Friday 6 July 2007

Friday morning in Athens

I couldn't get to sleep last night, so I took my drawing pad and started doodling, while listening to soft music and drinking water. I know, not much excitement in drinking water, but it is still quite hot over here.
The result was something that looks like snoopy and his little bird friend, whose name, for the life of me, I cannot remember. Behold the evidence:


I didn't wake up until nine this morning-I wish it was ten or eleven since I am not working today, but alas, once I opened my eyes, that was it. So, what better excuse to go to the city centre for a walkabout, take some pictures and buy some contact lenses. (Perhaps I've omitted informing my audience that Epi is blind as a bat, and without contacts he would be walking into furniture or even worse, walls).
Equipped myself with my iPod, tickets and patience for the bus, and started off into my Friday morning adventure. I always find it an experience taking the bus. Thankfully, these days they are air-conditioned, but still remain rather "vibrating" -for need of a better word - and with the added bonus of standing, you get to thoroughly enjoy the drivers' impressions of Nikki Lauda! I'm sure it must be quite an experience for all the ladies on board, if you know what I mean.
The excitement only lasted for about ten minutes-suggesting that quite a few folks have started leaving the city for their summers holidays-and we were there!
Since some of you requested photos of Greece, what a perfect opportunity to oblige by mingling with the tourists and going to the change of guard in front of our parliament house. I missed the change of guard by a couple of minutes-damn-but got a couple of photos of the soldiers, the square and the parliament house itself. As far as mingling with the tourists is concerned, I stuck out like a sore thumb, being the only one there without a camera!
Its been such a long time since I last went to that side of the square. I remember my grandpa, Canon, used to take me the to feed the pigeons and the swans in the National Gardens further down. (Great! Now I feel a thousand years old).

Syntagma (Constitution) Square, with the Parliament house in the background


And again.

Parliament House

National Guard in summer uniform

By the end of this excursion down memory lane, it was time to buy my contacts which were packaged for me in a bag bearing a rather odd-as far as optical products are concerned-advert on it. No wonder my eyes water every time I wear my contacts!

Will I grow more eyes in a few months?

18 comments:

Rebecca said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rebecca said...

Epi, the bird's name is Woodstock :)

And THAT is the packaging for CONTACTS?!?!?! wow. What does the Greek text say?

Amel said...

I LOVE Snoopy!!! You drew that without looking at the actual pic of Snoopy and Woodstock? NICE!!!

Nice pics!!! Maybe someday I should visit Greece and you, Epi! :-D

Pretty weird packaging for contacts indeed he he he...Ovum and sperms?

The Real Mother Hen said...

HEY thanks for showing us pictures :) Thanks thanks thanks :)

Btw, bad news, you aren't going to have more eyes as you fear, your eyes are going to get PREGNANT! No kidding! Why would they show sperms swiming to the IRIS? GEE!

Epimenides said...

Ah yes! Woodstock! I love him cause he's pretty easy to draw!
The Greek text reads:"A new world is born...for your eyes" (in your eyes is more like it!) Hahaha :)

Amel, you are most welcome to visit!

You're welcome, mother hen! It gives the expression "baby eyes" a whole new meaning doesn't it?

Uncle P. are you referring to the pictures, snoopy, or the bag? ;)

Anonymous said...

Epi, Thank you SO much for the pictures. My gosh its beautiful there. I, too, am blind as a bat without my contacts or glasses. In fact, I'm legally blind.

As far as the advertisement on the bag... I'm speechless!! :)

david santos said...

WHO DOES NOT LEAVE TO GROW THE CHILDREN WILL BE ALWAYS SMALL.


Good weekend

Epimenides said...

Oi David. Obrigado por visita! Dei uma olhada o seu blog, mas o meu português não está que bem!

Epimenides said...

Não há uma causa mais nobre do que a ajuda de crianças a crescer! Amo os seus poemas (aqueles que posso entender). Obrigado por visitar o meu blog.

david santos said...

Very good your portuguese, congratulations.

Muito bem o seu português, parabéns.

Πολύ καλός τα πορτογαλικά σας, συγχαρητήρια

David Santos

david santos said...

it says me please if the phrase in Greek in mine blogue well is written.

Epimenides said...

Muito obrigado david! (Oniline translation)Parabens por o seu grego!!! :)

ΑΥΤΟΣ ΠΟΥ ΔΕΝ ΑΦΗΝΕΙ ΤΑ ΠΑΙΔΙΑ ΝΑ ΜΕΓΑΛΩΣΟΥΝ, ΘΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΓΙΑ ΠΑΝΤΑ ΜΙΚΡΟΣ.

Blur Ting said...

You're so funny. Entertaining blog! Love those tadpoles. They'll swim to your eys and turn you into a frog so the princesses will come a-kissing.

Epimenides said...

Ah ting! But I'm already a frog! ;)

Anonymous said...

The eyes are "fertile" is that what it means???

Epimenides said...

Frankly jyankee, I don't know!

Michelle said...

Thanks for the photos. I enjoyed that. I can just imagine you and Canon walking around there. Nice! :-) My grandpa used to take me for walks, then we'd stop and he'd buy these old fashioned marshmallow sweets that you bought in slices. He'd pretend to swallow them whole. For some reason when I was seven that seemed incredibly funny.

and yes, the contact lense advert is really weird, but then I watch TV ads lately and think "WHAT are they trying to say??" I think the advertising world keeps trying to think of something unique and instead they're ending up with just plain weird.

Epimenides said...

I know Michelle! Advertising sometimes seems to go overboard!