Athens, Greece

For the most part Athens is underwhelming to what you will be expecting.  Since I have been to Athens on 2 other occasions, I had set my expectations appropriately and it ended up exceeding them.  Perhaps this is a lesson for the future, set the bar so low you can trip over it and you won't be disappointed.  Unfortunately, that feels like a "glass half empty" mentality, so I'm not sure I can sustain it.

Up-to-date with my patches!

I arrived in Athens around noon and checked into my hotel and decided that I needed food immediately.  Since it was Sunday, the port was deserted.  I had planned to meet up with a friend near the Acropolis anyway, so I hopped on the metro and made my way into "the city". 

Ah, Athens, oh how I love thee.  You carry with you the fairytale of grandeur, history and mythology.  We all dream about how the noble Greeks once ruled the land and pioneered education, philosophy, science and mathematics while calculating elaborate stories of Pegasus, goddesses and war.  When we arrive in this great city we expect to see ruins of how life was lived a thousand years ago.  Ruins of complex design, battered by turmoil, war and broken hearts, but in actuality, what we see is a city overrun with gypsies, dilapidated buildings decorated with graffiti that the vandal couldn't even be bothered enough to put any effort into.  The Greeks that have remained in Athens are holding on to the threads of tourism as a way to survive by necessity rather than celebrate the history that once made their city great.  Anyone who can take advantage of the tourists is giving it a scout's try.  There are children that are sub 10 years old playing the accordion on the street and singing for change in tourist passages and clever waiters that add money to the bill disguised as bread or some sort of service charge. Athens, aside from the Acropolis, is a sad, sad town.  Think Detroit...with more limestone and less brick.  This reminder of "home" was not quite the souvenir I was hoping to bring back.

I did not take a picture of the unexpected, sad portions of Athens, but here are some of the expected photos that you are all most likely wanting to see....

Acropolis from below

But, lets fill the glass shall we?  Lets talk about the great things of Athens.  First and foremost, the food.  Obviously, I had to get the traditional fare in Athens, souvlaki.  Souvlaki is skewered spiced meat, usually lamb, served with potatoes, tzatziki, tomatoes and onions.  Think of it as a deconstructed gyro.

Souvlaki!  yum.

Of course I had ice cream...I always have ice cream, well in this case gelato.

 I had mentioned that I had scheduled a rendezvous with a friend in Athens.  Well, I had a 1 day layover and Melissa and her friend, Yvonne, had a 3 day stint planned for Athens.  (3 days, in my opinion, is too long for Athens....they were smart enough to plan a day trip to Delphi).  Anywho, I had sent her a Facebook message to meet me at a rooftop bar for the sunset at 7PM and I randomly met her walking down the street in front of the Acropolis around 3pm.  So we spent the rest of the day and evening together exploring the local treasures of Athens and left the touristy stuff to...well...the tourists.

Fun Rendezvous with Melissa Tatoris

Dessert....yes please

Pastry selection...

Winner = Baklava

I was a little overzealous in this picture...sorry about your shades, Melissa!

While wandering through the streets, we found this local watering hole, called Γιασεμί. The establishment was so tiny inside that they just added tables and chairs up the stairs outside and people filtered in in drones, including us.

Happy Hour!

In America, we call this a "fire hazard".  In Greece, we say Yamas!

Happy Hour = olives, bread and wine, of course

 It was a lovely stop off on the way to drunken rediculousness that is, Ios, Greece.  So random, so helpful (thanks for bringing my prescriptions from the States, Melissa), and so lovely to salvage this layover into something not only tolerable, but absolutely enjoyable.

Hopping on the ferry.  Next stop, Ios!