5C's Que Pasa

When we arrived we were informed of a pigeon sitting on an egg of the back balcony.

Just the one egg laid in a plant pot.  Usually they lay two and it takes between 16 – 19 days to hatch.  Sadly we won’t be here that long.  Papa comes in for the night shift while Mamma flies off to do whatever she does.  Yesterday afternoon Papa came by with a tiny twig to add the the wee  but not traditional nest.  She would not get off the egg so he wedged it in under her.  We have taken to feeding them bread crumbs which they love and have provided water.

Somehow I don’t think that they have many break ins with the type of deadbolts the doors have. Both Canada and the US could take a few notes.

From one of our favorite restaurants and the only one we have been to twice, including last night.

The tall post has a number of positive sayings in many languages.

In French….I was pretty much on point with my interpretation but decided to check with my French expert Rae for accuracy for you my blog readers.  Tout vient à point” means all that should happen will happen” and “à qui sait attendre” means “to those who know how to wait.” I think that an equivalent English phrase would be something like “Good things come to those who wait,” even if it’s not exactly the same.

We walked two blocks down to find a new place for dinner. We love each restaurant that we have tried thus far in this area but it is always good to keep seeking. The tables here were also at slight angles.  We later found out that this used to be a quiet area and has been discovered in the past few years.  Many locals are coming here to dine in the many great restaurants hence making it very busy.  Sadly that means lots of smokers and we have had to shut our balcony doors a few times as it drifts up here to our third floor apartment.  This place is called Auyepiros and is where we decided to eat.  Turns out they don’t even put ashtrays on the table unless you ask.  How lucky was that for us.  It was a perfect final meal.

We started dinner with year another salad and this was the best one ever.  The tomatoes were perfectly ripe and so tasty as was the rest of it.  Good thing we split it. If we weren’t leaving I would be there everyday having that salad for lunch.

I had falafel with more tomatoes and lettuce and really good sauce for the falafel.  I forgot to find out what it was.  Colin had a falafel pita ( wrapped in white on the right ) that had everything I had on my plate in it but in smaller quantities.  He even had some fries in it as well.  The fries were not greasy, almost like they are lightly baked.  I wasn’t going to eat them but they were good.  Of course Colin had some of my food as well.

We ate everything. Dinner was a two thumbs up. Oh the wine was great as well and our best price for only 3 Euro per 500 ml.  We had two bottles 🙂

During our free tour yesterday Alex mentioned that today, Saturday the 18th was National Museum Day and all the museums would be free. However that meant being in line to see the Acropolis before 8AM.  We were there and here we are going up the multiple slippery marble steps.  I actually wore my runners for this one.  Not only did we visit the Acropolis but also the new acropolis Museum which you will see later in this post.  Between us we saved 60Euro/90.00CAD.  I have to add that I believe that all those who arrived in tour groups likely were charged the full price and the tour company might have made a good profit that day.

One of the many views from the top. Athens is a huge city of 5.6 million citizens.

We had just missed the raising of the flag.  On April 27th, 1941, the Nazi German army entered the Greek capital of Athens, signaling the end of Greek military resistance which began with a valiant struggle against Mussolini’s Italians in October 1940. They ordered one of the evzones, the elite soldiers of the Greek army who are the guardians of the flag which flies over the Acropolis, to remove it. The soldier obeys, then wraps himself in the blue and white flag and leaps from the walls of the ancient fortress to his death.  The soldier was protecting the flag of Greece.  To this day every night the flag is lowered and the Anthem is sung and every morning the flag is raised and a soldier steps to the edge and shouts out over the city “Good morning Athens, good morning to each of you”.  Never again will a soldier die because a flag was left unprotected, this is why the flag is raised & lowered each day in Athens over the Acropolis.  We had just missed the raising of the flag but were able to see the soldiers leaving.  My photo.

The white parts are from the ongoing restorations. At the moment there is a crane on site. An explosion caused by a bombardment in 1687 crumpled the Parthenon into ruins.  The monument was restored during 1900 to 1930 with the use of iron reinforced concrete and iron clamps which subsequently corroded and expanded producing serious damaged to the marble and led to serious structural problems.  In 1981 these restoration interventions began.  I fear that this will be a constant project.  My photo.

