Friday, May 30, 2008

Life's a Beach

actual: 29 May, 2008
 
Having completed all of my "to do" list of Ancient Athens in one day (yes, I skipped some of the more obscure- but there's only so many non-descript piles of rocks you can find interesting, no matter how old or significant they are), I decided to venture outisde the city center and check out the nearby beaches.  I wanted a quick and easy trip, but everyone told me the best beaches were the furthest away from the city.  I compromised, and found a decent beach not too-far out on a train line.
 
I know what you're thinking:  "Ryan, is a beach the best place to be 12 hours after you scald yourself red?"  Answer:  not really, but hey, when in Greece...
 
Besides, I was going to be in the water most of the time... and I had a hat... and I found some sun screen (a whopping 8 SPF).  So I was good to go.
 
Beach was fun, apparently the sun is eternal in the Greek summer (I think we're at like 15 days of no more than slight clouds).  Lots of people, but enough stretch not to be crowded.  I did some swimming, I dried off, I swam some more.  Yeah, beach.  A little tough that my swim suit is apparently 2-3 sizes too big for me, but with underpants larger than most men's swimsuit and an abundance of less-than-fully clad people around, my wet sagging suit was practically puritanical.
 
Around the end of my stay (and as it started to really boil), I sat down for a beer in the shade (pictured).  To all my detractors, let me assert here that they actually did have Smirnoff Ice available, and I elected to go with the Amstel.  So there, trying new things.
 
That closed out my time on the beach, and from there I intended to zip my way back to the hostel for a much needed shower and some laundry time, but something interesting intervened....  (see next post).
 
Weber (on the lamb)

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