tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27106136176086751532024-03-05T05:29:25.265-08:00Geneva, Greece, and Gay PareeAnne and Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809617541631362556noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2710613617608675153.post-90340171034370070492015-10-24T11:05:00.001-07:002015-10-24T11:25:54.959-07:00Gray (but still Gay) Paree<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medieval architecture in the Marais</td></tr>
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Paris is always a delight, even for visitors like us who
have been here many times. And even when the weather is gray and chilly. We
stayed in the Marais section this time around, the most medieval quarter of Paris (even
if it is pretty overrun with upscale shops these days).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotel du Sens,<br />
one of Paris's few remaining Hotel Particuliers</td></tr>
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<b>The Marais</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the most impressive types of architecture in the Marais is what the French call a Hotel Particulier, a sumptuous city mansion built for aristocrats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good example is Hotel du Sens, built in the
Middle Ages and once home to Queen Margot. Queen
Margot was both beautiful and brilliant, and she played a critical role in the
politics of 16<sup>th</sup> c. France. She was also known for having numerous
lovers and for being the daughter of Catherine de Medici, a nasty piece of work
who was fond of poisoning her enemies. (If you want to know more, watch the
movie<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“La Reine Margot,” available on
Netflix).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous L'As du Falafel (which always has<br />
a long line at the take-out window)</td></tr>
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<b>“Falafel Street”</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The Marais also contains Paris’s most famous Jewish
neighborhood. We happily ate our way along rue de Rosiers, also known as “Falafel
Street.” We ate the best falafel of our lives at neighborhood favorite <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">L'As du Falafel</span>. And scarfed down an
incredible pastrami pretzel sandwich at Florence Kahn’s.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastrami Pretzel sandwich <br />
at Florence Kahn's</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well-equipped soldier<br />
guarding a Jewish school in the Marais</td></tr>
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Other sights in this Jewish part of town were more sobering.
We saw military personnel with automatic weapons guarding Jewish synagogues and
Jewish schools with the intent of deterring any possible terrorist attacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> E</span>xtra security has been in place everywhere since
the Charlie Hebdo shooting back in January of this year. One French woman told us she was certain
there would be another terrorist attack before the end of the year; but despite
the high level of terrorist threat, life goes on as usual.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Thinker" made completely of chocolate<br />
at Patrick Roger</td></tr>
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<b>Chocolate Addicts</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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As you know, we have a weakness for French chocolate. One of
the goals of our visit was to stock up on plenty of incredible dark Parisian
chocolate for the long, snowy Pocono winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
hit several of our favorite choco shops: Patrick Roger, Jean-Paul Hevin, and
Michel Cluizel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to our Parisian friend Martinn, we also discovered Alain Ducasse, who has a fine chocolate factory right in
the heart of Paris. When you visit his chocolate shop, you can actually watch
the chocolate being made on the other side of a glass window (unfortunately,
photos were not permitted).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anne relishing her cup of hot choco at Angelina's</td></tr>
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Anne was thrilled to finally visit Angelina’s, a Belle
Époque tearoom that has become a Paris institution. Lunch here is an elegant
experience, and the highlight is a cup of old fashioned hot chocolate called <i><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">le chocolat chaud à l’ancienne l’Africain</span></i><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> (or just “The African”). This hot chocolate
was so dense and satisfying – we could feel it coursing through our bodies
spreading warmth and contentment throughout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably
the best hot chocolate ever. Legend has it that Coco Chanel used to drop in
(her shop was just around the corner) for a cup of this liquid choco goodness
every single day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Directly behind us, the grave of Lafayette in Picpus Cemetery</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><b>The </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b>Marquis de Lafayette</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Anne is a big Lafayette fan. What’s not to love? George Washington
treated Lafayette like a son, and many believe that we would never have won our
American Revolution without the assistance of the French, and specifically, our
greatest French supporter Lafayette. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anne
is also intrigued by the fact that Lafayette stayed in Bethlehem, PA where he
recuperated from a wound suffered at the Battle of Brandywine and may have had a romantic dalliance with a young Moravian woman named Liesl. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We paid our respects to the Marquis at his gravesite in the little known
Picpus Cemetery, the only remaining private cemetery in Paris. The cemetery was
created to honor the 1,306 victims who went to the guillotine during the summer
of 1794. Only relatives of the original guillotined victims may be buried in
this small cemetery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, the
grandmother, mother, and sister of Lafayette’s wife Adrienne were all
guillotined which is how he came to be buried here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Picpus Cemetery</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Lafayette’s grave is located in the very back of the cemetery; it's easy to spot
because of the American flag. During WWI o</span><span style="color: #1c1c1c; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">n July 4, 1917, American Colonel </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Stanton
<span style="color: #1c1c1c;">placed an American flag at the gravesite and
uttered the famous phrase "Lafayette, we are here." </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">An American flag
has flown over the grave continuously ever since, even during the Nazi
occupation when Hitler’s flunkies failed to find this obscure cemetery. Every
year on July the 4<sup>th</sup>, the flag is replaced as part of a joint French-American
ceremony.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Lafayette loved America so much that he is buried under soil that he
brought from Bunker Hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Yes, he's actually buried under genuine "American" soil. </span>The site is
quite moving with many commemorative plaques from America including one from
the Daughters of the American Revolution and even one from Post 217 Easton, PA!
Anne stood there soaking it all in and whispered, “Lafayette, je suis ici.” (I
am here.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Marie Curie<br />
(positioned on the porch where the <br />
photo was taken)</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b>Curie Museum</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Frank especially enjoyed our visit to the Curie Museum where Marie Curie
and her husband Pierre pioneered research in radium & radioactivity. The museum was very
low-key, but included an extensive collection of scientific instruments and
Marie’s former office and laboratory. Marie's presence was heavily felt everywhere here, as if she might come out and
greet us at any moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nobel Prize winning Curie Family - from left:<br />
Pierre & Marie Curie, Irene Joliot-Curie, and Fredric Joliot-Curie</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>A short synopsis of their contribution shows that they both recognized that radium had almost "magical powers" in that it continuously emitted invisible radiation and gave off measurable heat. It was viewed by the Curies as potentially an inexhaustible source of energy. Altho Pierre Curie was killed in a horse cart accident in 1906, his wife, Polish-born Marie, continued experiments on radium and radon gas at the Curie Institute here in Paris for the rest of her life. In 1934, weak from many years of experiments with exposure to radiation poisoning, Marie succumbed to an inevitable demise. <br />
<br />
We concluded the Curies were one remarkable family! We knew that Marie and Pierre had
received a Nobel Prize in 1903, but Marie actually received a second Nobel Prize and
is the only woman to be awarded this honor twice; also, she was the very 1st female, degreed physicist ever. We also didn’t realize that
their daughter (Irene) and son-in-law (Fredric) received a Nobel Prize as well for research in chemistry. Yet another son-in-law, husband of Marie's eldest daughter, accepted a Nobel Peace Price for his work on UNICEF. Wow!! Five Nobel Prizes attributed to just one family. That's unheard of and had never happened before or since!!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-VEytY9bACZFrmbJVHicf6AUW6vh7wOvwaguXGA7pYltNOj8t2QmsOgQQ00iS-9cOaLcD6QE7AyJNy0LGJdotA3U3SL2YBgYhrG_XMSINETKm5KlfZ3Mf2TaMC_VcX_aWB29kDwWgMES/s1600/IMG_8981.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-VEytY9bACZFrmbJVHicf6AUW6vh7wOvwaguXGA7pYltNOj8t2QmsOgQQ00iS-9cOaLcD6QE7AyJNy0LGJdotA3U3SL2YBgYhrG_XMSINETKm5KlfZ3Mf2TaMC_VcX_aWB29kDwWgMES/s320/IMG_8981.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie Curie's office</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Marie was not only a brilliant scientist; she was also a humanitarian who
worked hard to foster collaboration with scientists from all around the world.
She and Pierre never patented their discoveries believing that all life-saving
knowledge should be shared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEK8n17QboP3ucUmjlLdm1LENLgycaCocw_pZoiSlhSJWEbPBDleOsfcHhpJIdlhu6GysvUL6tBbz97Uiv6kIGQ562VIG4YqHhoYneBeCW0pxQgrlhVOjPl5yKssaTyIixRHwvkiNpMzQ8/s1600/IMG_8924.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEK8n17QboP3ucUmjlLdm1LENLgycaCocw_pZoiSlhSJWEbPBDleOsfcHhpJIdlhu6GysvUL6tBbz97Uiv6kIGQ562VIG4YqHhoYneBeCW0pxQgrlhVOjPl5yKssaTyIixRHwvkiNpMzQ8/s320/IMG_8924.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friend David</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b>Amis in Paris</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Our Paris visit ended up being quite social. We met up with our friend
David who we first ran into on a bus tour in Croatia back in 2006. We have
stayed in touch over the years and were thrilled that our paths crossed once
again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0t4QGSXd2ef8xEQTeCBKl-Mp-y0gmWJ081VQY4z7YpWlzIZRACgLWUeoGKKzSa2p7CcKRM7nj7c2iQ8VEc40X_l6almQNavmDzXKZdlwdSr9BwRNY6V_M3Ar7yd35zqvYYt9X4wRrlzB/s1600/IMG_8844e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0t4QGSXd2ef8xEQTeCBKl-Mp-y0gmWJ081VQY4z7YpWlzIZRACgLWUeoGKKzSa2p7CcKRM7nj7c2iQ8VEc40X_l6almQNavmDzXKZdlwdSr9BwRNY6V_M3Ar7yd35zqvYYt9X4wRrlzB/s320/IMG_8844e.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friend Martinn</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We also spent a special evening with Martinn, who rented us her apartment
the last time we stayed in Paris. Martinn was kind enough to include Kay and
Popat in our get-together, a California couple who were her current renters. Kay had contacted Anne via
our blog many months ago and sent Anne an email asking for Paris apartment recommendations. </span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdxK8nGAyvIWTZE_XWpfRz6lG4od2nFowoVPrGOGZ-7g6LoGZrdfAEVGqUxRAc125Zi5XRQPjEDWK5Of-3fes1o_fE5lMhJE9mpfZMSf5ikYv82uD-drRULo8Dks89YpOQjphI_xCfRxf/s1600/IMG_8848.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdxK8nGAyvIWTZE_XWpfRz6lG4od2nFowoVPrGOGZ-7g6LoGZrdfAEVGqUxRAc125Zi5XRQPjEDWK5Of-3fes1o_fE5lMhJE9mpfZMSf5ikYv82uD-drRULo8Dks89YpOQjphI_xCfRxf/s320/IMG_8848.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martinn with our new friend, Kay</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
Naturally, Anne recommended Martinn’s apartment, and now we were all together
drinking wine here in Paris. Isn’t life grand?<br />
<br />
We left Paris all too soon. There is always something more to see and do in this grand city. But then, we'll be back another time. Certainly, just as soon as the current stash of fine chocolate bars runs low!! Heh, heh.</div>
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More pics of Paris:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHVkwmHy3Wd_64O9W3y2owOkNpCyyHfs23Ho-2COC6J5RRa8OVjWVUW47icRI7U3OulGwua79eip9cMKVhWT5kfr1Ara1luo0pZqyPEgTT8cgwBV3qtzqhDw6d69sOjB_6R8EoeOwSdLV/s1600/IMG_1119.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHVkwmHy3Wd_64O9W3y2owOkNpCyyHfs23Ho-2COC6J5RRa8OVjWVUW47icRI7U3OulGwua79eip9cMKVhWT5kfr1Ara1luo0pZqyPEgTT8cgwBV3qtzqhDw6d69sOjB_6R8EoeOwSdLV/s320/IMG_1119.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotel du Sully, another Hotel Particulier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5W7qUJCNDUxEAOtMBEIg6VScTSYMGLErSGxbVPjqm5a-nbffL2lDdPj15vCEKmXnrfQetZ6DT61_LaCO76_IMq3m5fsGDbyMihGdRQO6X4FY4auj0Q5lOtzKAEdNykM8KqmvRFZ3spksY/s1600/IMG_1123.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5W7qUJCNDUxEAOtMBEIg6VScTSYMGLErSGxbVPjqm5a-nbffL2lDdPj15vCEKmXnrfQetZ6DT61_LaCO76_IMq3m5fsGDbyMihGdRQO6X4FY4auj0Q5lOtzKAEdNykM8KqmvRFZ3spksY/s320/IMG_1123.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stunning architecture of Place des Vosges</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyS0XLSt1XUhAmImh0HsOobJuGbTD7A3hAc7dWPja52NykCzEFXk4o0TsErdmcTiZrlbgx4gMXYbkqGvF9yGCbZXWVF4BfeMmGoqGEkDqDkYVLtdDTdGYfbdjVnovsyUK1wtCb3Uq1VVb/s1600/IMG_8761.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyS0XLSt1XUhAmImh0HsOobJuGbTD7A3hAc7dWPja52NykCzEFXk4o0TsErdmcTiZrlbgx4gMXYbkqGvF9yGCbZXWVF4BfeMmGoqGEkDqDkYVLtdDTdGYfbdjVnovsyUK1wtCb3Uq1VVb/s320/IMG_8761.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loved these crazy "Tazmanian Devil" shoes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQPWhNtn3o65B0QBiO-FXZczGf0-r7Tnm_HU9_tQG-aA28LgopcHtdCAhnMioMReTRqsIAuGuQbhQIwkuA0_cbpRqmD7Fr5_liY7KnEmEq3mXMv62b5Ci3E3Fkeb_5Ns6rASmb2I-1CCaE/s1600/IMG_1184.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQPWhNtn3o65B0QBiO-FXZczGf0-r7Tnm_HU9_tQG-aA28LgopcHtdCAhnMioMReTRqsIAuGuQbhQIwkuA0_cbpRqmD7Fr5_liY7KnEmEq3mXMv62b5Ci3E3Fkeb_5Ns6rASmb2I-1CCaE/s320/IMG_1184.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie Curie's Laboratory</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7603OwDRUfaIDR1En3Oo4zPO-TDAtE-cX8oJhiOXhyQ1WlXAm-1esK68GNcpPDFxNk4bEhvYcV0odVSODLU64iflyoG9KNTahmtIoiz6H_TACVolrkLGIpQFAtP_7sBGcwK1xS6HIpS6/s1600/IMG_1165.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7603OwDRUfaIDR1En3Oo4zPO-TDAtE-cX8oJhiOXhyQ1WlXAm-1esK68GNcpPDFxNk4bEhvYcV0odVSODLU64iflyoG9KNTahmtIoiz6H_TACVolrkLGIpQFAtP_7sBGcwK1xS6HIpS6/s320/IMG_1165.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long lost son of Marie and Pierre Curie!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
</div>
Anne and Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809617541631362556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2710613617608675153.post-91934762375301475242015-10-14T14:29:00.001-07:002015-10-14T14:29:25.999-07:00Corfu: Elegant, Scenic, and a bit Crazy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our hotel room balcony</td></tr>
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The Greek island of Corfu sits in the Adriatic Sea on the
Italian side of Greece, across from the heal of Italy. Unlike the dramatic starkness of Aegean islands like
Santorini, et al, Corfu is lush and green with an Italian feel to it. Which is not
surprising since Corfu was occupied by the Venetians for more than 400 years. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Venetian Lion</td></tr>
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Like many of these small islands, Corfu has been invaded
over and over: by the Greeks, Romans, Sicilians, Venetians, French, and
British. However, the Venetians left the most lasting impression, and the
Venetian lion, symbol of the Republic, is carved on buildings throughout the
capitol city of Corfu Town.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the gorgeous flowers<br />
on this lush island</td></tr>
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Our reason for coming here is to slow down and relax --
something a bit different for us. Visiting Corfu is all about balmy weather, sandy beaches, and swaying palm trees. We rented a car and each day set out to
explore a different part of the island. We were here in the off season (which
still seemed pretty busy to us), but we lucked out with the weather, arriving
during what one Corfiot shopkeeper called “a little summer, a miracle in
October.” Yes, the "Corfu-ian" people call themselves the "Corfiot".<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our one big disappointment was that we were unable to do a
planned day trip to Albania. We had booked an excursion thru our hotel expecting
to visit nearby Albania, a place we have never seen. This is not a country with lines
of tourists trying to enter, so we would probably never get there any other
way other than by happenstance. The jaunt from Corfu for one day
would have been perfect, but the evening before our trip, the front desk called
us and told us that our trip was cancelled.
What? Nasty storms were predicted
for the day of our travel, and the tour company would not cross the channel with
their Mickey Mouse ferries during a storm.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nasty sea on the day we were scheduled to<br />
ferry over to Albania</td></tr>
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We had to agree with them, as we weren’t anxious to meet our demise
somewhere in an unknown waterway between Corfu and Albania. Of course, the day turned out to be beautifully
sunny. Ironically, the stormy weather that caused our tour to be cancelled, was initially a non-event; thus, we had a real live SNAFU on CORFU!! Heh, heh. But wait: we have
to come clean and admit that the weather degraded as the day progressed, and we did get rain and
extremely high winds on the day our tour would have gone. So it really was for
the best.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corfu Town with the New Fortress in the background</td></tr>
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<b>Corfu Town<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Corfu Town is situated on the sea between two mighty
fortresses simple known as The Old Fortress and the The New Fortress (relatively
speaking as in 17<sup>th</sup> c.). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former palace in Corfu Town</td></tr>
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This is definitely Anne’s kind of town. Lots of fun shopping, and buildings with the crumbling, faded elegance look she likes so well. The ambiance is definitely Italian, and we could easily imagine we were in Venice or Sicily.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint Spyridon church</td></tr>
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A major sight in Corfu Town is the Saint Spyridon church,
honoring the patron saint of Corfu. Saint Spyridon is quite venerated, and
inside the church, there is always a line to see him. Anne joined the queue and
noticed that as people walked up to view the casket, they leaned way over and
seemed to be kissing it -- once at the bottom of the casket and once at the
top. When she got closer, she saw that two sections of the casket were exposed
beneath a sheet of clear glass. The lower section offered a view of the Saint’s
little feet all donned up in fancy brightly-colored shoes. The upper section
exposed the black, rotting face of the corpse with two gleaming teeth still hanging
in his gaping mouth. It was all Anne could do not to gasp in horror. What she
remembers are those teeth and the smudged glass where all those kisses were
deposited.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piperitsa pizzeria on Saint Spyridon Square</td></tr>
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To celebrate the Italian side of this island, we ate lunch
at a pizzeria called Piperitsa. The café was located on a sparkling square
behind San Spyridon church. The food was great, and as we sat under the outdoor
umbrellas, a choir of young people made some heavenly music, singing<br />
"a cappella" in
the square taking advantage of the fine acoustics provided by the towering
stone buildings. One of those very special travel moments. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bright orange kumquat liqueurs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We had another special moment when we met Aphrodite, a vendor
with a shop where kumquats were sold. Kumquats are very popular on Corfu and
eaten as snacks, as part of local dishes, and are even found in a bright,
orange kumquat liqueur.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Candied kumquats</td></tr>
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Aphrodite was so friendly and a good salesperson too -
we bought two containers of candied kumquats, one for now and one to take home
for later. The kumquats are a delicious blend of sweet and sour, and the first
bite is the best when the inner juices explode in your mouth. Unfortunately, kumquats are quite sour on the
vine and only edible when saturated with a sugary syrup. They are scrumptious,
but not exactly a health food!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet Aphrodite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next day, we happened to eat dinner across the street
from Aphrodite’s shop. We exchanged greetings with her, and then a few minutes
later, she came back to give us a container of chocolate-covered kumquats! We
couldn’t believe it and were very touched by her kindness. You’ve heard the
sayings about “Greeks bearing gifts.” Well it is absolutely true, all
throughout Greece. And Aphrodite’s unexpected gift to us is a good example.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Old Fortress of Corfu Town</td></tr>
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<b>Old Fortress<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Corfu Town’s Old Fortress stands overlooking the sea across
a small bay from our hotel. The craggy fortress looks almost like a ship moored
along the seaside. In the pictures, you can see the clock tower about half-way
up and the cross-shaped antenna at the very top. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing the Old Fortress</td></tr>
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The hike up looked quite daunting, but we decided to enter
the site just to hike up to the first level.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clock Tower in the Old Fortress</td></tr>
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Well once we got to the clock
tower, we wanted to keep going all the way to the top.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NzyrRPrUlcnvPqxAkMGEbXMQ9eAKjpB2SPj0UZ1QGGh7gkTa9fsy0ZiDGcmLhYQGU6kHx8xoVqgs9J1T1DTqESfqiUYtIO6tPwAl82-kzE-OkAqiUKxARIRwNTLFAu_J9QaRRA_0_Ty2/s1600/IMG_0911.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NzyrRPrUlcnvPqxAkMGEbXMQ9eAKjpB2SPj0UZ1QGGh7gkTa9fsy0ZiDGcmLhYQGU6kHx8xoVqgs9J1T1DTqESfqiUYtIO6tPwAl82-kzE-OkAqiUKxARIRwNTLFAu_J9QaRRA_0_Ty2/s320/IMG_0911.e.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made it to the top of the Old Fortress!</td></tr>
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The views at the top
were fabulous with panoramic views of the town and across the sea to the Greek
mainland and even north to Albania. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Achilleon Palace</td></tr>
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<b>Achilleon Palace<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The first day we had a car, we headed south of Corfu Town to
visit Achilleon Palace, the Corfu residence of Empress Elizabeth of Austria
(aka "Sissy").<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sissy with her tiny 19-inch waist</td></tr>
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"Sissy" was renowned for her beauty (particularly her 19-inch
waist), and she was so popular, that much like Princess Diana, she was hounded
by the press. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of the lovely Sissy</td></tr>
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Sissy hated the rigid life at the Austrian court, and she liked
to travel by herself whenever she could. In one instance, she arrived in a new
town, and the local officials wanted to give her a royal welcome. Sissy sent
her hairdresser masquerading as the Empress herself. Meanwhile the real Sissy watched
the proceedings from a nearby café where she ate ice cream incognito.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank admires one of the many Greek<br />
statues on the terrace at Achilleon Palace</td></tr>
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On one of her travels, she came to Corfu and was captivated
by the island, Greek mythology, and the peaceful lifestyle. Her Palace reflects
her unique style and her love of all things Greek. She had the Palace of Achillion built as one of her travel respites, and named it after Homer's Greek hero "Achilles"; she loved his beauty and his strength. Sadly, Sissy was murdered by
an anarchist in Geneva when she was 60 years old. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Paleokastritsa Beach</td></tr>
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<b>Paleokastritsa<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Paleokastritsa is one of the most beautiful beaches on Corfu.
The relatively small beach is surrounded by rugged cliffs and unusual rock
formations. One thing we have noticed is that beaches on Corfu tend to be quite
small and narrow, but it doesn’t seem to matter because people spend all their
time in the gorgeous blue-green water.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stunning view from the Paleokitstrikia Monastery</td></tr>
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We drove up a steep and winding road to the Monastery of
Paleokastritsa where we had even more dramatic views of the surroundings. Seems
that most people who come to Corfu hole up in one of the many beach towns and spend
their time enjoying the sea.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful little inlet at Kassiopi</td></tr>
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<b>Kassiopi<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Kassiopi is a lively beach town in the stunning northeast
part of the island. We followed the sea all along the eastern seaboard taking
in fantastic scenery the whole way. Kassiopi is a lot like beach towns all over
the world with plenty of shops selling chintzy souvenirs and flip-flops, but we
loved the vibe here. And the small inlets along the northern shore looked so
inviting, we wanted to dive in.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inches count when driving on Corfu!</td></tr>
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<b>Local Life of the
Corfiots<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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We had a car on Corfu for 4 days, but we never saw a police
officer on the roads, not once. We did
see two cops down in Corfu Town giving out parking citations, but there were
none around to issue moving violations. Seems like the cops here are glorified
meter maids. Speaking of parking, we were told that you can park anywhere you
can find a space, although we did see two cops deservedly giving a ticket to a
car that was blatantly blocking somebody’s driveway. But seriously, parking around Corfu Town is
the biggest hodge-podge we’ve ever seen.
You can park in almost any place you can slide your vehicle into; the
smaller your car, the better! A
motorcycle is certainly ideal. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corfu's alluring scenery can be a distraction on the roads </td></tr>
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The rules for drivers on Corfu seem to be non-existent too; you
basically do what you want. Yes, the
basics are there. You drive on the right,
you stop at stop signs, you obey traffic lights (if they are working!), and
please don’t run any of the multitude of pedestrians down. If the traffic lights worked, we could
probably obey them, but in many cases, the lights weren’t operating at all! Very disconcerting. It was a free-for-all at many 4-way intersections with the boldest drivers getting thru first, while the timid remained
stuck with a slew of pissed off horn-honking drivers behind them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Another issue is the one-way streets. Many times they are not marked at all – how
would you know? We found out the hard way when a waiter at an outdoor café blocked our passage and waved us off as we started to enter an unmarked one-wayer. Even when they are
marked, they may not be truly one way. You will be driving down a one-way
street with the road entirely to yourself, and here comes Joe the ass right at you. Now, the street was marked one way for a
reason – because two vehicles are unable to fit. But Joe the ass is here now, and you gotta deal
with that. You need to navigate around him, unless of course you know fluent
Greek, and are able to get out and chew him out for his less that acceptable driving skills. But you can’t even do that, because next time
you might be Joe the ass who took a wrong turn up a one-way street, and now you
are the one on the hot seat for the same faux pas.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50FqvLT7nL14RqJqy94x5EXma6nzDxRjdEi1vXDyL5fmOpeoiWXyOibOFCy2p4o_OZWUuE5THcTSYNPjhv1WFoLkb9k7O5u7fhRRwklVSiFDbwk6O0-MrQ9ja3ihghdN6HBgPSczHIG0Y/s1600/IMG_8589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50FqvLT7nL14RqJqy94x5EXma6nzDxRjdEi1vXDyL5fmOpeoiWXyOibOFCy2p4o_OZWUuE5THcTSYNPjhv1WFoLkb9k7O5u7fhRRwklVSiFDbwk6O0-MrQ9ja3ihghdN6HBgPSczHIG0Y/s320/IMG_8589.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cemetery along the winding coastal road to Kassiopi</td></tr>
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Driving outside of the city was tricky too. The plethora of mountain
switchbacks along the coastal highways were sometimes treacherous and made for slow-going. We wondered how many over-zealous drivers
have plunged over the cliffs there. We had many impatient local drivers glue themselves to our bumper in an intimidating style, and then pass us on blind turns, or whenever
the tiniest opportunity presented itself. But also, the scenery is so beautifully
seducing, if you are not careful, you can find yourself drifting into an on-coming lane or towards the cliff side of the road.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BMsQFoeyPEffBtU553ttOD5kFPk-TdCDz4BNRKIzl4K8XpTLOv2XXy3_xq0SfGs8HejnAcSjj4o8obftysgDkLJbBBA0ueTOg1TRqdVjrJb3oUguX90s8qWWK9tamukXmTfQH7PY4kMZ/s1600/IMG_8481.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BMsQFoeyPEffBtU553ttOD5kFPk-TdCDz4BNRKIzl4K8XpTLOv2XXy3_xq0SfGs8HejnAcSjj4o8obftysgDkLJbBBA0ueTOg1TRqdVjrJb3oUguX90s8qWWK9tamukXmTfQH7PY4kMZ/s400/IMG_8481.e.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grilled octopus, our new food fave!</td></tr>
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Food on Corfu was a real delight. The food here is fabulous,
so fresh with lots of unusual local dishes to try. We ate things like Rabbit
Stifado (rabbit served in a delicious sauce with the sweetest onions), super tender
Lamb Kleftiko, and Pastisada (made with
an unusual spicy pasta sauce). But our favorite dish was grilled octopus. Yes, seriously! We
had always wanted to try this very Greek dish but were put off by the thought
of tentacles and little sucker cups. However whether grilled (the best) or marinated
in vinegar, octopus is a surprisingly delicious delicacy! Once we wrapped our tentacles around octopus as a food for us humans, we ate it every
chance we got.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxepY1pe4dxSAFB4KupzC3VpQxiP-fRnx2ZWSk9M0vDoMtITUzeL4m-0ya6YaQGncKb9UD9KoFiqAPfJcbwMv4_zMYakkJeUFZiqUL9bDPL0lCRlzu-HGpbr_HmOZ5AkJwA8s_2OukzHor/s1600/IMG_8484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxepY1pe4dxSAFB4KupzC3VpQxiP-fRnx2ZWSk9M0vDoMtITUzeL4m-0ya6YaQGncKb9UD9KoFiqAPfJcbwMv4_zMYakkJeUFZiqUL9bDPL0lCRlzu-HGpbr_HmOZ5AkJwA8s_2OukzHor/s200/IMG_8484.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At first, Frank really wasn't sure about<br />
trying octopus </td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwcQdHPM1ZnWrSKRXFuOkxGZu7q1xOVhjq1lD4LPbUQQDKSLgfCYcVYlpMlMbKOZ7cS2-4MY9zwUgMlWxI9ejGlQ1T3jm-BDo5KTDFOXvomLvZNyVTyI5DuxUk38cH0UF3_OrUlMS-t4g/s1600/IMG_8482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwcQdHPM1ZnWrSKRXFuOkxGZu7q1xOVhjq1lD4LPbUQQDKSLgfCYcVYlpMlMbKOZ7cS2-4MY9zwUgMlWxI9ejGlQ1T3jm-BDo5KTDFOXvomLvZNyVTyI5DuxUk38cH0UF3_OrUlMS-t4g/s200/IMG_8482.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anne goes for her first<br />
taste of octopus</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBBDwdAQMkdNRPPyrIony9QIV-LCFsZoT4N7tBsCUpSZyUnjbxlulv_Ef_nC6H_aDvD-tkYHFh7hdDNOncpqBZG0V3-vHaIOmoYjGZb0Z777q1gBSxJbPJvDww52Uu2f614z5ou16frpo/s1600/IMG_8464+Mary+%2526+John.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBBDwdAQMkdNRPPyrIony9QIV-LCFsZoT4N7tBsCUpSZyUnjbxlulv_Ef_nC6H_aDvD-tkYHFh7hdDNOncpqBZG0V3-vHaIOmoYjGZb0Z777q1gBSxJbPJvDww52Uu2f614z5ou16frpo/s320/IMG_8464+Mary+%2526+John.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We also enjoyed lots of live music. Our hotel, the Mon Repos
Palace, put on a live show of great music every night. Wow, the assortment of
eclectic singers was excellent and kept us entertained for the duration of our
stay. One gal that goes by the name of Ionna, sang a
variety of traditional Greek songs on several evenings. She was a big draw for
us, the other hotel stayers, and for local folks as well. We met a couple from
Scotland named John and Mary who were celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary, and we got together nightly to sit out on the
large veranda and share in the music.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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More pics from Corfu, including what we like to call “Ode to
a Greek Salad:”<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVZCJQa0FKfZoRZh3hs301St2PsaKH3STqEyM8c61blhADb8VtPNbezcnsOKnOBJ3OMYo4zq6P-q873FIif8-BEtf1Rx3SdeutVb9qikwMU1Y1yAHIQzvZLwEH21snSwOKbqYLJAqdnym/s1600/IMG_1023.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVZCJQa0FKfZoRZh3hs301St2PsaKH3STqEyM8c61blhADb8VtPNbezcnsOKnOBJ3OMYo4zq6P-q873FIif8-BEtf1Rx3SdeutVb9qikwMU1Y1yAHIQzvZLwEH21snSwOKbqYLJAqdnym/s320/IMG_1023.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous beach at our Mon Repos Hotel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZW4vZYBQS5UlzC-QoUubqYNy2qI7tPInzxhOU9jzVmKhdTBSaLlGHU-bBkj5c2LqhM0hwTdtDabryeWbbtKhL5cqICyVOYBCppbigGeurhHR4HDDOW0MtEhmwchovFT3yagzHXtLZEK4o/s1600/IMG_8180.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZW4vZYBQS5UlzC-QoUubqYNy2qI7tPInzxhOU9jzVmKhdTBSaLlGHU-bBkj5c2LqhM0hwTdtDabryeWbbtKhL5cqICyVOYBCppbigGeurhHR4HDDOW0MtEhmwchovFT3yagzHXtLZEK4o/s320/IMG_8180.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The moat at the Old Fortress is now a parking space for<br />
