Days of Athens

###Scavenger Hunt in Athens (if: $Init is true)[(set:$Init to false) \(set:$itemCounter to 0, $Lycabettus to false, $Mary to false, $ContemporaryArt to false,$War to false, $Store to false, $Graffiti to false, $Beads to false, $Local to false, $Parliament to false, $Dolmades to false, $Gyros to false, $Souvlaki to false, $Octopus to false, $Squid to false, $Honey to false, $Bream to false, $Saganaki to false, $Moussaka to false) ] \ |Board>[(text-style:"bold")[Number of Achievement: $itemCounter] |= ### Cultural (if: $ContemporaryArt)[ (text-style: "strike" )[National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens]] (if: $ContemporaryArt is false)[[[National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens->National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens]]] (if: $War)[ (text-style: "strike" )[War Museum of Athens]] (if: $War is false)[[[War Museum of Athens->War Museum of Athens]]] ### Religious (if: $Lycabettus)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Church of Saint George of Lycabettus]] (if: $Lycabettus is false)[[[Church of Saint George of Lycabettus->Church of Saint George of Lycabettus]]] (if: $Mary)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary]] (if: $Mary is false)[[[Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary->Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary]]] ### Everyday (if: $Store)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Go to a grocery store]] (if: $Store is false)[[[Go to a grocery store->Go to a grocery store]]] (if: $Graffiti)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Appreciate local graffiti]] (if: $Graffiti is false)[[[Appreciate local graffiti->Appreciate local graffiti]]] (if: $Beads)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Use worry beads]] (if: $Beads is false)[[[Use worry beads->Use worry beadsbuy worry beads & learn how to use them]]] |= ### Political (if: $Parliament)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Hellenic Parliament + Tomb of the Unknown Soldier + Changing of the Guard]] (if: $Parliament is false)[[[Hellenic Parliament + Tomb of the Unknown Soldier + Changing of the Guard->Hellenic Parliament + Tomb of the Unknown Soldier + Changing of the Guard]]] ### Food [\ ||= (if: $Dolmades)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Dolmades]] (if: $Dolmades is false)[[[Dolmades->Dolmades]]] (if: $Moussaka)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Moussaka]] (if: $Moussaka is false)[[[Moussaka->moussaka]]] (if: $Saganaki)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Saganaki]] (if: $Saganaki is false)[[[Saganaki->saganaki]]] (if: $Gyros)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Gyros]] (if: $Gyros is false)[[[Gyros->gyros]]] (if: $Souvlaki)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Souvlaki]] (if: $Souvlaki is false)[[[Souvlaki->Souvlaki]]] ||= (if: $Bream)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Sea Bream]] (if: $Bream is false)[[[Sea Bream->Grilled Sea Bream]]] (if: $Octopus)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Octopus]] (if: $Octopus is false)[[[Octopus->Octopus]]] (if: $Squid)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Squid]] (if: $Squid is false)[[[Squid->Squid]]] (if: $Honey)[ (text-style: "strike" )[Honey]] (if: $Honey is false)[[[Honey->Honey]]]] ### There is something underneath this (text-colour: #ede8e4)+(hover-style:(text-color:#c1afa8))[ \[[The Absurd Traveling ->The Absurd Traveling]]] ] |==|

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="images/Cover1.jpg"> ###Scanvanager Hunt in Greece (set:$Init to true) [[Start ->Rule]] (text-colour: #ede8e4)+(hover-style:(text-color:#c1afa8))[Hi! You just found something I was hiding! Thank you for playing this!] ]

###Introduction Γεια σας(Hello)! This game consists of entires of different things I've visited / seen / eaten during the 26 days in Greece. I made this for three purposes: ** This is somewhat a homework for my study abroad program at Purdue. I excluded things that are not required for the class. So, don't be surprised if I don't have Acropolis compiled. ** Learning how to make things in Twine has been on my mind for a while. It would be a good practice for me to have something easy to make in the beginning. ** I was reading Camus's The Myth of Sisyphus. A lot of things happened during this trip that drew me closer to his ideas. I want to tell this strange but deep connection between traveling and absurdity. \(set:_t = 0, $FadeStyle to (t8n:"fade")+(t8n-time:1s) ) \(text-colour: #ede8e4)+(hover-style:(text-color:#c1afa8))[ \(link-rerun:"But wait a second... Who are you?" )[(set: _t to it+1) (nth:_t,"Well, where can we start?", "I can talk more later though.","You really want to know?","All right then.")] ] [[Start The Journey ->Main Page]]

