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Going to Greece
  • Laurie Reynolds
oktober 2019

Going to Greece

En 22-dags äventyr från Laurie Läs mer
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  • Resans start
    2 oktober 2019
    Laurie ReynoldsLaurie ReynoldsGoing to Greece

    On our way to Greece

    2 oktober 2019, Förenta staterna ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Well, we made it to the Chicago airport, though our flight from Champaign was a bit late, and our next flight boards in about a half hour. This is a trip Joe has wanted to take for many years, so in the spirit of Carpe Diem, here we go. We fly to Santorini (Chicago - London - Santorini), have four nights there with me learning how to drive in Greece, boat to Mykonos, three nights there. Fly to Athens and pick up rental car for about a week to Delphi, some monasteries, some Byzantine churches, some mountains. Then we will relax for a bunch of days in a nice Athens hotel. I fell for the view of the Acropolis from the breakfast room and the snazzy fitness center with ellipticals.

    I am a little out of my comfort zone, but I remember that I have driven in Hungary where the road signs were equally unintelligible. I ultimately decided to buy a real paper map for Santorini, because when I did a google street view of the route from the Santorini airport to our hotel, I saw that google was taking me on dirt roads, one of which seemed to end in a dump. So I figured I will be a lot better off with a real map. Lots of hours traveling ahead of us, but the excitement will make it bearable.    Läs mer

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    Made it to Santorini!

    3 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    The flight to London was smooth, the flight to Santorini bumpy, but we arrived right on time at 4:15 p.m. The one little passport control cubicle was empty when we arrived, but thankfully we were the only flight arriving. By 5:15 we were through passport control and were driving out of the airport in our rental car. Joe had not brought the car GPS, though he thought he had, but in an uncharacteristic stroke of tech skills I was able to download google maps for Santorini and mainland Greece. And, even more amazing, it worked offline as it was supposed to!

    The touristy side of the island rings the volcanic crater, called the Caldera. We are about a two minute hike up to get to the Caldera side, but our hotel is on the other side of that high ridge, which means a sea view but no Caldera view. But the real benefit is that it is much quieter. Truth be told, though, it was one of only two hotels on the island that has an elliptical — and this one has a sea view!

    The island is very small, so by 6, Joe was taking a nap and I was on the elliptical. I also had time for a short walk along the Caldera, it was just gorgeous. We ventured out for dinner in the car around 8, but were gobsmacked by the crowds in Fira. I thought this wasn’t high season!!! We just kept driving till we found a place to park the car. It was in front of a supermarket, with not a restaurant in sight, so we just bought some food and wine (choice in red wine was one labeled “dry red wine” and the other “sweet red wine.” It is not up to my wine cellar friends’ standards.)

    But we are now on the terrace of our room, overlooking the pool, eating very yummy sheep cheese and salami on pita while sipping “dry red wine.”

    Tomorrow Ancient Thira and some island exploration. I will not be spending a lot of time shopping in Thira, of that you can be sure.    Läs mer

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    Ruins!

    4 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Ruins and more ruins. First, we went to the Greek and Roman ruins of Ancient Thira, from about 900 BC to several centuries AD a city way up high with ruins of a theater, a garrison, lots of temples. Then we went to the really old ruins, a Minoan city from about 3000 BC. It had been buried in a volcanic eruption about 1500 BC. No human remains were found, so they must have had warning. Half the island was submerged, leaving the Caldera/crater, which has led some to speculate that this is where Atlantis was. Too bad that at both sites, all the frescoes, and most of the pottery and statuary have been placed in the Thira museum (and some, probably the best, went to Athens). So tomorrow we will have to go to the museum.

    After lunch on the Red Beach, we decided to brave the crowds and head for either Fira/Thira or Imervogli. Fira was just way too crazy, so on we went. Found a primo parking place in Imervogli, so we took advantage and spent several hours walking around, it is beautiful. Joe stayed in a cafe hanging on a cliff while I walked out to a nearby rock with gorgeous views. Unfortunately, I did not think I should do the last 50 m or so, it was pretty much scrambling on rock. But it was a good bit of energetic walking and nearly top views, while Joe sipped his 5 euro iced coffee.

