Tear gas, ancient Roman toilets and shopping!
Hi Everyone!
Sarah and I want to make a big thank you to all of you for coming to our wedding and surviving the evening despite the rain and the precarious nature of our tent! We had a wonderful time! It was an evening to remember! Another big thank you to everyone else who kept pumping out the rain from the ceiling so there wouldn't be a disaster! :)
Sarah and I are in beautiful, sunny Greece right now. It is wonderfully warm, and there has not been a cloudy day since we arrived. I don't have any pictures to post because we are Luddites and don't have a digital camera yet. As soon as we return I will post as many pictures as I can.
We arrived in Athens on Monday and spent three days there. It was amazing. We hiked to the top of the Acropolis, which is really quite high. The marble steps are very slippery from centuries of use, so hiking up them is not for the faint of heart. In certain places there is a shear drop of a few hundred feet. There are so many ruins and ancient structures in Athens, one could lose track! We've seen ancient Roman toilets, early Christian churches, ancient Greek markets...It's been absolutely stunning!
On Thursday, there was a big demonstration of university students and teachers. It turned into a full scale riot. They set fire to cars in the street, smashed ATM's and generally ran amok. The police dressed in full riot gear and gas masks, used tear gas and rubber bullets to try to disperse the crowd. This went on all day.
Unfortunately, at different points, both Sarah and I were caught up in the mayhem. That afternoon, Sarah had decided to go shopping and I went to look at more Roman mosaics, and the ancient Temple of Zeus. I think Sarah had seen enough ruins to last a lifetime by that point and Athens' wonderful shoe stores were calling! :) Anyway, that afternoon we had decided to do our own thing and meet back at the hotel around 6pm to go for dinner.
Shortly after parting with Sarah, I came upon the protest as I neared the Greek parliament buildings. At that point it was still peaceful. Being from Canada, I did not notice the ominous signs of Greek shop owners closing their doors and pulling the metal grates down over their shop fronts, as anything unusual. I thought, "oh wow! A protest! Neat! Let's get closer."
I noticed some news crews taking pictures and shooting video, so I went over and stood with them. I started to take some pictures, but then my camera ran out of film. So while I was fiddling with my bag trying to find a new roll, the line of police officers began to march past us, about 100 feet to the left, towards the crowd. I remember thinking, "Why are they wearing gas masks?"
It was then that the first Molotov cocktail was thrown. Suddenly the street was filled with fire and shouting. This was probably about fifty feet from where I was. At this point I started to get a little nervous and wonder if I shouldn't maybe get back. When the first tear gas canister was fired. Suddenly there were huge bursts of white smoke and screaming. The crowd went crazy, lobbing more Molotov cocktails. I started to run, along with the news crew, with my camera half open from changing the film roll. My eyes and mouth started to burn like crazy from the tear gas. I don't think I can possibly describe the feeling - it was intensely painful. I couldn't see and I was coughing uncontrollably. Through my blurred, burning vision I followed some people into a nearby park where there was a fountain. For the next 45 minutes I was washing my face, eyes and drinking water trying to get the burning to stop. "At least," I thought, "the protest is no where near Sarah."
At that moment, Sarah was still unaware of the protest. But the offensive of the police had the unforeseen consequence of driving the protesters away, out of the area of the parliament buildings and into the shopping district. While I was still washing the tear gas out of my eyes. She came out of the shopping centre and noticed white smoke everywhere and a pile of burning tires by the door. "Why are my throat and eyes burning?" she thought to herself, when she noticed people running through the square, holding cloths over their faces. Sarah went back inside the shopping mall and huddled inside with other shoppers. About a half hour later, Sarah decided that she wanted to try to get back to the hotel. She went out on the street, hurried down an alleyway away from the protest and hopped in a cab. The cab driver took pity on her and whisked her away back to the hotel.
I walked home, worried sick about Sarah, always trying to keep my distance from the protest, which had now spilled past the shopping district and was close to our hotel. When I finally got back to the hotel, I was overjoyed to see Sarah was safe. For the next two hours we excitedly traded stories, while the sound of police sirens and the smell of tear gas wafted through our bedroom window. It was certainly a very exciting day. Before I had to run for my life, I did manage to take a few pictures, so I can't wait to get them developed back home.
Today Sarah and I are in Rhodes City, on the island of Rhodes. It is beautiful, but very touristy. We stayed in a hotel for the past two nights that was built in 1280 A.D. The whole part of the old city is amazing. Most of the medieval buildings remain, so it is a maze of twisty little streets, little cafes and bars, and street vendors. This afternoon we pick up our rental car and head for the ancient town of Lindos along the coast. We will be there for the next week, staying in a little apartment with our own kitchen. I am looking forward to relaxing on the beach. On Friday we return to Athens for one more night, then fly home the next day.
We miss you all! A big thank you to everyone who is looking after our little girl, Annie the cat, while we are away! We will see you soon!
αντίο!
