#2794 a Thursday afternoon in Athens

Here's how I spent my first afternoon in Athens last month. The date was 20 October. Lizzie and I arrived in Athens very early that morning, just after midnight, got to the hotel around 01:00, and went to sleep around 02:00. We had a tour booked for 08:30 that morning, and we knew we'd be tired, so we planned to have an easy afternoon when the tour was complete. The tour was really cool, so I'm going to write about it another day because I think it needs its own space.

The tour was complete in the early afternoon. We were walking back to our hotel and felt hungry. We'd had breakfast around 07:30, and we'd been walking quite a bit, plus we were feeling tired from little sleep, too. We happened upon this cute street that had a couple of cafes with outdoor tables. The weather was superb, and we were excited to have some real Greek food. 

We ordered souvlaki, probably pork or chicken. The grilled meat is served in a soft, fluffy pita that is also filled with onions, tomatoes, some French fries (which I will refer to as Greek fries from now on), and tzatziki. We paired our souvlaki with the fine Greek beer, Mythos.

After lunch, we continued to our hotel. It was only a couple of blocks away, and we passed these cute streets.

Even though there are hotels in the area, you can see it wasn't very crowded. The place where we had lunch seemed to cater mostly to local people. Our server spoke English, most people do, so it is easy to communicate. I think you really get a sense of a place when you wander down the back streets and explore areas that are not as touristic. That's my favorite thing lately.

Our hotel had a pool on the roof, so Lizzie and I thought it would be grand to head up to the roof, maybe take a dip in the pool, have a drink, read, and relax. That was the plan, and that's what we did. There were no loungers by the pool, but the sun was already starting it's descent, so I was happy to get a sunny table one level up from the pool by the bar where it was still very sunny and pleasant.

I tried a different Greek beer there called Sparta. Love the art on the label!

Another thing I liked about Greece was that when you ordered a drink, you always got a little snack. In this case, we got a container of bar mix - nuts and sesame sticks and other little salty, crunchy bits. And yes, that IS the Acropolis in the background!

I mean, how much happier can a pair of sisters from the US be when they are hanging out in Athens, at a rooftop pool, with the Acropolis just right there?!? It was fantastic.

Let's talk about that pool for a second. Lizzie may be part mermaid because she was all about getting in that water. We both walked down to the pool, and she dipped a toe in first. It was cold, but she got in anyway. She didn't stay in long, but she was in there. I, on the other hand, dipped in a toe, and said no thanks. That water was fucking cold! There was a man from Denmark standing near me and we started chatting while Lizzie was in the water. He said that the pool was too cold even for him. Of course, being from Denmark, he said most pools are that cold anyway. He was hoping for a warmer pool experience in Greece. We watched a couple of other people get in the water for the briefest of moments. Lizzie stayed in the longest during the time we were at the pool. I don't know if anyone got in after she got out. 

Besides, the sun was now starting to set, so pool time was ending, anyway. We got a pretty spectacular show from Mother Nature.

We went out for dinner in the Plaka neighborhood that was close to the hotel. It is a neighborhood I'd read about prior to the trip. Everything I read mentioned the great restaurants and general good vibes in the area. There was lots of souvenir shops and plenty of restaurants to choose from. And cats. Did I mention Athens is full of cats? It's not dirty or stinky, though, and the cats are cute and not too pushy for attention.

This is the place where we had dinner:

I don't know the name of it, because it was in Greek. We sat outside. The yellow walls were covered with vines. The service was very good, as was the food. I don't remember what I had, and I'm surprised I didn't write it down. My only excuse is that I was fairly exhausted by this point. We did have an appetizer worth noting. It was feta cheese covered with sesame seeds, pan fried or baked, then covered with honey. The dish is called feta saganaki.

It was not my favorite. Don't get me wrong, we ate it all. I think we hoped the cheese would be more melty, maybe. It wasn't. It was solid. The feta was tangy, the honey was sweet, and the sesame seeds gave it a crunchy texture. I didn't take a photo of my meal. Chunks of chicken, a mound of Greek fries, and a dollop of tzatziki isn't all that photogenic. It tastes nice, though!

We finished our night with gelato from a place I'd read about and was happy to find very close to the restaurant. We were back in the hotel by about 22:00 (10pm) and lights out shortly after. 

That Thursday was a wonderful start to our time in Greece!

Before I sign off tonight, here's some words of wisdom from the Greek philosophers:

Good night!