Hello from Greece!

Friends & Family...

It's 10PM on Saturday night and I'm killing time before dinner. I'm sitting in a internet cafe in Naxos, Greece, next to Hora's population of under 15-year-old-boys playing some sort of computer game. As much as I'm denying it to myself right now, it looks like a blast. Too bad my Greek is...rusty...or I'd ask to join.

I've spent the last week strolling around Greece. I started in Athens this weekend and spent a couple of amazing days getting lost in the shadow of the Parthenon. I stayed in an area called Plaka, which is littered with shops, tavernas, beautiful Greek people, and stray cats. Actually, this whole country is littered with stray cats (and beautiful Greek people). Not a bad life, actually. Living in the sun, begging lunch from some gawking tourists, sleeping on the hot marble. I have a certain respect for the cats (and the people), as I'm guessing their ancestors have been in Greece for thousands of years. It's hard for me to fathom the amazing amount of history in this country. But, I digress.

Athens was amazing - not the big, dirty city I expected. I also didn't expect to meet more Greeks than tourists...but that's exactly what I did. The first most notable was Mikos/Alexander (a forty-something, rotund Greek storyteller), who 'saw me wandering around the Parthenon earlier' and asked me for a drink. Or dinner. Or to take me around the islands in his private jet. Or to marry him. Which brings me to my second favorite - Harold from Chicago. Harold could sell ice to an eskimo and he successfully got rid of Mikos/Alexander. I did get Mikos/Alexander's card, however, which certifies him as a V.I.P. If only I'd known. My favorite moment in Athens was wandering around the city until the sun came up with some Greeks looking to practice their English. They showed me the city that the tourists don't see and bought me a Heineken; I helped them with their slang and taught them swear words. (I've got to figure out how to market that experience.) The night ended with fireworks from an unknown square about 3km away...apparently the Greeks won a big basketball tournament and the city was celebrating. It was a happy day for all of us.

I left Athens and headed to the port town of Rafina. I took a ferry to Mykanos, where I headed to the beach town of Ornos (about 3km from the port center). I stayed at a beautiful, family run hotel and relaxed away a couple of days. I swam in the ocean (I think it's the Aegean here, but now that I write that - spelled incorrectly I'm sure - it doesn't sound right). Regardless, it was cold. The stray cats watched me curiously from the beach. I think it's the only time I've been without one constantly at my heels. Thanks to that thought, I'm now cracking myself up thinking of a stray cat swimming at my heels in the ocean. Another thing to figure out how to recreate.

Left Mykanos, on to Naxos, which brings us to the present. I rented a car (which I've named 'The White Stallion' for it's sheer power and size) today and drove almost the entire circumference of the island. It was unbelievable. Not only was it some of the best three cylinder driving I've ever done, it also was jawdroppingly (dictionary of Genevieve) beautiful. I so wish I could upload pictures to this computer - it was some of the most awesome country I've ever seen. I think I'm going to call Mikos/Alexander and ask him to buy me a pension in northern Naxos. He should be able to hook that up, being a V.I.P and all.

Tomorrow, headed on to Santorini (possibly stopping off in Ios, but I really want to get to Istanbul before I leave this area, so I'm trying to hustle). Then Crete for a few days...hopefully including some diving, and then hopefully north.

A few random observations:
1) It's amazing what happens when you smile at someone. Silence. Anger. Hesitant smiles back. Subconcious tightening of fingers around wallets or handbags. I've made a constant decision to smile more if only to make other people wonder what I'm hiding. At least the kids like it. And the 80 year old men.
2) I cannot get away from Canadians. They're everywhere. They follow me oot and aboot and I have no idea why. Maybe it's in the water, eh? (Bad writing, but they're all over this place...and most of them hate Americans. Go figure!)
2A) I've only met one other American couple. Very pleasant. Much less intrusive than the Canooks.
3) Greek food rules.
4) Greek music does not rule.
5) Middle aged Greek men following me around each city also do(es) not rule. (Don't worry, they're harmless - mostly just annoying.)

And finally, a few tallies:
Amazing mullets - 6
Homeless cats - 326
Homeless dogs - 47
Homeless people - 4
Glasses of ouzo - 1.4
Snickers at myself for driving the White Stallion - 27 or more

Hope all is well with