    Crowds are pretty crazy, this is nothing like Sicily in October, where we had enormous parking lots all to ourselves! To give you some idea of the number of tourists — I was just looking for driving directions to the archaeological musem tomorrow. And google maps shows several stretches of “red” on the route now. And this is 9 pm on October 4!!!! I would not venture here in high season.    Läs mer

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    Day in Fira

    5 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We woke up to bright sunshine, and decided to head for Fira — main city, cruise ship central, tourist shopping heaven. Our hotel had offered us a spot on a fancy boat tour around the caldera and to the volcano, but at 160 € a head, we thought it was a bit much. So we headed into Fira, found the big parking lot (which still had a few places at 10 am, thankfully), and walked down to the old port. From 1200’ above sea level to the port took about 20 minutes. We could have taken a donkey, but decided to walk. Once at the old port, we easily bought tickets for an 11 am boat tour, 20 € per person, thank you very much.

    We went to the hot springs, then to the island nearby where the only live crater is. It was a good climb up through the lava field, and it was so easy to see the outline of what used to be the island, till the volcanic eruption in 1500 BC that is. Amazing views.

    Once back in the port, Joe took the 3 minute cable car while I walked back up, dodging lots of donkey poop, hoping to beat him because the line was long. But he got there first. After lunch, we went to the prehistoric museum — I had never focused on Minoan artifacts and art, but these were really beautiful. Then some more walking along the twisty top paths with gorgeous views out, over the cliff towns, the sheer cliffs, and the turquoise water. It is truly beautiful, most beautiful view while eating an ice cream ever, but the tiny alleys of every kind of tourist trinket is not for me. We bought some great takeout and will soon be chowing down on our little terrace once again. Very happy to be here. 😋    Läs mer

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    Perfect Day

    6 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Today was one of those “it doesn’t get any better than this” days. Our first stop was Oia, another village on the Caldera with impossibly perfect white houses and all those white and blue churches. With clear blue sky and water, and strong sun, it was dazzling.

    I had read about the oldest church on the island, 11th Century AD. Had to find it of course — google maps took us on some crazy dirt roads, and at one point a very nice young guy had to get in the car and turn us around where we were stuck in a dead end. But we did make it only to find it closed up tight, with its mosaics visible from the window. In the parking lot, a villager dinged our rental car. Luckily there was a young guy nearby who spoke English and seemingly took care of everything. We’ll see if that’s the case when we drop off the car tomorrow morning.

    Last stop Pyrgos, highest town on the island. We had a massive kebab lunch at a lively outdoor terrace. Great views, more blue domed churches, less touristy — at least so we thought till three busloads of tourists descended on the town — time for a quick getaway.

    Ended the day with one more sunset, one more elliptical workout, one more dinner on our room terrace. Tomorrow we drop off the car at the airport at 8, take a van to the port, and hopefully hop on a boat to Mykonos.    Läs mer

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    Island hopping

    7 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    It was a bit complicated to drop off the rental car and get to the port in Santorini for the ship to Mykonos. The port is a teeny tiny place, no room for car rentals, lots of crowds and chaos. So we dropped off the rental car at the airport and took a van to the port. As we waited for our boat, we watched in amazement as busload after busload got picked up and others got dropped off. Pretty well organized, I must say, and those bus drivers can turn their huge vehicles on a dime. Very entertaining and a bit scary to watch them back up a busload to within 6 inches of the end of the dock, with no guardrail, no nothing. And then they maneuver around like they were riding a bicycle.

    The boat stopped at Ios and Naxos, and by 1 or so we were in Mykonos. We took the bus into town and then had about a half hour walk from the very top of the old town, down to the old port/harbor, and around to our hotel. Very nice views from where we sit! It has been cloudy with a few showers, so we have limited our time to a few walks around the port. I have NEVER seen as many tourist shops in one maze-like set of twisty-turvey lanes. There is absolutely nothing else here — it’s all for the tourist trade. Shopping on Mykonos, or anywhere for that matter, is not high on my list, but being here was the only way we could get out to the ruins on the uninhabited island of Delos, birthplace of Apollo among other things.

