Like this:

another line dropped from the internet cafe in Athens:

I got successfully to my CS host’s couch yesterday, and he (Constantinos or Costas) turned out to be very cool– a laid-back electrical engineer for the Metro with great taste in music. I chilled there with him for a while, watched some House, drank some mountain tea, and did crossword puzzles while he did ironing, then we hit the town to meet up with some other surfers and their host, a friend of Costas’. We walked around the neighborhood under the Acropoli and Costas showed me the part of the town that, 100 years ago, used to be full of goats and stables and constitute the entirety of Athens. After a little stroll, we found the other surfers and then a bar.

They’re both from the states also, Utah and Nevada, and enjoying their first night in Europe at the beginning of a long trip. I gave them all my best traveling advice and the guys and I drank Rakomelo, a Greek specialty combining the Turkish/Greek (big dispute here) liquor raki with honey and spices and heated. The girls had chocolate milkshakes. Oh how soon they’ll learn.

Today I ventured out with my map and walking sandals to get some culture. First I visited the Acropoli and saw the Parthenon and Athena’s temple, but unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries at the top of the hill. Oh well, you’ll have to believe me. After that (and new batteries) was Hadrian’s library, the ancient Agora, and the flea market. Now I’m pretty bushed, not to mention completely sick of tourists, so I’m going to head back for a shower and a nap before some more Athenian night life.

Getting very close to home now…

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