All around Athens, life continues

ATHENS, Greece - The Olympics? They're nearly done. But daily routine goes on in Athens. And so we take the normal life tour ...

The fairways have brown spots. But nobody complains when you have the only golf course in a city of four million.

Glyfada Golf Club sits on the south edge of town, ignored by most of the populace. The Greeks have never gotten the word on the popularity of golf.

Tiger Woods? Jack Nicklaus? ``Greeks would have no idea who you were talking about,'' said club manager Karagiannis Kostas. ``The newspapers here, television, everything ... no golf.''

There are only six courses in all of Greece. Glyfada, just down the street from the basketball, softball and baseball Olympic venues, has 450 members who pay nearly $2,000 a year. It's also open to the public and tourists, with greens fees of $80 that let you play all day. Maybe 15 a day partake.

``Basically they think it is only for people who have money, and who have the time,'' Kostas said of the average Greek.

Par is 72, yardage is 6,847 yards. Course maintenance is tricky, in a place with little rain and an old sprinkling system. Kostas was hoping for a boom during the Olympics, but it never came. On a sunny morning, the No. 1 tee was nearly always open.

``We had expected more visitors, but no,'' he said. ``Maybe they prefer to go swimming ...''

The 10-story building sits near ground zero of the Olympics. The track stadium is 200 yards away, the swimming pool another 100. Everywhere are checkpoints, security fences, police deploying themselves in the shade.

Seems a strange neighborhood to be delivering babies.

And not just a few. IASO hospital is the largest obstetrics hospital in the Balkans. Since the Olympics started, more than 700 babies have been born. A short walk from the gymnastics pommel horse, new Greeks are arriving at nearly one per hour.

For the boys, it's usually Giorgos, Nicos, Giannis, Dimitris. For the girls, Maria, Eleni, Katerina, Anna.

``Hopefully some of them will be future medalists,'' said Katherine Stavrianeas, communications manager.

Doctors, staff, and any family expecting in August were given special passes to get them through Olympic security to the hospital. Apparently, there have been no mishaps. No baby born near the long jump pit while the mother is being wheeled through the metal detectors.

``We had no worries,'' Stavrianeas said.

Sure. Tell that to a husband driving his wife in labor ...

Meet the newlyweds, Pericles and Styliani.

I managed to get an invitation to their big, fat, Greek wedding.

Actually, it was neither big nor fat. But it was Greek, an orthodox ceremony where the couple comes down the aisle together, nearly everything - including the ring exchange - is done three times for symbolism, and the singing cantor better have the lungs of a marathoner since he hardly ever stops for breath.

Guests get candied almonds. If single women take almonds from the church altar and sleep with them under their pillow, they will supposedly dream of their future husbands.

``I tried it once and dreamed of a donkey,'' said a guest named Anastasia. ``I hope that is not an omen.''

When the couple left The Rise of the Holy Cross church, the horn was blaring, just like they do it in Iowa. The lady handing out the rice said that ritual started to scare away bad spirits. ``Even the ancient Greeks made noises,'' Kafritsa Vassia said.

``My Big, Fat Greek Wedding,'' grossed $6.04 million in Greece. Nearly every person asked saw it. Most liked it, even with its Hollywood tone.

``We sing and dance,' Vassia said, ``But Greek weddings are not one big mess.''

Even the orthodox priest had seen snippets.

``It would not be right for me to comment on the movie since I did not see it all,'' said the Rev. Father Vassilios. ``But what I saw was an exaggeration.''

Somewhere else in Athens on this Saturday night, the discus was being thrown. Here, they were cutting the cake. Life marched on.