Greek Streets, Greek Eats: Athens Days 1 and 2

Our trip this time began with some extreme anxiety on my part, because our first flight to Nashville was delayed so long that we were almost definitely missing the connection--and then after we finally took off, the front lavatory broke and started seeping down the aisle, and THEN someone in the back had a medical emergency that had flight attendants and anyone with medical training scurrying to the back. When we landed, we literally ran to our next flight and got on just as the gate was closing. From there it got easier, and after a stopover in Philly we began our nine-and-a-half hour flight to Athens. 

Our time in Athens started out promising with the world's friendliest cab driver, who told us Greeks are so friendly because they have the blood of Zeus, god of hospitality, in their veins. He also told us how Poseidon and Athena had a competition to be the patron of the city; Poseidon threw his trident and provided plentiful water, but the settlers preferred Athena's gift of an olive tree.

Despite staying up all night on the plane reading, I hit the grounds ready in Athens, and after dropping our bags in our hotel, we ventured out.

Our hotel was the King George, right on Syntagema Square, and it was an oasis of air conditioning, marble, and a beautiful view of the Acropolis. I never figured out how to turn on the bathroom light, which meant I peed in the dark for two days and once ran face-first into a closet door, but these are the prices one pays for travel. 

Taylor's loyalty gifts were a box of macarons from a Parisian chocolatier, and then a small bottle of traditional almond liquor and some chocolates. (By Taylor's I of course mean "mine.")

Our first stop was the Plaka, a neighborhood on the side of the hill of the Acropolis that is the oldest district in Athens and has been inhabited for three thousand years. It's full of narrow, winding streets with bright street art, explosions of flowers, and restaurants and shops everywhere. If you're in the market for Greek god masks, leather sandals, or finding a stray cat to befriend, this is your place.

 

 

Presented without comment but seen all over Athens: 

Starving after the less-than-stellar plane food, we found a little cafe on a corner and ordered fry bread filled with cumin and feta, and covered in spicy honey; dips that included tzatziki and whipped red pepper feta; marinated octopus; and lamb gyro. The fry bread is my new true love--it was amazing and savory-spicy-salty-sweet. 

From there, starting to flag, we moved on to Brettos, a little bar with ouzo, over 40 kinds of liquor, and lots of wine. It's been there for over 100 years and was lovely and dim and lined with bottles of liquor from bar to ceiling.

 

After I had a rose liquor, my keeper demanded I take a nap so I don't get a headache, and back to the hotel we went. I ignored all rules of travel and slept for way longer than can be called a nap, but that worked out because then it was time to eat again! This time at a little street cafe called Milton's, where we shared a tomato salad with feta (four kinds of tomatoes!) and a super-tender leg of lamb with mustard and thyme. For dessert, I had a pavlova, which is one of my very favorite desserts--it was filled with mango and strawberry, and also with pure delight. We also got a little post-meal snack from the waiter of meringues, marshmallows, and caramels--my face of joy is because the marshmallows were rose flavored. Not so joyous was noticing a woman swatting at her back like something was tickling her and seeing a HUGE cockroach crawling down her shirt; I didn't tell her since I felt like it was more traumatizing to know than to not know, but I was twitchy the rest of the meal, waiting for little legs running up my skirt. 

 

We ended the day on the rooftop of the hotel, watching the Acropolis lit up for nighttime and eating Second Dessert, which was a traditional Greek sweet made with three kinds of cream.

The next morning we popped out of bed at 6 am to eat breakfast and try to beat the crowds (and the heat) to the Acropolis--we walked through the streets of Plaka with no company other than the shop owners cleaning their front stoops and sweeping the streets. Well, also the many street cats and stray dogs walking around in pairs and occasionally picking fights with each other. 

We got the Acropolis ticket office about half an hour early and waited with the other crowd-hating tourists, and before we knew it were slip-sliding around the rock and marble ruins at the top of the hill overlooking Athens. We also got to see the Greek army march to the flag, raise it, and sing the Greek anthem before marching back to their truck.

We saw the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a second century theater built to hold 5,000 people; the Parthenon, the great temple to Athena; and the Porch of the Caryatids at the Erechtheon. We also saw the olive tree planted as the symbol of Athena's gift to the city.

After we left the Acropolis we took the short walk to the new Acropolis museum, which is filled with artifacts recovered from the site. I got in trouble for taking a picture (oops) but all of the marble statues in varying degrees of preservation were amazing--especially the ones recovered from the pediment of the Parthenon that depicted all the gods. The museum also has clear glass floors, so you can see below to excavated parts of the ancient city.

A house on the way back from the museum--the entire facade is made of different colored marble. 

We'd walked almost 7 miles in 95 degree heat by lunch, so the rest of the day was dedicated to resting and eating, including a chicken souvlaki with perfect lemony buttery rice, as well as fried zucchini balls stuffed with feta and dill at a place called Zorbas (pictured below on the right). The waiter was very offended we couldn't finish our meal, but the portions there were huge! He did bring out watermelon for us at the end, and despite being a passionate hater of melon, it was so cool and refreshing that I ate every bite.

 

Walking through the less-touristy part of the Plaka. 

Dinner was a vegetable risotto, lemon chicken soup, baby zucchini with goat cheese foam, and a strawberry tart at Tudor Hall as we watched the sun set over the Acropolis. Next stop Crete, which every Greek we met said was absolutely heaven on earth.