My Short, Fattening Greek Vacation

      Greece! It was finally the weekend! We left my apartment at 3:30 AM, probably the earliest I have ever gotten up in my life, in order to make our 6:40am flight. Once we arrived in Athens, we were sad because it was raining, but the promise of what was to come was so exciting! We dropped our stuff at the hotel, and went to walk around the Plaka area, where our hotel was located. Everywhere we looked were shops, restaurants, and street vendors waiting for our business. We stopped at a cute cafe, and sat outside. I had been craving meat and GYROS, which is exactly what I ordered! It was deliciously hot pork, with extremely fresh tomatoes, onions and tzatziki sauce (cucumber and sour cream-type). Mom got a Greek salad, that was pale in comparison to my great food. I was extremely happy about this meal, and ready for the weekend to begin.

      After our great lunch, we went to the Acropolis! We got directions from our extremely helpful front desk attendant, and got there in no time. We ended up getting rushed through the tour because we got there only a half our before they closed the area, but we got a lot of great pictures, and helpful information from our overzealous tour guide. The Parthenon was huge, much bigger than I had ever imagined it to be. Oppositely, the Temple of Athena Nike was so much smaller than I had imagined! Everything surpassed my expectations.  After the tour, we went to the New Acropolis Museum. Years before, the British had been keeping many old pieces of the Parthenon, pottery, and other remains of the ancient Greek. This museum was recently built to show the British that the Greek people are willing to give these historically significant items a suitable place to  housed. So, after spending millions of dollars, this museum was erected. The architecture was extremely beautiful, and beautifully displayed the pieces from so long ago.

Overlooking Athens, dogs were everywhere. This one looks like he is watching over his domain.

Erechthion.

Parthenon.

New Acropolis Museum.

      After our Acropolis Experience, we wandered around and miraculously found our hotel! I think it was a mix between lack of sleep (which i probably got 3 the previous night), how excited I was, and hunger, and I thought our crazy discovery was hilarious! I laughed and laughed until I was tearing up. We then realized our great need to freshen up, eat something, and to get to bed!
      The other helpful front desk attendant told us about a great place around the corner, so we eagerly started on our way. It was a small, family-run restaurant, and we were ambitious with our ordering. We ordered stuffed cabbage that had a light lemon-y white sauce, grilled squid, saganaki, and PEPSI (which Mama was super happy about)! Everything was super delicious, especially the stuffed cabbage, much to my surprise. Yummmmm the most delicious food hides in Greece! We ate then found a little cafe, where we ate baklava and something delicious that was recommended by our waiter. As it turns out, our waiter wasn't Greek, but was from Albania. Once he found out that we were from the Chicago-area, he told us that he was soon moving to Elmhurst to live with his uncle and go to school in Chicago! What a small world. After filling ourselves up, we went back to the hotel and passed out!
      Friday was the most exciting of all! The previous day, we found a brochure for a One Day Cruise, which went from 7:30am to 8pm, and went around to 3 different islands in the Saronic Gulf. We met at the Hard Rock Cafe, and were bussed to the dock where the boat was all ready to take us away. We got a yummy breakfast of croissants and cappuccinos on the boat.  As it turned out, we were unable to go to the first and furthest island, Hydra because the water was too rough. Which meant that we were unable to ride the donkeys (sorry, U.P.). We were still super exhausted, so we took a nap in the lower deck area of the boat at one of the booth tables.

View off the top of the boat right after we left the port. 

Our tickets and boat!

      We finally arrived in Poros, a beautiful little island with a beautiful clock tower. We climbed the stairs all the way up to it, and marveled at the view from that high up. On our way down, we shopped, and walked through Poros' tiny streets. We came across a neat little bakery, where we got the absolute most delicious rice pudding, and an okay cinnamon brown oatmeal-type pudding dessert. We made our way back to the boat, where we were served a delicious lunch, and were serenaded by Stavros, the musician, who either knew 6 or 60 different languages, we couldn't tell which it was. Surprisingly, I got a tad sick, which was probably due to the INTENSE rocking of the boat forward and back, side to side, enough to think you were on a see-saw. I felt better once I was outside with the intense wind and napping.

