Monday, August 09, 2004 - Cape Sounio - Photo - Orchestra
Today, we are headed to Cape Sounio at 10:00. We have to catch a bus from downtown Athens to get there. This was a last minute trip that Joel and I planned the night before to fill most of the day. We needed to be at the IBC at 7:30 for the Asbury group photo. We asked Vanessa if she wanted to come along. She did as long as she could visit an Internet café.
The plan was to go to Mavromateon Terminal to get on a one and a half hour bus to Cape Sounio at around 1:00, get there at 2:30 and arrive back by 6:30. I looked in Lonely Planet and found an internet café. Joel and walked Vanessa down to it from Victorias station on the Green line. We then walked back up to the station, took it down one stop and walked about five or more blocks looking for the Hellenic Festival Central Box Office to buy tickets for the 9:00pm playing of the London Symphony Orchestra. It took a little while to walk it and a little while to find and in the mean time we discovered the Metro station right next to it. We waited in line for 15 min. and bought tickets for 17.50. Joel kept saying his brother, who was a music major in college, would kill him when he arrived home, because we were going to here at the London Symphony Orchestra at the Acropolis (more precisely the Herodes Atticus). We got back at 1:30 just in time to miss the 1:30, but we had to get Vanessa and eat. On the way to the internet café, I saw a tent and camping supplies in a store window. I wanted a carabineer to attach my Nalgene bottle to my belt. I walked in and said carabineer and was met with a confused Greek face. I curved by index fingers and thumbs to make a loop and moved my thumb. The light went on and he took me to the padlocks. I said no. I did not want a lock. I then looped my fingers again and hooked them on my belt. He got another idea and pointed to the hooks above his counter. I am assuming they were leash hooks for big animals. The place was more of a pet supplies store than a camping store. He told me to go down two shops to the store with the blue tents (awnings). We walked down and entered a trendy clothing store. In about 20 seconds, I discovered the carabineers on the counter. The first few were marked 13 and 10 euros. I did not want to pay that much. The simpler ones were closer to seven. The cashier told me it was five, so I happily paid five for it. We ate ham and cheese pitas (more like croissants). They had feta cheese in them (or course). We finally caught the 2:30 bus to Sounio after waiting a few more minutes. We also used the bus stop’s restroom that I thought was cleaner than most gas stations. It was a private bus company I guess. It was a beautiful drive down there. On the way, we saw four or five Olympics venues from a distance. Joel and I guessed what event was there. It took about 2 hours to get there which made us arrive at 5:00. We walked around the Temple Of Poseidon for about 20 minutes. It was really the only thing there. There was a BBC remote team shooting B-roll of the temple and its still standing 16 columns. We bought some postcards at the gift shop and we got on the same bus route again. It seemed like we had just gotten off. I guess we had. It was a shorter ride back, I think I almost dosed off. Taking pictures of locations we passed kept me busy though. I took more than of the Temple we had “gone to see.” We passed the sailing, cycling, volleyball, and two multi-event stadiums.
We got on the railway at Victorias and made it to Irini. We when rode the inner loop bus to the front of Olympic Stadium and got out when we found out it didn’t go in front of the IBC where our Asbury friends were waiting. We entered security and discovered we were in front of the stadium. The place we had wanted to go for a week. It was one of the only places we wanted to be, but just not at that moment. We exited the grounds and went security again for the IBC. We walked down the whole IBC to the lobby. Most were waiting for us. They wanted to use my camera to take it. Dr. Walker and I scoped out a place that the stadium would be in the background, but it was too silhouetted with the setting sun. We ended up in front of the IBC. We had taken five or six photographs when five or six more Asburians showed up so we took some more. Joel needed to change his pants, so he went back through security and into the IBC. I added my zip-ons and changed my shirt outside (with an undershirt still on). I waited for a 10 minutes for Joel and gave my camera bag to the Walkers to take back to the seminary. We were walking toward Irini when we saw the same bus pass us that we got on before. We need it must go in a loop, so we got on. It was the same bus with the same driver. I found a mobile phone (by vodafone) in my seat with oriental characters on the menus. I put it back in the seat. It did take us to Irini. We still hadn’t eaten dinner, but is was 8:15 and we still needed to make it to the Acropolis by 9:00. We made it there about 5 minutes into the first movement. There was a violin soloist. During intermission, Joel and I purchased water bottles and turkey sandwiches. We decided to go back and get two more when the second half started. I put the sandwiches in my cargo pockets for afterwards. It was good. I really couldn’t follow much and I didn’t know what was being played. The second movement was shaky. I even heard some off notes.
We caught a cab home from Ethniki Amyna. The driver as a happy old man with a cigarette and a giant no smoking sign on the dash. He didn’t seem to know where Pikermi was when I told I wanted to go toward Marathonas his face lit up and we hit the road. Every five miles or so he would slow down and ask if the town was Pikermi. It was only 8 euros. Joel and I were surprised. We asked him to let us off on the main road and walked the few hundred feet. The vacation was over. Tomorrow meant starting training for work.
