Greece and Turkey Make An Appearance

Kalimera... from the Wandering Berkmans!

Athens, Greece was very very good to us!  For our second visit to this city, we opted for a 6 week stay (first visit was a week in 2017) and stayed just outside of the central tourist area to get a home-town feel of the city.  

Can you beat this nightly view from our local vantage point Filopappou Hill?   Even under restoration and covered in scaffolding, the Acropolis was a sight to behold.  

Here's the daytime money shot. 

And of the arena that is still used for concerts today.  

As always, we like to learn a little of the local language to try to be good tourists.  Don made up this cheat-sheet that came in very handy -- we would make attempts and at least 4 locals tried to teach us new words, with our pronunciation giving them a laugh.  It's a great way to connect.   Many in the service industry spoke English but when in doubt, thank you, Google translate!

This hostel in Monestiraki had a fun cafe/bar set up with window seats looking out to a quiet street away from the crowds.  Delicious freddo espresso, the local drink of choice regardless of the weather.  

We went back to Stavros Niarchos Park over and over because of the terrific elevated park, views of the city from the rooftop of the Opera House in the distance and the proximity to the piers and beach.   The freddo espresso at the cafe way overpriced (5 euro? really??) but just go to the kiosk by the library and it is a respectable 2.50 euro haha

Another great way to see the Acropolis at night... and catch a movie as well is to go to the Cine Paris outdoor cinema.  We saw two flicks there but found we couldn't take our eyes off of that view! 

So not the most beautiful beach in Athens (a contender comes later) but Floisvos Park was the first beach we encountered (not far from Stavos) and was full of locals so we had to give it a wade.  Here is Don braving the little stones on the shore-- not for tender feet! 

Our treasured travel buddy Page (remember her from Austin and CDMX?) joined us again for a terrific 5 days.  And when Anna and Mikael came to Athens for a few days we were in our happy place getting all these great friends together to share some delicious food and laughs.  

And we were lucky enough to have stays that coincided with these terrific fellow nomads Gina, Justin, Emily and Olaf. 

 

For our last 2 weeks in Athens we rented a car to explore outside the city.  It was a treat to walk in the  Mt Hymettus Aesthetic Forest and see the hidden Byzantine monastery and this little shrine to saints.  

We spoiled ourselves at Lake Vouliagmeni where we swam in this natural lake nestled in a cove.  It took a bit to get used to the little fish that nibbled at our feet as we entered the water (here's Don building up his courage and freaking out just a wee bit by all those little fishies!).  Comfortable lounge chairs, umbrellas, delicious lunch and spa options and this incredible natural beauty made for a fantastic day.  

Our plans didn't include the islands but we figured we should at least go to one while we were in Athens.  Egina is one of the closest islands and an easy 1 hour ferry away.   Once there we strolled a bit through the narrow streets of this picturesque little port town, had a delicious lunch and later Aperol Spritz at a waterfront bar,  took a nap on lounge chairs on a small beach while Don checked out an impressive  archaeological site,  pet all the cats we saw (this guard cat was especially cute)...

... and checked out real estate options-- Page and Don thought this fixer upper may be missing the curb appeal but what bones! 

The view from the ferry as we set off again, timing it perfectly with the sunset over the water.    

We were excited to have Greek food again and for the most part, the eating was fantastic! The greek salad has shown us how delicious a tomato can truly be.  But who put the cumin in this melizanosalata (eggplant salad)?? 

I had to try the spanikopita because I think one legally has to when in Greece?  Also featured, the infamous freddo espresso... decaf!  Thank you, Athens, for giving our weak constitutions this espresso option for after 11 am!  (We truly are weak.) 

This! You can tell by the look on Don's face that this is the meal that brought him to his knees and made him kiss the Grecian ground for his good fortune.  In front of him, the ubiquitous greek salad (guess who's a feta fan now??), melizanosalata in the foreground and that yellow dip in the middle?   Don's new favorite food-- fava!  Actually made from a legume like a yellow split pea, to Don it was a more savory, nutritious and delicious version of mashed potatoes...and he was living for it.  We returned to this restaurant at least 4 times (with and without friends) and found this was one of the best fava we tried... and we tried a lot!

Sorry to all the octopus lovers-- weakness applies here as well.  

We love a good side trip, as you know, especially to "second cities" so Thessaloniki was a must visit.  Five hours by car, we also had the chance to stop in a mountain town for lunch and see Mount Olympus in the distance-- very cool!

The White Tower is an impressive meeting point on the peaceful boardwalk on the  Thermatic Gulf and is the city's official symbol.  

Located in one of the busiest intersections of the city, the impressive Arch of Galerius takes your breath away with carvings that have survived from the arch's construction between 298 and 305.   Just 3 of the 8 pillars remain.  

Designed in 1915 but only built in the 50's, Aristotelous Square is made up 12 buildings facing the waterfront and is a centerpoint of the city for commerce, festivals and political rallies. 

The intricately designed Church of St Pavlos (St Paul)  in the upper city has an amazing view of the waterfront, the main part of the city and of Mount Olympus!

