the milk, I give them credit for ensuring they served a high quality drink that wouldn't kill me or make me violently ill on an airplane.
Nine hours later and I was on the ground in Athens! I met a guy named Matt from North Carolina during the layover at Bahrain who also works in India and was also going to Athens. We decided to stick together and figure out the train system. On the train we met a couple from NYC who had been to Athens several times so they gave us the 411 on how the metro system works. It is actually a very good system and very new. Much of it was installed for the 2004 olympics.
After getting on the right train and figuring out I needed to get off at the Omonia Square station we were off. Here are some pics of Omonia Square:
I knew my hotel was on Marni street and should be just a few blocks from the square. So I took out my tour book, no chance of not being mistaken for a tourist as I was wearing a 40lb backpack - all my provisions for 9 days on my back, no whimpy little "wheelie" suitcases or duffel bags for me. After trying to get my bearings I pointed at a street and asked one of the vendors if that was Marni. He pointed in exactly the opposite direction; so much for gathering my bearings with my uncanny sense of direction. After a little trial and error I did eventually find the Art Hotel. The Art Hotel is a little boutique hotel with fun stuff like a big red chair in the lobby with a big red foot stool that looks like a big red tennis ball and is teather to the chair. Clifford the Big Red Dog would be right at home.
There is an outdoor cafe literally across the street where I learned all about Greek beer - Mythos and Alpha, both very good. The street out front was rather busy but I didn't mind. Here is the lobby and the street at night. I might look like a tourist with my backpack but at least I don't have a goofy hat like this guy.
Matt and I met up for dinner at the top of Lykavittos Hill, the highest point in Athens. The views are spectacular
Looking down on the Acropolis
The next day was a day trip to Delphi. Fantastic! Delphi is a 3 hour drive from Athens so I booked a package tour. For those who don't know about Delpi, in ancient Greece Delphi was home to the Oracle of Delphi. A blind woman who could foresee the future. She did this by sitting all day on a tripod placed above a volcanic vent that emitted sulphur gas. Yes, like fortune tellers throughout history right up to today she relied on the power of mind altering chemicals to glimpse the opaque ether of the future. Maybe economists and meteoroligists should try this method, they couldn't get much worse. The catch to the Oracles' prophecies was they were never really direct answers, also like all fortune tellers before and since. In one famous episode the king of Athens asked if he should make war on the Persians. "If you cross the river dividing Athens from the Persians you will destroy a great kingdom" was the answer. So he went to war and sure enough he destroyed a great kingdom; his own. Not all that different than the daily horoscope imparting insightful information like "Today you will meet someone new who will impact your life." Anyway here are some photos of the Museum at Delphi and the ruins. For a more complete set of photos click here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/pbalthazor/GreeceDelphiThe scenery along the drive was spectacular
and just before getting to Delphi we went though a mountain town with the coolest winding roads.
Finds from Delphi displayed in the museum;
The ruins.
This is near where the Oracle actually sat. Pretty cool stuff!
Two views from above the amphitheater looking down at most of the ruins. The colums on the left in each photo are the columns in the first photo. The mountain setting is spectacular and shows just how much work had to go into creating this site.
This is the ruin of a stadium 200 yards long that seated several thousand spectators. Carved right from the mountain.
One final view of the ruins. The wall on the right is inscribed with thousands of names of people who won events in the stadium.
Day 2 started with a 1/2 day tour of Athens.
Evidently Athenians enjoy their Starbuck's coffee. I saw a couple of these 10' tall Starbuck's cups around the city. I think a cup this size with whip cream on top has around 10,000,000 calories so you probably want to limit yourself to 1 per week.
The new Olympic stadium. There are tons of tours just like the one I was on. They all stop at the same places. Sometimes the tourists are more interesting than the location. For instance this lady evidently thinks gaudy black pants with areas of mesh replacing solid fabric is a good look for her - to each his/her own...
The Parlaiment bldg.
These are the ruins of the Temple of Zeus. Look at how massive the columns are. This temple was the largest in ancient Greece. There are only 15 of the original 104 columns remaining, each 56 ft high. The temple took 650 years to build!
The Acropolis and Parthenon are in the background
Hadrian's arch, the entrance to the Temple of Zeus.
Then it was on to the Acropolis and the Parthenon
Old & New. An ancient wall is the backdrop for this theater at the base of the Acropolis where concerts and plays are still conducted.
The Parthenon - currently undergoing a massive restoration effort
Erechtheion temple. Columns incredibly carved in the shape of 7 beautiful women.
Then I had a day and a half to explore Athens on my own. Here are some random photos from around Athens....
Lunch and dinner at sidewalk cafes. The political roundtable
Just some cool buildings
Academy of the Arts
Athen's does have a graffitti problem. Unfortunately almost all buildings had some graffitti on them. The one on the left is pretty extreme.
Hadrian's library and the Temple of the Winds
Monastiraki flea market a huge collection of the most bizarre junk / treasure including a bowl of tennis balls???
Get ready for the "National" trio: National Gardens, Library and Museum
The gardens are nice and peaceful in the middle of the city.
National Library and National Museum
Some of the incredible items in the National Museum:
That concluded the "cultural" half of my trip. Next it was off to the islands of Paros and Santorini...
Blue Star Ferries got me to Paros. 
Not far now to Paros....
My trusty transportation while on Paros (the 200cc dirt bike behind me) I had to convince the rental agency I wouldn't kill myself on it before they rented it to me. After showing my motorcycle license and talking about my 820cc motocycle in America he agreed to take my money.
Two specific places I visited: A marble quary that was last worked to provide the marble for Napoleon's tomb and the Valley of the Butterfly's. Every year millions of these butterflys migrate through this valley.
Images of Paros....
I have to admit, this is one of my favorite "artistic" photos. That is the setting sun forming the flame, the lamp wasn't lit.
On to Santorini.....
Santorini is a volcanic island that used to be roughly circular. Then in 1450 BC the volcano erupted and blew 2/3 of the island away. It also created a tsunami that destroyed the Minoan civilization on Crete. Many archaeologists now believe this was the beginning of the Atlantis legend. (Either that or a race of Aliens colonized an island and for some unknown reason it sank below the sea taking every single person and artifact to oblivion. The most likely scenario is a dramatic change in the Earth's magnetic field caused by the anti-matter fallout from a micro-black hole instantaneously forming and imploding directly over the island. Hey if every other nut case can have an Atlantis theory so can I...). My guide book does a very good job of describing this (the history of Santorini, not Atlantis).
When the volcano blew it created sheer cliffs about 1000' feet high. All the towns on Santorini are built on the top edge of these cliffs. The white specs on top is the town. Getting from the port to the towns is an adventure in itself.
The island on the left is the active volcano.
Once you get there though it is spectacular!
Now that's a good sign to see!
My Hotel.
I did a day cruise to the volcano, hot springs and sunset in the town of Oia (pronounce Ee uh). Oia is said to have the most beautiful sunsets in the world. I'll let everyone judge for themselves.
This is the day cruise boate. The guy in the red swimming trunks turned out be from Appleton, WI. Just 25 miles from where I grew up. He attended Appleton West High School where my sister once taught English. That's what is great about traveling, you never know who you will meet. (Note I resisted the urge to make a bad Forrest Gump-Box of Chocolates reference)
Debarking on the volcano
The view of Santorini from the volcano
This is the volcano. Pretty desolate. Note to self: Next time I plan to hike on a volcano pack something besides Birkenstocks, not ideal volcano hiking shoes. On the right is the active crater. It is really hard to see but on the far side, where the rocks are greenish, sulfur gas is escaping.
Then it was on to the hot springs which were really more like luke-warm springs but they were warmer than the surrounding water. We had to jump off the boat and swim about 30 yards to get to them.
Then it was off to Oia. On the way the tour guides pointed out the the end of Santorini looks like a crocodiles snout - It really does.
On the dock in Oia. There are two ways to get from the dock up to the town; walk up 500 steps or....
Ride a donkey. Not much of a choice...
This is what the donkey path / steps look like after you get to the top. Here is the famous sunset....
Then one more morning of walking around and it was an 8 hr ferry ride back to Athens and then back to Bangalore and the real world; well surreal world at least...
Look close, this bush is covered with snails...just thought that was interesting.
Off on the adventure
John Lennon may not have been 100% correct when he said "All you need is love" but it's a big part of the equation where ever you go.
The Raffles hotel. Where the Singapore Sling was invented and us getting a round of the famous concoction
Awesome seafood
Our first Starbuck's in many months. You've never seen a group of stupid Americans get so excited about something so silly. The lady behind the counter was probably wondering 'why is this guy taking a picture of this?' Over the course of the weekend we found about 25 more Starbuck's. I didn't take photos at all of them.
This sculpture/fountian has become the symbol of Singapore is a combination of a mermaid and a lion. Appropriately enough it is call the Merlion.
The big merlion is pretty scary so there is a baby one for little kids
The last friend we made. Molly Malone at her Irish pub. She is wheeling her wheelbarrow through streets broad and narrow crying 'cockles and mussels alive, alive 'o'. Now I know what a cockle looks like. So even though we drank and danced for 3 days I'm counting it as an educational trip :-)
