The Birds & Dogs of Athens

You would not believe all the dogs roaming this city. It is a little strange. On my way to meet a walking tour this morning I almost stepped on a large dog that was sprawled out on the sidewalk. My first thought was, "Someone's dog has just up and died right here next to this magazine kiosk." Little did I know, the dog wasn't dead, and this sight is very common in Athens. Throughout the day, I've seen dogs (some with tags and some without) everywhere... at the foot of the Acropolis, outside of restaurants, on sidewalks next to busy roads, at Hadrian's arch. Some look awful, whiles others are really cute and/or clean.

Our tour guide said that visitors always asks about the dogs, but she said she doesn't really know why there are so many. She has lived in Athens for over 50 years and said the dogs have been around as long as she can remember. They are friendly, the tourists (& locals) love them, and she claims they even stop at crosswalks when the light is red. I have yet to see this, but I'll keep you posted.

Our guide even mentioned that the city takes care of the dogs, pointing out that some of them have special tags so the government could keep track of them. Apparently, the governement puts out water and food at various locations for the dogs, although tourists and locals usually feed them too. It seems strange that a country facing bankruptcy has its dogs on welfare.

Equally as prevalent as the dogs are the birds, mostly pigeons. They are everywhere. Someone in the tour group next to me got pooped on by one during the changing of the guards outside Parliament today. One actually ran into me as I was waiting to cross the street near Syntagma Square. I'm sure it won't be the last time, and I'll be really surprised if I don't get pooped on by the time I leave Athens on Thursday. I'll keep you posted.

Dogs and birds aside, it was a good day. The tour was 3-and-a-half hours long and covered quite a bit. I climbed the Acropolis, I learned a lot about the city of Athens, I saw Hadrian's Arch, the Theatre of Dionysos (birthplace of theatre?), and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. I also saw where the first modern day Olympics were held in 1896, as well as the original Olympic Villiage. I walked through the National Gardens and also watched the changing of the guards at Parliament (It wasn't quite as elaborate as Buckingham Palace, but still worth seeing.) I think I was most impressed by the overall history of the city. To see artifacts and ruins dating back to 6th century B.C.... Amazing. And hard to process.

Other observations and tidbits: Almost half of Greece's population lives in Athens (4.5 million people). Our tour guide blames immigrants for the overcrowding. Greek ice cream is delicious (confirmed twice). I've seen three mullets today. 95% of the Greek population is Greek Orthodox. Senior Citizen discounts (at Museums and such) only apply to senior citizens of the European Union... A U.S. couple in my tour group was not happy about this.

I was the youngest person in my tour group, and the only one travelling solo. I met a nice couple from Pennsylvania who live only about a half hour from my aunt Debbie. I tried to start a little sports rivalry talk with them by asking if they were Steelers fans, but they said, "Nah." Boring. I met another nice couple from Australia, as well as Ohio. I spent the majority of my tour talking with a mother-daughter duo from San Francisco. The daughter (Sarah) graduated from Indiana University in 2003. Naturally, we got along great.

After the tour concluded around 1p.m., Sarah and her mom (Jean) invited me to go to lunch with them. We dined at the rooftop restaurant at the Grande Bretagne Hotel. Fancy Schmancy hotel, I tell you what. The lunch was a bit pricey, but the food was good, the company was great, and the view of the city was stellar. I'm happy I went. Sarah and Jean proceeded to invite me to join them tomorrow for a tour to Delphi. It's an all day tour and I haven't decided if I want to go or not. I have a lot to see in Athens before Thursday, so I might just stick around the city tomorrow.

As I write this I'm sitting at an outdoor cafe eating a spinach & feta pie. A young boy (probably 7 or 8) wearing a Ronaldo jersey is serenading the diners with his accordian. The Acropolis Museum is in front of me. I can see the actual Acropolis to my right. It's way up there. I can't believe I climbed that a few hours ago. Ha, and a little bird (much cuter than a pigeon) just landed on the chair next to me. He probably wants my pie. Too bad.