Athens has lots of stray dogs and cats that roam around the city. They are taken care of by Athenians and most of the dogs are overweight from being fed all day by passersby. These dogs have their own territory in the city and I will see the same ones in the same places everyday. One particular dog is around the academic center day and night, watching students come and go. These dogs take on human characteristics and I have seen them cross the street only after the pedestrian signal turns green. On a class fieldtrip, two dogs joined our class and walked around Athens with us. Last night, walking back from cooking class, my roommates and I had a dog follow us back, barking if other people came close to us. I've actually heard that it is common for the dogs here to take on a protective role, especially for women.

This past weekend I went to Aegina, an island right off the mainland coast. It was about an hour and a half ferry ride from the port city of Piraeus. The ferry boat was huge and mostly empty. But I can imagine that during the busy season it is packed with visitors. It was nice to get out of the city, away from the noise and people. Aegina was beautiful. The day was clear and the water was brilliant. In contrast to the giant ferry boats, there were small fishing boats lining the port (which of course reminded me of the Sisterhood of the Traveling pants). We visited the Temple of Apollo and ate lunch in a taverna right on the water. Our lunch was unlike any other dining experience I have ever had. The view was spectacular. From where we were sitting, you could see the Mediterranean Sea and several other islands in the distance. The restaurant had a pretty extensive menu, but we soon learned that they didn't have most of the items because they hadn't gotten the supplies from the mainland yet. I was also reminded of how nice it would be to speak greek, as I thought I ordered shrimp but got calamari instead. I can't wait to visit more of the islands!