Athens, Greece

UPDATE: Athens has officially redeemed itself ten times over. Not only did the state department returned my pickpocketed wallet after three years, they contacted me for my current mailing address when it was returned to them the first time around. Who does this during austerity measures?! Wow, simply wow. Of course, this necessitates an edit to my rating of three anchors to five.

Dear Athens,

I write you a letter because I care. Okay, I'll admit, a part of me wants to complain, how though when you have bigger problems to worry about. As your lives are whittled away, it's understandable why I met stone faces and saw what you really thought of my like. I too would tell a lost tourist "I don't know" and turn around when I no longer recognize my city as my own. But how I silently wept when I saw your frustrations scrawled on prized relics. Is your anger that dispassionate? Perhaps not because thankfully the Parthenon hasn't been vilified yet -- wait a minute -- yet?? I'm worried, aren't you? 

Then again, I reminiscence of fig gelatos, verdant olive oil, and of course, feta. Oh, feta. A love for their city and its splendors can't be too far behind as long as Athenians take pride in their cuisine. So dear Athens, please don't bury Athena. More for your sake and less for mine.

Sincerely,

A typically hopeful American tourist

Length of Stay

Three days

Docking Index

   

3 anchors. It would be higher if my hapless event didn't take place because that verdant olive oil continues to tease me across seas. A note about the hapless event: a common fate for tourists, but those "I don't knows" made it a lot tougher to resolve. Also the graffiti, oy the graffiti -- it's everywhere. If you're going to tag an ancient wall, column, etc. make sure it's art and not chicken scratch.