List of Likes and Dislikes about Athens

(Disclaimer: Some of you may already be aware of a number of these realizations and so I apologize ahead of time for my ignorance and naivete.)

Likes:

• Apparently, it doesn't rain even when the forecast calls for rain. (I'm sure this will in fact change at some point. But for now, it's pretty awesome.)
• There are stray dogs and cats everywhere. This might sound like a bad thing, but Athens has been rabies-free for decades and most of the stray animals are are non-aggressive and well-fed by local restaurant owners. So I’ve had a lot of fun playing with the dogs and it makes me miss Opie less.
  
• The food. Period. Especially the produce market outside of my apartment every Friday.
• The preponderance of ancient Greek/Roman ruins. I kind of knew about this from the last time I was in Greece, but it’s even more striking being back here now and seeing slices of antiquity around every corner.
• The Greeks’ general passion on the subject of Macedonia. It’s too long of a story to tell here, but it amuses me to no end not only how worked up they get about it, but also how unified they are in their opinions of it (from what I can tell).
  

Dislikes:

• Because of the stray dogs and the general negligence of Athenians, there is dog shit EVERYWHERE. I stepped in some one of my first nights here and I’ve had to watch where I’m walking ever since.
• In order to use hot water (for the shower, etc.) you must turn on the hot water heater and wait at least 30 minutes for it to get hot. This is especially inconvenient if you want to shower early in the morning but you don’t want to wake up extra early in order to turn on the hot water.
• The maniacal drivers who will not stop for you when you cross the street even if you have right of way.
• You can't throw toilet paper down the toilet. (I know this is the same in most European countries but it never ceases to annoy me.) Enough said.
  

This list will surely grow over the next few months, but it's a start for now!

Also, I will update what I've been up to over the past few days as soon as possible and I am working on uploading pictures but the internet connections here do not support this endeavor as well as they do in America. Keep reading!!

Filia polla,
Mollie