Christian and Sarah
Sarah and I want to make a big thank you to all of you for coming to our wedding and surviving the evening despite the rain and the precarious nature of our tent! We had a wonderful time! It was an evening to remember! Another big thank you to everyone else who kept pumping out the rain from the ceiling so there wouldn't be a disaster! :)
Sarah and I are in beautiful, sunny Greece right now. It is wonderfully warm, and there has not been a cloudy day since we arrived. I don't have any pictures to post because we are Luddites and don't have a digital camera yet. As soon as we return I will post as many pictures as I can.
We arrived in Athens on Monday and spent three days there. It was amazing. We hiked to the top of the Acropolis, which is really quite high. The marble steps are very slippery from centuries of use, so hiking up them is not for the faint of heart. In certain places there is a shear drop of a few hundred feet. There are so many ruins and ancient structures in Athens, one could lose track! We've seen ancient Roman toilets, early Christian churches, ancient Greek markets...It's been absolutely stunning!
On Thursday, there was a big demonstration of university students and teachers. It turned into a full scale riot. They set fire to cars in the street, smashed ATM's and generally ran amok. The police dressed in full riot gear and gas masks, used tear gas and rubber bullets to try to disperse the crowd. This went on all day.
Unfortunately, at different points, both Sarah and I were caught up in the mayhem. That afternoon, Sarah had decided to go shopping and I went to look at more Roman mosaics, and the ancient Temple of Zeus. I think Sarah had seen enough ruins to last a lifetime by that point and Athens' wonderful shoe stores were calling! :) Anyway, that afternoon we had decided to do our own thing and meet back at the hotel around 6pm to go for dinner.
Shortly after parting with Sarah, I came upon the protest as I neared the Greek parliament buildings. At that point it was still peaceful. Being from Canada, I did not notice the ominous signs of Greek shop owners closing their doors and pulling the metal grates down over their shop fronts, as anything unusual. I thought, "oh wow! A protest! Neat! Let's get closer."
I noticed some news crews taking pictures and shooting video, so I went over and stood with them. I started to take some pictures, but then my camera ran out of film. So while I was fiddling with my bag trying to find a new roll, the line of police officers began to march past us, about 100 feet to the left, towards the crowd. I remember thinking, "Why are they wearing gas masks?"
It was then that the first Molotov cocktail was thrown. Suddenly the street was filled with fire and shouting. This was probably about fifty feet from where I was. At this point I started to get a little nervous and wonder if I shouldn't maybe get back. When the first tear gas canister was fired. Suddenly there were huge bursts of white smoke and screaming. The crowd went crazy, lobbing more Molotov cocktails. I started to run, along with the news crew, with my camera half open from changing the film roll. My eyes and mouth started to burn like crazy from the tear gas. I don't think I can possibly describe the feeling - it was intensely painful. I couldn't see and I was coughing uncontrollably. Through my blurred, burning vision I followed some people into a nearby park where there was a fountain. For the next 45 minutes I was washing my face, eyes and drinking water trying to get the burning to stop. "At least," I thought, "the protest is no where near Sarah."
At that moment, Sarah was still unaware of the protest. But the offensive of the police had the unforeseen consequence of driving the protesters away, out of the area of the parliament buildings and into the shopping district. While I was still washing the tear gas out of my eyes. She came out of the shopping centre and noticed white smoke everywhere and a pile of burning tires by the door. "Why are my throat and eyes burning?" she thought to herself, when she noticed people running through the square, holding cloths over their faces. Sarah went back inside the shopping mall and huddled inside with other shoppers. About a half hour later, Sarah decided that she wanted to try to get back to the hotel. She went out on the street, hurried down an alleyway away from the protest and hopped in a cab. The cab driver took pity on her and whisked her away back to the hotel.
I walked home, worried sick about Sarah, always trying to keep my distance from the protest, which had now spilled past the shopping district and was close to our hotel. When I finally got back to the hotel, I was overjoyed to see Sarah was safe. For the next two hours we excitedly traded stories, while the sound of police sirens and the smell of tear gas wafted through our bedroom window. It was certainly a very exciting day. Before I had to run for my life, I did manage to take a few pictures, so I can't wait to get them developed back home.
Today Sarah and I are in Rhodes City, on the island of Rhodes. It is beautiful, but very touristy. We stayed in a hotel for the past two nights that was built in 1280 A.D. The whole part of the old city is amazing. Most of the medieval buildings remain, so it is a maze of twisty little streets, little cafes and bars, and street vendors. This afternoon we pick up our rental car and head for the ancient town of Lindos along the coast. We will be there for the next week, staying in a little apartment with our own kitchen. I am looking forward to relaxing on the beach. On Friday we return to Athens for one more night, then fly home the next day.
We miss you all! A big thank you to everyone who is looking after our little girl, Annie the cat, while we are away! We will see you soon!
αντίο!
Christian and Sarah
1 Comments:
Dear Sarah and Christian: Sounds like the honeymoon is very adventerous! Glad to hear you are safe.
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