Athens!

Well, Athens was a bit of an adventure, let me tell you! Not only didn't we speak the language, but we couldn't even read half the alphabet! Our hotel....hmmm....interesting neighborhood (or neighbourhood, if you prefer). The food...eh...it was ok. The hospitality...could have been better. Overall? A decent trip. We stumbled across a Greek Orthodox feast day--it was the Baptism of Jesus. We were sitting in a church, just having a look (yes, it pays to travel with people who have similar ecclesiastical nerd-like qualities), and we hear a band outside. Never one to pass up a parade, I wanted to go see what the fuss was about. And there we saw all sorts of folks done up in traditional Greek costume and the clerics in their clerical garb. It was exciting! Definitely one of the highlights of the trip. And now I can add Greece to my list of places visited. I've seen the Parthenon, the Gulf of something-or-other, and experienced some of the Greek culture. It's easy to sterotype, but I don't want to judge an entire culture on two days' experience. On the whole, it was good to get away. Got some thinking time in. And now, I'm looking forward to a bit of normality--getting back to work after the holidays. Lots of things happening in the next few months. Should be a fun ride!