~ Stephen
site: http://www.smjdesign.com/
writing: http://www.tpkpoetry.com/
photography: http://www.smjdesign.com/photo/
The plan was to go to Mavromateon Terminal to get on a one and a half hour bus to Cape Sounio at around 1:00, get there at 2:30 and arrive back by 6:30. I looked in Lonely Planet and found an internet café. Joel and walked Vanessa down to it from Victorias station on the Green line. We then walked back up to the station, took it down one stop and walked about five or more blocks looking for the Hellenic Festival Central Box Office to buy tickets for the 9:00pm playing of the London Symphony Orchestra. It took a little while to walk it and a little while to find and in the mean time we discovered the Metro station right next to it. We waited in line for 15 min. and bought tickets for 17.50. Joel kept saying his brother, who was a music major in college, would kill him when he arrived home, because we were going to here at the London Symphony Orchestra at the Acropolis (more precisely the Herodes Atticus). We got back at 1:30 just in time to miss the 1:30, but we had to get Vanessa and eat. On the way to the internet café, I saw a tent and camping supplies in a store window. I wanted a carabineer to attach my Nalgene bottle to my belt. I walked in and said carabineer and was met with a confused Greek face. I curved by index fingers and thumbs to make a loop and moved my thumb. The light went on and he took me to the padlocks. I said no. I did not want a lock. I then looped my fingers again and hooked them on my belt. He got another idea and pointed to the hooks above his counter. I am assuming they were leash hooks for big animals. The place was more of a pet supplies store than a camping store. He told me to go down two shops to the store with the blue tents (awnings). We walked down and entered a trendy clothing store. In about 20 seconds, I discovered the carabineers on the counter. The first few were marked 13 and 10 euros. I did not want to pay that much. The simpler ones were closer to seven. The cashier told me it was five, so I happily paid five for it. We ate ham and cheese pitas (more like croissants). They had feta cheese in them (or course). We finally caught the 2:30 bus to Sounio after waiting a few more minutes. We also used the bus stop’s restroom that I thought was cleaner than most gas stations. It was a private bus company I guess. It was a beautiful drive down there. On the way, we saw four or five Olympics venues from a distance. Joel and I guessed what event was there. It took about 2 hours to get there which made us arrive at 5:00. We walked around the Temple Of Poseidon for about 20 minutes. It was really the only thing there. There was a BBC remote team shooting B-roll of the temple and its still standing 16 columns. We bought some postcards at the gift shop and we got on the same bus route again. It seemed like we had just gotten off. I guess we had. It was a shorter ride back, I think I almost dosed off. Taking pictures of locations we passed kept me busy though. I took more than of the Temple we had “gone to see.” We passed the sailing, cycling, volleyball, and two multi-event stadiums.
We got on the railway at Victorias and made it to Irini. We when rode the inner loop bus to the front of Olympic Stadium and got out when we found out it didn’t go in front of the IBC where our Asbury friends were waiting. We entered security and discovered we were in front of the stadium. The place we had wanted to go for a week. It was one of the only places we wanted to be, but just not at that moment. We exited the grounds and went security again for the IBC. We walked down the whole IBC to the lobby. Most were waiting for us. They wanted to use my camera to take it. Dr. Walker and I scoped out a place that the stadium would be in the background, but it was too silhouetted with the setting sun. We ended up in front of the IBC. We had taken five or six photographs when five or six more Asburians showed up so we took some more. Joel needed to change his pants, so he went back through security and into the IBC. I added my zip-ons and changed my shirt outside (with an undershirt still on). I waited for a 10 minutes for Joel and gave my camera bag to the Walkers to take back to the seminary. We were walking toward Irini when we saw the same bus pass us that we got on before. We need it must go in a loop, so we got on. It was the same bus with the same driver. I found a mobile phone (by vodafone) in my seat with oriental characters on the menus. I put it back in the seat. It did take us to Irini. We still hadn’t eaten dinner, but is was 8:15 and we still needed to make it to the Acropolis by 9:00. We made it there about 5 minutes into the first movement. There was a violin soloist. During intermission, Joel and I purchased water bottles and turkey sandwiches. We decided to go back and get two more when the second half started. I put the sandwiches in my cargo pockets for afterwards. It was good. I really couldn’t follow much and I didn’t know what was being played. The second movement was shaky. I even heard some off notes.
We caught a cab home from Ethniki Amyna. The driver as a happy old man with a cigarette and a giant no smoking sign on the dash. He didn’t seem to know where Pikermi was when I told I wanted to go toward Marathonas his face lit up and we hit the road. Every five miles or so he would slow down and ask if the town was Pikermi. It was only 8 euros. Joel and I were surprised. We asked him to let us off on the main road and walked the few hundred feet. The vacation was over. Tomorrow meant starting training for work.
~ Stephen
site: http://www.smjdesign.com/
writing: http://www.tpkpoetry.com/
photography: http://www.smjdesign.com/photo/
posted by Stephen M. James at 5:13 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home