How do you say "lush" in Greek?

Wine. You can buy alcohol in almost every store in Athens. The liquor is pretty expensive, but wine and Ouzo are cheap. There is a particularly novel kind of wine that comes in a liter and a half plastic bottle, same as water. It’s not good wine, but I’m still so amused that it comes in a plastic bottle that I’ll probably keep buying it for a while. It costs less than 2 euros, so it’s not exactly a terrible habit. You can get a bottle of Ouzo for about the same, depending on how high a quality you are looking for. Apparently you are supposed to mix Ouzo with water or ice, which I didn’t realize. It definitely makes a difference in taste, with the added bonus of changing colors. When you add the ice cube or water, the clear liquid changes to a sort of cloudy pale blue. It’s still not my favorite (kind of tastes like death licorice), but I think I’m starting to develop a taste for it. If nothing else it’s stronger than wine, which is always something I appreciate in a beverage. Beer is also plentiful and usually cheaper than soda. This means that I rarely have a meal without some manner of alcohol. That said, I haven’t really been drunk. It’s more of a casual kind of drinking, which is nice. Hopefully we’ll go clubbing sometime soon. I would love to actually have a Greek bar / club / dancing / drinking experience and maybe make some Greek friends. It could only be good. Who knows? Maybe my attractive waiter will be there. (Seriously, he was so unbelievably attractive.)

Opening Remarks

As I type this sentence right here and now, Michael Guido is playing with the very sleepy stray kitty that has found its way onto our table at the Odeon Cafe. It is pretty adorable.

Initial observation that I will then extrapolate to a much broader metaphor about Athens: there are stray animals everywhere. From the kitties in cafes to the dogs that hang out on the steps of Parliament, this city has a certain wild edge. The animals are mostly docile and friendly, but we have been warned that occasionally they will bite. And ain't nobody want to see a doctor in Athens. Or a Vet. Would you go to the vet for an animal bite? These are questions I think I should have answered in my mind by now.

Right, I lost my point. Maybe I can lean real hard on this metaphor and say that we feel stray in this city. Communication comes at an extreme difficulty, though I've quickly mastered my way to "Excuse me, could I have a Greek Coffee, medium sweet?" The streets make absolutely no sense in Mets, the neighborhood we're living in. And we're going to be doing a lot of walking without ever really putting down roots. Strays.

We hope you use this blog as a way to channel our outsider status to give you a snapshot of our Quarter in this city. It could be funny, it will sometimes be dramatic and hand-wavingly exasperated, but most of all, it will be true.

And especially given the power-outages [Mom Was Right!], mobile communication difficulties [SIM card?], and general confusion about how to stay in touch with all of you that we love in the United States of Our Friends and Families, this blog will be a fine way to follow what the crap we are up to.

So stay with us.

GRAHAM