Big Bird Goes to Olympia.

The drive to Olympia from Athens takes around four hours along a harrowing one-and-a-half lane highway. To pass you have to drive down the center and hope that no one is doing the same coming the other direction. Drivers heading back towards Athens were extremely generous in signaling with both headlights any time a police speed check was up ahead for our lane. I do not think I have ever noticed a police check for cars driving in the direction opposite me. Our rented Hyundai started vibrating at speeds over 120 km, so we spent more time driving in the half lane on the right hand side than speeding past down the center; still I appreciated their effort.

The little gnome's current favorite is a plastic figurine of Big Bird made somewhere in Germany and purchased by Peter somewhere in Athens. Big's current status likely has to do with the gem that is Follow That Bird, one of the first children's movies. One of my favorite scenes is this one in which Waylan Jennings gives Big a lift:



So it was that Big Bird came with us on this road trip in search of some objects for my dissertation. As we approached the town of Olympia we were whooping it up to keep the now-awake little gnome happy during our final stretch in the car. As we approached the main street filled with tchotchke shops and turned up the hill in search of our hotel, Soren extended Big towards the window and exclaimed

Big Bird Going to Olympia!