So, we make it to the Larissa station in Athens to take the train to Litochoro and Mo goes to buy the train tickets. We are sold the tickets and then informed that there was a train coming in 20 min but we couldn't take it, we'd have to wait for 2hours for the next train. As we began to learn on this trip around Greece, never trust the information you are given. You must always ask at least three different people and use the majority rule. So after asking several more people we find out the train is not full and that we can get on it and take the seats as scribbled on the tickets. This was still my first day in Greece, 2nd for Dad and Mo, so I passed the 6-h train ride by reading up on Greece and trying to remember the Greek alphabet by putting together my long-lost knowledge math, Frat parties and sorority rushes (ok, the closest I got to a sorority rush was being in the same campus bus as a bunch of girls, but some of the info stuck) and thankfully, my JOB actually helped because of all the crazy symbols, particles, receptors and drugs that carry Greek symbols. Finally Rho-kinase made itself useful! and thank you PPAR-gamma and -delta. big help. Anyway, I managed to read the nutrition information on my bag of popcorn by sounding out the vowels: p-rho-t-e-i-n-a-s. PROTEINS! I yelled out. Why were all the other passengers staring at me? he he.
Anyway, we got to Litochoro without many further events or embarrassments. It is a cute little town on the Aegean sea about 10 km from the foot of Mt. Olympus, which is quite a contrast going from sea level to the country's high point in just a few miles. We checked into Poseidon Palace, a great all-inclusive resort with its own private beach. In the morning we went to get our buffet breakfast with all the dried figs and dates and yoghurt you could eat. This was also a mostly-German resort (we were in the fact the only non-German guests and everything was written in German- so between my sounding-out of Greek letters and complete lack of understanding up German we had a pretty fun time getting around.) By way, lamb is "lambflesche" and rice with milk is "rischmilche"- pardon my spelling. Anyway, we loaded up on breakfast and packed little napkins aways stuffed with figs, dates, and bread for lunch. Dad had injured his heal pretty badly in a fall the previous week so was still limping and walking with a cane, so he needed to rest up and not move at all. I was prepared to lend moral support by not moving at all myself. So we had one whole day of the most perfect beach weather, a swim in the sea, and a walk to downtown Litochoro (dad rented a bike and rode there) where we all had a nice drink on the beach. *end part II- next time Mt. Olympos!*
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