Standing in front of the Porch of the Maidens, part of The Erechtheion, an ancient Greek temple on the north side of the Acropolis dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon. Taken by me of course.

The real statues of the Maidens are in the museum and we will see them later.

Poppies among pieces of the fallen Parthenon. Photo by me.

The views are breathtaking in every direction.  Hadrian’s Arch is almost dead center and to the right is what is left of his opulent temple.

This photo is special at it was taken by a lovely Indian woman. Her and three friends who had graduated as architects back in the day were having a reunion vacation. She lives in Canada, the others in Germany, France and India. What a perfect place for the architects to visit.

Pretty good selfie.

We left just after 9:30 and the crowds were huge and growing by the minute.

The Acropolis Museum covers a total of 25,000 square meters/269,097.8 square feet.  It was opened in 2009.  The base of the museum is supported by more than 100 concrete pillars so that it appears to be floating over the site’s archeological excavation.  You can see the excavation as you walk towards the museum and even inside the museum as many of the floors are clear glass so you can see the ancient construction. A new exhibit is currently being worked on so that visitors will be able to walk on the ancient roads and stroll along the remains of ancient homes, baths and workshops, etc. in order to feel the presence of those that lived here over 2000 years ago.  It is already amazing that we are already able to see so much.

The museum is four stories and thanks to a tip from one of our servers the night before, we started with the best at the top.  The Parthenon Gallery was built to the same dimensions and orientation as the Parthenon.  It was specifically designed to receive and display the entire temple frieze. As you can see the transparent glass walls allow us to see the breathtaking view of the Acropolis, the surrounding hills and the modern city of Athens, all that while being inside and looking at the artifacts.  Impossible to find the words other than stunning and so very special.

Once we toured the four sides we moved down to the other levels. Here are the original five maidens ( 2 on the right ).  The sixth maiden is in the British Museum and they are very reluctant to return it.  A space remains for her eventual return.

Once we left we walked to the Plaka to find a place for a very late breakfast at noon.  By now we had both changed shoes and my back was sore.  Time to sit, eat, relax a bit and plan our next move.  This and the next five shots were taken by me.

We eventually were ready to move on and check out more of the Plaka before moving to the Syntagma area and checked out some flea market type shopping areas.  Expensive pricing to our minds.

Somehow our meandering got us to the famous Monastiraki Square.  This area was even busier than anywhere we have been to date. Please take note of the tall building in the center.  On the second level down from the top you can see a bit of red which is an A, as in A is for Athens.  More on that later.  We eventually  staggered ( well I did, I was totally done ) out the area and headed towards home.

I needed some energy so we stopped to share a salad and some wine.  Somehow I made it home where Colin had a nap while I worked on that last post with more wine to propel me.

Shortly after 7:30 PM we took a taxi to that tall building, A is for Athens. We were here to see the sunset and the lights come on at the Acropolis.  Sadly they said we needed a reservation.  I countered with the story that a local ( our tour guide Alex ) said that they did not take reservations.  We already had decided to come here based on my research and I should have followed my gut and called.  Long story short I talked us into being allowed to come up to the roof top viewing area as long as we stood.  Fine by us.  We ordered a drink and had not taken more than two small sips ( expensive wine ) when we were offered a table to sit at.  Someone had left.  Perfect.  I did feel badly for the two other couples who left as they had no reservation.  I never take no for an answer.

Photo by Colin.

We made quick friends with those around us.  We even got free nuts, really good ones.  The wait staff whom we befriended later told us that they thought this was the best place in all of Athens to see what we were here to see.  I want to say that life doesn’t get any better but it turns out that it does. Photo by me.

Bit by bit the lights started to come on.

Photo by me.

