Athens, Greece, Country 1, Stop 1

June 14

There is some jet lag and some up and down during the night and we get varying degrees of sleep. But we have to be up by 9 because we actually have an activity on the agenda for today. Within a 1 minute walk of our place, we find a delicious bakery and Mia is thrilled to get her first freddo cappuccino of the trip! Yummy pastries are had. We also find a grocery store and pick up some fruit and (Greek) yogurt. Then it is off to meet a woman named Eirini at Thissio Metro station for a cat walk.

https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/632633?c=.pi80.pkbWVzc2FnaW5nL2V4cGVyaWVuY2V zX21lc3NhZ2U%3D&euid=4d2ef15a-5a03-aaeb-d806-9665e9d937cd

We spend an hour wandering the neighborhood of Thissio and learning about the street cats of Athens. Jack is in heaven and the rest of us are pretty happy too. The cats are very cute and friendly. On this trip, we are hoping to do some off-the-beaten-track walks and experiences and this is right up our alley. We highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Athens. All proceeds go to the veterinary care of the cats.

We are pleased that the day is overcast, as it is around 70 degrees F and muggy. We get a few sprinkles and are delighted, as rain is a rarity in Los Angeles. From our stroll, we see the Acropolis above the city. Although we went on our last trip through Athens, Mia would like to return. But first, it’s back to the apartment for showers and naps.

*Fun Fact: Athens has the most theatrical stages in the world. It’s understandable that the Greeks take theater very seriously, as the tradition of theater dates back to the time of Athens’ first democracy – so much so that Athens is home to 148 theater stages, more than the West End and Broadway combined.

It’s a good thing that Dmitri and I took naps because we have a late dinner with a friend and his wife. The friend originally suggests 10, Dmitri counters with 6, we settle on 9:30 and they show up around 10. No matter, because the place has a stunningly beautiful view and terrific food. It’s called Dionysos Zonar’s https://dionysoszonars.gr/ and we sit on a patio with the lit up Acropolis in sight. Our friends are local Greeks and order all kinds of yummy things for us to eat. Dmitri enjoys catching up with him and he has his own amazing year of travel planned with his family. We compare some notes and happily sit while the rain patters an umbrella that keeps us (mostly) dry. We enjoy a lovely walk home and try to conquer jet lag. Not bad for the first day of our trip.

***Mia: Meanwhile... While mom and dad are at dinner, Jack and I have a sibling night out at a Mexican restaurant. Yes, I know, we JUST left SoCal so why the heck would I have Mexican food in Greece? Because I felt like it and I can never get enough of tacos, that’s why. Also, I had my first legal alcoholic beverage at said Mexican restaurant since the drinking age is lower here. Loving international travel so far!

***Dmitri: Great first day, though the jet lag is reminding me that I am not 25 anymore. I’m not sure how the rest of the year is going to live up to a day of cats for Jack. This may have been a tactical error...***

June 15

Terrible sleep for all and then we finally wake around 11:30 am. The kids run to our new favorite corner bakery to pick up some breakfast. 3⁄4 of us (Jack stays behind) do some souvenir shopping in Monastiraki and the Plaka and then we all have a cozy lunch together while the rain falls again. After lunch, the boys opt to stay home and the girls visit the Acropolis. It’s in the low 70s with a light breeze and there are not very many people there. We are feeling lucky until we hear a whistle being blown and an angry Greek docent trying to get the attention of a stupid tourist. We look around to see who she is yelling at and—it’s us!!! What? She’s trying to gesture at us and is saying “walk normal, be normal” and we really have no idea what we have done wrong. Fortunately, another docent approaches and lets the first one know that no, it wasn’t Mia and me who were breaking the rules; it was another group. They go off to find the correct offenders and tell them that they are not to allow their children to turn cartwheels at this historic site. Phew. That was a close one! The Acropolis is amazing at usual. We take the requisite photos and walk home to do laundry and pack for our flight early the next day. It’s one of the European washer/dryer combos and it takes 30 minutes to wash and 4 HOURS to dry. Ah well.

***Dmitri: Having been chased off the Parthenon twice previously (once for going past a barrier and another time for taking Sock Monkey photos), it’s good that the Williams family is now a solid three-for-three in accidentally offending the Acropolis staff.***