Checked in

Okay- I had to drop that little note in earlier just to let anyone who was awake and wondering  know we had arrived.  There was wifi at the restaurant where Cas and I shared an appetizer.  

But now, we're checked in to our hotel.  It's a small room, though it is clean and features pretty much everything we need.  Having just thoroughly appreciated the shower, I can tell you it's fully functional.  It is one of those European style showers I had seen before with a small, square area featuring a shallow lip around it and a drain in the middle.  They did have a curtain, though.  Nice touch.  When I finished, the floor of the whole bathroom was soaked.  Europe, am I right?

But, before we got back to our room and took a very necessary shower, we walked around a little bit.  My impression of Athens so far is that the city itself is large, dirty and kind of smelly.  There is graffiti on nearly everything you see.  If I lived here, I would invest in a store that sells spray paint.  

As for the aroma, I guess I forgot how many people in European countries smoke all the time.  I used to work in a bar where there were ashtrays every five feet, but it's been a few years.  It's very common here.  That was the most dominant smell, but occasionally, I caught a fragrance that I can only describe as "barnyard."  

Between the long stretch of time we had spent in the same clothes, the summertime heat and the aromatic nature of the walk, we were both really happy when we got back and the clerk at the hotel said our room was ready.  Hooray!  Cas was a true gentleman, so I got first crack at a shower.  I feel a thousand times better, now, and maybe I can start to appreciate this as art: