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| One of many ancient ruins in the Athens historic center |
On a
beautifully clear day, we flew for just 2 ½ hours from Geneva to Athens on Swiss
Air, a new carrier for us, in an Airbus 320.
Swiss Air was no great shakes as an airline, but one accolade to them
was the improved amount of leg-room for the economy seating (that’s us!!),
which always makes for a more relaxing flight. The day was cloudless as we came
across the Adriatic Sea, and it made for a spectacular landing at Athens
International Airport, called Eleftherios Venizelos, just north of Athens. As
we remembered, the terrain around Athens is always parched-looking and dessert-like,
although it was not overly hot on the day we arrived.
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Vacant buildings around Athens like these are a
reminder of the economic collapse that still grips Greece |
We haven’t
been back to Greece in about 9 years, but we’ve visited several times exploring
the mainland and some of the more prominent islands. We have always held Greece in high esteem for
its beautiful country, its friendly, generous, and fun-loving people, and its
ubiquitous antiquity and history. We really didn’t know what to expect from the
Greeks this time around given all their new economic problems; but we had no
reason to worry – although the city felt a bit sad at times, in general, the
people were just as warm and welcoming as ever.
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| Byzantine church right below our hotel balcony |
The "Central
Hotel" (our hotel here in Athens) is, as the name implies, perfectly located right in the center of
historic Athens. In fact, the balcony of our room offers a double delight: an
ancient Byzantine church with a bulbous dome directly below us almost within
spitting distance and the Acropolis, in full sight of our balcony.
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Magnificent night time view of the Acropolis from
the rooftop of our hotel |
The
hotel also has a rooftop bar, the perfect place after dark to drink a beer or a
wine while mesmerizing oneself with the haunting, well-lit glowing Acropolis
above.
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| Peaceful ruins of the Ancient Agora |
Ancient Agora
The Greek word "Agora" means open space for assemblies and markets. We love ancient sites and Athens has a ton of them. We visited the Ancient Agora which sits at the base of the Acropolis and was once the center of Athens life with prominent government buildings, the most popular temples, and plenty of shops and cafés.
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| Ancient ballot box |
Today the once bustling Agora is a peaceful place with olive trees
growing among the rubble and the ruins of antiquity. The Ancient Agora Museum
offered a look at what life was once like with artifacts such as elaborately
decorated pottery, modern-looking kebab skewers, and an early version of a
ballot box where citizens of the world’s first democracy would have cast their
votes.
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| The glorious Temple of Hephaistos |
One of the most
beautiful buildings on the Agora is the Temple of Hephaistos, the best-preserved
Doric temple in Greece. This stunning temple sits on a hill surrounded by much greenery, a testament to the simple elegance of Greek architecture.
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| Shopping on the Plaka |
The Plaka
Our hotel
sits on the edge of the Plaka, a touristy but fun plaza area filled with shops and
restaurants. We had a blast checking out the souvenirs and talking with the
shopkeepers. They were so nice; we wanted to buy from everyone (Anne did her best, ha, ha). We also got the chance to sharpen our language skills with an
appropriate assortment of newly-learned Greek words.
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| Amazing assortment of sandals for sale on the Plaka |
Some of the vendors were way too aggressive (often with a hint of desperation which made us feel sorry for
them), but most were more than kind. We spoke with a shop owner who was born in
Germany (of Greek parents). He told us he admired the orderliness of the German
people and said that if Greece had a government like Germany’s they would have
no debt!
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| Anne takin' a dip with the fishes! |
Anne had a
very unusual experience in the Plaka at “Doctor Fish”, a special kind of spa
where fish swim about, and eat the dead skin from your feet. As their
advertising says, “For once, you are the fish food.” Frank decided to
photograph the event rather than participate, but Anne ‘dove’ right in (so to
speak). First, she was instructed to wash and dry some of the stink off her feet,
and then she sat on a chair with a large fish tank in front of her at approximately foot level. She lowered her feet into the water, and fish swarmed to nibble on her
feet. It was like an “Attack of the Piranhas” horror film (Ben, you know what
we are talking about!)
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| The "little therapists" at work! |
Anne had to
admit that watching the fish attack her feet was a bit disturbing. She kept
laughing because the nibbling kind of tickled. The little fish are Garra Rufa
(a type of carp), and they have no teeth, only a suction cup perfect for foot
chomping/cleansing. Doctor Fish calls them their “little therapists.” Ten
minutes of “therapy” was more than enough, but Anne’s feet did feel softer and
rejuvenated.
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| Atmospheric Mnisikleous Street |
Foodie Paradise
To say we
loved the food here doesn’t even come close to describing the gastronomic delight of Greek dishes, all seemingly prepared with the freshest of ingredients. Here
are a few of our favorite meal experiences: On our first night, we ate at a
restaurant on a gorgeous “stepped” street just below the Acropolis called
Mnisikleous (recommended to us by our kids, M & M). Climbing the steps with
atmospheric restaurants and Greek music emanating from each side was like
running the gauntlet as we were gently but continuously assaulted with offers to come sit down for
dinner.
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| The wonders of a simple Greek salad! |
We were
feeling exhausted by the entreaties until we met kindly Petros who politely suggested
we eat at his restaurant, Sisyphus. His outside terrace was empty of people (not a good
sign), but we instinctively liked the guy, so we decided to eat there
regardless of the lack of a crowd. And, we had a fabulous meal. Words cannot
describe the freshness of vegetables in Greece; a simple fresh Greek salad is a
feast unattainable anywhere we’ve ever tried in America! It just doesn’t taste the same anywhere
else.
