We have long looked forward to the Athens portion of this trip as we would have the opportunity meet up with Daves sister Susan and her husband Jeff. We knew this would be a special travel treat. Susan and Jeff have worked hard over the years, plus they raised and home schooled six children. They intended to go to Greece on their anniversary many years ago. Life events kept postponing the trip—but it is happening now! We are thrilled to be able to join them for a few days. We have not been to Greece since 2003—it was one of our early trips out of the country.
We arrived in Athens a few days before them and eagerly awaited their arrival. After getting settled in our hotel located in the old and historic Plaka District, we headed to the hotel rooftop bar. We arrived late in the day and wanted to take in the stunning Acropolis views at night. It is a breathtaking site that one would not tire of easily. In gazing at the Acropolis, ones mind takes in the beauty and imagines any number of historic events that have occurred there. It is mind boggling to imagine how
they built it; finding the appropriate rock, getting the stones to the top, stacking the rocks, shaping the rocks.. amazing. These people were great craftsmen and architects.
When thinking of Athens, the ancient to mind. Many historical landmarks abound, and Greece was instrumental in the development of Western Civilization. This is where the idea that all citizens should have a voice in governing their society. Todays politicians may not embrace that as intended but that is a discussion for another time. If you are in search of UNESCO World Heritage sites, you will find them in this city and this country.
On our second day we hopped on a tour bus and motored south just over an hour for a scenic drive along Cape Sounion. This lovely coastal area provided lovely beach scenes along the coast and a stop for a nice lunch on the water. From there we moved onto the Temple of Poseidon which is known as one of the major monuments of The Golden Age. Surrounded on three sides by the Aegean Sea, located on the southern tip of the peninsula and high atop a hill this temple served as a palace where
they hoped to appease Poseidon and find favor. If youve studied the rich stories of mythology, you may remember Poseidon was the God of the Sea, earthquakes, and horses. Sailors and mariners believed that storms resulted from Poseidons wrath and they wanted to keep him happy. We read that the marble used to build this was from the Agrileza valley—stop and think about that – they moved the marble 50 miles. How did they do that in 440 BC? It is a puzzle. The temple remains in pretty good shape and the views of the coast from the top were awesome. The sunset was perfect. The temple looked stunning in varying shades of light.
Yes, of course we took a cooking class! You know us. to know a culture is to understand their food so we signed up for a rooftop cooking class with a view of the Acropolis. The nine of us in the class were from various parts of the United States. It is safe to say that a whole lot of people must be ready to leave the US for a few adventures. In the class, we tackled several of the Greek classics which included tzatziki,
Aegean salad, moussaka, spinach pie, and galatopita which is similar to flan. Our teacher had a sense of humor and made certain we were all involved throughout the cooking. The wine flowed and once the meal was ready, we sat together to enjoy our bounty.
Before Jeff and Susans arrival we wandered the streets of the Plaka checking out the shops. Sandals, rugs and jewelry top the list of things for sale. As we wandered, we stopped for a coffee, and then later we stopped for a beer and some dolmas. and wandered some more. A friend we check out the Central Market and so we did. As weve traveled around the world every town in every country has a market with fruits, vegetables, and meats.