### Moussaka (set: $Moussaka to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \ Moussaka is like a combination of lasagna and Shepherd's pie. They have eggplant base and more tomato-y ground meat sauce. More cheesy than Shepherd's pie, less than lasagna. (link-rerun:"Top layer:")[ Cheese and custard] (link-rerun:"Middle layer:")[ Ground meat] (link-rerun:"Bottom layer:")[ Eggplant and potato] <img src="images/Mousaka.jpg"> ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### id [[Go Back ->Main Page]] (set: $id to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) <img src="">

### Saganaki (set: $Saganaki to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) (set: _ChewySize to 2) \ Magically fried cheese. With zero cheese knowledge, I have no idea what kind of cheese was used for this. But it was very |chewy>[(text-size: _ChewySize)[chewy].](click-rerun:"chewy")[(if:_ChewySize > 0.05)[(set:_ChewySize to it - 0.05) (rerun: ?chewy)]] <img src="images/Saganaki.jpg"> (link-replace:"New Varient")[Later I had another one with sesame seeds and honey, the one in the picture is more refreshing, but the sweet-savory one can keep me eating.] ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### Gyros (set: $Gyros to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \ First dinner in Athens. It was quite surprising that I could find this after midnight on the street. A wrap with kebab, tomato, yogurt sauce, raw onion and fries. (click:"fries")[As much as I love fries, it's always a questionable decision to warp carbs with another kind of carbs. (for example, burrito and rice)] <img src="images/Gyros.jpg"> ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### Souvlaki (set: $Souvlaki to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \ Greek Grilled Chicken. They chose chicken breast over chicken legs for this dish. It was cooked very tender in the chicken breast world. <img src="images/Souvlaki.jpg"> ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### Squid (set: $Squid to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \ Fresh, amazing, but regretful(?) \ (click:"(?)")[ This appetizer was (text-style:"bold")+(text-size:2)[HUGE]. It was the first time I realized how big are those Greek appetizers. Finishing this and the main course was almost hurtful. ] <img src="images/Calamari.jpg"> ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### Octopus (set: $Octopus to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \ Huge, stuffed, grilled, octopus at Santorini. It was really fresh. \ (click:"stuffed")[ \(link-append:"A lot... ")[ (link-append:"A lot.. ")[ (link-append:"A lot of")[ Cheese \ ] \ ] \ ] \] <img src="images/Octopus.jpg"> ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### Honey (set: $Honey to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \ Refreshing taste. (Why fruit bowl) (click-rerun: "Why fruit bowl")[it was hard to have honey alone] <img src="images/Honey.jpg"> ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens (set: $ContemporaryArt to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \(set: _t to 1) \ I love this museum, even though I came in late and spent more time in the gift shop than I expected. The exhibition theme was "what if women ruled the world" and all the artworks were made by female artists. (click:"what if women ruled the world")[My first imagination was that a world ruled by gender would be the same messy as what we have due to power relationships no matter what. But maybe power is not as deterministic as I thought.] The most impressive one was the infographic timeline of feminist movement in Athens. But that timeline is huge on the wall that I couldn't fit it in the pictures. (click:"impressive")[Knowing a tangible history always feels heavier to me. It's like learning family struggles. Imagining things happened to familiy members sometimes is hurtful but also meaningful.] |= (link-rerun:"Next")[(set:_t to it+1)(rerun:?pic)] |==| [ \(if: _t is 1)[<img width= 750px src="images/Museum/Art1.jpg">] \(if: _t is 2)[<img width= 750px src="images/Museum/Art2.jpg">] \(if: _t is 3)[<img width= 750px src="images/Museum/Art3.jpg">] \(if: _t is 4)[<img width= 750px src="images/Museum/Art4.jpg">] \(if: _t is 5)[<img width= 750px src="images/Museum/Art5.jpg">] \(if: _t is 6)[<img width= 750px src="images/Museum/Art6.jpg">] \(if: _t is 7)[(set:_t to 1)<img width= 750px src="images/Museum/Art1.jpg">] ]<pic| ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### National Museum of Contemporary Art of Athens (set: $War to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \(set: _t to 1) \I didn't like all the exhibitions of modern guns. Those things kill people, and they need to kill other people to protect as well. Even though the same thing applies to swords and armor, they feel more aesthetic to me. (click:"aesthetic")[ Do they? But how can they be more aesthetic than those intricate guns? Or is it just because I'm more into fantasy settings? And they also kills people. I don't know why they feel less "heavy" than guns... ] |= (link-rerun:"Next")[(set:_t to it+1)(rerun:?pic)] |==| [ \(if: _t is 1)[<img width= 750px src="images/Museum/War1.jpg">] \(if: _t is 2)[<img width= 750px src="images/Museum/War2.jpg">] \(if: _t is 3)[<img width= 750px src="images/Museum/War3.jpg">] \(if: _t is 4)[<img width= 750px src="images/Museum/War4.jpg">] \(if: _t is 5)[(set:_t