So here I am in Athens, Greece, looking forward to being at the airport heading back to Sweden in just 12 hours. I should be in bed already, but hey - isn't that something I say or think almost every day? I get way too little sleep as it is, made evident by my falling asleep at random intervals during the day. It feels almost like I've developed some form of a narcoleptic disturbance, but I know it's just lack of sleep during normal sleeping hours. During the past three days, I've fallen asleep on the airplane to Greece, the taxi to the hotel, the bathtub in the hotel, the office in Greece during a break and in the taxi on the way back to the hotel. I'll be going to bed right after finishing this blog post, though; I'm waking up in just over 6 hours, and I don't want to be too exhausted for my journey back to Sweden.
I'm in Athens, one of the few major cities of the world that I haven't seen until now, and I must admit that I'm not really all that impressed. Sure, it was interesting to see some of the old ruins and enjoy a bit of Ouzu in its proper environment, but apart from that, it's all quite dull. The city is grey and filled with pollution; there is grafitti everywhere, traffic laws seem more like helpful suggestions, and people are annoying. I wrote the following on a postcard to a friend of mine in the United States:
So this is Athens, ancient city.
What a pity, it smells so shitty.
There's poop on the sidewalk from roaming dogs,
I'm prone to believe that all Greeks are slobs.
To be honest, the city really doesn't have very many redeeming qualities, and it narrows down my list of "Places I'd like to go" even further. I've still never been to Paris, which is strange considering how many other places I've been - and I'd like to see if Paris is as big a disappointment to me as Rome and Athens have been.
Tokyo remains at the top of place that I'd like to go. I was there about 3 years ago, and I've been itching for an opportunity to go back there as soon as I can. I had the good fortune of winning a sizeable sum on the lottery a few weeks back, and my first thought was "Ooh, now I can go to Tokyo!". Then realism hit me and I realised that I was better paying off all my debts and putting aside money for an apartment, driving licence, a second dog, and all the other things that make the world go round. ... Naturally, some of it went to luxuries such as an Xbox 360, a new bag for my laptop, some clothes, a second 22" widescreen monitor and a bunch of skincare and beauty products.
I've got a schedule of sorts for my job now. I'll be in Romania the majority of next week, and then I'll have a quiet two weeks before heading off to Iran. Now, that will be an interesting experience. I've been to the United States, Europe and Asia, but never to the Middle East. I'm looking forward to it with both excitement and trepidation; but at least I know one thing - it will be interesting! Then, once I'm home, I'll have another two weeks to rest before it's time for the next country on my tour around the world - Uganda! Again, a new continent for me to expolre and discover. It'll be my first time south of the Equator and the first time on the African continent! After that, I'm hoping to have some quiet time, though. We've got trips booked for Senegal, Tchad, Kenya, Morocco and another trip here to Greece that we need to do before May, but I'm hoping that my colleagues will be able to take the majority of them. I could imagine doing Senegal and Morocco if somebody takes the rest.
On the lighter side of things, I'm thinking of creating a photoblog again. It's been too long since I did anything like that, and my old photoblog - which is still on the net - contains information that isn't really valid anymore, for example the love and praise that I'm showering over my ex-girlfriend.
No, when I'm back in Sweden after next week's trip to Romania, I'll start on a new webdesign and begin carrying my camera around with me. Who knows; I might even bring it along on my travels and get some nice pictures?
... but now it's off to bed, tomorrow is going to be a hectic day.
I'm in Athens, one of the few major cities of the world that I haven't seen until now, and I must admit that I'm not really all that impressed. Sure, it was interesting to see some of the old ruins and enjoy a bit of Ouzu in its proper environment, but apart from that, it's all quite dull. The city is grey and filled with pollution; there is grafitti everywhere, traffic laws seem more like helpful suggestions, and people are annoying. I wrote the following on a postcard to a friend of mine in the United States:
So this is Athens, ancient city.
What a pity, it smells so shitty.
There's poop on the sidewalk from roaming dogs,
I'm prone to believe that all Greeks are slobs.
To be honest, the city really doesn't have very many redeeming qualities, and it narrows down my list of "Places I'd like to go" even further. I've still never been to Paris, which is strange considering how many other places I've been - and I'd like to see if Paris is as big a disappointment to me as Rome and Athens have been.
Tokyo remains at the top of place that I'd like to go. I was there about 3 years ago, and I've been itching for an opportunity to go back there as soon as I can. I had the good fortune of winning a sizeable sum on the lottery a few weeks back, and my first thought was "Ooh, now I can go to Tokyo!". Then realism hit me and I realised that I was better paying off all my debts and putting aside money for an apartment, driving licence, a second dog, and all the other things that make the world go round. ... Naturally, some of it went to luxuries such as an Xbox 360, a new bag for my laptop, some clothes, a second 22" widescreen monitor and a bunch of skincare and beauty products.
I've got a schedule of sorts for my job now. I'll be in Romania the majority of next week, and then I'll have a quiet two weeks before heading off to Iran. Now, that will be an interesting experience. I've been to the United States, Europe and Asia, but never to the Middle East. I'm looking forward to it with both excitement and trepidation; but at least I know one thing - it will be interesting! Then, once I'm home, I'll have another two weeks to rest before it's time for the next country on my tour around the world - Uganda! Again, a new continent for me to expolre and discover. It'll be my first time south of the Equator and the first time on the African continent! After that, I'm hoping to have some quiet time, though. We've got trips booked for Senegal, Tchad, Kenya, Morocco and another trip here to Greece that we need to do before May, but I'm hoping that my colleagues will be able to take the majority of them. I could imagine doing Senegal and Morocco if somebody takes the rest.
On the lighter side of things, I'm thinking of creating a photoblog again. It's been too long since I did anything like that, and my old photoblog - which is still on the net - contains information that isn't really valid anymore, for example the love and praise that I'm showering over my ex-girlfriend.
No, when I'm back in Sweden after next week's trip to Romania, I'll start on a new webdesign and begin carrying my camera around with me. Who knows; I might even bring it along on my travels and get some nice pictures?
... but now it's off to bed, tomorrow is going to be a hectic day.
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