Day 2: Wednesday, 11 May 1983

Start: Athens Center Hotel, Athens, Greece

End: Athens Center Hotel, Athens, Greece

Sleep it off indeed! Totally whacked by the time zones, we slept from 9:00 PM last night until 1:00 this afternoon. Jeez, that screwed up our plans. By the time we finally headed out, all the banks and stores seemed to be shut tight. So we climbed the Acropolis and toured the Parthenon and checked out the downtown scene. Among other sights, in a small park a big bearded guy in tights had a performing bear on a leash. 

Still a little drowsy and out of it, I wasn't especially getting into the whole ancient history vibe. Mike spent the time clicking photos non-stop and wasn't amused when I started calling him Snaps.

We had a meal and wandered around the city, then took the bikes out for a spin to make sure everything is in working order. Dodging traffic and racing through the streets of Athens isn't all that different from a couple of our training rides in Chicago. The only trick was finding our way back to the hotel.

We could probably spend a lot of time in Athens, soak it in, and enjoy it immensely, but I'm desperate to hit the road and get my legs pumping. Mike reluctant but finally agreed. Rather than extend our stay at the Athens Center Hotel, in the morning -- we've already scoped out the appropriate venues -- we'll get drachma, buy a map, and head for Corinth bright and early.

I'm shutting down and going to sleep while Mike is studying his phrasebook and repeating over and over again in Greek, "Hellas is a very beautiful country."

Conditions 

Distance: 5 km around the city 

Weather: Gorgeous but smoggy 

Road: Bumpy 

Traffic: Urban congestion 

Mechanical: Everything back together and ready to roll 

Physical: Getting antsy