Athens is the grafitti capital of the world. Virtually every available space on the lower levels of buildings is covered with the stuff. Most of it is indecipherable to me (so far), though there is a lot of smurf-anarchist, and anti-Nazi-Skinhead stuff, and football related: "Gate 7", "Gate 13". Some day Alex will tell the tale of her experience with Gate 13.



This sentiment is just around the corner from our flat. We wonder what the hell it means!?!?! I googled it, and that's no help. Maybe it is an anti Led Zeppelin society? Maybe an advertisement for an amusement park ride based on the Hindenburg disaster?




On Sunday we took a walk to Karemeikos. Just northwest of the Acropolis, it includes an extensive area both within and outside of the ancinet city walls. The inner Kerameikos (from the Greek Agora to the Dipylon and Sacred Gates) was the potter's quarter of the city. The outer Kerameikos (from the city walls towards the Academy), includes the famous cemetery and the place where Pericles delivered his funeral oration in 431.




Is is a very pleasant place. We were there in the late afternoon, and practically had the place to ourselves. Is is below the modern grade of Athens and surrounded by pedestrianized streets, and this tends to filter out the visual and auditory interference of the modern city. You almost feel as though you are out in the countryside. Here are a couple of pix of us with funerary monuments.



The high tourist season is over, and it makes it a bit more pleasant, because less crowded and frenetic in the center of Athens. The weather has turned cool and it is reallly very pleasant.



Last week we finally got more bookshelves, so we've been moving things around. Two existing bookshelved have migrated to our bedroom.

Alex began her modern Greek class at the University of Athens. She has learned a huge amount already. I am impressed!