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ORIGINAL POST: 28 Jan 2008
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Still in Athens…
…until tomorrow…
Tomorrow – at 10:45 – we depart for Cairo, Egypt.
But, yesterday… was yet another beautiful day in Greece’s capital…
Not exactly the most flattering (or masculine) uniforms… but they have a whole lot of history that the Greek people are very very proud of. Dating back from the time when Greece was attempting to liberate itself from the Ottoman empire in the early 1800’s, these traditional uniform are something akin to the uniforms the colonial “minutemen” wore during the American Revolutionary War. They guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Turn around and you get the flying rats.
Yes, parents, you child will love you if you cover him/her with birdseed and let the pigeons in Syntagma square spread their love around…
The couples were out in force through the streets near Monastiraki square… pretty much a flea market. Lots and lots of junk for sale… and street performers aplenty.
I was carrying the D80 and only one prime lens, the Sigma 30/1.4 – all of the shots from this blog are taken with this lens. The black and whites are color conversions… I have a bunch of rolls at the local lab. If you’re ever in the Athens area, you should check them out: Photo Olympia – its at 57 Akadimias Street a few blocks from the University.
My favorite shot from the whole weekend. Monastiraki Square is under major renovation these days and it is more crowded than ever. I caught this pair while waiting in line for a great little treat I’ve been introduced to by a good friend of mine: coconut. Oh, its so great…
I have no idea why the coconuts seem to glow there… They almost deserve some heavenly light, though…
In other news, we’re all settling into life in Porto Rafti well…
…then again, just as I said, we’re leaving for Cairo in the morning.
And of course a little taverna action.
Oh, and if you ever come across Greek coffee, remember not to drink it all the way to the bottom: they boil the coffee grounds in the pot, then let it settle, then pour the coffee off the top. Well, this makes for a rather nice, dark, rich coffee… but its practically impossible to not get a substantial amount of coffee grounds in the bottom. If you drink it to the bottom, it is mildly reminiscent of eating wet sand.
And though today was rainy, windy, and generally quite disgusting… the view from my window in the afternoon is usually rather pleasant.
I hope this finds you all well for the next 8 days while I am in Egypt. Expect a full report upon my return. Its likely that I will not have much chance at an internet connection to any extent – I hope the Blackberry service holds out as well as it does with Vodaphone in Greece!
Stay tuned…
~Noah D.