We stayed and visited with our new friends for a bit and then it was time to move on and find some dinner. It just wasn’t coming together as we walked the nearby streets.  Not many restaurants in the area appealed to us as there were few patrons inside.  We looked for a cab to get back to our street with all the wonderful restaurants.  We walked and walked and no taxis.  Finally one came by and he chatted non stop about his visits to Canada, etc. Thanks for the ride, we got out and where the heck were we.  He dropped us off at least a dozen blocks away.  We did make it back and first thing I said to our girl who recognized us from a few nights ago, was wine ASAP.  Colin had pasta, I had the eggplant and treated myself to the 4.5 Euro dish of overpriced tsatsiki ,but I just had to taste it because it was actually made here in Greece.  So very rich and garlicky.  It was our latest meal ever and @ 11;45PM I could not eat much.  It all came home for lunch the next day. Photo by me.

As we headed out we crossed paths with a demonstration, something that Greece is well known for. We later saw another. Turns out that today is the day to protest climate change. Some bystanders clapped as the students walked past. Bravo to them. They are the future. Photo by me.

We walked a new route to Hadrian’s Arch, our meeting point. Colin took most of the photos today, I only have to supply the words. The lower part of the Arch of Hadrian follows the tradition of Roman architecture, whereas the upper one the Greek.  Hadrian was greatly loved by the people as he provided water, sewer and a good deal of structure to the city. For those who might miss it, that is the Acropolis under the arch.  Great shot Colin.

The original Olympic Stadium ( 1896 ) situated here in Athens seats 85 thousand.  It is still used as the departure point for the flame for each new Olympic Game and as the finish line for the annual Athen Olympic Marathon.  The rest of the time is is used for concerts. Photo by me.

So much history with each of these shots and I really can’t remember all the details and have decided that I am not going to do much more research.  However I remember this one.  This runs true to most of such statues in Europe.  When someone is depicted on a horse it is always a general. Two hooves aloft mean that he died in battle.  The position of only one elevated hoof means he was wounded in battle and the height of the hood depicts how soon after the battle that he died.

An Evezone guard in front of the Presidential mansion in Athens.  FYI there is no longer a president but the guards continue.  Every male in Greece needs to complete military duty.  It used to be three years but now it is only nine months. There are many divisions to choose from but this one is most unique and the lowest paying.  These guards work 12 hour shifts with one hour on and one hour off for a full nine months with no days off.  For this they get paid a total of 70 Euros for what they consider to be an honor.

There are two guards, one at each end and they eventually walk towards each other and then turn and walk off as they are replaced.  Note the raised shoe, there is a horseshoe on the heel that makes a distinct  sound as it strikes the pavement because of the unique leg and foot movement.  You can also see the spikes in the shoe ( for gorilla combat ).  A knife is concealed on the top of each shoe in the pompom.  You might say a lot of pomp and circumstance.

A hotel built itself around this old unique church.

Yet another much older church ( Church of Theotokos Gorgoepikoos and Ayios Eleytherios )  that I am walking to see.  It is a Byzantine church from the end of the 12th century, the period when Michael Choniates was Bishop of Athens (1180-1204). According to legend, Empress Eirene of Athens founded the church in 787. There was room for perhaps 8 -10 chairs inside.  To the left you see another more modern church.

It is much larger and modern but has been destroyed three times while the small one has remained intact.  That yellow in the painting is pure gold.  A good deal of history to this church but not on this post.

Ancient agora of Athens.

I was pretty tired after four non stop hours of touring the area without a bathroom break nor rest stop. It was a wonderful tour but at this point I was done and both my feet and my brain were dead. Alex was a great tour guide and we all learned so much more about mythology in a logical way as that is one of his passions.

However a pizza and some wine restored me to near normal.

We ended up wandering over to the next street to find a place for dinner.  We got lucky with To Kouki.  This is the first place that brought us appetizers  at no charge.  Cucumber and olives, warm nuts and a variety of breads.  A small place but classy. Most of the photos today were taken by Colin but as you can see I took this one and the last three, poor focus.  The camera does not do so well at night.

I have been craving fried Greek cheese but instead settled for oven baked Saganaki over a bed of mushrooms & tomato.  It was just what I wanted and so very tasty.  Sorry for the blurry photo.

