On Saturday morning, a few of us girls went out to explore the surrounding neighborhood in Athens. We didn't have to meet back up with the rest of the group until late morning to head over to the Acropolis Museum, so we wandered around, photographing some very impressive graffiti and townspeople. I'm still very surprised by how much graffiti there is in Athens; a lot of it is due to the issues with the government and a bit of a rebellion toward the state of the economy.
When the five of us met back up with the rest of the group, we made the long trek to the Acropolis Museum, in view of the backside of the Acropolis itself. Ioanna taught us a lot about the history of the Parthenon and the destruction it endured. I had no idea it was in such a state of ruin due to an explosion. The museum was filled with both original and replicas of pieces of the Parthenon and the other structures atop the plateau. Eight of us grabbed lunch in the museum cafe while it spontaneously poured outside.
Later, the entire group hurried along through the Plaka, one of the oldest sections of Athens, while the rain poured down on our unprepared heads. We gathered together at a cafe and had a huge shared meal of traditional Greek dishes, while the waiters used umbrella poles to siphon the collected rainwater off of the canvas roof above.
Sunday we had a late start and I managed to catch up on sleep for a little while before heading up to breakfast on the roof. I switched to another pair of sneakers and stuck medicated bandaids to my blisters which in conjunction worked wonders, as I hiked up the trail to the top of the Acropolis. The view of Athens was incredible and the Parthenon was breathtakingly massive.
All of us wandered around photographing after Ioanna gave her talk. I met a British couple and took their photograph and the man took mine, then a group of three Greek school boys asked me to take their photo and returned the favor as well. On the way down, I passed by a man playing a flute and seven cats were sitting around him listening to the music:
 |
| The Cat Whisperer, Athens, 2014 |
I'm currently on the island of Spetses, and it's been a whirlwind of hot walks, motorbikes, cats, and antique photographs. The group had lunch on the beach after getting situated at the hotel, and then broke away to do our own things. I decided to take some alone time and wander the shore looking for sea glass and photograph at my leisure.
The town is really quaint with a few streets full of shops, and there are cats everywhere. I actually managed to rescue a tiny kitten from a dumpster. I was on one of the side streets and saw a large cat jump into a small dumpster. As I walked up and peered in, the cat got spooked and jumped out. It was then that I spotted the little grey kitten trying to eat something in a garbage bag. There was no way she would be able to get out considering how deep the dumpster was, so after circling around and getting her used to my presence for a few minutes, I was able to boost myself up on the wall and pull her out. Just as I got a got her to calm down, a woman walked up and said hello to me in English. I learned her name is Michelle, she and her husband moved to Spetses from England, and she's made it her business to take in cats on the island. The kitten was nice and calm in my arms and I handed her over to Michelle, whom I photographed with the tiny fluff ball in her arms. Michelle and I decided to name the kitten Chelsea, after me, and then she plunked the little baby inside her sweater and rode away on her RV.
 |
| Michelle and Chelsea, Spetses, 2014 |
No comments:
Post a Comment