It's All Greek to Me

Athens, Greece – Venus Prive & Just Pole Dancing

            Once again I failed to do any great amount of research before coming to this city.  My very first experience was when my mother had visited almost two decades ago for a cancer retreat. I remember when she returned home she was tan, happy and feeling so well. I’ll never forget her return home as it was the day I decided to slice my knee open on the front license plate of her car. After being home for five minutes her youngest daughter had to be rushed off to hospital.

            When home and all wrapped up from my new set of stitches, she gave all of us kids “worry beads” (which aren’t really called that) and eyes of protection. I knew very little else about Athens or Greece except for the final exposure through the typical American method…Hollywood. Thank you ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding.’
            After getting stopped at EVERY security check at Tel Aviv airport for being suspected of having a bomb, I finally made it to my plane and was seated comfortably in another hysterical setting. There was a huge family of Greeks returning home from what I can only guess was a family holiday. People shouting and walking through the cabin delaying departure, my favorite was the constant shouting of the name “NIKO” from somewhere behind me and several gentlemen stood up in the chairs and looked back shouting back in Greek.

            Again I had the privilege of sitting between Greeks, this time two sisters! However, they were much more subdued then the rest of their company and rarely spoke to one another. In fact, I immediately asked upon finding out their relation (and remembering my previous flight experience to Tel Aviv) if they would like to trade seats. Both of them made the most disagreeable face, held up a hand and shook their head. In their best English they communicated they had already spent enough time together. Thinking ahead my sister and I will be traveling a great deal together in the very near future….this ought to be quite interesting.

            Sometimes I have to take trains, cabs, or shuttles when arriving at the airport. Sometimes they have arranged alternate transport or are there waiting for me, with a sign that has my name on it (the best case scenario). I never know who will be there as people tend to keep their identity a secret like they are fellow secret agents. Miss Antigone and I sat across from each other for almost 25 minutes before we finally decided we must belong together! Being more recognizable with the tattoos I always try to have them out but its not like I walk around in bikinis or booty shorts all the time.

            The best of hosts, Antigone (Venus Prive) and Nicholas (Just Pole  Dancing) took me all around Athens, seeing all the major sights and some not so major (sometimes the best). I believe the view from the Acropolis was most breathtaking. It brought me back to looking at the photos my mother had brought home as a child, the BLUE sky and the WHITE buildings (just like the flag). Markets, churches and even a disco, the feeling was a thorough experience of Athens.

One of the kick ass workshops....

Say it with me: Dole ma dyekya

Miss Antigone and me..making some memories :)

Looking out over Athens from the Acropolis. This is the first time I was referring to a landmark and not the strip club...

Mr. Nicholas! Rides one mean motorcycle!!

From the minds of the great philosophers and athletes, don’t speak to boys in bars or they think you will fuck them, the most INSANE fucking drivers I have ever experienced and from what Mr. Nicholas says, "the place full of history and little future, Athens, Greece.

PS-I FUCKING LOVE MY NEW SHIRT!!! Thank you Maria!!! Proud to be a METALHEAD!!

Europe....Starts in Israel!

Funky Goddess Studio - Tel Aviv, Israel
I didn't know quite what to expect. Perhaps its the ignorance of western culture, but I guess I figured everyone would be sitting in tents and wearing robes or garbs.
My impression was not improved upon arrival at the departure gate in New York. It was almost hysteria with kids running around and adults shouting. People were looking at me like I was an alien...or satan...a woman was smashing her baby into the side of the metal detector and then turned around as directed and smashed it into the other side. I asked the security if it was like this all the time and the said every flight to Israel.
I sat between two women who began a LOUD conversation in Hebrew while reaching over me. It was quite comical that after eight hours they joked, "one of us should switched places with you."
Regardless, arriving in Israel my idea was not on display but one much different than I expected. The airport was quite posh with the regular clothing and luggage shops, but a huge fountain from what I can only describe as the center of a do-nut dropping done to a kiddy pool. After passing through security and border patrol (which was very easy) came to my host and another water fall of a more small scale. I was later to find out these extravagant water features are frowned upon by locals...well at least one local.
Got to spend some time in the markets, discos and restaurants. Plus Jaffo, which in case you didn't know is where Perseus saved Andromeda from the Kraken!

 Say it with me: Bo-ache-us

 Please note how the books are sitting on the shelves

Advertisement in Tel Aviv Airport

Sometimes the best advertisements come with tear off numbers

The best things start with "P." Pantera, Pole, Prophylactic, Pussy, Paint...

The awesome graphic in Funky Goddess Studio.

The market was a wee bit scary

Miss Neta was very good at showing me all the things Israeli

One of the workshops that rocked

Getting one of the gals in the "Knees." Cira Pole Tricks 101

The "Superman" with added super fingers!!

I place I would love to visit for a much longer time, One hour away from Gaza and on the beach its paradise. Maybe a summer adventure?

From Seattle to Austin! 2500 miles of adventure!

Leaving Seattle, destined to make it home well before the Euro tour begins, I pack up the family and set out at almost noon and made it past the California border just after 9pm. Yes, I was flying :)

But I did manage to pick up a few stops and new sights along the way :) Go BEAVERS!!

 After arriving in CA I made a quick stop at one of my favorite pole studios ever, Twirly Girls. Not for pole dancing but for a visit. Miss B and hubbie featured here have grown on me quite a bunch over the last...goodness has it been years guys? We have many adventures yet to come, including HALF DOME!! snowboarding and a wrestling match where I kick D's ass! It would totally not happen now, that guy is a f'n machine~!

 Hwy 58, driving through the mountains on my way to my very favorite new hobby!

 Jawbone Canyon...I wonder what they do there...hmmm

 

Thats right! Mother fn dirt biking! Believe it or not I'm not to shabby. I've wiped really well about three times. First, I ran into a fence. Second, I found a hole! And third, I shoulder blocked a Mojave yucca plant! That was not a good match. This was my little 150. Next time we ride, were pulling out the KTM! Watch out bitches!

Good old La Brea Blvd...I was wondering why it is always covered in sh*t....

Aw sh*t...am I on a sound stage. I wonder what I was doing? OTG!! Orginal Twirly Girl!! Love you Momma Bel!!

Arizona-My memory of driving through AZ was only sparkled with a visit from my old and bestest friends Fiona. Many of you will remember her from the Hysteria days of the Noc Noc.

Vin had taken ill by something he had ate/drank in CA and quickly became so dehydrated I had to stop in Tucson to get him some medical attention., The peeps at Southern Arizona Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center were quite awesome. Really just the docs and techs, the whole experience otherwise was quite horrible.

After a day in hospital Vinnie was rocking back to his old self. Almost anyway. We had to do our normal 3/4 hour stops but he needed to be feed one more time per day and monitored. Pretty easy since we were still to be on the road for another day.

Back in the Land of Enchantment! I flew through NM but not with the best of news to offer! Vin took a sh*t! Not just a shit but a solid one! If you could understand the trauma this poor little guy had gone through you'd be throwing your bowl of pop corn in the air. 

 Deadly roadrunners in NM. The size of giraffes! Notice Vin is not in photo, he ran faster than me!

Home sweet home...well not really. When you see this sign it gives you a sense of false hope. Texas is almost one thousand miles wide. When you see this sign, there is still 10 hours to go.

Somebody better say how awesome this pic is cause I was on the side of the road getting honked out by dirty truckers (thanks for making America roll guys!) for ten minutes!

Yucca plant....grrrrrrr