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We flew into Athens last night at about 8.00pm. My friend, very wisely, booked our first night's accommodation at the Sofitel Airport hotel, which is a zebra crossing's distance away from the airport! Excellent. I can highly recommend this hotel as the rooms and food are excellent. Full buffet dinner (with a mixture of traditional Greek food as well as "American") was €25 and a glass of really good Greek red wine, €6. Breakfast was just as impressive with a full buffet (Greek, Continental, American) at €25 again, and they had soy milk! A bonus for me as not many places have it. Plus the beds were super-dipper comfy!! Which is what you need when travelling.
The Greeks sure know how to eat! After checking into our Athens hotel, The Hermes (has the smallest elevator in the world but a great view of part of the Acropolis from the rooftop), we stumbled upon a fantastic authentic Greek restaurant a few streets away. The manager suggested a mezze platter for two which had a range of traditional Greek tid bits. Fantastic! Just the sustenance you need for the steep walk in the hot sun up to the top of the Acropolis. We scored a perfect blue-sky day to see the ancient ruins.
Today Athens is very windy, and the sound of the wind blowing through the branches of Cyprus, olive and cacao bean trees as we made our ascent up to the Acropolis only added to the sheer joy and atmosphere of the experience for me. Such a head spin to be standing in front of those magnificent buildings that are thousands of years old. The Parthenon is in the thick of restoration with cranes and scaffolding all around it, but the beautiful Erechtheion with its graceful caryatids stood free of all obstructions. So glad I did Ancient History in high school and thanks to my inspiring teacher Faye Barber, I was standing right in front of these architectural treasures today.
I fell in love with Greece as soon as I stepped out of the airport doors. The Mediterranean air smells just like home, the food is fantastic and the people (that I have talked to so far anyway) are exuberant and friendly and make you feel welcome. Sure, they are all after your Euros but so what!
Other observations walking around Athens is all the wonderful culinary smells drifting from houses and restaurants and the countless number if cats wandering everywhere.
I am really looking forward to dinner and can't wait to check out the national ceramics museum tomorrow.
- comments
Greer Oh wow Laura. Sounds like you are having so much fun. Enjoy the amazing experience :) xxx
Dad and Faye. Food glorious food,every paragraph is about food. Glad to see that you are eating too well, about time. And enjoying the trip too. We are thinking about you. Keep us posted. What's for dinner????
Di and Harry Harris Hi Laura, you seem to be in your element at the moment. We had a little chuckle at your Dad's comments because we had much the same feelings. We are now digging out the Greek cookbooks so that we can raise the standard of our catering for when you get home. So good to see you enjoying yourself so much. Much love from us