Colin had the smoked salmon with Philadelphia, much the same as what we have at home except I serve it on croissants rather than thick bread.  We both ended up eating all of our meal.

We were preparing to leave and to pay our bill when we were served two small shots of Mastich as a special thank you for coming in.  The table next to us at lunch earlier today had been offered the same and I saw one of them spit his sip out onto the table.  We were much braver and took several sips, eventually drinking it all.

The front balcony ( a door off the master bedroom and another off the kitchen ) of our apartment overlooks this tree lined pedestrian street.  The entrance is behind the second tree on the right.  Our back balcony overlooks a quiet courtyard and has a door off the living room and another off the second bedroom.

There are several bars, taverns, cafes and restaurants on both sides of the area.  This is the bakery Colin went to, just a half block away on the right.

It really is a lovely area.

We found the grocery store but it is what we would consider a small neighborhood corner store. Here it is called the supermarket. We were really searching for wine which they had but not at prices I was willing to pay.  So we just walked and walked.  Our first glimpse of the Acropolis.

We had wandered over to the Plaka, a main tourist area. Here the menus are in English as well as Greek.  Also the prices are higher than those on our wee street.

I have been to Greece once before, at least 35 years ago, now and a distant memory. This is Colin’s first visit and I am so enjoying the journey with him.  The fellow on the left is just sitting there waiting for someone to buy a circle of his Greek bread. Koulouri is a simple Greek bread that is formed into a ring and sprinkled with sesame seeds then baked.  It is an inexpensive breakfast for the locals along with a coffee.

A memorial with mention of Lord Byron who died in Greece. He always said that his heart belonged to Greece so they cut his heart out and buried it in another location here in the islands and sent the rest of the body back to England.

Hadrian’s Arch in the distance, which we will come to learn more about.

A wooden bike rental! At least the tires were rubber. She was having difficulty peddling up the slight incline.

Everywhere you turn there is somewhere inviting to stop for a meal or merely a drink.

We almost stopped here but just kept walking.  We walked for over three hour before we finally stopped.

Wow, a very visual scene with lots of color.

This explains why Brettos is a popular attraction in this area.

Ah, finally some wine. We still needed to find some to buy.  We did eventually find some to bring home.

Sadly our food got washed out  in the photo. We shared a large Greek salad which the  locals call a villager salad and never a Greek salad, so we were told by a local lifetime resident. Yet all the menus list a Greek salad!  We also shared a large spanakopita. Perfect first lunch.

So true….

These orange trees grow all over the city. Apparently they grow well, require very little water, the blossoms are fragrant as only orange tree blossoms can be, but the fruit itself is extremely bitter and is never eaten. Still lovely to see along the streets and in various parks.

Remember, theses prices are in Euros so about 1.5 times more than our high Canadian prices.  Unleaded @ 1.669 and diesel @ 1.469 per liter.  The car service driver told us that Greece has the highest fuel prices in Europe. If someone who is not as tired as I am cares to convert the liters to gallons and then Euros to Canadian dollars and then to USD that would be a great comment to this post.  My brain is still in jet lag and is unable to attempt this at this time.

We came back to the apartment where I worked on yesterdays post while Colin played his guitalele ( his 1/4 size guitar ) and had a nap. Once I finished the post I got a free 30 minutes to read.  This is a piece of art in the restaurant we dined at for dinner.

Firat we walked around out block, both sides checking out all the menus. A bit difficult in some as they were only in Greek.  The prices varied but the goal was to find a place with something we both wanted to eat and a reasonably priced wine.  We finally found it.  Each of the chairs had this carved into the or..

…a knife and fork.  Bevetia is the name of the restaurant, higher end than others but with great prices.

It soon became apparent that the theme was restaurant equipment.  This is a homemade wall sconce.  Simply brilliant!  They were all along the walls.

It took me a while to realize that the huge central chandelier was made of broken plates.  As I write this I am beginning to think that the earlier photo of the wonderfully colored crates might be related to how their produce is delivered.