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| What a night with Petros at his Sisyphus restaurant |
At the end
of the meal after listening to our barrage of compliments, Petros thanked us
and said, “I know it is hard to choose to eat in an empty restaurant, and I
thank you for trusting me.” He was such a great guy. As we were leaving, he
asked if he could take a picture with us for his scrapbook and he called us his friends. Of course we did and reciprocated in kind.
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| Our new friend Alexandra |
Another
favorite restaurant experience was at Liopetro with our new fun Greek buddy
Alexandra. She was so down-to-earth, helpful, and not at all pushy that we had
to eat at her restaurant. The meal was extraordinary – especially an appetizer
with slices of grilled haloumi (cheese) and tomatoes stacked on a pita. The
combination of smoky cheese and juicy tomatoes was incredible! We saw Alexandra
several times during our stay and even exchanged email addresses. Always fun to
make new friends as we travel.
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| Musician at the Kapni Karea Café |
We had a
music-filled lunch at a café called “Kapni Karea”. The place looked a little
less than inviting, but the food was great, the folks were friendly, and the
live traditional Greek music was fabulous.
A guitarist and another stringed instrument player (lute?) sang their
hearts out. As always, the food was terrific especially a lemon lamb dish. A
guy sitting near us kept himself occupied with the strange Greek custom of
working his worry beads. You see this all over Greece, the men slide beads on a
string back and forth clicking and clacking, working off their stress.
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| In front of the Temple of Poseidon |
Cape Sounion and the Temple of
Poseidon
We visited
another famous temple on a private tour outside of the city: the Temple of
Poseidon at Cape Sounion. Our entertaining driver, Dimitrius, picked us up at
the hotel and kept us laughing all the way down to the Cape at the southernmost
point in this part of Greece. We followed the coastal road for about 50 miles
south of Athens, with views of the gorgeous, royal blue sea as we drove through
small beach towns and past seaside resorts. We had no idea Athens was so close
to the beach. At times, we felt as if we were on one of the islands rather than
on mainland Greece, just a short distance south of the capitol city.
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| At Vouliagmeni Lake |
We stopped
at a scenic hot spring called Vouliagmeni Lake where people come to “take the
waters.” The minerals in the spring are believed to be therapeutic for skin
ailments, such as psoriasis and eczema, and even joint problems like arthritis,
rheumatism, etc. The scenic pool looks like a former quarry with a ragged cliff
on three sides, but Dimitrius swears it is a natural phenomenon. Anne ran her
fingers thru the gentle waters, and a swarm of little fish immediately
appeared. These were the very same flesh-eaters who chomped on her feet back at
the Doctor Fish place yesterday. Apparently, they were back for more; they must
have thought she was quite a dish! Heh,
heh.
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| Sunset at Cape Sounion |
We arrived
at Cape Sounion in time to eat a light supper at a Fish Taverna with a view of
the famous temple on the hill above us. We had timed our visit to see the
Temple at sunset, so we quickly finished our meal to drive up to a point just
below the site. The Temple of Poseidon has an incredible location on a
promontory near the spot where the Adriatic and Aegean Seas meet. In ancient
times, sailors would visit the temple before sailing out to sea to beseech the
gods for a safe voyage.
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| The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion |
The ruins of
the Temple were impressive, but the sunset added a whole new dimension. We
don’t even know how to describe the grandeur of this sight, and unfortunately,
even the pictures can’t do it justice.
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| Words can't describe the majesty of this moment |
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| One last look at the Temple of Poseidon |
We felt overwhelmed by the antiquity of
these ancient ruins and the majesty of the sunset over the seas. Although this temple
is humbler and less significant than the Parthenon, the amazing sunset behind
the stunning temple ruins ranks as one of our favorite Greek experiences.
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| The sad side of today's Athens |
The People and the Politics
As you know,
Greece has been in the news so much lately for negative reasons, with various
political factions demonstrating for/against their government continuing to be
a part of the European Union. We don’t
totally understand the internal problems, but when you listen to the news, it
sounds like the Greeks are screwing themselves by demanding too many
entitlements. However, when you hunker down with an individual Greek citizen,
one-on-one, and discuss the details, it sounds as if there are two main
problems: the corruption of the government and the rich managing to avoid
paying their fair share of taxes. The bottom line is that the Greek middle
class is getting screwed. Another major
problem is the influx of refugees arriving daily from Syria and other Arab countries.
As Dimitrius said, “I understand that the refugees are fleeing terrible
circumstances, but Greece is no paradise for them; we don’t have enough jobs
for our own people.”
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| Yammas (cheers) to the resilience of the Greek people! |
In spite of
all this, the Greek people are among the friendliest and kindest you will find
anywhere. Even when they are obviously worried about their future, they put on
a happy smile and do everything they can to make their visitors happy. The
lovely tradition of a “gift” at the end of a meal that we were so touched by many
years ago still continues. From yummy pecan cake awash in honey to shots of
liquor called Mastic, these end-of-the-meal gifts had us leaving restaurants
glowing with good will.
By the way,
the Mastic liquor is made from the sap of the mastic tree. The sap forms like
teardrops on the side of the tree, and the drink is much smoother and tastier than
Raki. The Greek island of Chios is the only place where the Mastic trees grow, making
this liquor a unique Greek treat.
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