    We are going to have a late dinner and sleep in tomorrow. Looks like the rain is gone but we may have some clouds. So we will save the trip to Delos till Wednesday, which is forecast for cool and sunny.    Läs mer

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    Tourists in Mykonos

    8 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ 🌧 0 °C

    So, today we had no plans, other than to spend the day walking around town and chilling out. This is NOT my normally preferred itinerary. But hey, it worked! We just had a lazy day, up to the iconic Mykonos windmills, down to the touristy trappy lanes, round and about. Saw a great sunset, enjoyed sitting on the water, and we were just generally in relax mode.

    I continue to be stunned by the numbers of people who get off a huge cruise ship, wait in line, and then come and walk around to shop and eat. They then have long lines at the old port to get a bus to the new port, to get a boat to the cruise ship. My good friend at the hotel reception (who turns on the AC when I go down to the fitness center) tells me that it is just a fact of life on Mykonos, and that the island very much depends on this tourist onslaught.

    Finally had a really great moussaka, and a bite of Joe’s amazing baklava. Tomorrow Delos!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsLaurie ReynoldsGoing to Greece

    Tourists in Mykonos

    8 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    So, today we had no plans, other than to spend the day walking around town and chilling out. This is NOT my normally preferred itinerary. But hey, it worked! We just had a lazy day, up to the iconic Mykonos windmills, down to the touristy trappy lanes, round and about. Saw a great sunset, enjoyed sitting on the water, and we were just generally in relax mode.

    I continue to be stunned by the numbers of people who get off a huge cruise ship, wait in line, and then come and walk around to shop and eat. They then have long lines at the old port to get a bus to the new port, to get a boat to the cruise ship. My good friend at the hotel reception (who turns on the AC when I go down to the fitness center) tells me that it is just a fact of life on Mykonos, and that the island very much depends on this tourist onslaught.

    Finally had a really great moussaka, and a bite of Joe’s amazing baklava. And a perfect ending on our hotel balcony with a view of both th old and new ports. Tomorrow Delos!    Läs mer

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    Delos

    9 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    After a quick trip to the archaeological museum to see an amazing huge urn depicting the Trojan War, we hopped on a ferry for the half hour ride to the very tiny island of Delos. It is now uninhabited, but was settled about 5,000 years ago. It is the birthplace of Apollo, so that makes it pretty sacred. For centuries it was a prosperous commercial port. The whole place was destroyed by pirates in about 60BC and has been uninhabited since then. Excavations are ongoing. We spent hours walking around, climbing up and down, enjoying great views over the Aegean, and in a nice change from Mykonos, there were no crowds!

    Tomorrow we get an early plane to Athens, and head northwest in a rental car. Monasteries, Delphi, and some mountains are our desination.

    But now time for one more stroll around the harbor as night falls.    Läs mer

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    In Arachova

    10 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I was not expecting today to be so easy and hassle-free. We had about a 20 minute flight to Athens, picked up the car and were on our way. Google maps offline worked perfectly and we made our way the 200 kms to the monastery of St. Luke (Ossios Loukas), a hermit. When he died in the 10th century, the monastery was built. It is in a gorgeous valley setting (the monks almost always picked beautiful spots to settle). Two churches in the monastic complex, which is still functioning, and the Byzantine moisaics from the 10th and 11th centuries were amazing. Can’t get enough of this ancient architecture! Either Joe is becoming more of a fan or he is just being more patient, because we both were happy to just sit at a lookout and soak in the architectural and natural beauty. No surprise that this is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

    We are in the mountain town of Arachova, overlooking the Delphi Valley. That’s where we’ll head tomorrow!    Läs mer

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    Delphi

    11 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 0 °C

    Well, I know very little about Greek History, and only a little bit about Greek Mythology, but I LOVED walking around Delphi for nearly 6 hours today. Joe is now sleeping it off, but he walked every step too. The site is just incredible, going back thousands of years, and the museum has good models showing you what the place looked like in its glory day. So many things to knock your socks off — the stadium, the temples, the theater, the many treasuries built by cities around Greece to receive the offerings of their citizens to Apollo. The site is not huge, though there is a fair amount of up and down, so there was a lot of sit down and soak it in time. Sobering to think how entire cultures and regimes were destroyed and essentially disappeared.

