June 1, Athens: Storm Troopers and Liquor Rainbows

Last day of our vacation, last day in Athens. A fruit-filled tree outside of our apartment balcony. Also, our neighbors in the apartments across the street hung out their canary cage every day. So we woke up every morning to beautiful singing.



We stopped at Coffee Right to get our breakfast pies.



And I got a frappe. This chain felt like the Dunkin' Donuts of Athens. Which is fine by me, especially coming from DD deprived L.A. Look at that unnatural froth going on.



And then, the Temple of Zeus. My favorite temple of the trip. Here is the entryway.







With the Acropolis in the background. I'm going to geek out for a second. Something about the Temple of Zeus reminds me of the Imperial Walkers from "The Empire Strikes Back." Do you see it? Yeah, I'm probably crazy.





So massive. With some people for scale.



Acropolis in the background.



Fallen column among yellow flowers.



Then across the street to the National Gardens, where surrounded by trees and shade and birdsong you have no idea you're in a city center.





Then up and across another street to the Olympic Stadium, where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896.



For 3 euros, you can go inside, wander around and take your place on the medal stand.



We thought the view from the outside was good enough, so we passed.



Walked back to Plaka and had lunch at Scholarhio.



For a set price of 28 euros for two people, you pick five dishes from a massive tray, accompanied by bread, water, and wine. It's a lot of food and a good deal.



And a lovely terrace.



After lunch, a drink at Bretto's, the most colorful bar in town. Their own distilled liquors stacked to the ceiling.





I ordered a glass of wine. Hubs had a Rakonelo, which was a sugary, super-drinkable rendition of Raki. Dessert in a glass.



2 drinks = 8.50 euros.

After the drinks, and the wine at lunch, I was a little tipsy. I've never done a museum buzzed before, but there's a first for everything. We visited the Acropolis museum a little less than sober. The statues from the Acropolis were beautiful. Most of them were built for what we would call tithing; commissioned statues paid for by simple citizens to honor the gods. I had no idea the concept of tithing went back so far.

One of the craziest things about the Acropolis is that at one point in history, some British dude came and stole a large number of statues and took them back to England. Crazier still, even though that thievery has been acknowledged, the statues are still in a London museum. It just seems wrong.

The museum is definitely worth a visit, especially at 5 euros per person.



We went back to the hotel and chilled for a bit before our last meal of the trip. We decided to keep it simple and went back to Kafamaki Bar where we were able to sit at a candlelit table outside on a gorgeous spring evening, perfect for people and dog watching.

The food was just as good as our first visit. We shared grilled halumi cheese and their delicious grilled bread.



And pork and chicken skewers. I had a Fix dark. An easy, fuss-free, delicious last meal.



Topped off with a piece of chocolate pie, which is actually chocolate cake.



Can such an epic vacation really end on a picture of chocolate cake? Yes. Yes, it can.

May 31 - Athens: The New Old Just Isn't the Same

It's always good to start your day out with the best hand pies of the trip. We found ours near our hotel at Dia Xiepos. Creamy and decadent chicken.



And an egg pastry for Hubs.



I also had a Freddo, because I was addicted at this point and determined to have one every day for the remainder of the trip. I don't think there was any Jameson in there.



Two lovely views of the Acropolis from Ancient Agora.





We mostly went to Ancient Agora to see the Temple of Hephaestus, the most well-preserved temple from Ancient Greece.






It's pretty remarkable how well-intact it remains.





From near the Temple of Hephaestus, looking across the Agora to the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos. With the help of a Rockefeller grant, the building was completely replicated and is now a museum.



Over the ruins to the Temple of Hephaestus.



The beautiful Church of the Holy Apostles in the Agora with gorgeous spring blossoms.



I loved this Jesus in the dome. His eyes were soulful.



These apostles were cool, too.



The Stoa of Attalos up close. It's strange how it's almost disappointing to visit the replications, even if they are stone-for-stone matches of the originals. They just feel like regular building and museums. In their functionality they lose their mystique.



After the Agora, we visited the Central Market. The stink of fish and, more overwhelmingly, meat rose to the rafters.



Not in the mood for fish or meat, we decided on dessert nearby at Krinos. We got their signature Loukoumades, honey-drenched doughnuts. I could've eaten them all by myself. Luckily, I had to share.





Lunch at Ambrosia near our hotel. I ordered Kokoretsi which looked and was spelled similarly to the Kokorec I didn't have a chance to try in Istanbul. Crispy lamb on the outside from a horizontal spit, covering soft liver. Pretty good stuff. Very rich. And some red wine.



Hubs had sausage.



2 meals + wine = 15.50.

After chilling at the hotel for a bit (it had been a long trip and we were tired) we headed back out and got a snack at fresh (I think that's what it was called). They had a giant horse made of chocolate. My kind of shop.



Some amazing truffles.



And then dinner at Saita Bakaliaro in Plaka. A lovely outdoor setting.



A jug of wine and herring (too salty for me, but Hubs liked it). Heavenly eggplant.



Fried cod with tons of smashed garlic. Again, too salty and too many bones for my taste.



Cod + herring + eggplant + bread + wine = 26 euro.

Listened to street musicians in Psirri. Then walked to a new neighborhood, Thissio, for some good Acropolis night views. Took these photos along the way at two different exposures. The first so you can see the graffiti along the train tracks below.



The view from Thissio, a more accurate, less-glowing version. I like both and couldn't decide between the two.



While we were walking through Thissio, a Greece vs. Portugal World Cup match was playing at all the bars.

This is what the 12 euro ticket that gets you into everything (well, six sights, but it covered everything we wanted to see, everything in my Athenian blogs). Seriously, one of the best tourist deals ever.



"Or" is listed a lot of times, but we went to all six places on the ticket and never had to pay extra. The "or" shouldn't be on the ticket, it's just confusing.