to 1)<img width= 750px src="images/Museum/War1.jpg">] ]<pic| ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary (set: $Mary to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \ This is a church near the hotel where I lived in Athens. I felt bad just to take pictures inside. |= (link-rerun:"Side")[(replace:?pic)[<img width= 750px src="images/Religion/Mary1.jpg">]] =| (link-rerun:"Front")[(replace:?pic)[<img width= 750px src="images/Religion/Mary2.jpg">]] |==| []<pic| ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### Church of Saint George of Lycabettus (set: $Lycabettus to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \ This church is located at the top of the Lycabettus Viewing Hill. Inside the church, there were paid incense services. No pictures were allowed inside, so this was the only one I had. Climbing the hill and then seeing the church made me realize how physical activity can create such an immersive and holy experience, as if my effort had become something metaphysically meaningful. <img width= 750px src="images/Religion/Lecabattus.jpg"> ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### Dolmades (set: $Dolmades to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \Lemon flavored rice wraped in grape leaves. Taste very herbal. I realize it's kind of a common idea to cook things wrapped in leaves. (link-append:"There is something similar in China as well.")[(Zongzi)] <img width = 720px src="images/Dolmades.jpg"> ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### Grilled Sea Bream (set: $Bream to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \Freshly grilled sea bream. Nothing special, but very very very decent. <img width = 720px src="images/Bream.jpg"> ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### Hellenic Parliament + Tomb of the Unknown Soldier + Changing of the Guard (set: $Parliament to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \ This picture was taken at 8:00 p.m. as it turned out that the procedures of changing guard were slightly different based on the time. <img width = 750px src="images/Everyday/Parliment.jpg"> ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### Use worry beads (set: $Beads to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \(set: _t to 1) \ I was over-preparing gifts for my gigantic family, so I ended up buying eight of them. (The owner was apparently happier than I was for certain reasons.). However similar they look to Buddhist beads, they do not carry much religious meaning. There were so many choices that they legitimately increased my worry about making decisions. |= (link-rerun:"Switch")[(set:_t to it+1)(rerun:?pic)] |==| [ \(if: _t is 1)[<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Beads1.jpg">] \(if: _t is 2)[<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Beads2.jpg">] \(if: _t is 3)[(set:_t to 1)<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Beads1.jpg">] ]<pic| ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### National Museum of Contemporary Art of Athens (set: $Graffiti to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \(set: _t to 1) \ What are they thinking when they painted those pictures? |= (link-rerun:"Next")[(set:_t to it+1)(rerun:?pic)] |==| [ \(if: _t is 1)[<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Graffiti1.jpg">] \(if: _t is 2)[<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Graffiti2.jpg">] \(if: _t is 3)[<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Graffiti3.jpg">] \(if: _t is 4)[<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Graffiti4.jpg">] \(if: _t is 5)[<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Graffiti5.jpg">] \(if: _t is 6)[<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Graffiti6.jpg">] \(if: _t is 7)[(set:_t to 1)<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Graffiti1.jpg">] ]<pic| ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### Go to a grocery store (set: $Store to true, $itemCounter to it + 1) \(set: _t to 1) \ Local produce market. Fishy and lively. |= (link-rerun:"Next")[(set:_t to it+1)(rerun:?pic)] |==| [ \(if: _t is 1)[<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Market1.jpg">] \(if: _t is 2)[<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Market2.jpg">] \(if: _t is 3)[<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Market3.jpg">] \(if: _t is 4)[<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Market4.jpg">] \(if: _t is 5)[(set:_t to 1)<img width= 750px src="images/Everyday/Market1.jpg">] ]<pic| ####[[Go Back ->Main Page]]

### The Absurd Traveling (link-rerun:"Content Warning")[== incomprehensible Camu-ian mimic \(click:"mimic")[== Examples: Distance, Absurd, etc  (link:"...")[== Are you sure to continue? (Plus, it might be painful to see me talking about things I know I do not fully understand) (click-append:"I know I do not fully understand")[ (Camu)] [[Go Back ->Main Page]] [[I'm sure ->Absurd 2]]

### The Absurd Traveling [Nothing. In the next following 5 bookstores, I found nothing. ] (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[I was amazed by how many bookstores exist in Athens. There was always another after the next turn. But they sell only a few books in English. ] (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[However meaningless it is to visit a bookstore, why did I still do that? It's always the idea about '[[what if]].']