fishing boats</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOUZIcUyZsinTOcVmTUqNR5-Ic7md-pFL-y_1yPtBY29ZJFUkx9H-cVJVUSNikIMg115FyFQnXAlJy-4N8YxtpYbLGauOwDuqmIeQ3HjTlMGczD9fkrxP4tthBA6R64Xvy1-dnDsAyMdW/s1600/IMG_8232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOUZIcUyZsinTOcVmTUqNR5-Ic7md-pFL-y_1yPtBY29ZJFUkx9H-cVJVUSNikIMg115FyFQnXAlJy-4N8YxtpYbLGauOwDuqmIeQ3HjTlMGczD9fkrxP4tthBA6R64Xvy1-dnDsAyMdW/s320/IMG_8232.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the Old Fortress</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YJAVNT6ODvzQbu7jkQMaEOPsh8Q7GxszevTDNGT2dvtISbyaXMgxp_b0a4uYAGXVokkmIItcwrGMK4x8SfgjdP1H3bFxluWY1MFvu4ErJHvZr2dNhOntAaUHH9C573pe7rFqKeQLbgg0/s1600/IMG_1055.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YJAVNT6ODvzQbu7jkQMaEOPsh8Q7GxszevTDNGT2dvtISbyaXMgxp_b0a4uYAGXVokkmIItcwrGMK4x8SfgjdP1H3bFxluWY1MFvu4ErJHvZr2dNhOntAaUHH9C573pe7rFqKeQLbgg0/s320/IMG_1055.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elegant architecture of Corfu Town</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anne loved these arcaded streets in Corfu Town<br />
(supposed to be like rue de Rivoli in Paris)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who's that Corfu Town photo bomber???</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wG1QkWwxH4ev0PIK25GURiD4I2wIJ2hhg2B94twFgUwFkBUZz_0AgZcgkXQ8DmfIaqWmB_F94Apbc59ZwztHbVtBG59wxUAtMXLcGPQxfH2b4uDZqjDBa3_q6-M4jEYLlLr3uK2GsTpg/s1600/IMG_8325.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wG1QkWwxH4ev0PIK25GURiD4I2wIJ2hhg2B94twFgUwFkBUZz_0AgZcgkXQ8DmfIaqWmB_F94Apbc59ZwztHbVtBG59wxUAtMXLcGPQxfH2b4uDZqjDBa3_q6-M4jEYLlLr3uK2GsTpg/s320/IMG_8325.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shopping in Corfu Town</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anne playing around in the gardens at<br />
Achilleon Palace</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowering shrub in the Achilleion Palace Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0aG5C8aw_GKXVFI1IFzQdLe72qF-7vXkO6E7Mdcr3-s8cY_dnfANYZXusnS04wWxXTwYubgBFfEQmY9lXf8pKY4aScHUOAq7IiFI6QIbElqk0h_QWG08p521PRDQZujsle4dtoSdNhve3/s1600/IMG_8540.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0aG5C8aw_GKXVFI1IFzQdLe72qF-7vXkO6E7Mdcr3-s8cY_dnfANYZXusnS04wWxXTwYubgBFfEQmY9lXf8pKY4aScHUOAq7IiFI6QIbElqk0h_QWG08p521PRDQZujsle4dtoSdNhve3/s320/IMG_8540.edit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stunning scenery at Paleokitstrikia Beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2SGj3tm6gSHrOfp7QtRUeefb12djzcIeeXBve_TW9XEVXbEVQF8c4VP0AmYQPAqYM1147o7hEmRstA4qfHqYWlRiKNK0CDqll-N-wPwdv5vo525lXPzZthnD_AiJQieaE1BaO9FY474b/s1600/IMG_8509.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2SGj3tm6gSHrOfp7QtRUeefb12djzcIeeXBve_TW9XEVXbEVQF8c4VP0AmYQPAqYM1147o7hEmRstA4qfHqYWlRiKNK0CDqll-N-wPwdv5vo525lXPzZthnD_AiJQieaE1BaO9FY474b/s320/IMG_8509.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute taverna in the village of <br />
Doukades in the Corfu countryside</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgj9IWF3BB9EWV_-Jgg4MA10WA20NcWyaqej9vtpYrE4QRY1Gh9oMYaScphpPSct7EYEPcfV0Gqy0yRJ4RcG9qqoikw9Fx7RwwvBDlg3JUS3iX6DYyAThjQC6h3JN_oQvBREMNFe3d7WI/s1600/IMG_8284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgj9IWF3BB9EWV_-Jgg4MA10WA20NcWyaqej9vtpYrE4QRY1Gh9oMYaScphpPSct7EYEPcfV0Gqy0yRJ4RcG9qqoikw9Fx7RwwvBDlg3JUS3iX6DYyAThjQC6h3JN_oQvBREMNFe3d7WI/s320/IMG_8284.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank got in the habit of eating a big, beautiful<br />
Greek salad almost every day and loved<br />
taking pictures of these masterpieces of Greek cuisine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP0nSU9XObxPM1o0dTMEYf6UDTPxvI3d7m_APJ_RMFN65r-NeMR7gYmTAlpBoiIbjv7MdzoIGQA052awlDqDKHsFrjs9YAl5ykrhI7LfZKAIm_LaMieQTCeAJlZprPodQzHWtgoOOK1U9/s1600/IMG_8157.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP0nSU9XObxPM1o0dTMEYf6UDTPxvI3d7m_APJ_RMFN65r-NeMR7gYmTAlpBoiIbjv7MdzoIGQA052awlDqDKHsFrjs9YAl5ykrhI7LfZKAIm_LaMieQTCeAJlZprPodQzHWtgoOOK1U9/s320/IMG_8157.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgri9X5M7ywGd6WVgxfE-j47vNTI4aW8tit9RT8YUypZmjdA4mJp7a2w3xiGdov4xtMi0VDpL0VyUEdK61AwaBkct9FTBO5L8nGxROn0MiKuyfffG2LKUu2944Wh3nnAWAAvcc6XTaah2Ve/s1600/IMG_8442.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgri9X5M7ywGd6WVgxfE-j47vNTI4aW8tit9RT8YUypZmjdA4mJp7a2w3xiGdov4xtMi0VDpL0VyUEdK61AwaBkct9FTBO5L8nGxROn0MiKuyfffG2LKUu2944Wh3nnAWAAvcc6XTaah2Ve/s320/IMG_8442.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing like a big block of fresh feta cheese!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGa4Go3-94yETrOg3GkJctrUpoV932A54vlYVlU2StZTq1UlAhiP5B24yxLgK1ZVwAF6laQjWoALu-kSaZWdS5UvE1fyL38p4dAnhcEtxkOeV0jrr8Uqi38HO-CWMjRjhkKKvzFVhNkZ8/s1600/IMG_8562.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGa4Go3-94yETrOg3GkJctrUpoV932A54vlYVlU2StZTq1UlAhiP5B24yxLgK1ZVwAF6laQjWoALu-kSaZWdS5UvE1fyL38p4dAnhcEtxkOeV0jrr8Uqi38HO-CWMjRjhkKKvzFVhNkZ8/s320/IMG_8562.edit.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greek salad goes down best with a<br />
good Red Corfu Beer </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtyC2F3pHQ-3g8fpEk4CH95aDyzGR-5yK_lrUzZxXmA5NKsm0v-nEN-WaUlLLr_wrLm7ndRTHGqaT3EfGYgBYnhudAMusgKPGKc9csdC71k9KiXkHxqMvabfYF9lpt94FAq8h4sHwSG6g/s1600/IMG_8609.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtyC2F3pHQ-3g8fpEk4CH95aDyzGR-5yK_lrUzZxXmA5NKsm0v-nEN-WaUlLLr_wrLm7ndRTHGqaT3EfGYgBYnhudAMusgKPGKc9csdC71k9KiXkHxqMvabfYF9lpt94FAq8h4sHwSG6g/s320/IMG_8609.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of beer, Frank's all-time favorite<br />
Greek beer was Mythos</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hMGWT8zWf_65zUrJAnPl-cSKmRSj90ikCttXzfxbpzSC14vB1ShztV4901Kx2ZET21_M161eMMuMLwPCl9qUytHncF75K5ktVt_BHUC6t3iQvaqSN5y_j55L0phr9UisWS8KPadQyjOd/s1600/IMG_8651.e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hMGWT8zWf_65zUrJAnPl-cSKmRSj90ikCttXzfxbpzSC14vB1ShztV4901Kx2ZET21_M161eMMuMLwPCl9qUytHncF75K5ktVt_BHUC6t3iQvaqSN5y_j55L0phr9UisWS8KPadQyjOd/s320/IMG_8651.e.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yammos!!!<br />
(cheers)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anne and Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809617541631362556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2710613617608675153.post-18784395937579691782015-10-09T00:54:00.000-07:002015-10-09T00:54:17.520-07:00Ancient and Always Awesome Athens<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many ancient ruins in the Athens historic center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vacant buildings around Athens like these are a<br />
reminder of the <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">economic collapse that still grips Greece</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Byzantine church right below our hotel balcony</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magnificent night time view of the Acropolis from<br />
