From Athens to the Greek Islands

by Jabba-Q, "The Coins Prophet" of the Satoshi Watch *In lieu of introduction to this introductory post, I'd like to point out two of my two cryptocurrencies related articles, here on Steemit: What is REALLY behind PIVX Big Bang? and DASH: Decentralized Governance or Centralized Tyranny? These give you an idea about my thinking.*

Athens: Humanity in a Nutshell

I would not like to visit the Acropolis during the peak season. Even in the mid October there were throngs of people, crawling all over the place. It is something special, the space, the energy, but this should be seen / visited when no one is there. That menagerie of humans cowling around and prowling for a selfie does not let you take a time and feel it. ![Athens.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYysJsMgLbW9fsiDgRbnkr2b8oRpYz3o4pv4A4wNWvvdG/Athens.jpg) But the people from all over the world were even more interesting than these stones that held Athenians hostages of their own glorious past. **PLEASE**, forgive a hint of generalization, it is not intended to be offensive, I find idiosyncrasies of the various tribes our common humanity is made up of quite amusing: * Polish men talk like giving a stern, "I know it all," lecture on the verge of scolding poor listeners, usually women and children. The monotony of that narrative is somehow tyrannical * Polish women gaze around dreaming about someone better, but too afraid (or polite) to act * Italians are, well, being Italians. But I noticed something else aside that operatic talking, "all at the same time" and noise they produce akin to that of happy seals: they live in the bubble. Nothing touches them. They are in the small Italian bubble and that's the Universe they operate within. The rest is just a cruise chore they do. And for sure, the ancient Roman culture is ah so superior to the ancient Greek culture :) * Americans, I noticed this time, have their eyes closer to each other (the eyes I mean) than the other nation. They squint in primordial fear that they do not wear well. Three Greeks I met, a driver, the receptionist and the waiter all told me they are "paranoid" while here. Their psychology was best seen in a small episode: Imagine an **older couple:** He's huge, quiet, breathes heavily (it is quite a climb to get up there to that virgin's temple) She's huge, obnoxious, loud. And she starts to yell at him: "Had enough?" He nods meekly. And then she started, in that squeaky voice of a former cheerleader eaten up by her own delusions and Hillary's Ghost, list all the places they "have to see," like a laundry list. Time frame. All of those were a "MUST" as they are going to "soak up the culture". Poor feet of that heavy men as he goes around sauntering & suffering for "the culture." * North Europeans are tall, smart & have smart cameras on them. No one really gets them * Chinese that seems to me started to feel like they own the world and behave that way * Some of the Russians looked like caricatures of, well, the Russians in Hollywood movies. Flashy and slutty. Others were too serious to really look at them; they inspired fear of God in me, LOL * Indians are fantastically crazy. Not that I feel one should feel reverence to the divine heap of stones while next to the Pantheon, but damn, there must be a better topic than to talk about *his work as a radiologist in a hospital in Mumbai where he's paid by the hour* as one was babbling and about *banks in India* as another was jabbering. Poor tourist guides; they study their own history so to be engaged in such a nonsense. * Japanese have a knack for the photos. While the North Europeans have the most sophisticated cameras, the Japanese have the biggest ones, with telephoto lenses like they're on some Olympic event BUT, the most entertaining feature is how long they take to compose, frame and take any given photo. There must be a lurking Henri Cartier-Bresson in every one of them. And they are so polite when you pass them, let them pass or just smile at them :)) And than, there where "them" from the photo: ![Athens 2.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdw3TS4zQ7vMTp7wTMuADBQnK3S36jUPhZYz1FbGrgnXr/Athens%202.jpg) I am so sorry I did not channel my own inner Henri Cartier-Bresson and took the photos of the utter circus they created: The YELLOW one was the "supermodel". Yeah, LOL, she was posing like a supermodel would, with her feet pointing, neck elongated, spine deformed and what not. I was crying of laughter, but I did not laugh at her artistic pose, I laughed at how they behaved. They were, get this --- **YELLING at the people** -- YELLING to all of them to STOP as they took the photo. There were throngs and throngs of people, a Tokyo subway like crowds, sometimes so crowd-y (in narrow passages) that I am sure you would not like it at all and they, all four of them, were hissing, screaming, demanding and yelling at the people to stop so she could get that ridiculous photos of her. Interestingly enough, my fellow pilgrims did not share my mirth over that display of total bonkers-ness but whenever the leader of the pack YELLED from the top of her lungs, in the language no one understood as I was virtually crying of laughter. Not once she, or any of them, looked at me.

