[We want to catch you up to where we are in Europe. Or at least, get a bit closer. We'll hit up the remains of Japan & Cambodia eventually, but for now - step back with us to Saturday, Feb. 25, when we left Singapore to start our European adventures.]
I am a yeast biologist. Or at least, I was, until I started bumming around the world with my husband. So bear with me for a moment while I make a yeast analogy.
During my thesis work, I became curious about the function of a particular gene, let's call it Gene H. [Hint: A gene provides the instructions for making a protein. Proteins are the "workhorses", that carry out many necessary bodily - and yeastly -functions.] No one knew what Protein H did in yeast, so the first thing that I (or any yeast biologist) would do is delete Gene H, and see how the yeast react: Are they alive? Do they grow at the same speed as yeast that contain Gene H? If the answer to either of these questions is "no", then, as a scientist, you're on your way to an interesting story. However, if the yeast with and without Gene H behave the same, then you (and I) have to be a bit more creative. For example, we challenge the yeast to grow under stressful conditions - higher temperature, in the presence of moderately toxic or mutagenic compounds, etc - and compare how quickly and robustly the yeast with and without Gene H grow. If we find a condition that retards growth, that provides a clue about what Gene H might do.
What does this have to do with OBA (Our Big Adventure)? Well, the moral of the Yeast Story is that stressful conditions may reveal something that is otherwise hidden. Running has the same effect. Two Saturdays ago, between our return from Cambodia and our departure for Athens, Kee-Min and I set out for a run. The day was hotter than usual, and we'd gotten a late start. But neither of those things should have been a deal breaker. Regardless, as we jogged through the first mile, I could tell that something was just off. At first, I thought it was mental, and I tried to distract myself by counting cars, thinking of interesting names for paint colors, and cataloging blog posts that I wanted to write. But finally, I had to admit that there was something else going on and ask Kee-Min to take a short rest stop. I couldn't put my finger on any one thing that was wrong - legs and breathing both felt OK enough - but still, every step was a struggle. I had already edited my plan for 8-9 miles down to 6, but as we trudged through mile 4, I realized that I should quit at 5. We did.
Although I didn't know it at the time, this crummy run was actually my very own Yeast Story. I was incubating some bugs, and even if I know it yet, my body did. At the time, I was just annoyed and discouraged, but didn't have much time to dwell. We had the rest of the day to finish laundry, enjoy our final lunch in Singapore, pack our things, and head to the airport. With so many things to do and remember, I didn't have time to worry about my botched workout. We set off late on Saturday night for Athens, Greece.
Our overnight flight was smooth, and after about 10 hours, we landed in Istanbul. This was just a quick transit stop for us, although it was a final destination for ~90% of our fellow passengers. Less than 50 of us were waiting in the Transit Area to reboard, and Kee-Min aptly observed, "I'm back in the minority...." Welcome to Europe, honey.
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| THREE different kinds of cakes for breakfast. Flat Stanley was very happy. |
We landed in Athens around 8 AM local time:
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| Hello, Athens! |
We made our way out of the airport, to the Metro, and out to our hotel. [Note: Sunday morning is a great time to learn your way around a new Metro line.] We walked a few blocks on the twisty, steep Athens streets, and found our hotel - Hotel Tony. We also found Tony, the loud, proud, effusive owner of the place, ready and waiting for us. His greeting was so exuberant and friendly, I felt like his long-lost cousin or something. Check out the website, note the liberal use of caps lock - that is exactly how Tony is, in person. He promised us the "best neighborhood to stay in" and "best view in Athens". Although the latter wasn't precisely correct, the former was spot on.
Hotel Tony is located in a residential district in Athens. We were about half a mile from the Acropolis as the crow flies, and an ~15 minute walk via the winding streets of Athens. Many of the smaller hotels in Europe don't conform to the "standard" American view of a hotel, with one common entrance and 200 identical rooms. Instead, they are built into old buildings, formerly shops, apartments, or other hotels. The hallways are small and twisty, and the rooms are unique. We were in one that looked like it had been a sub-divided apartment. Our room was recently redone, in a style that matched Tony's personality. Take the small kitchenette area, for example:
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| See all that shiny, gold flecked faux-marble? |
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More red "marble" near the floor, plus bright bronze floor tiles,
and bronze outlet covers (just below the mirror). |
European hotels are also known for their cozy bathrooms:
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| Also? No shower curtain. It got wet in there. |
But by far, my favorite part of the bathroom was the "window". Obviously, this was not a window in the original structure:
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| Oh! A window! |
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| Just kidding... |
Don't get me wrong. We loved this place. It wasn't quite luxury, but it was clean, functional, off the beaten tourist-track, and very reasonably priced. Tony was an excellent host - he met us quite early on a Sunday morning to get checked in, he answered all our questions, provided suggestions and directions, and made us feel like family on our first stop in Europe. When we return to Athens (because return we will), we'd definitely stay there again, no question.
With our stuff safely stashed with Tony, we headed out to explore the Acropolis. But this post is already too long, so tune in again soon to read about our Acropolis visit!
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