Rev Stan's blog

It's all English to me

nobody@vox.com(Rev Stan) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:19:24 +0100

Mmm...I'll have my wooden eating implements lightly grilled please

I saw another restaurant with Grass Hill on the menu, perhaps that was the veggie option.

Clive Owen's name doesn't quite have the same showbiz pizazz when translated into Greek. (Slightly curious as to why the film title was left in English)

'Shoot 'em up' was too difficult to translate

And finally the place all straight men dream of staying (it's in Kalambaka boys):

A room service menu with a difference

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Stan's seven wonders

nobody@vox.com(Rev Stan) — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:33:41 +0100

Yep, our little tour of Greece is on its last stop in Athens and what a bonkers city it is, I love and hate it with equal measure.

We've racked up seven world heritage sites, staying the night in one, culminating in the Acropolis this morning which is a wonder to behold. Pics coming soon.

Some more observations about Greece though:

* There are a 1001 different ways of getting cheese into a meal and the Greeks have discovered each and every one of them

* Wine is v. v. cheap even with the crap Euro/Pound exchange rate and you can order it by the kilo in some restaurants (I kid you not and no I haven't tried)

* Mobile phone etiquette doesn't exist: any time, any place, anywhere, as loudly as possibly and with the most ridiculous ring tone

* All the young people live in the cities

* Greek waiters coined the phrase "looking but not seeing"

* Salads will always arrive first regardless of what you have ordered

And some observations about the roads:

* The rules of the road: there are no rules (unless there is a copper about which is extremely rare)

* There are two speeds of travelling: OAP-barely-see-over-steering-wheel and nutter

* There are bold over-taking manouevres and Greek over-taking manouevres

* Helmets are for decorations ie dangling off the arm otherwise don't waste your money

* Parking can be anywhere, preferably blocking someone in or creating a massive bottle-neck on a busy road

* Pedestrianised - schmestrianised, pavements are just another parking place if you are in a car or, part of the road if you are a scooter.

* Horns are to be used to greet friends and acquaintances or if being held up by a nano-second

* No one has a bloody clue how to use a round about

* Cycling: I wouldn't

London is going to seem sane but I am going to miss it terribly when we fly home on sunday.

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Greece lightning

nobody@vox.com(Rev Stan) — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:45:09 +0100

Well that's how quickly this holiday feels like it is going. I'm here in Ancient Olympia, well actually its a modern hotel near Ancient Olympia but it's close enough, and I've finally given in to the lure of the internet (it's free here!).
I'll keep this short because Mosh is bound to come tapping on my shoulder soon. Initial observations: Greek people are very friendly and completely bonkers on the roads. Double white lines are merely a guidance to masculinity when driving rather than an indicator that it is unsafe to overtake.
There has been a bit of a petrol crisis - a strike meant that virtually all petrol stations ran dry which caused a bit of alarm for a couple of days when you are depending on the car to get around. It has been a real eye-opener as to what could realistically happen in years to come.
Greek Orthodox monostaries like to depict gory scenes of how saints earnt their sainthoods on the walls and put in words what they couldn't draw.
The toilets in nunneries are a lot cleaner than those in monasteries.
I swear I saw Scarlett Johansson with her mum looking around the Sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi.
And I'll leave it at that for now.
Will be pictures to come when I get back in just over a week (non of Scarlett unfortunately) - bought a 2 gagillabite memory card so I'm snap, snap, snapping away....

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