Athens

We arrived in Athens at 5:15pm. We quickly found the bus to the part of town we were staying in. That was a long ride. There were many plants and trees we see in California- Figs, grapes, ice plants with all their pink and yellow flowers, bougainvillea and jasmine. Scenic until we got into the city. Then it was stop and go. Queasy we arrived in Syntagma square. Yes that is where the fires and police were a couple days ago but we didn't see any of that. A short walk and we arrived at our hostel. Excellent location we washed off the travel and headed out for dinner. Dinner was saganaki- fried cheese, fried zucchini served with garlic dip and moussaka. After dinner we went for a night walk to take pictures of the acropolis lit up at night. Note: the streets are cobbled marble. Where the streets get a lot of traffic, beware. It is like being polished- very slick. You can slip very easily. Not a good thing. Needless to say the trip can be best described by the food we have been eating. The next day we walked up to the acropolis after a breakfast at the hostel. On our way down we encountered a native Greek in traditional garb playing a lyre. After asking Nicole for some money and her not giving him any he called her a bitch. Either he was angry or he had Torretts (sp).
While purse shopping later that day a sales guy asked me if I liked one of the purses and when I replied that it was too big he simply stated that I was a big lady. True but it sounds bad. Shopping has been a surprisingly large component to our trip in Athens. One of our shopping highlights was finding the Athenian poet sandal maker. We now have matching custom sandals. (The Jackie O. style.)Shopping, eating and walking. An afternoon coffee is mandatory. Cannot survive without it.
When we first arrived we thought there were a ton of homeless dogs but having been here for a couple days it seems there are fewer than we originally thought. The same with the cat population but there really are so many. Meandering though the ruins. Everywhere. Pics to follow. We are headed out to Crete tonight. Closing thoughts: I am going to keep track of roughly how many pounds of cheese Nicole and I eat. Favorite foods in Athens? Chicken and okra, Dolmades in lemon sauce and Nicole's favorite- fried cheese.
RECIPE:
Boil 2 potatoes and cool in the fridge.
add juice from 1 lemon
2 large garlic cloves minced
salt to taste
Put all ingredients in the blender and add stock or water until it reaches a creamy consistency. (Dip like.)
Suggested for anything fried or battered and fried. On bread is great too!

These are estimations. We got the recipe from a waiter our first night. Cold potatoes ensure the garlic doesn't turn green.