Impressions of Greece

When asked by a resident of Naxos what my impressions of Greece were, I answered, "The people are very friendly and helpful. They seem genuinely happy that we are here. The food is very good, and Athens is not really Greece." He seemed pleased with my response.  What I didn't tell him was that the language is very difficult, the stray dogs everywhere are kind of weird, ouzo tastes terrible, and having to place used toilet paper in the waste can instead of the toilet can be less than pleasant! (Yes, you read it correctly. Apparently, no where in Greece are you allowed to put toilet paper into the toilet!) 

Still, the pros far outweigh the cons, and I am anxious to return. I cannot emphasize enough how incredibly friendly almost every person we met was. Time after time, we were offered assistance before we even asked for it. A cynic might say that it's because they are in need of our tourist dollars, but I tend to believe it is just the way Greeks are. Wonderful people!

Before our journey continued on to southern Italy, we stayed one more night in Athens so we could catch an early morning flight to Rome. I had not made reservations ahead of time, and since rooms were a little more scarce when I finally did try to do so, we ended up in a little bit nicer hotel than we usually stay in: Hotel Plaka. It is a modern hotel right on the edge of the Plaka, the historical center of Athens, and from our balcony, we could look down on all the activity in the streets. The best part though was the rooftop patio with an amazing view of the Acropolis, just a short distance away. It was especially beautiful at night, when many of our fellow hotel guests gathered, drinks in hand, to marvel at the brightly lit ruins. Unfortunately, the photos I took do not come close to showing how incredibly beautiful it was. I will just have to depend on my mind's eye to remember that!

(Click to enlarge.)