Aloha Everyone,
The two of us spent nearly 4 hours walking around the Acropolis. It was a very pleasant day. At a ticket entrance, J.J. and I noticed a small crowd of visitors eager to get in. We decided to wait a few days.
The government’s announcement came as a shock. Effective tomorrow all historical sights & museums will close until March 31 and that includes Acropolis. This bold move follows yesterday’s news regarding school closures & banning of public gatherings.
The Coronavirus is affecting everyday life across the world. For some, life has been forever upended. Businesses face closures, jobs are being lost, and children cannot go to school. Airlines are curtailing their flights and Princess Cruise has temporarily ceased all ships from sailing. On our end, the overnight trip to Meteora was cancelled.
Two unusual incidents put a nick on an otherwise wonderful day. On route to Acropolis, I turned around and saw 2 men walking very close to J.J. Then I saw one of them place his hand in JJ’s backpack. My reaction was instantaneous. As I hit his hand and face with a rolled up brochure, I shouted, “HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” They looked surprised and started to back off saying, “No problem, no problem.” I said, “YES PROBLEM!!! YOU WERE TRYING TO PICKPOCKET!” Fortunately, nothing was taken out of the backpack and we were safe.
The second incident was that J.J. and I stopped at a restaurant so I can use the toilet and he could have a coffee. Many restaurants in Greece have their toilet located in the basement floor. With no other diners, 3 waiters attended to J.J. The door of the toilet jammed and I was stuck for 15 minutes before J.J., followed by one of the waiters, decided to check on me.
Amazingly, I remained calm and used the time productively. I played prerecorded meditation musics on my
iPhone and worked on today’s blog.
Aloha -- Cathi
