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Mary's Travels
We got into Athens midday, and finally got to our Airbnb. It was so nice- two floors, and I think Reid enjoyed the downstairs bachelor pad haha. We got some groceries and went off to dinner. The first thing you'll notice about Athens is the plethora of graffiti and cats. It's got to be the capital of at least one of those. We went to a cute area for dinner, and shared the meal, trying to taste all that we could of the Greek culture. While we were walking home, we heard music and dancing, so we peered into the restaurant but the waiter saw us and welcomed us in. Turns out it was a class trip of 16 year olds and their teachers, but it was fun to watch nonetheless. The waiter was excited to see us, I think he was wanting some company of his own age. We sat down and ordered some drinks, trying to try the ones of the area, and first we got ouzo, which has a black licorice taste (not good at all), then raki which is a sweeter shot, and then some warm raki with honey. It was a good experience but I did not fall in love with Greek drinks. They let us dance for a bit, and when everyone started to leave we headed out, but first the waiter gave us his name and said he'll help us find restaurants and bars if we'd like. First experience of Grecian generosity.
The next day we went to the Acropolis and hiked around it for a bit. Then we went up to the top and took in all the sights. It was really cool to see that after all these years and all sorts of devastation, the Acropolis is still in good shape. What I didn't realize was that it was so high up. It was truly a fortress, and the retaining walls were just as impressive as the buildings themselves.
Then we went to the Acropolis museum, which opened up a few years ago. That was really interesting and they had glass floors so you could see the ruins underneath. By this point in the day we were pretty hungry, so we left and met Chris, our waiter from last night, for lunch/dinner at another one of his restaurants. We got a meat platter and enjoyed the traditional dances (we told Chris we wanted to dance). When we finished our meal, we joined the dancing for a bit, and left when the party was over. We were pretty pooped, and got a nap in before we met Chris for drinks. I stayed in though because I had a headache. Celina and Reid had a good time though, they went to a Latina bar and a Greek bar as well.
The next day we walked to and hiked up Mount Aptera. On the way there we stopped at the national library which was very interesting and met another nice man who was very generous with information. We also stopped by the parliament where we got to see the guards do their thing- every hour they do a ritual in front of parliament at the tomb of the unknown soldier, otherwise they just stand there and guard it. After that we went to the mountain, and tried some oranges on the way. Unfortunately they were either not yet ripe or marmalade oranges, as they were very sour. We trekked onward though, up all the stairs in the neighborhood and up the pathway to the mountain, passing cat after cat and cactus after cactus. We finally made it and the views were incredible. You could see the whole city and the beach with the Acropolis looming over it all. We hiked down and searched and searched for somewhere to eat before giving up and eating kebabs. We ate our meal quickly so we could go to the Acropolis at night- it closes at 8pm, or is supposed to close then, but when we got there, it was already closed for the night. So we went to a nearby rock and gazed at it from a distance. It was still cool though, it looks golden at night. We went back to our room and packed and got up early for our next flight- Crete.
The next day we went to the Acropolis and hiked around it for a bit. Then we went up to the top and took in all the sights. It was really cool to see that after all these years and all sorts of devastation, the Acropolis is still in good shape. What I didn't realize was that it was so high up. It was truly a fortress, and the retaining walls were just as impressive as the buildings themselves.
Then we went to the Acropolis museum, which opened up a few years ago. That was really interesting and they had glass floors so you could see the ruins underneath. By this point in the day we were pretty hungry, so we left and met Chris, our waiter from last night, for lunch/dinner at another one of his restaurants. We got a meat platter and enjoyed the traditional dances (we told Chris we wanted to dance). When we finished our meal, we joined the dancing for a bit, and left when the party was over. We were pretty pooped, and got a nap in before we met Chris for drinks. I stayed in though because I had a headache. Celina and Reid had a good time though, they went to a Latina bar and a Greek bar as well.
The next day we walked to and hiked up Mount Aptera. On the way there we stopped at the national library which was very interesting and met another nice man who was very generous with information. We also stopped by the parliament where we got to see the guards do their thing- every hour they do a ritual in front of parliament at the tomb of the unknown soldier, otherwise they just stand there and guard it. After that we went to the mountain, and tried some oranges on the way. Unfortunately they were either not yet ripe or marmalade oranges, as they were very sour. We trekked onward though, up all the stairs in the neighborhood and up the pathway to the mountain, passing cat after cat and cactus after cactus. We finally made it and the views were incredible. You could see the whole city and the beach with the Acropolis looming over it all. We hiked down and searched and searched for somewhere to eat before giving up and eating kebabs. We ate our meal quickly so we could go to the Acropolis at night- it closes at 8pm, or is supposed to close then, but when we got there, it was already closed for the night. So we went to a nearby rock and gazed at it from a distance. It was still cool though, it looks golden at night. We went back to our room and packed and got up early for our next flight- Crete.
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