As we saw before, I’d been wandering around Athens for a while, checking out cool and interesting things.
Next up: a strange series of Greek dances at a theatre a little ways away from the Acropolis. There was a little band and some people in various costumes performing dances purported to be from around Greece. I didn’t think the music was particularly good (the flute guy was off-pitch and the violin guy was off beat), and I couldn’t really tell the dances apart. All in all it was kind of interesting mostly for the venue, but a bit of a waste of time. I’ll have to edit some of the video I took and post it eventually, but here are a couple of photos:
After a couple of pit stops, Cape Sounio was at hand! Cape Sounio — punctuated by a bluff — is the Southern-most point of mainland Greece. Pericles (legendary politician of the Athenian city-state) persuaded the city to build a huge monument to Poseidon, the God of the Sea, to serve as beacon for weary seafarers and a statement of the power and strength of Athens. Much of it was ruined by various attacks, but parts of it still stand. The sunset there is absolutely amazing, as evidenced by these photos and the billion or so tourists all trying to capture the scene.
There were some beaches around there, like this one, where I read a book:
Driving around Greece, one cannot help but notice the plethora of unfinished buildings that dot the landscape. At first I thought they were parking garages, or perhaps some kind of weird modern art, but it turns out that they’re tax reduction scheme!! In Greece, partially constructed buildings somehow allow for a tax deduction and depreciation over time. This tax break goes away when the building is actually completed! Sounds like the kind of insane incentive structure that would exist in the USA, dreamed up by Geihtner and Bernake and co.. But my economic commentary belongs in a different post!
That’s about it for my Greek trip. Up next: Finland; then Estonia!
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