Day 17 - Athens

Athens is a stark change from Morocco.

- No mopeds racing by you in an already packed narrow streets. No salesman approaching you at every step.
- Instead of signs in Arabic and French, the signs are in Greek. You better learn your Greek alphabet before coming to Athens, because sometimes you only see signs in Greek.
- People are actually wearing shorts (nobody in London, Norway, Paris, Rome, or Denmark wore shorts [and of course, nobody in Morocco wore shorts]).
- Weather is incredibly hot and humid, highs reaching 95 F. I'm considering purchasing a pair of shorts, so that at least my legs won't be covered in sweat the entire time I'm walking around.
- Graffiti is back, and so are the trash on the streets. I didn't realize it but the streets of Marrakech were actually quite clean. I'm guessing it's because the shop keepers constantly clean their shop fronts. Because what else are you gonna do? Nobody's buying your stuff anyway.

At a busy area, where the local souvenir shops meet the Athens flea market

I had to take a break in the late afternoon. The heat was taking a toll on me, so I came back to my hotel to cool down and take a nap. Then went out for dinner and a nightly stroll.

View of the Parthenon from the base of the Acropolis

Things are cheap here. At least compared to London, Norway, and Denmark. I might even say things are cheaper than Atlanta. My lunch today was 8.80 EUR at a very touristy place, but I see places selling gyros for 3 EUR and coffee for 2 EUR. Most souvenir magnets and keychains are 1-2 EUR, maybe 3 EUR for really fancy ones. I went into a decent restaurant for dinner, and the main plates were in the 5-8 EUR range. Ice cream is a bit expensive here though at 2 EUR for a single scoop. But they're tasty.

Took a relaxed day today. Visited the Acropolis museum early in the day, and had no desire to climb the Acropolis to see the Parthenon in the blistering heat.