Grecian pride
After a tasty breakfast at the hotel of thick Greek yogurt with honey, we started a trek up to the Acropolis. The walk took us through the Plaka's ancient streets. There was an archaeological site at every turn.
Ken on Acropolis Day
Roman agora
sweating with a smile
one of the many Byzantine churches at the base of the Acropolis
a great name for a church
We didn't see many people on the walk until we found the main path up to the gates. From the height you can look down onto the theater and that large modern rectangular building which is the new Acropolis Museum.
Theater of Dionysus
Temple of Olympian Zeus
Temple of Olympian Zeus, street level
Acropolis this way
the herd
Entrance is free to all archaeological sites the first Sunday of the month. Seeing the Parthenon is awesome and I mean that in the true sense of the word. The most amazing fact we learned about it was the builders took into consideration the way the eye bends lines at a distance and compensated for that in its construction. Actually, the Greeks were aware of optical distortions even before the building of the Parthenon, proof in the design of an earlier temple on the island of Naxos.
overall the signage is few and not that informative
so bring a guide book
Ken and Parthenon
Parthenon and Ken
ancient inscriptions
Caryatid Porch of the Erechtheion - I can spell it but I can't say it
We also went to the Acropolis Museum and saw the artefacts found at the Acropolis site displayed in a beautiful, modern space. It was jam packed with people and closing early because today is Greek election day. It was only 1€ to enter. After, we weaved back down through the Plaka. The streets were quiet. Cafes and tavernas appeared around every corner. There was graffiti everywhere and colorfully painted walls and shutters.
cool geckoman
faux window
typical tourist menu
afternoon break
cattitude
Ken checking out a menu
a small artist's studio
After an appetizer of vegetarian gyros, we stopped at a taverna for a few mezés. We ordered the gigantes which we were told were fresh out of the oven and also a spinach pie. Spinach pies vary from place to place and this one was in a log form and without feta. The spinach flavor was rich and really tasty. We had a free dessert of semolina cake laced with orange peel and sticky with sugar syrup.
lunch in Plaka
spinach pie (spanakopita)
giant beans baked in tomato sauce (gigantes)
Exhausted from the hour walk in the sun up to the Acropolis, the museum, and the walk down, it was time for siesta.
A jolt of frappés geared us up for taking the metro to the neighborhood Keramikos where we planned to have dinner. We read high recommendations about a fish taverna called Sardelles. We got out of the metro into a huge lively square with cafes and trendy restaurants on all sides.
Sardelles Taverna
the namesake of TWELVE grilled sardines
a piece of fried baccala the size of a TV guide with garlicky skorladia (garlic dip)
vegetable puree to feed a family of 6
a piece of fried baccala the size of a TV guide with garlicky skorladia (garlic dip)
vegetable puree to feed a family of 6
complimentary ouzo for 2
We sat outside amongst white wooden tables and colored lights and dined on vegetable puree made of carrots, broccoli, potatoes (?) aside a huge fillet of breaded and fried salt cod with garlicky skordalia and a tremendous platter of a small school of grilled sardines with spicy oil and a blazing hot grilled banana pepper. The bread was dense and crusty and the house white was a perfect accompaniment. After, we waddled back to the metro.
I woke up in the middle of the night with a sore throat from the AC so I turned it off and opened a window. I heard bats outside and it crossed my mind that where there are bats there are insects and sure enough, mosquitoes flew into the room and feasted on me. They kept us up the rest of the night and we had an unfortunate wake up call at 6:30.