the rooftop of our hotel</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peaceful ruins of the Ancient Agora</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Ancient Agora<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">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. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient ballot box</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2Xa0DrYVtZLDeIBdG1I_Jjks1bfRj3zCDLGC5VgmO6lbuX1rnbAmV0HVoMZf76P7iNgr_itwzfdmQATX8HAkBjRmwcPnU5HpJWLZF9zUqbZMkwa0qRB7fkNyrunLCJzGCgJwGWld88p0/s1600/IMG_7650.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2Xa0DrYVtZLDeIBdG1I_Jjks1bfRj3zCDLGC5VgmO6lbuX1rnbAmV0HVoMZf76P7iNgr_itwzfdmQATX8HAkBjRmwcPnU5HpJWLZF9zUqbZMkwa0qRB7fkNyrunLCJzGCgJwGWld88p0/s400/IMG_7650.edit.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The glorious Temple of Hephaistos</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">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.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shopping on the Plaka</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Plaka<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kD6OD-49FAG84K6Fq-DwxbN_d25WqQP5BSjVlXKTCbov7gaz3TvPl2PBsEsdR1Pg5qo0_chbnL0UgQwNPUY-Kzs10HCuEUeJ832cgnblrROTPHPc6oUGxPmW4ViCbTsvF0GDGZLRAYKn/s1600/IMG_0761.edit2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kD6OD-49FAG84K6Fq-DwxbN_d25WqQP5BSjVlXKTCbov7gaz3TvPl2PBsEsdR1Pg5qo0_chbnL0UgQwNPUY-Kzs10HCuEUeJ832cgnblrROTPHPc6oUGxPmW4ViCbTsvF0GDGZLRAYKn/s320/IMG_0761.edit2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing assortment of sandals for sale on the Plaka</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Some of the vendors were way too aggressive (often with a hint of desperation which made us fe</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">el sorry for
them), but most were more than kind. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">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!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anne takin' a dip with the fishes!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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!)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nfSzouOZopCm1jTqYinawhOHnWKuizHKnT2gFMskU2suTl6m2cqkDXDLA7Cj6f4uI7amKlnuWHTz0_JXh0ZWG7sToAkIXYzZGL3SOgd3Eu8jmIv0RPSsoBSl7j2xaZE57BQ_JSPXX-Ob/s1600/IMG_7743.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nfSzouOZopCm1jTqYinawhOHnWKuizHKnT2gFMskU2suTl6m2cqkDXDLA7Cj6f4uI7amKlnuWHTz0_JXh0ZWG7sToAkIXYzZGL3SOgd3Eu8jmIv0RPSsoBSl7j2xaZE57BQ_JSPXX-Ob/s320/IMG_7743.edit.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "little therapists" at work!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">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.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atmospheric Mnisikleous Street</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Foodie Paradise<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wonders of a simple Greek salad!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lwVgqGorTG-M_UMLyWikb-jmpDxTAqJQ5kwRHWhe5li9tEiX_5jn-kDpkAoOwMBxZM6M7EnCtlJtjQ7EhY4CREJ-8fpdvo4oQ8W22UOjw13k07bmUCL8gejRrF0xTlc-HCKgqvaDBx7L/s1600/IMG_7545.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lwVgqGorTG-M_UMLyWikb-jmpDxTAqJQ5kwRHWhe5li9tEiX_5jn-kDpkAoOwMBxZM6M7EnCtlJtjQ7EhY4CREJ-8fpdvo4oQ8W22UOjw13k07bmUCL8gejRrF0xTlc-HCKgqvaDBx7L/s400/IMG_7545.edit.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a night with Petros at his Sisyphus restaurant</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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 </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">for his scrapbook</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> and he called us his friends. Of course we did and reciprocated in kind.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvnJcG9nQ4fjF3iF3VSf2wK3YPQLsVvkP5PA8Ge_StzjJRLg49ohfiCkE-Jy2wn9cCy5_GMde_xmLmf6Z841a2TZ96iLpZh3Iogw4sHEOgoMelwfwyHeUeRGtWhMjUf7fwrC02fpDeuE7/s1600/IMG_7998.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvnJcG9nQ4fjF3iF3VSf2wK3YPQLsVvkP5PA8Ge_StzjJRLg49ohfiCkE-Jy2wn9cCy5_GMde_xmLmf6Z841a2TZ96iLpZh3Iogw4sHEOgoMelwfwyHeUeRGtWhMjUf7fwrC02fpDeuE7/s200/IMG_7998.edit.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new friend Alexandra</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musician at the Kapni Karea Caf<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px; text-align: left;">é</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of the Temple of Poseidon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Cape Sounion and the Temple of
Poseidon<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Vouliagmeni Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBkheEXD-vg94Cdm3kpW5LuvR2KXsPdK-c0xYye4dU1BRNN_WSiWZB4UAuGhdqz6lnE0TmKlSPBgIgDPqnGZgyV_-fRfpH8siTCFkIHvC4-1wJdBUv7swaSu8yOFslQ4gq7YMgcyiZML8/s1600/IMG_7901.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBkheEXD-vg94Cdm3kpW5LuvR2KXsPdK-c0xYye4dU1BRNN_WSiWZB4UAuGhdqz6lnE0TmKlSPBgIgDPqnGZgyV_-fRfpH8siTCFkIHvC4-1wJdBUv7swaSu8yOFslQ4gq7YMgcyiZML8/s400/IMG_7901.edit.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Cape Sounion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkoyxA5wdP6wkCrR1sH3L0q1QlXMCK01yQ_bz9ZGc-wcM6sp5k4Oi_3inUOz5eA5n5nFjBzECqA6scJO7OT-bW7tIVnsKkEY8Ra2CDkT9a3glSVqJD9_lVgs8zVKYd6tHk8TBHUOy1mrmc/s1600/IMG_7916.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkoyxA5wdP6wkCrR1sH3L0q1QlXMCK01yQ_bz9ZGc-wcM6sp5k4Oi_3inUOz5eA5n5nFjBzECqA6scJO7OT-bW7tIVnsKkEY8Ra2CDkT9a3glSVqJD9_lVgs8zVKYd6tHk8TBHUOy1mrmc/s400/IMG_7916.edit.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Words can't describe the majesty of this moment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJVMxZhq4bafQ6ObGKP-oZ4nXFZyJOgO6r6HtxrD-61SZzG6-_yGGCy8ykOfqMfk3noLjVtH9KXqAMfAfIIMkwcHliQZSzW-E4wTqD3Q690iO7xwUqqBMsX1eQrqZ3K5AQq9AdGmTc7ZE/s1600/IMG_7923.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJVMxZhq4bafQ6ObGKP-oZ4nXFZyJOgO6r6HtxrD-61SZzG6-_yGGCy8ykOfqMfk3noLjVtH9KXqAMfAfIIMkwcHliQZSzW-E4wTqD3Q690iO7xwUqqBMsX1eQrqZ3K5AQq9AdGmTc7ZE/s400/IMG_7923.edit.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One last look at the Temple of Poseidon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDprG6-4O-8S2klR05-toCcURzcksjOWAcTonVzRMgtcOkPw-ODoC6q10c1knW3IM_aVFwh7mp7L_ffFmugc-JryAcYjGjD85gTeLYIwBr6MQwat1yt40SGG51J_wU-MhpuHLjvh0aZ19Z/s1600/IMG_7555.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDprG6-4O-8S2klR05-toCcURzcksjOWAcTonVzRMgtcOkPw-ODoC6q10c1knW3IM_aVFwh7mp7L_ffFmugc-JryAcYjGjD85gTeLYIwBr6MQwat1yt40SGG51J_wU-MhpuHLjvh0aZ19Z/s320/IMG_7555.edit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sad side of today's Athens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The People and the Politics <o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQpWv-lluU9W4_VlphUO1nCrDZ2aHODhYAIGWgCD8nL4ep4WWMQVZ8FsRVzZk93UASwTm0upippuW6n7vG197jUdJN-hrTyJyQFeovU0UwyfoSI8KzI4tya9l5syyGiMxDSXn1bbg7FQV/s1600/IMG_7714.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQpWv-lluU9W4_VlphUO1nCrDZ2aHODhYAIGWgCD8nL4ep4WWMQVZ8FsRVzZk93UASwTm0upippuW6n7vG197jUdJN-hrTyJyQFeovU0UwyfoSI8KzI4tya9l5syyGiMxDSXn1bbg7FQV/s320/IMG_7714.edit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yammas (cheers) to the resilience of the Greek people!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">More pics
