T-Rex Athens & Peloponnesian Peninsula Journey
This blog documents my journey as I explore Athens and part of the Peloponnesian Peninsula.
Mycenae & Epidaurus Theater
September 23, 2023
Went to my first Greek ruin today (yes, I spent 3 days in Athens and never made it up the Acropolis, maybe next time!)
Went to Mycenae, built 1600 to 1100 B.C. The name derives from the site of Mycenae in the Peloponnesos, where once stood a great Mycenaean fortified palace. Mycenae is celebrated by Homer as the seat of King Agamemnon, who led the Greeks in the Trojan War. A lot of steps upwards. We got there early and no crowds but the buses were starting to show as we left.
Then we went to the Epidaurus Theater . The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus is regarded as the best preserved ancient theatre in Greece in terms of its perfect acoustics and fine structure. It was constructed in the late 4th century BC. You can whisper at the center stage and people in the top row can hear you. It was cool how they did it. The whole stage is hollow underneath (even room for an orchestra). Sandy might have said a bad word about a former president to test the acoustics.
It was 94 degrees and hot, so we went to the beach and rented two chaise lounge chairs and an umbrella. The water was cool and clear and the salinity was so high, I easily floated. The best part was that there was cabana service that would bring cold beers and food to us.
I ended the day back on our balcony and tried the Red wine Spritzer called Tinto de Verano. My daughter had told me about these, so I decided to try it on my own. It does not seem right to mix Fanta soda and red wine, but I gave it a try. It was not too bad and a bit refreshing.
Tinto de Verano (Red Wine Spritzer)
We wandered the streets and found a nice cafe to have dinner and some wine. As usual, the wine came out in a tin pitcher.
This ends our Greek adventure. Hope to return again!
Nafplio
September 22, 2023
We picked up our rental car at the airport and headed to the Peloponnesian Peninsula. It is about a two hour drive west of Athens. Since the airport is north of the city, we did not have to drive through it to get there. I was thankful that I did not have a car while I was staying in Athens! The country roads are pretty good for driving.
The drive along the coast was beautiful. The sand beaches were calling us to stop and enjoy the sunshine and sand. We found nice little beach restaurant to stop for lunch. The fish was fresh and delicious.
Beaches along the drive.
Great lunch stop!
Nafplio is a beautiful costal city that was the original capital of Greece.
My only problem is that I keep calling it Nilfguaard (from the Witcher). Sandy is not amused!
The town is amazingly quaint, with marble roads (the size of alleys). Filled with flowering vines and wine bars.
Typical Side Street in Nafplio.
So many choices for dinning. We found many restaurants along the harbor and stopped in for some Aperol Spritz and appetizers.
Aperol Spritz!
Another problem I have is that there is a wine shop on both sides of our hotel. How will I cope! In fact we just got back from dinner at 11:45, and it was still open. I was obligated to stop in and make a purchase so we could enjoy some wine on our balcony.
View from our hotel.
Street Art in Athens
It all begins with an idea.
September 21, 2023
Today I took the opportunity to relax and walk around Athens and explore the area more further away from my apartment. I had notices that there is a lot of street art painted on the buildings. There is also a lot of graffiti. My guide from the food tour told me that they accept the graffiti as art in the city. I do not agree, it mostly looks like vandalism to me. However, the wall art painted on the sides of buildings is wonderful.
Wall art on building.
Sandy’s meetings were done that afternoon, so she returned to the apartment, and I took her on a tour of all the things I had found on my tours. We planned on getting a rental car tomorrow and driving out to the Peloponnesian Peninsula for the weekend.
Food Tasting Tour of Athens
It all begins with an idea.
September 20 2023
Today I slept in and wandered the neighborhood for a coffee. Then I headed out for my next Airbnb Experience, a Food tasting tour of Athens. This will be a four hour tour that will include a stop at a pie shop, local markets, a small mom and pop cafe, a honey & olive oil tasting and finally a traditional Athenian meal.
This tour started in the Varvakios Central Municipal Market, the same market I toured with the cooking class. However, this time, we spent more time checking out all the vendors. This is where most of the restaurants in the area get their food. It is also open to the general public.
Varvakios Central Municipal Market.
There is also a fruit and vegetable market across the street from the Varvakios Market on Evripidou Street. Here we were able to sample sausages, olives and honey. They had us try raw olives, very bitter! There is a reason they are cured. Then we got to sample cured olives. Yum! what a difference. I also learned that Feta Cheese is named becasue it is cured in barrels and needs to be sliced to be removed. Feta is the Greek word for “slice”.
We also got to do a tasting in the Melira Honey & Olive Oil store. The honey was very good and they used it many skin products sold there as well. It was a bit expensive, so I did not get anything.
sausage store.
Next, our tour guide took us to a small Mom & Pop restaurant located in the market area. We had some traditional greek food.
Our tour group enjoying lunch.