Epicurean Ecstasies

Food wasn't too good. My first choice of a restaurant was too stuffy and filed with the people frozen in memories so I just went across to another place a very nice, chubby Greek-Italian girl (working in a pizzeria next door) recommended. Some Greek salad, some meet and feta cheese. Two kind of watery beers (Germans would despise me -- after months and years in Berlin where I hardly had any beer, I go to Greece and have them) that did not produce any effect. # # # # # Athens, from the Acropolis looks more than non-appealing. Think of roofs in Paris and the character they posses. Nothing of it here. It looks like one big slum, the city, its roofs. Not a one interesting sign, but those 3,000 years old. On the streets, different story. Mediterranean living, sitting outside. This place lives outside. A small wonder, given the 28C at 10 PM on October the 6th. # # # # # But some faces are quite interesting, from proud to arrogant with those big, beautiful dark eyes. # # # # # Subway;s nice. I figured it out all by myself. Not only where they go but how to take a line "2" to get to the point "X" instead of the line "1" for the line "1" is insanely crowded while the "2" is almost empty and A/C-ed.

Going to Syros

Today I will NOT to use the little mobile toy. I realized how this 24/7 connection to the Net impacts one's experience - it takes something away from it. The driver's picking me up at 2:00 PM so I will have enough time to go and roam a bit more before embarking. The hotel let me check out at 2:00 PM and the George the Famous Taxi Driver gave me a big discount for my 2nd trip with them; it's now cheaper than the normal taxi. ![Syros.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWNMh5hN2G4VEZo5oYfte7QNV9gfGK2sDJgiUy1kWE8QB/Syros.jpg) And I learned a nice lesson for everyday life here. Say the guy's name is "Dimitrios." One should speak like this: * To Maria for example, "Dimitrios is such a great, helpful guy." * To Dimitrios, "Dimitri, you are such a great, helpful guy." I was alone (the above photo was taken from my room, the "Roof Terrace" is one floor above me) with another fantastic guy, a 60 y.o. white haired chief / bartender whose name I forgot but who embodies the wisdom of "let me just be" teachings and who made me a small meal. Some pita thingy, a very heavy in hand, really, it's so dense and heavy for a little food thingy, but very light in the stomach. Olives and local tomatoes, something else :))) etc., divine... ![guy.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmU29eQ3P27ZcmL5Y5eQ98VLmtihoXHc1xgSzYaKCJYWF9/guy.jpg) Shiraz & Merlot bland in a 1.875 dcl small bottle, a glass of wine in fact, was Dionysian indeed. As simple as it gets but spectacular. But they must all be crazy. (it's called hospitality; I use the term "crazy" in the most positive, loving sense) So I had my meal and two glasses of "red wine" (the name of it, in a cute little black and white bottle) and almost a full bottle of a very good mineral water, all in all for 17.00 EUR and than: * he gave me another glass for free * than he gave me a sumptuous chocolate cake for free * than he gave me a 0.02 dcl glass of Metaxa to go with the chocolate for free * and he, again, as much as the others, refused to take a tip!! We had a nice conversation, I was complimenting him ("stop pulling my leg, Jabba") and I felt like in heaven. I changed to my home clothing, baggy home pants, flip-flops, spread around like the puppies do and listened to the waves. Nothing in this world makes me more happy than such environment... And than -- the THUNDERSTORM -- a spectacular thunderstorm with a brief, heavy rain. We -- I shit you not -- danced briefly on the rain at the top of this Apollonian Palace (not at all that lavish or rich, but this is the place that leaves you alone) enjoying the elements. Two white hair / beard guys just enjoying life. Fucking fantastich!! I went back to the room, and, not having a single Iota of German tech prowess had not clue how to use that uber sophisticated shower so I called yet another guy for help (it was almost 1 AM) and than, of course, happy to help he resolved my little retard dilemma and I had a fantastic shower (one of those thingies form which the water comes out of 10 faucets, with electronic controls, nonsense like that, but great...) and went to bed. It was a short sleep (I was up at about 5:45 AM) but seemingly dreamless, restful night. I am a bit broken for the ferry's elevators did not work so I had to carry that monstrous back up and down.... DAMN I see people taking a swim in my private beach below... I guess I will go for a swim on my private beach... The adventure has only begun. In the crystalline water of Aegean Sea I remembered that I missed that Bitcoin Meetup in Athens. It was the reason why I went to Athens at first place but could not care less. Can you blame me? ![swim.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSr6QAUWd75ij6Gk3ecSqLD8s6tgAsxHFQNF8eJjaHj45/swim.jpg)