    And p.s. I forgot to post this before we went out to dinner and it was our best meal yet. An effusive chef who came to talk to us about every course. Just terrific.    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsLaurie ReynoldsGoing to Greece

    Delphi

    11 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Well, I know very little about Greek History, and only a little bit about Greek Mythology, but I LOVED walking around Delphi for nearly 6 hours today. Joe is now sleeping it off, but he walked every step too. The site is just incredible, going back thousands of years, and the museum has good models showing you what the place looked like in its glory day. So many things to knock your socks off — the stadium, the temples, the theater, the many treasuries built by cities around Greece to receive the offerings of their citizens to Apollo. The site is not huge, though there is a fair amount of up and down, so there was a lot of sit down and soak it in time. Sobering to think how entire cultures and regimes were destroyed and essentially disappeared.

    And p.s. I forgot to post this before we went out to dinner and it was our best meal yet. An effusive chef who came to talk to us about every course. Just terrific.    Läs mer

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    Galaxidi and Nafpatkos

    12 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    If you’ve never heard of them, don’t worry, neither had we. I always try to have an extra day at each of our stops, so since we had been to the monastery and to Delphi, we had a day to find something to do. The woman at the desk sent us to Galaxidi, about 40 minutes away on the Aegean. It’s a very cute little town with harbor, church on top of the hill, and a nice walk through pine forest out along the coast.

    As we were sitting there soaking it in, Joe looked at the guide book and said, hey, we are about an hour away from the site of the battle of Lepanto! So off we went along the coast to Nafpatkos, where the Spaniards with some help defeated the Turks in the late 1500s. Miguel Cervantes lost his arm in the great naval battle, and there is a statue of him in the harbor.

    What a great decision it was, it’s another very pretty little port town, this one crowned with a 17th century Venetian castle at the top of the hill. We had lunch in the harbor, walked along the beach, explored the castle area, and finished off the day with a coffee at a café looking down over the harbor, one of the prettiest café views anywhere. We didn’t get back to the hotel till almost 8, so since Joe is going to skip his nap, I will be a good sport and skip my exercise.

    Tomorrow we head north for a few hundred kms, to our last stop before Athens. Time is flying!    Läs mer

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    Travel day

    13 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We slept in a bit, since today was a travel day. We were headed north about 300 kms, to an area called Meteora, where there are six monasteries dating as far back as far as the 11th century, all of which are perched on rocks, high above.

    All started well, till our phone couldn’t give any directions. Turns out I hadn’t downloaded a map that went far enough north to get us to Meteora. As google maps gave out, and things were looking very complicated, I decided to go to a Shell station to ask for directions. The very wonderful Marieta from Bulgaria, who spoke perfect English, was working there. She couldn’t give me directions but offered me something better — Wifi!!! So I downloaded more Greece maps, and off we went.

    Our hotel has a “fitness center”, but I bet no one has used it in years or ever. Nothing was working, but after a lot of help from one of the maintenance people, the bicycle was sort of working. The elliptical, no way. Oh well, since I was in the same room as the indoor pool, I was sweating in no time!

    We have two full days here, and we will take it at a relaxed pace. It is an amazing site.    Läs mer

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    Loving the monasteries

    14 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Meteora has six medieval monasteries all within an 11 km circuit from our base of Kalambaka. Bus groups leave early, forge ahead and get their visits done in time for lunch at a big taverna. We are lucky to have two days, and also to have brought snacks along for eating up there, so we had no rush to finish it all in one day before lunch. Not very efficient, I guess, but really lovely. Between 10 and 4 today, we visited three monasteries, climbed 60 floors according to my phone, and just pulled off to walk and enjoy the views wherever we were. All have chapels covered with murals, many of which could use a benefactor for restoration, but all of which just ooze with humanity and devotion.

