The Birthday

The big birthday has finally come and gone for me here in Athens. Over the last couple of days I spent a lot of time wondering what it would be like to celebrate it in Australia with family and friends but the matter of the fact is that by conducting an adventure of this magnitude, I was bound from the start to run into some down sides..

On my birthday's eve I was actually rostered on for the night shift which turned out to be a good thing and a bad thing considering the significance of midnight's arrival. For one, everyone was buying me drinks but on the other hand, drinks had to be made right up to and after 12, when I shook hands with people from all around the world who all said "Happy Birthday" in their own language and accent. Coincidently, that particular night was the busiest night I've had at the hostel since I started working. I earnt around $AU330 and about 22 in tips. This softened the pain that encompassed closing the bar later than usual before going out with a group of Columbian/Mexican and Canadian girls to the ice bar for my free entry and drinks. The night was actually pretty tame overall in comparison to the last couple of nights which I considered my birthday leadup.

As we stayed up until sunrise once again, Seth and I decided to join some French Canadian girls on a short day trip to Agena, one of the Greek islands. The island was absolutely amazing. It was clearly a hub for fishing and other boating activities. Here, we had a chance to buy some local fruits, bask in the sun and marvel at all the boats moored there, ranging from 60 foot yachts to little run-about fishing boats. I couldn't stop thinking to myself: This was the Greece I had imagined. These days, it really is too easy to judge a country on it's capital city.

Back in the bar tonight for the night shift... Looking forward to trying out a new mp3 CD.