When I traveled to Greece in the 1980s, I fell in love with the country just like I thought I would. People ask me what I did on the trip, and they are amazed when I say I spent most of my time in Athens, and on top of that, I really enjoyed it. Many people I talk to who have been to Greece say they did not care about Athens that much. "It was dirty," they say. "And crowded."
I loved it. I was young and pursued by many Greek men , both young and old, while there. That is not unusual, I know. But my friend and I met a group of Greek men our age, whom we met every night in one of the squares at an Italian restaurant. I know--wierd. But it was really good spaghetti, and we had a lot of fun just hanging out there with other people our age.
We had wanted to travel to the islands, but we didn't really have the time or money. We did take a one day boat trip to Mykynos, but it turned out to be a difficult day. The strong winds that Greece will sometimes get in August popped up while we were there, and it was so strong, we couldn't stay on the beach. The sand stung your eyes and skin. Mykenos is quite the spot, but no one, including the locals were at the beach because of the winds. To be honest, it put a damper on the trip, but we had a good time nonetheless. Back in Athens, we climbed up to the Parthenon a number of times, but again, on at least one occasion, the winds made it less fun that it could have been.
Today I read about the terrible fires in Greece that have been exacerbated by the winds. Sixty-three people had reportedly been killed over four days, and there had been a fear that the birthplace of the Olympics might be destroyed. It was so bad that from Sunday morning to Monday morning, 89 new fires had broken out. Authorities suspect arson. The scene is grim and desperate, but at least 19 countries are offering help. I can't imagine such a wonderful place and people going through such a horrible thing. But I can imagine how much the winds added to the problem.
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