Sat, April 11

Started the day early with a climactic hike up to the Acropolis. The wind had finally died down, the skies were clear & the temp had risen! It was a perfect morning! After 3 days of going to the various museums & learning the history & seeing the artifacts-- it was incredible to see it all! It's one of those experiences like seeing the Taj Mahal-- you've seen the image a hundred times, but actually seeing it just doesn't compare. The Acropolis is fantastic-- in spite of the Invasions, explosions, looting & theft, it is just awe inspiring. What a morning! We picked up our rental car at 1:30pm & headed north to Lake Plastira ringed by snow-covered peaks. We were making great time & then all of a sudden, we don't know what happened--but we were lost & ,Agatha, our GPS wasn't helping. We finally stopped at this taverna in a tiny village for help. The husband didn't speak English, but his wife did, kind of. Between the 4 of us we pieced together directions & found that we were about 30 miles off course. Following their multi-lingual instructions (English, Greek, sign language & hugging), we made it to our darling little 4 room B&B on the edge of the lake.  Only 2 hours late! The owner, Catherine, offered us her homemade candied apricots-- we needed fermented fruit that had turned to alcohol, but politely accepted the fruit. We soon made it to the local taverna for local trout & lamb stew AND a bottle of local wine. We're back now & waiting to go to midnight Greek Orthodox Mass. We tried to say we were too tired, but they insisted it was the most special ceremony. We couldn't refuse especially since we'd gobbled up their candied apricots. So Happy Greek Orthodox Easter to all,, more to follow . . .

Friday, April 10

Another great day. Slightly warmer, but a stiff wind all day. Spent the morning at the Acropolis Museum-- a beautiful new museum designed to house all the artifacts from the Acropolis.  Beautifully laid out with lots of light & space. Artifacts, such as a statue, are pieced together using steel bars to hold what pieces there are together. You really get a feeling for the size of each piece. The frieze from the Parthenon is re-created with actual pieces & plaster subs for the missing pieces. The British Museum in London has many of the missing pieces! Greece is petitioning to get them back! Seems very unfair that England has kept what was basically looted. Bill says their museum would be empty if they gave everything back. Did a lot of walking, explored several neighborhoods & watched a Greek orthodox Good Friday procession with chanting & candles. Then, headed to an upcoming area transitioning from seediness to trendy & had a delicious dinner of stuffed calamari, eggplant/squash & ouzo along with a full house of Greeks coming from Good Friday services! It was 10:30 when we left & families with kids were still streaming in! Tomorrow the wind is supposed to stop & we're planning our Acropolis tour In the morning.  Then, we'll be renting a car & heading north to Lake Plasira. We could have stayed another day in Athens--there is so much to see, do & eat!  More to follow . . .

Thursday, April 9

Ya sas, y,all!  We're experiencing technical issues (not to mention stress that is not
being alleviated with ouzo) posting our photos. So use your imagination with those posted & maybe tomorrow (before ouzo), we'll figure it out. As for today, cloudy & cold walking to Archaeological Museum which was increible-- covering more than 3000 years of Greek history. Really beautiful & gave us a better understanding of what we're experiencing. Astounding to see what was being made with gold, marble, bronze 3000 years ago! We went on to the  Ancient Agora--- Athens' mall in 600 BC!! It is still so beautiful & you can hear the bartering & feel the activity that must have gone on. AND see the places were Socrates, Plato, Aristophanes & all their buddies hung out to ponder Athen's issues. Wow! We didn't make it to the Acropolis because it was so windy & cold. Tomorrow's supposed to warm up & it's on our list after the Acropolis Museum. Had a tasty lunch of Greek specialities & the obligatory half carafe of local red wine. The people are so friendly, loud & effusive! I love it! The Byzantine churches are everywhere--tiny with gorgeous art. There are lit candles everywhere inside. People stop in, light a candle, say a prayer & kiss the icon of the month.  Periodically a church lady blows out the candles, gathers them up for recycling & opens up space for new prayers. A nearby church has been playing a beautiful melody with bells for over a hour-- a Maundy Thursday call to parishioners, no doubt. More to follow . . .

April 8 photos

View from our hotel room

First day in Athens

Athens is fabulous! Romani kids playing accordion on Metro into Athens. Cold but beautiful, clean
, great vibe and NO rain! Athens is a lot like Austin except with an Acropolis view everywhere. Took a 2 hour walking tour  ending up on a narrow, winding path at the base of the Acropolis where we
found a terrific cafe.  Mousaka and lamb and Tzaziki. There are no signs of a country on the brink of economic collapse. Everyone is friendly, happy & hanging out at cafes. There are official No Smoking signs in all restaurants, but when we noticed that everyone including cook & waiter were smoking, we decided this was advisory only. Had a great dinner of small plates Ina 10- table taverna. We love this country ! Tomorrow Acropolis and more! Kali nikta!

JFK airport

JFK is definitely not Third World. Just finished a great Italian meal.  Plus, the martini was excellent. Who could ask for anything more?  Bill

So far my most profound observation has been regarding our all male flight crew: incredible eyebrows! Delta is obviously providing advanced eyebrow grooming training. I mentioned it to Bill. He was not impressed. Next leg starts in 90 minutes. It's raining in Athens. We will not be deterred.
xx Ala