We never miss a beat

My last post left off with right before our second dinner adventure in the old Plaka district of Athens - a search for great food (check) and good company (double check). As you have read in Tamara's blog, our evenings seem to get better and better each night as we make new friends and keep up our relationships with those we have seen before. We have now established ourselves at one particular restaurant, which translates to something like Taverna Acropolis, where we sip drinks, listen to music and keep up with plenty of conversation with our waiter friends (two cute ones in particular :)) and those near by who care to talk. Last night we felt even more like locals as we chatted away into the night until 2 am. Past our bedtime? Oh well!

Our second full day in Athens started with a visit to Athen's Central Market off Athinas Street where lines of butchers sell their daily goods. Upon entering, the men all started shouting, so naturally, I took this as a warning that we were'nt supposed to be in there. I was startled, but soon realized that it was just their version of, how do I say, "hooting and hollering" at us :) The visit ended with a close encounter with a butcher - lol ... which almost resulted in Tamara almost slapping the man for his up close and personal actions with me. We ended up having a good laugh afterwards.

We then made our way to the National Archeological Museum where pieces like the Gold Mask of Agamemnon were on display. The artifacts were preserved with amazing care and the museum really took the time to explain the history and historical context that went along with the pieces on display. The rest of the museum is filled with scupltures and statues that served as grave markers of famous and "average" citizens. We were both blown away with the perfection and idillic qualities that the art embodied. At the end of our visit, we both agreed that the museum is a must see visit while in Athens.

Throughout the museum there were many gold pieces on display. Tamara and I both thought we might be deserving of some of the beatiful pieces of jewelry :)

Tamara kept telling me that I needed to look away from all of the nudity. As you can tell from this picture, it was a very hard task for me to accomplish as I grit my teeth to keep myself from looking at those perfectly polished butt-cheeks :)

After the musuem, I headed out to the English Gardens next to the Parliment building for a great run through the park where I saw many mothers walking with their children and an abundance of different types of flowers and trees. The rest of the afternoon was spent people watching a enjoying one of the local town squares that seem to be dripping with history. As far as our experience in Athens goes, let me tell you ... there is no shortage of fun here!

I'm already falling in love ...

As you have already read from Tamara’s blog, our first night in Athens truly made an impression on us. Walking through the old Plaka district under the towering Acropolis as we strolled through the narrow cobblestone streets has only further convinced me that living in a place full of immense historical character and a close community is something that ranks at the top of my list. Our first night in Athens began with a gaggle of oh so complimentary waiters … not that I mind :) - and our first full day was filled with an extensive history of Athens as we visited the temple of Zeus, the Panathenian stadium, the Acropolis and the temple of Poseidon. I think it’s safe to say that we took on our photographer roles with complete seriousness – trust me, there will be many pictures to share upon our arrival back to the states.

This morning, our day started with a tour of the city of Athens, guided by an enchanting woman named Sophia who is an archeologist and has taught at the University of Athens for 32 years. She was a huge wealth of knowledge on anything and everything Greek.

One of our stops was the Panathenian stadium where the archery events for the 2004 Olympics took place. The stadium, made entirely from white marble, holds 60,000 people. We decided to take a quick power shot… the first of MANY on our first day.

As we ascended the Acropolis, the view was absolutely breathtaking! It seemed as if we were floating on a cloud high above Athens … making us feel as if we were perched above the city like the Greek gods – okay, now I’m getting a big head :)

I think this day will go down as a day where the pictures in my history books finally came alive … a day when I could identify the Doric, Ionian and Corinthian columns that stretched upwards towards the sky. Well, all of this history has truly made me hungry – but that shouldn’t surprise any of you, seeing as how one of my favorite things to do it eat! Off to find some of those becoming young waiters! Make sure to check out Tamara’s blog (http://goofygirltlc.blogspot.com) for her perspective and notes on the day as well!

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