### The Absurd Traveling What if I can find something interesting to justify my effort and risk of feeling absurd? (click:?page)[== \$FadeStyle[What if the bookstore can show me some of its history tangibly?] (click:?page)[== \$FadeStyle[What if I could meet someone to converse meaningfully?] (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[But once I started to believe that there was nothing worthy of going anymore, I had to stop.] $FadeStyle[ \[[So does traveling...]]]

### The Absurd Traveling Within the 26 days in Greece, I watched sunset 7 times, 5 of which were just on my own. (click:?page)[== \$FadeStyle[I loved to go to Philopappos Hill. It's the small hill on the west of the Acropolis. ] (click:?page)[== \$FadeStyle[When it came to dusk, the city and ocean view were on one side, and the Parthenon lit golden on the back.] (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[What tourist attractions can one person come to again and again?] (click:?page)[== \$FadeStyle[The experience of "visiting" a place is largely pre-determined by the setup. The same thing happens in books, movies, games, and even here.] (click:?page)[== \$FadeStyle[Capybara certainly will not come into your mind while reading this interactive blog. (until now.)] (click:?page)[== \$FadeStyle[The experience of traveling is, in someway, mass-reproduced. Tourists go to the same place, watching the same scene over and over again.] (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[ \[[What new things could possibly show up?]]]

### The Absurd Traveling Do you think it's sort of meaningless to go to a bookstore in a different country? You know they speak the language which you are not good at. How absurd it is when you expect to find something but end up with nothing you can understand. (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[I found this at the first bookstore I went to.] \(click:"this")[$FadeStyle[<img width = 720px src="images/Book.jpg">] [[Anything more?]]]

### The Absurd Traveling It's all about oneself. (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[What makes traveling different is always who you are and who you are with. If you are interested in history, then you necessarily will feel something different when you are at Acropolis.] (click:?page)[== \$FadeStyle[If you know about Socrates, you resonate more in front of the prison of Socrates. The youth corruptor reminds you of the challenge of acquiring truth.] (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[And if you are with someone else, you will start to understand what the world looks like through another person's view. The same thing can represent peace and death at the same time. (click-replace:"The same thing ")[Guns ] ] (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[\ [[The real journey begins when you realize the distance between you and the city.]]]

### The Absurd Traveling \(set:_walkaround to 0) When I was sitting at the hill alone, I often witnessed the city lighting up itself, hearing the sound of the accordion rising and dropping at the hill foot. People are enjoying their time. (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[I didn't have anyone to talk with at the time. The only few things I could do was to observe and loiter around.] (link-rerun:"Walk Around")[ $FadeStyle[(set:_walkaround to it + 1)(either: "I found a cat. They were friendly to me. I had to go.", "I went into a bar, embarrassed about dancing and drinking.", "I talked to a nice fellow traveler, but they were leaving the next day.","I looped around the same neighborhood twice, not knowing what to eat.","I sat at a cafe for 3 hours, staring at an indie theater. I imagine what kind of people will visit.") \(if:_walkaround >5)[ [[It's loud and clear: I don't belong here.]] ] ] ]

### The Absurd Traveling I don't belong here. (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[But just because I don't belong here, I get to realize how far my reach is in the massive world.] (click:?page)[== \$FadeStyle[I get to notice what is happening before becoming familiar and used to it.] (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[Traveling is like the "absurd reasoning" Camu mentioned in his Myth of Sisyphus: not knowing what is promised in the future but still willing to continue.] (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[Even though it was quite absurd for me to go to bookstores in Greece, in the bookstore on Santorini, I found the independent printing collection of Allen Poe.] (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[Even though it was (loosely) the same sunset, what was before and after differentiated. It's never quite the same and never would be exactly the same.] (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[Maybe learning how to travel is to learn how to accept the unexpected and the absurd in another place: knowing something might fail and still going after it.] (click:?page)[== $FadeStyle[ [[Fin. ->Main Page]] ]