First look at Poros.

Climbing the stairs to the clock tower, our friend waiting for us at the top.

Such a pretty clock tower. 

Back on the boat in the wind! So attractive...

      Then we made it to Aegina, the second largest island in the Sardonic Gulf. We took a panoramic tour, where we took a bus down the coast, and saw a modern Greek author's coast-side house. Driving away from the water, we learned that 365 chapels were built on a hill, one for each day of the year. Now all that remains are less than 15. We also were able to tour the Church of Saint Nectarios, which was dedicated to this recent healing saint of the Greek Orthodox Church. This church started to be built in 1971 and was finished in 1994. Off the main room of the church is a chapel dedicated to keeping St. Nectarios' right hand in a beautiful silver casket-type box. It was beautiful, and enjoyably different from the churches you would see throughout Italy. After a quick stop at the church, we went to a Pistachio farm! We were able to see the trees, the machines they use to dry and open the shells, and the packaging machines. We tasted some pistachios and coffee, and bought a few bags and some pistachio pastries before heading back to the boat.

Shore-side. 

Chapels on the hillside. 

Church of St. Nectarios.

Right hand is right in there.

Pistachios on the tree! (bad ones, though)

Mule out by the docks, pretty girl!

      Once back on the boat, the show started! We experienced amazing Greek music and dancing. At one point, they pulled Mama up to dance with some others as well, and I know she loved it and had so much fun. ME, on the other hand, had an interesting dancing experience. They pulled me up, and after watching others dance, the man pulled me up and we did a little Greek kick-line type dance, then what reminded me of the "washcloth", and after picked me up on his shoulder and spun me around. Fun?... right. But don't you worry, don't be sad you missed my Greek-dance debut, ask my mom for a look at the video, she got it all on her fancy iPhone.

Dancers dancing. I really wanted her twirl-y skirt!!

      After we got back to the port of Athens, we were about dead from hunger, so we got delicious dinner, including fresh bread, lamb chops, mouthwatering kebabs and wine. Also, we were given free shots of Uozo, the famous Greek liquor. Let me tell you, you're not missing anything if you haven't tried it yet. It tasted like straight black licorice, unappetizing. Mama liked it, but she's always liked it. After dinner we shopped around, got a few (or so...) prizes for ourselves and others, then off to bed.
      Saturday we were up later, and got breakfast at the hotel (which mom thought it was weird that we got fresh black olives), and saw the Theater of Dionysus, and went on the Athens double-decker tour bus and saw a lot. We saw ruins, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, the Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, and a lot more. It was crazy cool to think how old all the buildings and ruins were, and who had stepped where we did. TOo cool. We got GIANT gyros for lunch, and then headed to the Parliament building to see the changing of the guard for the tomb of the unknown soldier, which was crazy different, and went to the National Park and mini zoo, with a pond full of turtles! After we literally shopped until we dropped. We ended up getting dinner and Greek music all in one, with our purchases piled on the chairs next to us, full of perfect lamb kebabs and lamb chops, and dessert of baklava and perfect rice pudding.

Hadrian's Arch

Temple of the Olympian Zeus. Used to have hundreds of columns, now it has less than 15.

Mama talking back to the goose at the farm in the National Gardens.

Changing of the Guard. 

Acropolis by night, from a window on the top floor of our hotel.

     The entire weekend was full of crappy weather, but we made the best of it. However, we walked out to our cab on Sunday to get to the airport, and there were no clouds and blue skies as far as you can see. What a shame. But, our short, fattening Greek vacation was so amazing. I had such a great time with my mama, and came back to Rome with some great memories!

Our weather on Sunday morning. Figures!

      Sunday we got back, toured Castel Sant'Angelo, which mama loved, mama packed up, grabbed some spaghetti and other pasta dinner, gelato, and we slept. Dropping mama off at the cab was so sad (she even cried a little, don't let her tell you otherwise), because we got used to seeing each other those 2 weeks, but I knew I'd be home in 5-ish weeks. Now, since I'm so late in posting, its 4 and a half weeks. Where did all the time go??

xoxo Erica