from Athens:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqFk4gmOwMTbRRYLqvsyjuzo2xNtjDq5FVRAan12YvEVpxB7_0CnMtzX4TrhhlF8ZeBo6jFkrcVDrcp4GlPc8q-u0LuPtbZFPj1z3DKGESJR-xDny_mIMogTKf8SIhkC41zHUEQYc5jiS/s1600/IMG_0765.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqFk4gmOwMTbRRYLqvsyjuzo2xNtjDq5FVRAan12YvEVpxB7_0CnMtzX4TrhhlF8ZeBo6jFkrcVDrcp4GlPc8q-u0LuPtbZFPj1z3DKGESJR-xDny_mIMogTKf8SIhkC41zHUEQYc5jiS/s320/IMG_0765.edit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More ruins of ancient Athens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqi9q5NngOvZku-pS26aINmBf44fv-F5ZMaEvkdrtYQDj1O_78gi9q5ceeRIPn9-zpGODviZCTpFTy0wPRINj-4GBQy_0ra5RVr4Q0lP3bgKEA7oi7phyop8mTG2NQcUM3yHLsb-0HRL2b/s1600/IMG_7573.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqi9q5NngOvZku-pS26aINmBf44fv-F5ZMaEvkdrtYQDj1O_78gi9q5ceeRIPn9-zpGODviZCTpFTy0wPRINj-4GBQy_0ra5RVr4Q0lP3bgKEA7oi7phyop8mTG2NQcUM3yHLsb-0HRL2b/s320/IMG_7573.edit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shopping in the Plaka</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvo8rN6Bg6mPhFqWt0L8j2QNcH7PZF8JrtF27ZzIdSNJ0vecktHyUpabgW4zB0_KMoUUyTkbbb4It6WCcAQty2lXggddwxx75gLzeYj60nMr9XMuyg9tl5H0ouwYpldibYBMOZbPdB4j_/s1600/IMG_7634.edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvo8rN6Bg6mPhFqWt0L8j2QNcH7PZF8JrtF27ZzIdSNJ0vecktHyUpabgW4zB0_KMoUUyTkbbb4It6WCcAQty2lXggddwxx75gLzeYj60nMr9XMuyg9tl5H0ouwYpldibYBMOZbPdB4j_/s320/IMG_7634.edit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient kebab set at the Ancient Agora Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the Ancient Agora Museum in Athens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baklava, one of the world's greatest desserts </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yammas to all things Greek: <br />history, culture, music, food, and wine!</td></tr>
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Anne and Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809617541631362556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2710613617608675153.post-49123105794207567122015-10-03T01:28:00.001-07:002015-10-03T01:28:44.453-07:00Bonjour Geneve (aka Geneva)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Super Moon Eclipse" as seen from our <br />
plane somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean</td></tr>
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Our transatlantic flight to Geneva was reasonably comfortable and better than our recent United Airlines experiences. The highlight was watching the "super moon eclipse" from the plane. It was hard to get good pix from the window of a plane, but we tried. This was a really cool and totally unobstructed view of the various phases of the eclipse. (This one's for you Clif, our resident neighborhood astronomer!)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Geneva with the French Alps in the background</td></tr>
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They speak French here in Geneva (which has given us a chance to brush up on our French language skills before we get to Paris). Geneva is surprisingly French-like in other ways as well. The mountains that shelter the city are actually the French Alps, not the Swiss Alps, and 1/3 of the working population in Geneva live in nearby France. The French border is only 5 kilometers (3.5 miles away), and it is much cheaper living there than in Switzerland.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Old Man and the Swans" down<br />
on the banks of <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lake Geneva</span></td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Geneva</span> surprised us in other ways too. Although it is ridiculously expensive like all of Switzerland (a cheap street vendor with kebab meals for two cost us $30), we received handy public transportation cards from our hotel at check-in that allowed us to roam all over the city for free.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">International flags at the entrance to the<br />
United Nations</td></tr>
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We spent only two nights here in Geneva, but a city tour gave us a good introduction. The first part of the tour concentrated on the international side of Geneva with a drive past the United Nations building (quite small but colorful with flags of all the participating countries lining the entrance walkway). Geneva is also home to an impressive array of world organizations like the WHO (World Health Organization), the WTO (World Trade Organization), and a refugee support organization that must be very busy these days. Nearby stands the palace of Woodrow Wilson, our American President who was instrumental in forming the League of Nations, predecessor to the U.N. The Red Cross Headquarters is also located here in an elegant mansion on a hill. We were interested to learn that the Red Cross is not an international organization, but strictly a Swiss outfit.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous "Jet d'Eau"<br />
fountain on <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lake Geneva</span></td></tr>
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Geneva sits right on Lake Geneva, and the water is never far from view (the locals often call Lake Geneva - "Lac Leman", a name which dates back to Roman times). They even have a beach for swimming in the summer. A famous water fountain, called Jet d'Eau, is located right in the middle of the lake and shoots a powerful jet of water over 450 feet into the air. The spray from the wind makes the fountain look almost like the giant sail of a ship.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mini tourist train in Old Town Geneva</td></tr>
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Next on our city tour, we hopped on a funny little green train for a tour thru the Old Town. We've heard people call this the "white-hair's train", but when it's part of the tour, even us :"non-white hairs" are game!! OK, maybe we do have a few "white-hairs", and belong on this goofy train. We have always made fun of these tourist trains, but we have to admit the little "guy" gave us an easy, restful, and quick look all around the Old Town of Geneva, with clear, interesting commentary explaining the history of the city. This area was our favorite part of Geneva -- a charming old quarter where narrow, winding, medieval streets are lined with tall, stately stone buildings filled with shops and restaurants serving local cuisine (lots of fondue!). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stunning architecture in Old town Geneva</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank says, "Cin cin while toasting <br />
with a delicious Dole wine"</td></tr>
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Speaking of fondue, we ate an excellent lunch at a restaurant named "Les Amures", a favorite of the Clintons. We figured if it is good enough for Bill and Hillary, it should be just fine for the Supsics. Well, it was much more than just fine: some of the best French onion soup ever, fantastic cheese fondue, sausage and rosti (crispy Swiss hash browns), plus some delicious Swiss wine called "Dole." As Anne said to Frank many times during this dinner, "I love being on the Dole!" <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elaborate metal model of the city of Geneva in 1850</td></tr>
