Entries this day: About_Piraeus Before_Athens Dream Grrr In_Athens heavy_doors leaving

About Piraeus

(compiled 11:09am JST Monday 25 April 2005)

Stolen from www.wordtravels.com/Attractions/Countries/Greece/Attractions/Piraeus/

Although not really attractive to tourists, the confusing, bustling
port of Athens is the departure point for hundreds of island ferries
and cruise ships...

I didn't write this, but stole it from www.athensguide.com/pireaus.html

I walked to the monastiraki metro station and got on the train to Piraeus. As always I was there in about 15 minutes and as usual it took me another 15 minutes to cross the street. For 20 years I have been wondering about this. [...] How difficult would it be to build a bridge from the metro station to the dock so people can reach the ferry without risking their lives? And how is it that nobody has thought of this?

Internet cafe list taken from: aolsvc.res.travelocity.aol.com/ecruise/PortDescriptionPopup.do?portId=288&portIdList=%7C288%7C&Service=AOLSVC

C@fe 4U, 44, lppokrtous, Athens
Carousel Cybercafe, 32, Eftixidou, Athens
Netmania, 135, Vassileos Pavlou, Piraeus
Surf In Internet Cafe, 42-44, Polytexneiou, Piraeus

So it seems basically that Piraeus main port is not a great place to hang out, but the smaller yacht marina is nice.

Before Athens

12:11pm AST Tuesday 21 June 2005

Off the boat now. We are next to a big ship of the same company for a ship we saw in Singapore. It's so big that it has a metal detector *on* the boat.

Kim is a good listener. I griped about Hitomi to her in the port terminal. Kim and I agree that Hitomi needs to love me by letting me go.

Dream

8:59am AST Tuesday 21 June 2005

Today is Fred's birthday!

In a shop wanting to pick up a case of drinks cause I saw some orange sodas available, but there wasn't a full case available. I started to put a case together, but realized I was stacking up little spoon scoops (just the spoon part, not the handle) that had been used by customers to try samples of some pudding product. I figured I could wash them off later. When I finished stacking them up, the woman who had been monitoring the table came up and I was like, "can I take care of these for you?" and she was like, "no," so I halfway dumped them out and said I was just indicating that they were not clean so she wouldn't forget. She said not to worry; she was going to wash all of them anyway.

I overheard another customer ask her where the sexy burkas were located, and the woman said they were under the stairs in a special adult only section. I didn't think burkas were particularly adult only so I woke up.

Grrr

am AST Tuesday 21 June 2005

I'm completely fucked in my brain, and I cannot even bear to get off the boat. I'm just so upset about Hitomi. fuck fuck fuck fuck. I can't bear to be with anyone and I am just like GGRRRRRrrrrrrrrrr.

But through all this madness, I can still feel myself wanting to flirt with Keiko, and it's just a fucking nightmare.

Interestingly, Brandt was flirting with Keiko, and I felt a bit jealous, but I checked that and let it go.

I wanna get my shit sorted and relaxed so I can concentrate on teaching instead of being all fuckin' distraught over this fucking Hitomi situation. Fuck fuck fuck.

Further, I don't know what I'm going to do in Japan. I know I've got to escape the city, but what about my $900 bicycle?

I wonder if I can go to Athens and let the wisdom of the ancient city wash over me. I'll go do that.

In Athens

1:01pm AST Tuesday 21 June 2005

I just bought eight 90 minutes TDK tapes for 6 Euros.

While waiting near the train station, I saw two medium sized dogs running loose in the street. They barkingly ran into the train station proper, barked a while, then ran back out. Hilarious!

Inside the station in Piraeus, I think:

5:44pm AST Tuesday 21 June 2005

Been walking alone around Athens (I think), which seems pretty darn close to Piraeus, where TSS The Topaz floats waiting for midnight to arrive.

I saw Ai and some other girls on some rocks where I had been barefootedly rock-hopping. We got pictures taken together.

I wore no shoes while walking around Acropolis, and therefore was disallowed entry to one of the sites. I neither felt like arguing nor relenting when the woman said I would have to wear shoes before I could enter. The building cannot be described as "inside" nor sterile nor anything else I can imagine would require shoes. I simply put away my wallet and left.

I don't feel like putting on shoes.

Afterward, a double scoop of ice cream (from the shop next to which I had previously seen a turtle) sedated my grumpy brain while I wrote a few post cards. I headed back to the train station where I had begun my walking around the area and bought some snacks for tonight's After Greece Chow Party: cheese and crackers, cherries and peaches.

Fell asleep on the train back to Piraeus station and noted how the ticketing system require a great deal of honesty among the passengers, who can easily bypass or ignore the gates.

On the way back to the docks, I felt tempted a few times to buy a porn magazine. Visible at every kiosk along the street, they proudly flashed boobs for all to see. I resisted the urge to buy.

However, I did not resist buying a Vanilla Cream Frappacino from Starbucks, and I enjoyed slurping it when I met Chiko along the way back, when she asked for some assistance in crossing the street. The lack of crosswalks seems to have thrown a spin on her good sensibilities. We crossed the street without a crosswalk and without incident.

The vanilla cream on top of the Frappacino tasted thick and delicious.

The dock entry area appears to have closed or suffered a blackout, for darkness trumps lighting, and the vendors' wares no longer beckon outside the shops. I felt thankful to purchase one more stamp from the closing shop.

I saw two guys ticketing parked cars. One would write the ticket, and the other would remove the license plates. I imagine this method is quite cheap for the city and quite effective!

The above entry uses e-prime.

heavy doors

8:26pm

Some big big big big ass doors are being put on the ship, though the ship is moving a bit due the waves, the door on the ship is lower than the dock by a few feet, and the door sections are super heavy and super big.

I took some pictures and got in trouble with some guy for intruding on their personal space.

leaving

2:34am AST Wednesday 22 June 2005

Time for bed, but first a few words about the boat:

People were smoking upwind from me and Kin while we watched the port sail away, so we moved to the front deck. It was super cold up there so she stood in front of me and my jacket sorta covered us both (but mostly covered me). She helped me practice Japanese.

Downstairs, chatting with Shawn, Petra, and Greg in Shinji, Shawn, and my room. Shawn busted out the camera and asked us about Greece. The topic strayed to art: is modern art as good as classical?

Drinking peach mysinth in our room

Ippe's birthday

In sports bar, dancing like mummies per Shawn

Decided to leave as I found myself wanting to chew on Natalie.

wanting smiley pics with Mariko