At eight pm I went around yesterday all over the crowded shopping streets. I was looking for a place to sit down and have a glass of wine. All I could see are coffee shops and pastry shops. Anywhere you turn around in Athens, there is a Cafe or a pastry and cake shop.

With this much caffeine and sugar in their system, no wonder they come up with crazy ideas like “Maybe we should run for 42KM” 🙂

Do not have my camera. This is the best I could do with my iPhone of the silhouette of the dark hill and the lit up Acropolis. Behind it – and not very visible – is the Mediterranean Sea.

The Panathenaic Stadium. Built nearly six hundred years before Christ. The very first olympics were held here in 1896. Marathon was one of the first events in that Olympic. (In modern Olympics, almost always marathon is the ending featured event). I believe this is the only marble stadium in the world.

It is only 64 degrees but the direct sun is making it really warm on the skin! If I can manage thru the heat, hills and distance tomorrow, then this is where I will land up at the end of it all!!!

I stepped closer to the edge of the roof top terrace where I was having breakfast to take a picture of the Acropolis when suddenly I was struck by the duality of technology. There on the left is a specially constructed building on a hilltop going back over twenty five centuries. And on the right is a specially constructed spot to take “selfies”. I especially love the helpful diagram put there how to take a selfie… Except that the phone is pointed the wrong way!!!

The Acropolis

After the Parliament, I went to the bOG market and shopping area – in the heart of Athens. Here are a few observations:

1. At least in Central Athens, you will have no idea that the country is in economic trouble. All the brand stores are teeming with people.
2. People are very courteous. Many are not fluent with English. But they will go out of their way to help you with directions.
3. They call Marathon “Marafonos” (the best I could figure out). If they get to know that you have come from abroad to run the Marathon in their country, suddenly you are a hero. They talk to each other in fast language – with the end result you can (I did) get a free drink
4. Remember the proverbial Greek nose – straight, pointed nose? I am yet to see a Greek with a Greek nose!! Chatred up a local guy at the bar and asked him what’s up with that – he let me know that Greeks have the most number of nose surgeries. Apparently Greeks are not into Greek noses.

BTW, I was checking up on Google this guy’s assertion. He is wrong. You want to take a guess which country has the most number of rhinoplasty (nose surgery). Take three guesses and then let me know how far were you from the answer!!

Walked  in to the hotel. Finished office calls and home calls. Then hit the road. It was dark already. First place to see – the Parliament. Amazing history. This city introduced democracy five centuries before Christ was born.  This is where the simple concept (still denied in many parts of the world) that we will be ruled by those who we choose was birthed.

Since everybody wears their fancy hats to see the horses run, this horse put on a hat to watch all the people inside Heathrow terminal run from gate to gate…