Athens

Dear Family and Friends,
Yasos! We made it to Athens! We've been walking around (looking for internet cafes) and enjoying the hustle and bustle of this city. Here's a quick catch-me-up on what we've been up to:
- Matt found a good deal on an apartment that we are renting in Ambelokipi
- We discovered that one of our cell phones doesn't work in Greece!
- We bought the coolest leather goods ever from one of the coolest guys in Greece (check out www.melissinos-poet.gr)
- Today was bright and sunny so we walked up to the Acropolis and took in the sights
- We started off the day at a Greek church where we listened through English translation headphones (maybe this is how you speak in tongues?)
- We stood on Aeropagus hill where Paul presented Chrisitianity to 1st C Athenians
- We walked down Apostolou Pavlou (Apostle Paul) Road to Monastiraki and resisited the urge to buy knock off designer bags
- We made it safely across the street (an accomlishment) to have souvlaki kebabs and a well deserved Amstel

Interesting things to note:
- Dogs lying about, soaking up the sun... everywhere! (Even at the highest point of the Acropolis)
- All the children dressed up for Halloween every night (Isn't Greek Carnivale over?)
- Persistent children peddling goods in the streets
- Mid-meal cigarettes appears to be a national pastime
- Popularity of Nescafe
- "OK" means "no," and "Ne" means "yes"
- Given only a couple of seconds to cross the street
- Orange and olive trees everywhere--sidewalks flow with orange juice and olive oil
- They've got ruins just lyin' about the place (Though current Athens doesn't appear in better shape)
- Lovely pre-dinner Ouzo also helps Matt's cough
- Everyone comes up to blonde-haired Matt to sell their goods, while leaving Teri to just look Greek :)


Well, hope this helps you to get a glimpse into our life here in Athens. We're still transitioning from being New Yorkers, but find that it helps to say we're "from New York."
We love and miss you all. We will try to keep this updated as much as we can during our travels. We are planning to spend some time in the Greek Isles, but might take some detours to Corinth and Thessaloniki before we head to India.
Lots of love,
Teri & Matt