It's Greek to me

One of the first considerations when visiting another country is of course language. It wasn't an issue for us on our last visit as we were on a Med. cruise and Athens was simply a day outing to the Acropolis and the touristy areas that surround it. This time, with traveling to the far reaches of the Pelopennese on our own, was different.

The first thought is of course to the Greek alphabet which for me immediately conjures up painful memories of high school trigonometry. The second issue stems from learning that many places are referred to and spelled in many correct ways due to differences between Ancient and Modern Greek. For instance Nafplio is also Nafplion and Nauplio - not too bad. But then Mycenae and Mykines are also the same place.

The concern of course is driving to areas where few tourists venture and the infrastructure minimal. While driving into Athens it was comforting to see all the exits displayed in both Greek and Latin script. I doubt, however that this will be the case as we get farther along the road so best to be well prepared when faced with a direction sign that reads - ´Πατρασ´ (i.e. Patras).

Good start for the day - it's the national holiday celebrating saying 'No' to Mussolini - we could hear a marching band playing at 0720! Here's the view from our hotel's breakfast terrace this morning.





-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Βουλής,Athens,Greece