6/30 Too much

Plaka can be so overwhelming at times. We wandered in today to get some last minute souvenirs. Of course, when I say we were getting souvenirs, I mean we were distracted by the jewelry stores. And by we, I mean some of the girls... I was perfectly happy just eating my gelatto. We were warmly welcomed into this one store... maybe a bit too warmly?

Walking in, we initially were just talking to the owner of the store. Lexi wanted to find a bracelet with an evil eye and a cross with white saphires set in. Immediately they promised they could custom make one for her. We just had to wait for the designer.

So we waited. And waited.
......
And waited.
......
No, no, just wait.

Meanwhile we were introduced to the owner's brother and his son. Let's call the owner's son "Uncle" Gah. Talk about awkward situations. He immediately set about asking for our ages. Going down the line... 20? 21? ....18? 18? Perfectttt~ What?! Liza and I were immediately pulled up from the rest of the group and we were seated next to the son. I was literally pulled by my arm even though I tried to push the uncle away. The son looked wicked embarassed. Sitting awkwardly there, I couldn't even say "hi". Not because I was shy, but because I had a mouth full of gelatto.

Uncle: "Talk to him. I'm sure he will like you"... "Jerry, you think she's cute right?"
Me: "..... *silence: ice cream in mouth*....."
Liza: *runs back to where she was sitting*
Me: *thinking "crap, you ditcher"*
Jerry (son): "Hi?"
Me: *thinking "wtf"* Hi....
Uncle: "Isn't she so cute?"
Me & Jerry: *both thinking: wtfffffff*

I learned more about the son from his uncle than from the son himself. He's a gymnast. 23. Likes to go to clubs. Has a porsche. Apparently that's all I needed to know? Eventually while we were waiting, I decided to at least make use of the situation. I found out important things about greek life....Best club in Athens? Akrotiri. In Greek spell it: AKPOTHPI and a cab can take you there. Jerry told me that it opened Thursday nights, and that he would be there. When I said we might go, he said we would see him there that Thursday. Too bad we're headed to Santorini. Don't get me wrong, Jerry was a cute kid. Maybe kid isn't the word. He's older than me. But... not my type.

Meanwhile, this uncle keeps going back and forth between the group of girls and where Jerry & I were sitting. He keeps pinching my cheek and going "Oh my goodness, you're so cute". What am I? Five years old? Sure I act like it around my friends... but he didn't know me.

He asked us to guess his age, at which time I made a dash towards the group of girls. Lexi guessed 62. To be polite, I guessed 42. Corey guessed 50? Liza refrained. He was 38. Damn we were off. Not only that, but we saw a picture of his wife? ... She's 21. The same age as Lexi. This is when we were all significantly creeped out. A man that looked 62 had a 21 year old wife? He tried to convince us this was normal in Greece. He was NOT 38. I wish I had taken a picture of him so I could prove it. When I looked up, I asked Jerry with my eyes if what his uncle was saying was true... He looked mildly embarassed and nodded yes. Jerry's uncle was dating someone younger than him... How weird would that be for you? If my uncle was dating a girl younger than me? I'd flip.

After waiting a while. And after being creeped out. We made a getaway saying we'd be back in 10 minutes. They had kept us there a good half hour just waiting for the designer. Making a dash we kept going... Liza got her antitragus pierced, I got another cartilage piercing (so now I have two in a row on my left ear), and Corey got her nose pierced. It was a day for spontaneity. It's my last piercing I swear. It was only 10 euros, I couldn't resist. They charged me $40 in the states. Plus, they didn't do it with a needle but with a gun? A click thing. Painless and quick. Could have gotten a tattoo too.... but let's save that for another trip, shall we?

While waiting for Corey and Liza to get their piercings... I started talking to a guy that owns a leather store right across from the piercing place. Interesting guy... About mid 20's, tall, Greek, and had glasses. I have a thing for guys in glasses. He was an East Asian Studies Major at his university. He stayed in Thailand for six months and has traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia. He just got back from Thailand two weeks ago. We talked for a while about traveling and languages. He said Vietnamese was a beautiful language. Brownie points. Plus brownie points for traveling to Southeast Asia. I was impressed.

I told him I would come back next week if I had money left for the purse I had been eyeing. He invited me back to talk to him even if I didn't want to buy the purse though. He said that he knew I would spend all my money in Santorini (and not on the purse) but he wanted to learn more about where I've traveled and my opinion of Greece before I left for the States. It was too bad I was dead tired and wanted to go home, or I would've stayed to talk for a bit longer. He was interesting. I want to pick his brain about Greek politics. I wonder if he knows anything about it.

Dead tired by the time we got back. That's the end.