Day 92

April 20th

Some more thoughts about Athens. Once again, its absolutely gorgeous. I don't know if its because I came from the slums and disparity of Cairo or if its because it truly is that beautiful. But regardless, I don't think I have ever seen a city quite like Athens. Today we went to the Acropolis and the Agora and up the hills to the Southwest of the Acropolis, including Filopappos Hill. This hill might have been one of my favorite spots in all of Athens. They are just huge hills and woodlands right in the middle of the city. They are island sanctuaries in the middle of a sea of humanity. Filopappos Hill was my favorite as you could see from it the Acropolis, the Chapel of St. George and the Mediterranean. We also made out what appeared to be a large bridge, but what we later found out to be smoke-stacks, not pylons. The place with its massive cliffs and viewpoints was breathtaking. It must have been truly amazing in the ancient times when there was crystal clear air and huge monuments and forest.
I have also realized that Dubai is the 21st century equivalent of the 1st century b.c athens. I really want to go there and witness the modern day glory.
Finally I have come to believe that you should never visit a place for just two days to truly experience it. You should try and spend i think 5-7 days to explore about the neighborhoods. You should talk to people and eat in a bunch of different places. I realize this is difficult to do, but to be able to travel the world and meet people would be truly amazing. I wonder if there is a job that lets be fulfill this role. The Marines used to say "join the marines, see the world. I don't buy this slogan as they don't really get to see the world, they just kind of speed through it and blow it up. Maybe there are other jobs in the Corps that allow me to travel.