Cold...So Cold: Rainy Acropolis Day

Let me begin by saying that the today's pictures will come soon. Long story short: It will take a little creativity to put my pictures online, but I'll get it!

It was very cold today because it rained all night and this morning, plus there was a very strong, mean wind. While on-site teaching has been pretty awesome so far, having to walk from Kolonaki to the Acropolis at 7:30 AM because the Metro workers decided to go on strike is not so much fun. So it was a fun, wet, slippery adventure to the Acropolis because Athens has very little gravel roads or sidewalks. When the sun is shining, sidewalks made of marble and stone are very quaint. When it's raining, sidewalks become a dangerous slip 'n' slide mixed with puddles.

The walk upto the Acropolis was equally scary because again everything is stoney and marbly (sp?). Plus, as we (Archaeology of Athens class) were on top of the Acropolis, it started raining again. However, it was kind of beautiful in a scary way because we could see the dark clouds coming as we got higher and areas that were previously in sunshine became dark and foggy. You can pretty much see most of Athens (including Piraeus and the Aegean Sea!) from the Acropolis. Even with the cold, it was very breathtaking to see a whole city within view and the Parthenon, yet it is a tad bittersweet. The Parthenon is undergoing major renovation, so it is literally in pieces as archaeologists are attempting to preserve and restore the marble section by section. The magnificance of the building is still there, but is greatly overshadowed by the not-so-nice scaffolding and wiring. Plus, it's sad to see the chipped away pieces of the Frieze and see shadows of the sculpture that used to be there. (In another view) Everything has to age sometime and it's still amazing that the Parthenon is still with us (From 5th century BC people!) as well as all the other beautiful monuments covering Athens' landscape. It must have been amazing when it was first created and hopefully the restoration will help it last as long as possible.

Needless to say, I was pretty cold and I had three layers on! The only thing that really bothered me was my feet...they got a little numb from the cold and the walking...and probably the rain. If this rain continues, I might invest in some goloshes just to keep dry. Admittingly, I had it pretty easy because some students had only windbreakers and/or no hoods, so many peeps got wet. I thankfully had an umbrella...one of the few times I was actually prepared!

Word on the grapevine: I may be getting a care package, which I am particularly psyched about! Now I have to start assembling my first care package to home....hmmm

Other news: I'll have to put up a picture of Τέπο (tee-po), the nicest cat who hangs outside of my apartment. Why does she have that name? Because some lady downstairs says that over and over again at inappropriate times of day (e.g. 6 AM) to get the cat's attention. She is extremely sweet unlike this other mangy cat that steals other cats' food.