I'm suddenly very far away...

Γειά σου! 

After a kafluffle with Northwest Air -- finding out that my flight was cancelled or moved or disappeared somehow, then getting put on a different flight with a different airline, and having to race to the airport in Philly, and then being seated next to an enormous woman who couldn't put the armrest down, and being surrounded by her 30 friends and family who seemed to be the only other people on the plane, and listening to them all cackling and hollering for the entire 10 hour flight -- I have finally arrived in Greece.

After landing in Athens, I fell in and out of sleep on an hour and a half bus, during which I thought the bus driver was going to kill us with his driving, and now I'm at the hotel in Piraeus. It's very luxurious having my own room, and I'm very thankful that the first leg of my trip is funded by the Dad and the TGVSM. I got myself a local sim card for my cell phone, and wandered the streets for a while. 

I go into shops and people think I'm greek, so I try to do as much non verbal communicating as I can, but as soon as I use one or two greek words (like "hello," or "thank you" ) I am sprayed with ωηαςσλιφνβ;λφςκ,ξηςλφοακ... and I have to throw up my hands in surrender and reveal my true identity. Thankfully, people have been exceptionally sweet to me and they are happy to try speaking in English.

It's hotter than a nun's asshole (but not that tight), and after one very strong frappé, I started to feel a bit out of it, and I came back to the hotel and took a nap. I still feel pretty groggy, but I must go out and explore and try to stay awake so that I can sleep tonight. Maybe I'll ask one of the girls at the desk what there is to do, or maybe I'll just wander.