Our meal was excellent, in fact the best to date here in Athens.  We were not very hungry due to the late lunch so chose accordingly ( it was after 9 – 9:30PM before we sat down to order ).  Our appetizer was aubergine  ( eggplant ) with tomato sauce  & parmesan cheese.  Melt in your mouth goodness.

Thank goodness we decided to split the main as it was such a large serving ( this is one half ). We had chosen Sioufihta, a handmade pasta with Cretan butter, cherry tomatoes, parsley and local hard cheese.  Every bite was an adventure.  I could taste the underlying flavor of butter and with the cheese, tomato and pasta, we could do nothing but sit in silence and enjoy each bite.  The house white was a mere 5 euro for 500ml.

We  are back in Montreal waiting to board the flight to Istanbul.  As you can see Colin can sleep anywhere.  On my first blog post about this trip I showed you the seating map of the Turkish Airline flight.  At check in they were not going to budge from our seats 3DE.  I insisted that they do something as I had booked this last July.  We were given seats 4AB.  Turns out they asked a couple who had just been put on that flight a few hours earlier because their flight on another airline had been canceled.  I felt bad about that for a few minutes but it was only fair.

The first course was an assortment of Turkish canapés.

The second course was a very nice bowl of creamy tomato soup. I had hoped that it would be as exquisite as the pumpkin soup we had last year when we flew to Naples. Note the lovely flickering candlelight.  A romantic touch to the meal.

We both chose to have the mushroom ravioli with leek and cherry tomatoes served in a creamy parmesan sauce.  The the option we could eat would have been a fillet of salmon.  This course was followed by cheeses, a fruit salad and an assortment of desserts including ice cream.

We started with a Turkish Sauvignon Blanc, then switched to a wonderful Chablis from Catalonia. I couldn’t say no to a glass of this port from Portugal.

We had been in the air just over an hour and were flying over Gander.

Fruit and a small warm croissant was all I could eat for breakfast. Colin also ate about half of his omelette.

A tiny position of the large city of Istanbul.

We could actually watch the plane land and its moment of touch down. Pretty neat.

As mentioned in the last post the new Istanbul Airport is massive and claims to be the world’s largest airport project built from scratch.  Once complete, it will be one of the biggest international airports in the world once the fourth and final phase is finished by 2028 – and potentially the busiest – with six runways, flights to 350 destinations and an eventual annual capacity of 200 million passengers. Right now in phase one, which just opened a few weeks ago on April the 8th, the airport can serve up to 90 million passengers per year.

So much food at so many different stations. We couldn’t eat a thing as we were so full. Sad not to be able to sample some of those Turkish delicacies. And I forgot to pick up some Turkish delight.

A general shot of the Business class lounge. Fortunately I found a trolly to shlep our carry on items which when you walk quickly for close to 30 minutes become heavy rather quickly.  It was so warm and humid in the airport that I was sticky and had trouble cooling down after our first lengthy walk. Considering we have been in the air for approximately 17 hours during  the past two days I still managed to put just over 9000 steps on my Fitbit Wednesday.

We had to wait for half an hour before take off so I started working on editing photos for this post. We did not expect to have the large seats with extra legroom. I just loved that I could put my legs up as if I was sitting in a recliner.

It was a very short flight, just 70 minutes yet they offered this very full dinner.

Of course we asked them to not serve us the lamb.  How could anyone eat so much so fast.  They served it all on the one tray at the same time.  We picked at our fish, enjoyed the cheese and loved the dessert.

A lovely welcome to Athens.

I arranged for a car and driver to drive us to our airbnb.  We did not want to be arriving at 9:30PM and dealing with either the metro or finding a taxi.  As it turns out there is a fixed rate of 38 euros for either a private town car or a taxi.  Much nicer to have a driver meet us as we came out of passport control with our luggage on a trolley.  It was lovely to see a smiling face holding up a sign with my name on it.  The driver immediately took control of the luggage and pushed it to his vehicle as we followed.  A great way to arrive.