Made it to Athens!

The overnight flight (~8.5 hrs) was fairly smooth, with just three small stretches of turbulence. I had chicken and sweet potatoes (might have been squash) and a nice brownie for dinner. After a glass of wine, three episodes of "The Commoner" on Amazon Prime and an extra-strength Sleep-Eze, I slept 0 hours. "Fake sleeping" I call it. Breakfast was a small yogurt and a piece of fruit bread. I took my chances with having coffee at the equivalent of 2:00 a.m. The caffeine and deep stores of adrenaline are what are keeping me going.

We landed at about 10:00 a.m. Athens time. It is hot here - it will be about 30 deg. C. everyday. But there should be no rain. We met our tour guide, Kostas who shepherded us to the bus. It was about a one hour drive into the centre of Athens. The city is surrounded by four mountains. I saw lots of white houses and lots of green shrub-like trees. I'm guessing they are olive trees. There doesn't seem to be any grass here.

Kostas had kindly made a reservation for us to have lunch at a restaurant. I had moussaka, By the time we were finished, it was time to pile on the bus again after doing our number count off to ensure all 48 of us were present.

We are staying at the Royal Olympic Hotel, just a stone's throw from the old inner city which we will tour tomorrow.

Doug and I were able to connect via FaceTime. Always good to see my favourite travel partner. I feel much better after a hot shower in a funky bathroom with a stained glass (locked) door/window in the shower stall.

We are gathering at 5:00 p.m. to go to the cathedral for mass. Dinner will follow. Maybe I'll take food pictures this time!

Mass was at the Cathedral of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, named after one of St. Paul's few Athenian converts. This Catholic Cathedral stands as a beacon in the Orthodox-majority Greece. Its white marble is the same marble used to build the Parthenon. We sang in full lusty voices for the service since Fr. Rico provided us with a booklet containing all the hymns and mass readings.

We then went by bus to a section of the city called Monastiraki, a lively neighbourhood where a small monastery once stood. We went to a huge outdoor restaurant where we were treated to a 7-course dinner that. saw us begging for the food to stop coming!! It was all so delicious and so fresh. The live entertainment of traditional Greek music added to the authentic atmosphere.

By 9:00 p.m., all of us were dreaming of soft PJs and comfy beds. We are assembling at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. Oh, sweet sleep, come and join me tonight!!!Leer más