May 17, 2019
Our first full day in Athens
We didn’t get to bed until after midnight Athens time the day we arrived so we slept in Thursday morning. Colin walked down the street and picked up a breakfast croissant for us. We simply eased into the day and eventually decided it was time to get out for a walk to the grocery store.
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.
As I said at the end of my last post, life is good, perhaps a bit better than good 😉
UPDATE PER MY VERY DEAR FRIEND ALAN:
Hello Contessa….Fuel prices.
1:46 EU. per litre equals $2:19 Can. per litre OR, for your American readers $6:17 USD. per USA gallon. ( U.S. gallon being smaller than Can.@ 3.79 litres.
1:66 EU. per litre equals $2:49 Can. per litre OR $7:01 USD. Per USA gallon
1:73EU. per litre equals $2:60 Can per litre OR $7:31 USD per USA gallon.
Hope this answers your question…..
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Such a lovely area, one of my favorite. Be sure to look for the ladies who feed the stray cats. There is a square and they feed them faithfully every morning and night. When the economy got so bad many could no longer afford their pets or had to move to places they couldn’t have them – the city pays to spay and neuter the stray dogs and cats (the dogs are usually collared, even the strays) and then the ladies feed them. The food – they do pasta very well!
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To fagitó faínetai ypérocho ???? ?????? kaló taxídi!
I agree with ‘LivingboondockingMexico’. Couldnt have said it better myself..( I think )
looks like you are enjoying yourselves there exploring a bit and some new tasty meals.
It looks like you are already starting to relax into the Greek Lifestyle.
Be Safe and Enjoy the sights.
It’s about time.
Lovely…I think I’d just spend a month right there!
Wow that is a lot for gas!!
U appear to b in an excellent place!! The apt looked great and LOVED that street!!! So many ancient things….. Just. There.