August 17 36,000FT OVER HUDSON'S BAY

The day after my last entry we flew to Athens. We stayed with my cousin Rita at her house (apartment) on Ippokratous Street in the heart of Athens. I won’t blog much about the visit with Rita because so much of it was just getting reacquainted after 10 years (or longer) and telling tall tales of the family.

Simone, Mom, and Rita at the top of Lykavittos Hill:

On our first night in Athens Rita took us to Lykavittos Hill, the tallest hill in Athens. We took a taxi to the base of the hill and then a furnicular (train) to the top of the hill. When I visited 10 years ago there was a small café that sold coffees and canned sodas. Now half the hill is covered by a massive multi-level restaurant. We took some photos from the top of the hill then found a table at the restaurant.

The restaurant tier where we had dinner:

Rita had fed us a massive lunch so we didn’t have much of an appetite but we didn’t want to lose our table so we ordered a few appetizers and a main and shared them. We enjoyed our meal in the fading daylight and then marveled at the lights of Athens after the sun set. Simone and I both tried to take pictures of the lights but they didn’t turn out very well, unfortunately.

Drinks in the candlelight:

The next day we went to the Acropolis. Rita’s knee is still weak from her fall on Amorgos so she waited for us at a restaurant at the base of the Acropolis. It was a good thing, too, because the Acropolis was crowded with tourists and the walkways were far more treacherous than I remembered.

The tourist hordes at the Acropolis:

Marble columns (do not touch!):

The Erechthion:

Disassembled bits of the Parthenon:

Lykavittos Hill, as seen from the Acropolis:

When we’d had our fill of the Acropolis we met Rtia for lunch and walked to Plaka, an old area of town below the Acropolis. We had a marvelous dinner at a restaurant called the Ydria. Mom and Rita caught a cab home but Simone and I still had some energy so we walked home via Ermou Street, aka shoe heaven.

The next day we caught a cab to Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon. (The Acropolis, the Temple of Poseidon at Sounio, and the Temple of Athina on a neighbouring island form a perfect triangle, apparently.) The temple wasn’t nearly as covered in tourists as the Acropolis and we enjoyed the chance to get up close to the old marble columns. On the way back to Athens we stopped at cousin Stella’s for lunch.

The Temple of Poseidon:

Wind-blown Simone:

Her son, Babice, and daughter, Faye, were there as well as her mother in law (whose name I can’t pronounce). Stella had cooked a feast for lunch, including lasagna, roast beef, rice, potato salad, and more. After nearly busting a gut lunch Stella produced thick slices of chocolate cake for everyone, as well as fruit tarts. After that we all swore of food for 24 hours.

Faye, Babice, and Stella:

Our last day in Athens was very quiet. In the evening we walked down to Kolonaki Square to see if we could find more shoes for Simone to adopt, then went to the Flocafe for ice cream. I’m not a fan of sweets so I ordered a drink that I thought was similar to a bellini. What I got was bright pink crushed ice with watermelon flavor, some unidentifiable alcohol, and heaps of sugar on top. I finished it, but only because of my deep German/Scottish conviction to not waste food or drink of any kind. Simone said she should have taken a picture.

Looking downtown (toward central Athens) from Rita's:

Looking uptown from Rita's:

The flight(s) have gone well. I didn’t get any sleep but that’s not necessarily a bad thing,because by the time we get home from the ferry tonight It’ll be close to 8pm and I’ll surely have no trouble adjusting to the local time after a full night’s sleep in my own bed.

Looking forward to seeing the kitties. They should be home from the “spa” already, and no doubt wondering what the hell is going on. I’m looking forward to “squeezles” and “kisslies” and “petty petties”. Well, that’s it for now.