As per my MO, I am intentionally writing about the past during what I expected to be a break but is actually when things are changing the most. That means that I started writing this in the Athens airport, and I’m (fingers crossed) finishing it in my hostel in Edinburgh.
I decided to stop in Athens because it takes at least 2 stops to get from Osaka to Edinburgh, and I wanted to break it up. I didn’t think about relaxation enough to remember the Greek islands which is just as well. It was relaxing enough to not travel for a few days. To make up for it, I ran to beach and took a little dip there. The water was so clear it had that unsettling effect where the bottom looks close even though it’s out of reach. I ran back along a road that seemed to just be miles and miles of car dealerships.
The best food I had was a bite of another traveler’s roasted eggplant takeout. There many honorable mentions are portokalopita (orange pie), kaimaki ice cream, baklava, and lukumas. There were good savory foods too. I made moussaka and galaktoboureko at a cooking class which I took largely because I missed cooking and this was the first hostel I stayed in without a kitchen.
Coincidentally, the other book I brought on the trip was a collection of 5 of Plato’s Dialogues, of which I’ve read Euthryphro and Apology. It was funny to read the longer explanation of why Socrates is wise for knowing he knows nothing. The way he arrives at that conclusion is by going around and pestering “wise” people. This is his explanation of his occupation. He’s too busy doing this to have a regular job which is also why he’s so poor and so widely disliked. “Euthyphro” is a great example of him annoying somebody who keeps giving circular definitions of piety.
The metal part of the Apology is when Socrates talks about how death itself is unknown to him and how he fears wickedness more than an unknown. I gather there will be more of this in the Crito (update: not really). He reminds me of Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons (and many other martyrs I’m sure).
Overall he’s a funny fellow. He mentions that he could have brought his children to the court to garner sympathy, and he comments that the vote was a lot closer than he expected.
It’s a short collection, and I would have finished it if it didn’t feel so pretentious to be reading it in Athens. Instead, I binged a bunch of Sam Kriss essays. They kind of blur together, but I enjoyed the ones about love, the meanings of words, and rationalists. I don’t know how much I agree with him about anything, but he makes some good points, and he’s so entertaining. I love a contrarian.
I got a hot towel shave which was long overdue. The experience was nice, but the result was patchy. Other highlights include the Benaki Museum, the National Garden, the change of the guard at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier (similar to Arlington National Cemetery except more elaborate and right in front of parliament), and a super cool little bookstore called Hyper Hypo.
I’m already really enjoying Edinburgh though it could be the weather. More on that and Fringe show reviews later.