We also got a presentation in a spice store. Here, you buy by weight. They had large canisters of spices to choose from. They also had teas. I ended up buying Greek Mountain tea. It helps with digestion and boosts your immune system.
Spice shop.
Next we went to a nice Greek restaurant where we had a nice sampling of some traditional Athenian foods. Everything tasted wonderful. There was a Greek family in the restaurant as well. One of the kids accidentally dropped a glass off the table and it broke. Everyone at that tables said “Opa”. Apparently that means “oops” in Greek. I took note of this since when I have saganaki in American Greek restaurants, the waiter always says “Opa” when they light the cheese on fire. Hmmmm.
Athenian Food.
I returned to my apartment and took a quick nap. Later I decided to wander my neighborhood again and found an Irish Pub. This is the opportunity to add another location to my Guinness Around the World Blog.
Guinness made for Greece. (See Guinness Around the World Blog for review)
It was 11:00 and time to find some dinner. I started wandering around more and stumbled upon a “Halloween” ally. I guess they celebrate Halloween here as well. It was amazingly decorated and a bit over the top. But still very fun.
I eventually found a nice cafe off a plaza where i enjoyed some souvlaki and a nice glass of wine. Once again, the wine was presented in a small tin pitcher. There was live music and people dancing in the street. What a great way to end the day!
Athens Bike Tour & Cooking Class
It all begins with an idea.
September 19, 2023
Sandy had to catch an early cab to the resort where her meetings would be for the next few days. I would have stayed at the resort with her, but it was two hours south of Athens and not much for me to see or do without a rental car. I decided to stay in the Airbnb.
I was able to find a few Airbnb experiences to do. The first was “Explore Athens on Electric Bikes”. This is a two hour guided tour of Athens on electric bikes. It was a short walk to the bike shop where it started.
There were about 15 people in our tour group. Many opted for non-motorized bikes. I was happy to have the electric bike as we had many hills to climb. We got to the top of a few hills for some great views of the area.
We bike all over and saw many historic sites, including the Panathenaic stadium, the original Olympic stadium where the first modern Olympics were held. It was built in 330 bc and is made entirely of marble.
After the bike tour, a few of us went to a place our tour guide recommended for the best souvlaki in town. This is a small business by an older greek man who only opens when he is feeling up to it. Lucky for us he was open today.
Next I found a cooking class on Airbnb Experiences. This class included a trip to the Varvakios Central Municipal Market. The market is set up with different areas for fresh fish, meats, fruits, vegetables and spices. We returned to the kitchen where we each had our own cooking station. Step by step, they showed us how to make Dolmades, Spanakopita, Tzatziki, Imam Bialdi, and Portokalopita.
We ended the class with a nice dinner of what we just made and a toast with Ouzo.
New Hat!
On my way back, I found a hat shop. I had been admiring hat worn by the locals, so I had to get one for myself.
The Acropolis at night.
Back at the apartment I had a glass of wine and took in the fantastic view of the Acropolis lit up at night.
Travel to Athens
It all begins with an idea.
September 18, 2023
My wife had some work meetings in Athens, so I decided to tag along and make a short adventure out of it.
Our flight out of Chicago got cancelled due to technical issues with the plane. Since this was a busness trip for my wife, she got rebooked onto another plane immediately. I was using miles and there was not room on her place, so I had to find another plane. We flew two different flights into Frankfort Germany (there were not any other direct flights available).
Her flight was supposed to leave an hour before mine. We were on the same connecting lfight to Athens, so she was planning on waiting for me at the gate. However, her flight was delayed and I arrived in Frankfort before her!
Once we arrived in Frankfort, the airport had issues with their Passport control systems, so all the passengers were routed to the opposite end of the terminal to the only working passport control station. The line was long and it took over an hour to get through. WE happen to find each other waiting in line.
Once we got through, we had to run to the opposite end of the terminal to catch our flight. I ran ahead and just make it to the gate when they closed the doors. They would not open it and let us on, so we had to wait for the next flight to Athens. That was in another hour and a half.
We finally made it to Athens late in the evening. We took a taxi to the Airbnb I rented for our first night. It was a rooftop apartment on the fifth floor of an industrial building located in the heart of Athens. Our Airbnb host greeted us and took our luggage up to the apartment. There was an elevator, but it was not working. He assured us that it was getting fixed the next day. It was a long climb to the top floor where we were staying.
The listing calls the apartment “The Comic House”, appropriatly named with all the comic artwork throughout the apartment. It had a large outdoor patio that overlooked Athens with a fantastic view of the Acropolis.
We were tired from the day of travel, so we decided to walk around the neighborhood and find a place to eat. There was a small cafe with people dancing to live music. WE ordered some food and wine. The wine was served in small tin pitchers. Very interesting.
We walked back to our apartment. I was able to pick up some wine at a local bodega and we enjoyed the sunset as we watched the Acropolis light up.