    Just a totally great day, except for witnessing one uncomfortable nasty exchange between a French tourist and a nun who was insisting she put on a wrap around skirt before going into one monastery. I also think that it’s silly that men can wear pants but women have to cover their pants with a skirt they give you. But IMHO the monastery is the one that gets to call the shots and I was kind of amazed at this woman’s rudeness. Aside from that, the rest of the day was filled with a lot of peace, I even got to light some real (not electric) candles to think about my mom, the rest of my family, and my many friends with all sorts of health struggles.    Läs mer

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    More monasteries in Meteora

    15 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Since we hadn’t crammed all of the monasteries into one day, we still had two we wanted to visit. We asked at the desk for suggestions to round out the day, and presto, we had another great day. First, Nikolas suggested we walk, not drive, to the first monastery. We took the original centuries old stone walking path from about a mile away and hiked up through shady forests — a much nicer arrival than just pulling up in a rented car and parking!

    After visiting the two monasteries, we then took his tip to take a detour that would bring us to a place where we could see several more monasteries in ruins, as well as many hermit caves (occupied till the 1950s!). It was quiet, and kind of surreal — the caves still had wooden ladders dangling down outside of them, but no human habitation anywhere. A really nice way to end the day. We ran into one German family there, and we all remarked on how nice it was to get away from the tourist destinations for a bit.

    We have had excellent meals here — just going to TripAdvisor’s top rated places has served us well everywhere we have been so far. Here in Kalambaka we have been to numbers 3 and 5, and tonight we will drive to number 1! Lots of good vegetables, salads, yoghurt dips, grape leaves, we are eating very well.    Läs mer

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    Travel to Athens

    16 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We slept in, ate a late breakfast, and then drove to Athens. We took the back roads for some of the way, driving through villages and a big town or two. It’s fun to see how life happens for normal people— saw a lot of little market stands, people navigating chaotic traffic on bikes, and lots of old men sitting outside in cafes. Not much in the way of urban planning or traffic planning that we could see. About 100 km out, we got on the toll road and dropped the car at the airport. You would need nerves of steel or a death wish to drive in Athens.

    Our hotel is a notch above our normal level, but the bar, pool, and restaurant have a view of the Acropolis and the elliptical is the best one of the entire trip by far. Seems like a good splurge so far.    Läs mer

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    First day in Athens

    17 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today we decided to see a few of the “minor” sites and also visit the National Archaeological Museum. Hadrian’s Library, the Roman Agora, and the museum took up most of the day. We ended with a great dinner in a restaurant near the hotel, which we found by just poking around. Tomorrow, the Acropolis!Läs mer

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    Plan B

    18 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Well, I could not get Joe out of bed early enough for a trip to the Acropolis. The cruise ship groups start arriving around 9 or 10, so getting there by 8 is one way to avoid the hoards. So, on to Plan B. Luckily, there is no shortage of things to visit in Athens!

    We went to the Ancient Greek Agora, with one gorgeous temple, supposedly the most perfectly preserved of any Doric temple in Greece. We also saw a “jury selection” machine — the citizens put in a credit-card-size engraved stone, and then with some balls rolling around, the jurors are selected. Wonder if it was more efficient than sending letters out to random voters.

    After lunch, we went to the new Acropolis museum. Opened about ten years ago, the Greeks had hoped it would be the perfect place for displaying the Elgin marbles, if only the Brits would send them back. Ha, fat chance!

    Though I did not retain the details of the many times Athens was destroyed by invaders, it did stay with me that the glory days of Athenian democracy lasted from about 490 BC to at the very latest 146 BC when they finally lost out to the Romans. Some current events lead me to wonder whether Athens will continue in first place or whether the US will hold on long enough to beat the record. As the Washington Post says—democracy dies in darkness.

