Pretty smooth going on the trip over. Got to ROC early and then nearly missed the flight because they loaded it 30 minutes early and I had just gone to the restroom figuring we’d start boarding soon but by the time I returned they had boarded all but me! There were only 7 of us on the teeny tiny little puddle jumper so they loaded us in no time and were ready to depart at 1:10 for a 1:30 flight. I heard my name being paged and rushed back to be the last on the plane, in the very first seat by the door. I hate those small planes. The engine is loud, the air conditioning minimal and the ride somewhat bumpy. So the good news was we left 20 minutes early, the bad news is we arrived in Toronto and sat on the tarmac, with no AC and the engine roaring for 45 minutes before they let us off the plane. Then we had to walk across the tarmac and through a lengthy and labyrinthine set of passageways to get to the terminal. Halfway there we encountered a locked door and when the man ahead of me pushed on the door to open it an ear splitting siren began sounding, which lasted for a full ten minutes before someone from the airport turned it off and unlocked the door so we could proceed!
The flight over was uneventful except for one particularly noisy baby who screamed a very long time before finally falling asleep. I never sleep well in planes but managed to nap a bit. We arrived on time and I’ve never gotten through passport control so quickly anywhere in my life. They don’t ask even a perfunctory question – just stamp it and send you on. I took a taxi to the hotel and then promptly went to sleep for three hours!
Our small group convened at 6:30. We are a father/daughter pair, a lesbian couple from Seattle and me. Our guide is a really nice young Greek man named Dimitrios. He walked us up to the Acropolis and then to a little Taverna for dinner. It was lovely sitting on the roof garden overlooking Athens and the mountains beyond. The food was spectacular – breaded eggplant and feta cheese in fylo pastry for appetizers, Greek salad with fresh veggies that were delicious, a lamb dish, a beef dish (both with potatoes and rice and delicious sauces) and for dessert something that looks like donut holes only is much less dense and heavy and is soaked in honey with cinnamon. Clearly the food is going to be a highlight of this trip!! Our guide has spent a lot of time in the US and he says that American “Greek” food is terrible and nothing like real Greek food so we’re in for a treat! We rolled out of the Taverna and our guide took us up a very winding narrow passageway to the Acropolis. Definitely a back way that your average tourist would not find as it was unmarked and unlit and it was dark so we stepped carefully as we climbed worn and smooth steps. After we got back to the hotel I found the bar on the top floor of our hotel and sipped my Tanqueray and tonic looking out at the Acropolis all lit up for the night. Athens is a happening place when the sun goes down!! Bonnie – you and Mark must put this on your “must see” destinations!!
The pictures are of a little Orthodox Chapel that happened to be open on a little side street and a view of the Acropolis lit up for the evening. I took it when we emerged from our dark and winding walk through the secret passageways!
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