Santorini-Day Four

We were woken up this morning with a phone call to bring us breakfast consisting of greek yogurt (delicious), pastries (also delicious), bread, coffee, fruit and freshly squeezed o.j. We ate breakfast on our terrace overlooking the sea. When we finally moved ourselves after breakfast we decided to take the 45 minute hike into Fira, the capital of the island.

The walk was some serious exercise. The road is windy, mostly uphill and not paved. Jamie tripped more than once and Seth laughed each time. We figured that Jamie should not multi-task while walking on steep terrain (or in general), and by multi-tasking we mean anything other than keeping her eyes on the trail. We walked through Imeroviglia (the town we are staying closest to and the most difficult to pronounce) which was beautiful and quiet. The houses are just like it is pictured in the movies, built in the cliffs formed by the volcano and overlooking the sea. In contrast, Fira, while looking similar and also quite beautiful is a combination of the Times Square and Canal Street of Santorini. The narrow streets are filled with shops for tourists and didn't sell anything we would buy. A few cruise ships had docked that morning and the streets were filled with Americans who fulfilled every stereotype you could think of. We actually overheard a woman ask a shopowner how to say Visa in Greek. Needless to say, we didn't stay very long and only ate lunch.

Fortunately, Katarina at our hotel had recommended a restaurant along the way (not quite in the center of Fira) called Flame and told us to ask for Raymond, the owner. We were greeted by Raymond, who we heard speak no less than 5 different languages while we ate and were treated to a lovely meal of tzatziki, the dip which has fish roe the name which we can't quite remember, gigantes (or elephant beans), meatballs, a tomato and cucumber salad and some fresh bread. Raymond is so friendly he sent us watermelon for dessert and two waters for our walk back to the hotel. He even let Seth use his bathroom after we had already left the restaurant and were walking around the town; talk about hospitable!

We got back to the hotel, very hot and tired, so we changed into our bathing suits and lounged by the pool until sunset, around 6:30. At that time, we moved to our jacuzzi and private garden to drink wine (Seth) and frappe (Jamie) and watched the amazing sunset. The sky was red and orange which couldn't be captured in a picture, although we tried. After the sunset, we cleaned up and headed to dinner at Vanilia, in the outskirts of Fira, known for fresh seafood. This restaurant was fancier than the tavernas we had been frequenting and was a nice change. Our server recommended a great bottle of local white wine and told us "the only wine here is dry!" when we checked to make sure it wasn't too sweet. We shared octopus marinated in red wine, which was different than anything we had previously tasted. We had a santorinian salad, consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, a soft mild cheese, homemade croutons and capers. We also shared the fresh catch of the day, sea brine (unsure of the spelling), a new fish for both of us, grilled whole in olive oil. It was the highlight of the meal, especially watching our server clean the fish and extract the skeleton in one piece. For dessert, we shared baklava (as recommended) and had coffees. Right before we left, the server brought us a shot of homemade liquor who smelled like strawberries and tasted very sweet. By the time the taxi showed up to take us back, we were sleepy and full.

Athens to Santorini - Day Three

On our final day in Athens we finally made it to the complimentary breakfast in the restaurant. It was lovely and gave us lots of much needed fiber. We knew we were flying to Santorini on a 7:00 flight so we decided to explore another section of Athens and do some shopping. We found out that the place to go for shops is Kolonaki, a 20 minute walk from our hotel.

Kolonaki was our favorite part of the city. The streets are narrow and beautiful and filled with loads of shops and cafes. Jamie bought shoes (seriously) and a t-shirt and Seth bought two t-shirts. We sat in an outdoor cafe in the center square, ate lunch and people watched. It was a gorgeous day, about 75 degrees and sunny. While we sat, many people approached us to buy things including lotto tickets and flowers. We graciously declined although winning the lottery would have been nice after our wedding.

After we shopped and ate, we headed back to the hotel where our friend George was waiting to pick us for our flight to Santorini. Little did we know, but we bonded with George so much, he gave us a CD of Greek music. It was a great ending to our stay in Athens.

Our flight to Santorini was easy, not even an hour. We even dealt with the smelly German man who kept sticking his belly in Jamie's face (not per Jamie's request). Sadly, Seth forgot he was carrying booze and was forced to check his suitcase. The suitcase was returned without its handle. A greek tragedy. The tragedy was quickly forgotten when we stepped outside and smelled the sea air. We were greeted by our driver, Emilio, who took us to our hotel, Anastasias Apartments.

Our hotel is pure paradise. We were greeted by the entire staff, including Despina (the owner) and Katarina who works at the front desk. They took our things, and gave us a tour, leaving the best part for last, our room. Our room is three floors and includes a private jacuzzi and garden. We have the highest room with a deck where we eat breakfast and look out at the sea. It was late so we got back to the room to find it decorated with lit votives and flowers. Despina sent us a bottle of wine and some food. It was the perfect way to spend our first night in Santorini.

Athens - Day Two

We finally succumbed to the jet lag and slept until almost noon on our second day here. We had arranged for our friend George the taxi driver to take us on a full day tour of Athens and Cape Sounia. We stumbled to the roof deck of our hotel when we finally got up for some food and to snooze in the sun.

