The Center of the Universe

Day 2: June 19 cont'd...

After leaving the internet cafe we bought some much needed water and head to Agora - the birthplace of democaracy. We didn't stay long because the heat was getting to us. We bought some more and water and powerade and headed back to the hotel. We made it just in time because we were both really suffering from the heat. We rinsed off in the shower and laid in bed for a while.



And that's when the unexpected happened. Tim was sick all afternoon! This ironically made us both laugh because Tim is the practiced veteran of traveling and I'm the newb and yet he's the one who got sick and I'm the one who seems to always know where we are and which way to go. Well, I was starving and since Tim was out of comission I went out to grab some take out. After eating I passed out because Tim was ill so we laid in bed. I slept for about 4 hours, which I shouldn't have done, but it felt great! It's really difficult to adjust to the time change, but when I finally woke up Tim still wasn't feeling well. I'm almost positive it's something he ate or drank plus the intense heat. We really underestimated the heat here. It's so intense!

After crawling out of bed Tim wanted to get out of the hotel room so we hit the streets and walked around for a while. We checked the location of the rental place we'd be visiting the next day and explored some of the more dumpy streets - I love Athens, but I could never live here. It's really dirty and crowded and most of the people aren't very nice. After buying Tim a powerade we found a pharmacy where a really nice lady gave Tim some medicine for .95 cents and then we searched for a place that we could grab some dinner.

We found a cheap, semi-tout (touristy spot where the owners might try to rip you off) restaurant. I had some not-so-good swordfish and some tasty spinach and cheese balls. Tim ate some cucumber and tomato off my plate and slowly started to feel better. After the server told us how much the bill was without showing us we paid and headed back to the hotel. I took a shower and Tim laid down. I watched a McDonald's special on some Greek channel until I fell asleep.

Day 3: June 20

This day did not start out great. Tim woke me around 3am and he still wasn't feeling well. He thought he might be hungry so I told him to eat the salad he never touched from the day before. He ate most of it and started to feel a little better. We, or maybe I should say I, fell back asleep until Tim woke me up again around 4:30am. This time he was worse. He was burning up, his head felt tight and his heart was racing. I decided it was time to call a doctor so I went down to the concierge and they called a private doctor to our room. He arrived a little after 5am and asked Tim several questions and examined him.

The doctor's diagnosis in his thick Greel accent was "es a virose but not sariose." After filling out some paperwork and paying the man 120 euros Tim was at peace. We finally knew what was wrong and now all Tim has to do is watch what he eats: all white, no red and no dairy for 7-10 days. It was expensive, but worth it to know that Tim was going to be OK.

Well, after all that excitement we couldn't sleep so we stayed up watching music videos until the breakfast bar opened at 6:45am. Tim barely ate while I had 2 plates of food =)

We headed back to our room and Tim passed out for about an hour while I finished packing. We were checking out that day and heading to Meteora by rental car, and that's another anxiety increasing story. Tim went to get the rental car while I waited in the hotel lobby for over an hour!!! I seriously thought he was hurt, but it turns out he only got lost. Oi vey!

We finally got on the road for a 5 hour drive to Meteora in a tiny car. All the cars here are half the size they are in America. It's crazy, but fuel efficient! We took a pitstop at Cafe 90 for sandwiches and visited Thermopoley to see Leonidas (he was naked) and the battle site. The water has receded for miles so it looks nothing like it did in 300. Thanks in part to global warming I'm sure.



We arrived at Pension Arsenis - the guest house we'd be staying in for the night with an entertaining owner, Costas, and an incredible view. We slept until dinner, ate and then slept until we were to meet Costas for some ouzo around 9:30pm. It tastes like licorice, which I don't particularly like, but I drank it out of respect.

Costas is very interesting. He talked a lot about the American dollar and kept referring to Tim by Bill Gates, Ronald Inho (famous soccer player) and Matt Barrett (dude who knows a lot about Greece). Although he's strange, Costas "speaks original."

I spent the remainder of the evening watching the futbol match between Croatia and Turkey.

Day 4: June 21

Tim woke hella early again while I slept like a baby. We went down for a "special" breakfast prepared by Costas around 8:30am. We finished packing and left our bags with Costas while we went to visit the monasteries of Meteora.

Simply amazing! These monasteries are built into and on the mountains. Comple isolation from anyone. We only made it to 3 of the 6 monasteries because the stairs to them were monstrous and extremely tiring, but the ones we visited up close were beautiful and breathtaking. The detail paid to the church walls is phenomenal. Every inch is covered by religious figures and drawings. We even saw relics of St. Stephano in the nunnery.

Turn your head to the left to actually grasp this picture, lol:



After the monasteries we visited Costas at Pension Arsenis to pick up our bags and then hit the road for Arahova - a small town outside Delphi - the center of the universe. According to myth, Zeus set two eagles free at opposite ends of the universe and they crossed paths at Delphi signifying it was the center of the universe. This is where the ruins of the Temple of Apollo are as well as the location of the Oracle - seen also in the movie 300.

Costas

We got lost for over 30 minutes but finally made it to Arahova. It's a cute town that is the opitome of Greek living and nestled into the mountains with little side passageways and lots of stairs. Tim napped for a couple hours while I searched for something in English on TV. I watched One Tree Hill and a crazy episode of House.

When Tim woke from his nap we explored the village and found a popular spot for dinner. We watched half the futbol match between Russia and the Netherlands and headed back to the guest house. I forgot to mention our room. The house is hidden in the backways of the town and our room is themed "clocks." It's so adorable with yet another amazing view!

I fell asleep fast and slept through the night finally

Day 5: June 22

Tim finally got a good night's sleep. He is't feeling well, but I'm glad he slept. He's such a trooper!

Today we had an early breakfast and explored the center of the universe - Delphi. Here's a photo of the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia. This is the structure you see in 300, but according to our travel book it is not the location of the Oracle. That location was farther up the mountain.



Mom, just wanted to let you know that we bought a phone card today and hopefully I'll call you later when it's not the middle of the night there.

I love you and miss you much!