Greece is the word
I seem to have decided on spending my holidays in Greece. I haven't got any tickets (plane or train), mind you, or anywhere to stay (though I did find a kick-ass hostel on the internet), but the universe said "You're going to Greece for Xmas" and I don't seem to have much say in the matter.
In other words, despite numerous reasons why I shouldn't go, I can't get the idea out of my head. It's entirely possible that I'm going to end up bumming around Paris for a few days and that's it. It's also possible that I'll get to Athens, freak out, and come home. But I'd hate myself forever if I didn't at least give it a shot.
I've never traveled alone before, and I have no idea what I'm doing--buying train tickets, getting a bed in a hostel--I've never done that before. And of course I don't start small with an English-speaking country like Ireland; oh no, I have to pick a place that doesn't even use the Roman alphabet. At least I'm true to my unofficial family motto: why do it easy when you can do it hard?
As for my family, they're nervous about me traveling on my own, understandably. European men don't have a very good reputation in the States; they're all lecherous winos on the hunt for naive American girls! And I'm a little (okay, a lot. A-freakin'-lot) terrified of wandering around Athens on my own. But I'm familiar with this brand of fear; it's the kind of fear that means I should do it. And I keep having visions of myself hanging out at Delphi (the oracle was Gaia's before it was Apollo's) on the solstice.
Besides, I certainly don't plan on checking out the nightlife (well, Mykonos is supposed to be very, very gay, so we'll see). And anyway, women aren't raped by strange men lurking in the bushes, they're raped by men they know, so stastically speaking, Verdun is the most dangerous place for me at the moment.
It's almost like I've set a test for myself. Can I get to Greece for a week, just me and my Let's Go Western Europe? I honestly have no idea.
Of course, first I have to figure out my Christmas shopping....
1 Comments:
Well, you know I'm partial to Greece. And I walked all of two block from my Athenian hotel to the subway, bought tickets all on my own, took the subway to Monastiraki, and gimped around on a banged-up knee with nary an attack. And I was gimping even! I was the metaphoric wounded water buffalo to a town full of healthy strapping lions, and survived to tell the tale. So. It may not be that bad, is my point. I will say, though, that Delphi:Athens as St. Louis:Chillicothe, so make sure you can find a bus to take you there for the solstice, and also to take you back. (Might come in handy.) But if you can make it there, it is truly awesome. Some mountains, some ruins, five million olive trees, and thou. Sounds like a helluva holiday. ;)
-RC
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