Woohoo Athens!

We made it! After our perfect wedding (we couldn't have asked for anything better), Seth and I made our way home, packed up our stuff and headed to the airport.  Much to Seth's happiness, he managed to score some passes to the Continental President's Club. We ate our weight in cheese, crackers and fritos. Seth was happy. Our flight was slightly delayed but fairly uneventful. The most exciting part was the man in front of Seth who was about 6'7" and 400 pounds, who Seth nicknamed Tiny.We arrived in Athens and were greeted by our driver George (we were surprised at how unique his name is). George took us to our hotel, called Fresh Hotel, an extremely modern boutique in downtown Athens. We were happily upgraded to an "executive suite" (which means the room has a couch) and greeted with champagne and fruit. Hooray for honeymoons! The hotel is extremely quiet, allowing for tons of relaxing. It has a great rooftop bar, restaurant and pool and we have lounged up here a lot.

George was kind enough to give us running commentary about where we were and great places to visit. After we checked in and took a power nap, Seth and I finally ventured into Athens around 3:00 on Tuesday. We got lost, over and over, but had a blast doing it. We walked through a few neighborhoods called Psyri, Monastrika and the Plaka. We shopped a bit, I bought a sweater and Seth bought booze. Very uncharacteristic, we know. We watched people, trying to figure who were tourists and who were locals (not an easy task). We ran into Hadrian's Library, no books, just archaeologists! This city is amazing how you can walk through a flea market and come to see a building from 132 A.D.

On our way to dinner, we stopped at Brettos for a drink. It is the oldest distillery in Athens and makes some killer brandy, ouzo and flavored liquors. We were welcomed by the owner and treated to drinks and tastes of many liquors. I tried a cinnamon liquor and a drink with raki, similar to grappa and made in Crete. Seth tried some 7 year old brandy straight from the barrel. After we were sufficiently happy with booze, we headed to dinner at a place that is supposed to be one of the best in Athens.

The restaurant is called Paradosiako and is in the Plaka. There are about 10 tables in the whole place. The menu is handwritten and they only serve what is fresh that day. We ordered tzatziki, a greek salad, a fresh grilled fish and sausage. One might think this was too much food. You would be right, but with Seth there, the  only thing left at the end of this amazing meal was fish head and some full tummies.