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After lunch, we visited Maison Tavel, a free history museum in the city's oldest house. Frank thought the price was just about right, but the museum had some interesting memorabilia from the 18th c. and an elaborately detailed model of how the city appeared in 1850.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delectable Swiss chocolates for sale at Auer choco shop</td></tr>
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Another Geneva treat was the fine Swiss chocolate available in choco shops all over the city. We visited two of the best: chocolate vendors, Favarger and Auer. And of course, we'll be bringing some home. Actually, since we're addicted to fine choco, we'll be bringing a lot back home!!<br />
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More pictures from Geneva:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More bird life on Lake Geneva</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ve2lh1hSFafTNmHVpWQ0DsDNXgr3yvCy8cKI8AQG3Ittrs9OuGzLu4xG6-O3yvaYeEjwVx8pjAlX8V2TFUbnGyhToQPEXlYhhQwfrgo3gmY3ao5khU3zPXmuiu_9SjdTrOP3Ym0haYlP/s1600/IMG_7326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ve2lh1hSFafTNmHVpWQ0DsDNXgr3yvCy8cKI8AQG3Ittrs9OuGzLu4xG6-O3yvaYeEjwVx8pjAlX8V2TFUbnGyhToQPEXlYhhQwfrgo3gmY3ao5khU3zPXmuiu_9SjdTrOP3Ym0haYlP/s320/IMG_7326.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anne is astounded by this TINY car</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWr_et_XGjLgx5hMZAHZ9FkRNPw8QyUSRRolfv-UAyVmXWhCmG8KQhwY3DiwTvvn2hmK-Zdu-rFHWq9LQL3SNvyks1M82UV_hcnvtc43TXStWsv5n7VRvy317afs5Ou-kAq4KuOCGkMtI/s1600/IMG_7340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWr_et_XGjLgx5hMZAHZ9FkRNPw8QyUSRRolfv-UAyVmXWhCmG8KQhwY3DiwTvvn2hmK-Zdu-rFHWq9LQL3SNvyks1M82UV_hcnvtc43TXStWsv5n7VRvy317afs5Ou-kAq4KuOCGkMtI/s320/IMG_7340.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swiss watch shops are ubiquitous in Geneva!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7nFpKIQv5XJOc9ycCOvt1ikTjvVgj54c-Q0pbkzNUdX2Dg4cowOe7b-ZwWZopT3QsnDFMgxrGCZzkhF6YPG_dycTP0rKYfeUZMF232gQKW3-CvSmP2BZRX_FmQafEUwwJxpjd4QpL9rp/s1600/IMG_0674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7nFpKIQv5XJOc9ycCOvt1ikTjvVgj54c-Q0pbkzNUdX2Dg4cowOe7b-ZwWZopT3QsnDFMgxrGCZzkhF6YPG_dycTP0rKYfeUZMF232gQKW3-CvSmP2BZRX_FmQafEUwwJxpjd4QpL9rp/s320/IMG_0674.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flags are big in Geneva -- they are on display on <br />
every bridge and many streets too</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6j2U-81CgkfbjfVvdtCe2jrb3RP07HfxoLImgWBvwDeXiCiRbooIA9kPYYzykTmEvI87KAVsrFjoKzm4O0BuWRoPIEkteEe3hKzq0Zvf8QzX1th6mPOVGGfhOBncN5-QuKPu4NDCQlDE/s1600/IMG_0696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6j2U-81CgkfbjfVvdtCe2jrb3RP07HfxoLImgWBvwDeXiCiRbooIA9kPYYzykTmEvI87KAVsrFjoKzm4O0BuWRoPIEkteEe3hKzq0Zvf8QzX1th6mPOVGGfhOBncN5-QuKPu4NDCQlDE/s320/IMG_0696.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This monument to the Reformation commemorates Geneva's<br />
role as a refuge for Protestants fleeing persecuation in<br />
Catholic countries like France and Italy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1lzLPeZDRa4cM4RSW30X5Vkg9f-AycCnKUlQPlNFARyFzw4sDc1aOh9GfTyidCQg1cTx2y2Vo3s_mDNEGZPBDlN4lnHgaoOztcONgTEBWcx1ziIOW2Sh2I3Czi-7tX2s784Qe7tsqvth/s1600/IMG_0736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1lzLPeZDRa4cM4RSW30X5Vkg9f-AycCnKUlQPlNFARyFzw4sDc1aOh9GfTyidCQg1cTx2y2Vo3s_mDNEGZPBDlN4lnHgaoOztcONgTEBWcx1ziIOW2Sh2I3Czi-7tX2s784Qe7tsqvth/s320/IMG_0736.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collection of old doors and door knockers<br />
at Maison Tavel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93H3jIr7yLrfi9P-wIMeEA7pVY6CVw8Mfipku3MMkw9xcytVSvj0sUrFDKulVFm6COLUrW-_41KhKW2XZiG0x5-GS9lMDHOmqDxSQS-moyEnJx5rq0i1OJ7ViYSkxjNsyLBKzbJtOXemm/s1600/IMG_7371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93H3jIr7yLrfi9P-wIMeEA7pVY6CVw8Mfipku3MMkw9xcytVSvj0sUrFDKulVFm6COLUrW-_41KhKW2XZiG0x5-GS9lMDHOmqDxSQS-moyEnJx5rq0i1OJ7ViYSkxjNsyLBKzbJtOXemm/s320/IMG_7371.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evocative UN sculpture dedicated to<br />
land mine victims around the world</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhRxsaUXcnH_Wvs3DJK9e43AkBikAuFysmwJtttuYxRbn5g2QbNNlGy20MXn_lyivih9CX7RB7_p-jJd29ctIi8wWNwa6hd04SRkZcSoxWvxIkBJrDSpWRjr7dvo9n6-0HZ5eS4pO940q/s1600/IMG_0742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhRxsaUXcnH_Wvs3DJK9e43AkBikAuFysmwJtttuYxRbn5g2QbNNlGy20MXn_lyivih9CX7RB7_p-jJd29ctIi8wWNwa6hd04SRkZcSoxWvxIkBJrDSpWRjr7dvo9n6-0HZ5eS4pO940q/s320/IMG_0742.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset over Geneva from the balcony of our hotel room</td></tr>
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Anne and Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809617541631362556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2710613617608675153.post-91970200220063600542015-06-16T06:32:00.000-07:002015-09-22T10:53:55.182-07:00Trip Start-up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUjJR7l6Hyg99IzkFqR-36ISbxiQ6pUL3Uf9hTwW9_A_P1mPOtPEpMm8wA3-TIAelGlEXgP7Ur0oOAzrwA-z9UhivskysfNyo3sI6uDg2cPlzKVVXCTU74fLMyipkfSuAn7NGSfM9oZ0q/s1600/IMG_3959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" class="" height="240" id="blogsy-1441897145425.5059" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUjJR7l6Hyg99IzkFqR-36ISbxiQ6pUL3Uf9hTwW9_A_P1mPOtPEpMm8wA3-TIAelGlEXgP7Ur0oOAzrwA-z9UhivskysfNyo3sI6uDg2cPlzKVVXCTU74fLMyipkfSuAn7NGSfM9oZ0q/s320/IMG_3959.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the Greeks -- OPAH!</td></tr>
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The lure of the lower euro was too much for us, so we decided to head back to some of our European favorites. But first, we will begin the trip with a new place: Geneva, Switzerland. <br /><br />Next we will spend a few days in Athens, Greece before flying to the Greek island of Corfu where we hope to spend an idyllic week enjoying Greek culture, food, and of course, drink. We'll wrap up the trip in Paris, Anne's favorite city in the world.<br /><br />Here is the trip in a nutshell:<br /><br />Geneva, Switzerland -- A chance to get an overview of the city (and eat some famous fondue and Swiss chocolate).<br /><br />Athens, Greece -- An old favorite of ours -- this time, we plan to visit Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon (very scenic spot outside the city).<br /><br />Corfu, Greece -- We love the Greek Islands, and many folks think Corfu is the most beautiful of them all. For us, the jury is still out.<br /><br />Paris, France -- What can we say? We have an addiction (at least Anne does).<br /><br />We look forward to another adventure with you at our side!<br /><br />Yassou (goodbye in Greek),<br /><br />Frank & Anne</div>
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Anne and Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809617541631362556noreply@blogger.com0