Meanwhile, we found this little baby chapel from 1350 nestled in between apartment buildings near the Arch of Galerius.  Blink and you miss it! The Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior survived the 6.5 earthquake in 1978 with just a slight lean to its tower.  

The waterfront boardwalk was a special treat to walk at night-- if you look close you can see my own Gene Kelly at the Zongolopoulos Umbrellas installation! 

The waterfront was also the perfect place for a sunset ride on a bicycle built for two! 

We ate delicious gyros by the waterfront and later were surprised by our wonderful Airbnb host with his homemade halva .....

We (ok, I) was looking for the anise flavored spirit I remembered from our first visit to Greece.  We found tsipouro in a little farmers' market.   When I asked for the anise flavored version, the vender took out a huge, unlabeled jug and poured out a portion for me.  Not for the faint of heart but I love anything anise.  

One more trip within a trip, this time to Istanbul, Turkey for 4 days!

This is view of the religious center of the city from the ferry.  We were intrigued with the fact that the city is actually present on two continents, Europe and Asia!  We stayed on the Asian side while the religious center is on the European side.  I counted 20 minarets (towers of the mosques) from this view alone.  

This is the nondescript lighthouse that indicates the boundary between the two continents!

Hagia Sofia Grand Mosque  from 537 AD was a former church that was transformed into a mosque.  It was interesting to see the remnants of the church still present inside.  

Every mosque has an area outside where participants wash their hands and feet before entering.  The area for the women is behind the partitions.  

The official name of the Blue Mosque is actually the Sultan Almed Mosque-- the blue tiles all around make for an impressive sight.  We were able to enter the mosques outside of official prayer time.   

The area outside of the Hagia Sofia and the Sultan Almed mosques used to be the Hippodrome of Constantinople in the 4th century.  The Obelisk of Theodosius was a gift from Egypt to the Roman emperor Theodosius I-- our guide said it was so tall there wasn't a ship long enough to transport it so this is just the top half of the entire obelisk.   

James Bond fans will recognize the Yerebatan Sarnici or the  Underground Cistern from "From Russia With Love".  One of the most fascinating parts of our visit, the cistern dates back from the 4th century and was used as one of the water supplies for the city.  Now a museum and event space, the lighting and inclusion of sculpture made it the highlight of our visit.   The 336 columns were taken from other structures in the city so they are of all different shapes and designs.  

This column featured the head of Medusa on its side, to remove her powers. It's ok to look!

Cats, cats, cats... everywhere!  Belonging to everyone and no one, there are cat houses on the sidewalks, people leaving food and a catch/spay/release program in the city.  This little guy (Don named him Pavo- turkey in Spanish!) jumped on our laps, refusing the food we offered him, just looking for a little love.  He had the same sweet personality as our cat Jake from back in the day.  

This little one is the resident kitty of our local cafe.  She normally naps on top of the tables but it was a chilly morning and she was recovering from surgery.  The irony is not lost on us that Don was ready to take her "home" too!  Note the glass of tea in Don's hand-- these little tulip-shaped glasses are the way tea is taken in Turkey, the country with the highest per-capita tea consumption in the world!

One such cat hotel 

Not as ubiquitous as cats but we saw a version of this dog everywhere in the city!  

Eating in our neighborhood, Kadiköy, we mostly had traditional Ottoman food, which consisted of a lot of vegetable stews and not too much meat.  This type of restaurant was common where there are a number of dishes and you're served small portions of whatever you choose.  We didn't have the musakka but we made sure to have tea! 

Don had a gyro but I opted for more okra stew (bamya) and some stuffed peppers.  

Another thing we didn't get a chance to try but looked intriguing were the stuffed potatoes (kumpir) sold on the street.   The mostly veg toppings looked endless.   Add butter, mayo and ketchup and you are good to go! 

First night dinner we had no idea what we were eating but in the end the okra stew, lentil soup, beet salad and zucchini pancakes were tasty.  

I cheated on the pide (similar to a pizza)  and only got a cheese version instead of the beef but paired with tons of parsley, hot pepper flakes and this yogurt drink I was in heaven. 

Istanbul turned Don into a soup and tea lover, at least temporarily!  It was a chilly day and these soups of lentil for DB and cauliflower and yogurt for me were the ticket.   Both were topped with a chili oil that put (more) hair on my chest.   

Of course we tried the baklava and of course it was delicious.  How could I not pair it with a drink of buffalo milk??  (Don stuck with an Americano, as you would surmise.)  Thoughts?-- not as odd as I thought it would be.  Much much better than the fermented turnip carrot drink  (şalgam) I tried the day before that tasted like a salt lick.  

Overall thoughts on Athens?  We enjoyed it but we wouldn't put it on the list for another long stay--  we like our nearby parks and greenery and the city is too busy.  Thessaloniki is another thing-- there we would consider as a home base for further exploring.  Again-- those 2nd cities seem to be our thing.  

Thanksgiving in NM was terrific, as always, and we spent a fun week with Don's mom Pat in Tucson to celebrate her birthday.  We're here in Mexico City for 6 weeks to celebrate Xmas with the kids and looking forward to being in one place for a while.  

We hope this holiday season finds you happy and healthy!  Thanks for following along!

Don and Monica