At 1:00, George arrived and we began our tour in downtown Athens. Our first stop was the National Archeology Museum. We saw loads of artifacts and sculptures with huge peeps. Seth giggled a lot and Jamie got yelled at because Seth told her to go through a door she wasn't allowed to. We narrowly escaped prosecution and a Singapore style cane beating and made our way to watch the changing of the guards in front of the President's House. According to George, the men who have this job are members of the Army, and are specially chosen. He told us they must be tall and handsome and suggested that Seth apply. The ritual we watched was very cool and included some synchronized stepping by the guards and some yelling in Greek. George also told us that the President is very popular and modest, he doesn't even live in the President's house, he only works there. This would be like Obama living somewhere other than the White House. Our next stop was to see the Olympic Stadium where the first games in 1896 were held. It is right in the middle of the city. George also took us to one of the highest points in the city for more panoramic pictures. We walked up a ton of stairs (and burned off last night's tzatziki) and saw a church that was more then 700 years old.

Finally, we were off to the ancient ruins. We started at Zeus's Temple and then went to the Acropolis. Both structures are difficult to describe without being there. You come across these gigantic columns made so long ago in the center of this bustling city that are still standing. Imaging the history made us awestruck. The Acropolis sits on the edge of the city (which is what Acropolis means in Greek) and is way above everything else, so the views are amazing. We took some fantastic pictures. We read about the restoration projects and listened to all of the different languages being spoken around us. We learned the international sign for "please take my picture" which consists of waving and gesturing. Jamie is apparently a magnet for such requests.

If you can believe, all of this was jam packed into 4 hours and we were ready to start our trip up the coastline to Cape Sounia and Poseiden's Temple. First, we needed to refuel from the serious walking workout we had. George started driving along the coast out of Athens where we stopped at a grill to get souvlaki and gyros. We got pork and chicken with salad and tzatziki inside and were in total heaven. At the meal, George told us about his family and his travels and when we told him we are lawyers he treated us to some lawyer jokes. (One was actually funny). After that excellent meal (a snack for Seth and George) we made our way back to the car for our scenic drive up the coast. George drove for about 60 km and we saw the most beautiful coastal homes and towns (in between snoozes). We decided that when we can afford 7000 euro per meter we would buy a house there. We finally arrived at Cape Sounian and Poseiden's temple right at sunset. We climbed up yet another hill (the Greeks like to build structures up high) and were treated to a gorgeous sunset. The sky couldn't have been more perfect. It was quite romantic and we took loads of beautiful pictures.

We got back to our hotel around 9:30 and somehow Seth managed to drag us out for dinner. Apparently 10:00 is the magic hour for eating as the tavernas were all packed. We ate at an old taverna off the beaten path in the Plaka known for its seafood. We scored a table outside up a small hill with a lovely view. Seth was quite adventurous and ordered greens despite the waiter's warning that only Greeks like them. Of course, Seth ate the entire portion himself. We walked home after dinner, enjoyed a glass of champagne and went to sleep. A great end to a busy day!

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.

From my phone?

Blogger has created a monster! Now everyone can know where I am at all times!!

S - this is MJ's fault!

something is in the air today

on the way to the 7 train this morning, within 200 feet i saw:

(1) 4 guys preaching
(2) 2 people with signs asking for money
(3) 1 accordion player

even britney on my ipod couldn't tune that out.

gym observations

i try to go to the gym during the week in the mornings before work. i made a deal with myself that if i actually wake up by 730 i can take a taxi to the gym instead of the subway. bribing myself seems to have worked and i actually make it to the gym three to four times per week.

it has turned out to be nice getting the gym out of the way in the morning and i feel like i have a lot more energy now. but going to the gym in the morning also has its downsides (besides the obvious early morning wake-up), because i also have to get ready for work in the dreaded gym locker room. at first it was brutally awkward (being a high maintenance girl) but i finally have the routine down to about 30 minutes, start to finish. picking out my clothes ahead of time seems to cut out about 15 (fine, 30) minutes of my morning routine. go figure.

as noted, i used to think that i am high maintenance. in some ways, i am. but spending this much time in a gym locker with about 30 women coming and going at a time has made me realize that either i am actually low maintenance, or there are some crazy women out there. (or maybe it is a mixture of both).

some of the things i see in the locker room while women get ready are mind boggling. for example, i have seen:

(1) a women emerge from the shower fully dressed

(2) a women who puts baby oil all over her body and then sits and waits until it dries before getting ready

(3) a woman who clipped her nails (hands and feet) while standing naked in the middle of the locker room

(4) a woman who spent 45 minutes using a hair straightener for shoulder length hair and then proceeds to use tweezer on the top of her head to pull out flyaways.

this is just a sampling. trust me, there are loads more bizarre habits i try desperately to ignore, not to mention the fact that it appears that the heavier a woman is, the more likely she is to walk around the locker room completely naked. for extended periods of time. i have to wonder if these woman are just letting all of their crazy out in the locker room for everyone to see and frankly not caring or if this is their edited version of crazy. this thought scares me not only for humanity, but for my males friends who might actually date some of these women.