    And we somehow snagged a table at the oh so trendy Nolan Restaurant, which is a Japanese-Greek fusion place and the best meal we’ve had on this trip!    Läs mer

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    Acropolis or bust!

    19 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    So once again we changed our plans. Last night at dinner, the manager of the restaurant suggested that we consider a mid-late afternoon Acropolis trip. If we took the “back door” entry, we would walk up past some of the less-visited sites, like the theater of Dionysus, and by the time we got to the top where the Parthenon and other crowd magnets are, most of the tour groups would be gone.

    That meant late breakfast and morning gym workout, to mix things up a bit.

    First stop, back to Hadrian’s arch (dividing Ancient Greek Athens from Ancient Roman Athens) and the remaining 15 Corinthian columns of what must have been a pretty fantastic temple to Zeus. After a light lunch, a slow stroll (so as not to wear out the old guy before he hit the Acropolis hill) and some ice cream. Finally, at about 3:00, we started up the “back side” of the hill so we could see the huge theater. When we got up to the main sights, the crowds were still pretty heavy, so Joe promptly found a bench and took a nap, while I walked around. At about 4:30, we ventured up the steps and enjoyed the temples. The late afternoon sun was just beautiful. There were people there, but no crushing crowds.

    After sunset, we made our way back down, very happy to have visited such an important and beautiful place.    Läs mer

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    Last Day in Athens

    20 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    For our last day in Athens, Joe had just one thing he wanted to do — walk through the ruins of what is (probably) the site of the Lyceum where Aristotle taught. This is the place where Aristotle supposedly used the “peripatetic” teaching method, walking through th grounds discussing with his students. On our way, we saw some crowds down the street, so we turned in that direction. Lo and behold, it was the weekly ceremonial changing of the guard at the site of the tomb of the unknown soldier, which is right in front of Parliament. We had a great position by some struck of dumb luck, and we were thoroughly impressed with the exaggerated strides of soldiers dressed in traditional military uniforms. Marching, music, all the trappings.

    The ruins of Aristotle’s school leave a lot to the imagination, but there are signs to indicate layout and purpose of buildings. And imagine our surprise to see that right next door was the Medieval and Byzantine museum. Now who could resist that, especially after a quick glance at Michelin saw that it has two stars.

    It is a fabulous place, especially the rooms dedicated to early Christianity up through the fall of Constantinople. We saw shoes from the 5th century! Clothing from the 4th! Lots of beautiful pieces from the early days of Christianity in Greece.

    After a leisurely lunch in the very good museum café, we walked back slowly through the National Gardens, blending in with the many crowds out for their Sunday walk in the sun.

    Tonight we may finally take a stroll through tourist-shop heaven, the narrow pedestrian streets of Plaka, which we have been through only in transit. And then tomorrow, bright and early, off to the airport!    Läs mer

  • Laurie ReynoldsLaurie ReynoldsGoing to Greece

    My Favorite Church in Athens

    20 oktober 2019, Grekland ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    One last breakfast looking out on the Acropolis. But now, with plenty of time to kill in a number of airports today, I got inspired. :-)

    My favorite church in Athens sits in the shadow of the big perfectly sculpted cathedral. It’s a small 12th century Byzantine church, called “Little Metropolis” or the Church of Saint Eleftherios. Its architectural style is pretty similar to many other and many other bigger medieval Byzantine churches I have seen in Athens and further north, but this one just grabbed me differently. For one thing, there it sits, right next to the imposing 19th century attention-grabber. But when you look at it and read about it, you realize that it, and not the big brother next door, is the real jewel.

    This church has incorporated stones and carvings that go back centuries — the oldest is a 5th century BC fresco of the signs of the zodiac. Lots of other non-Christian stone carvings, from Greek Athens and Roman Athens, kind of a hodge-podge but all coming together perfectly. In the day, tourists walk around it, in early evening, small kids play in the square in front, and at night it seems to glow. Really not to be missed.
    I went at least a half dozen times.    Läs mer

    Resans slut
    23 oktober 2019
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