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7/16 Athens:
Landed safely! Tina and taxi driver Niko picked us up.
Hotel Attalos- dorm style, in middle of busy, dangerous street. Elevators are odd, one small cubicle, with regular swinging door with doorknob. Unsafe- shows the wall sliding as we ascend.
Lunch: in pedestrian area- flea market/plaza- lamb gyro and greek salad with fresh block of feta and lots of tomatoes, mmm! Peddlers bothered us, and motorcycle sped right by our table- we worried for Caleb.
Appetizers: atop hotel roof, with view of Acropolis, had ouza- licorice flavored spirit and olives.
Dinner- touristy traditional greek food of chicken kabobs and greek salad (green bell peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, block of feta, olive oil, basalmic vingear), with view of railroad, ruins, Acropolis.
City is dirty, filthy... unkempt. yet powerfully beautiful and startling structures of ruins illuminated by light at night, and bright by sunlight during day.
7/18 Athens:
All of us rose at 4:30 a.m., inner body clock still out of whack!
Hotel Breakfast- tried their "cereal" of fresh yogurt that looks like thick sour cream, honey, canned peaches/mixed fruit, and cereal puffs, mmm! Coffee is nice, with chocolade powder.
Bus tour to Delphi: lots of waiting, changing buses. niel jokes "GO Tour" for Greek Organized Tour isn't organized. Long, windy road into countryside with trees and landscape just like southern CA. Anticipating Delphi, the most beautiful and mystic center of the ancient world.
Came, saw,... and conquered the long steep hike to the highest point of Delphi monuments- the Roman stadium where games were held when Delphi was at that time considered the center of the world. Quite windy and hot. Pillars, steps, ground holes and sloped platforms where oracle priestesses prophesied. At the Delphi museum, Caleb delighted in finding the animal statues. One museum guard blew a kiss to Caleb, and he responded by doing the same, on his own! She showed her hand fluttering on her heart. :)
Caleb expressed his first fingerspelled sign "bus" (which he has been doing enthusiastically ever since, and had once later on cried when a bus stopped and took off again without him being on it).
Delicious lunch provided, table with Nathan and Daphne, whose mother lives in Greece. Both are teachers. stop over at Araphnova to look at rugs and grecian urns. We all fell asleep.
Delicious dinner of spinach pie and chicken gyro, view of ruins, and music from guitarists. Caleb was their best fan, clapping at the end of each song, and tipped them with 2 euros.
Niel bought an alternate wedding band for 6 euros. We had strawberry ice cream on the rooftop of our hotel. Acropolis glowed!
7/19 Santorini:
Enroute on a ferry to Santorini island, writing this during our ride. Caleb asleep just now after an hour of walking around the ferry, exclaiming "water!" and "boat!"
Boat docked at Oia island for change of passengers, before Santorini 20 mins. away. All buildings white with blue trimmings, a cross either on roof, or as window decoration. We changed seats to move away from heavy smoking section, eventually giving up by sitting outside which turned out nice, warm, and breezy, with panoramic view of the mediterranean and the surrounding islands.
Santorini- Kamares Beach, at the ex-Boathouse, a waterfront resort. BEAUTIFUL! Simple, relaxing, a vacation feel. Elegant, delicious restaurants, with outdoor beach front seating, and stores line up in a long way along the coast, we haven't seen either end. Lunch at the Boathouse, with white wine at the end, compliments of the waiter and staff. Caleb played tossing pebbles just outside the rail, near us. Niel is quite curious about trying the small fried crispy fish.
I love the fresh, sweet tomato feta salad, growing accustomed to it and eager to have it again!
We swam at the hotel pool, at the front with sea view. Baby rafts and inflatable toys were freely provided! Dinner at the Seaside Restaurant, after a long survey among the many places and sadly turning down restaurant offers. Two fair-haired Spanish little girls were touching and adoring Caleb, but he shyed away from them, objecting. Later, he stares at them tossing pebbles. Caleb loves throwing pebbles far into the water!
7/20 Santorini:
Enjoying the black pebbly and sandy beach. 6 euros for the built in thatch umbrella and 2 lounge chairs, where Caleb has been sleeping, in the warm and breezy shade for some time. He's sure to wake up to sign "Swimming!" as he sometimes has since we got here. Niel and I took turns swimming with goggles- perfect water temperature. The surface of the sea floor is rock hard uneven reddish-brown lava, with a bit of sand over it! A black volcanic island this is, with almost every acre covered with grape vines.
Lunch was take-out lamb gyro, tzazaki, and pina colada juice, at our shaded spot. The cook was smoking a cigarette as he prepared our meal. Hmph! Fairly everybody else in Greece smokes, too- inside the Athenian bank (even bank tellers on duty), guests in restaurants, inside the ferry boat (we had to move to unclaimed seats further away or wait outside on the deck- no second hand smoking for Caleb, please). We're learning to appreciate good ol' smoke-free California!
Beer and Ouzo for happy hour (which begins at 7 p.m. here, while dinner generally begins 8 or 9) with close view of beach from our cushioned seats and glass coffee table. Dinner- a 1st time try of crispy fried fish "Wapi", I was relieved these came without head or fin. We still eat the bones, though. I liked Mousaka-a pie of potatoes, cheese, eggplant, or the like. Caleb loves it here at Santorini.
7/21 Santorini:
Fira, the ancient port of the island, with 560 steps between the town and its harbor- traveled to and fro only by foot, cable car (which we took), or donkey. Only I entered the elaborately painted town church where modest attire was expected. Lunch on the balcony of the Classico, high atop the sea cliff. Large capers gave a special touch to the tomato mozzarella pesto sandwich, and the crepes was tasty. Greek dining comes with table top condiments of olive oil, red wine vingear, pepper, and crushed garlic salt. No butter, mayo, or ketchup.
We descended the cliffs in a cable car, at the very front of all the cars, with the best view of the approaching harbor. We showed Caleb the donkeys at their station before they carry riders on a man-made zigzag stairway up the cliff. Caleb was most impressed, staring and insisting on staying near them, and returning. "Donkey, please", he'd request.
Shops at Fira carry sophisticated items; I bought a red flowery top, and the new Harry Potter 7 (which I've completed reading by the last day of vacation).
7/22 Santorini:
Oia- The famous village for catching the sunset over the sea, at the northwesternmost tip.
Like in Fira, the flat 2-D map looks easy, but is actually steep paths with many steps (not good for a stroller).
Dining at Lira's, again on a cliff side balcony, overlooking the sea and neighborng volcanic islands. Baked lamb with feta and veggies. Caleb likes lamb, wolfing down the tender pieces! Almost everyone flocked to balconies, stairways, steep zigzag paths, all that face the sunset close to 8:30 p.m. The sun turned orange-pink, and the water shone brilliantly across the horizon. From our view, a posted Greek flag waved by the setting sun.
Afterwards, everyone raced to the buses, overcrowding them that we almost missed our ride. Upon changing buses, I carried a sleeping Caleb in my arms, helpless in the midst of the crowd. Thankfully, the bus regulator handpicked me to get abroad the already full bus, by giving me a fold up seat between the driver and the door, Niel standing by me.
7/23 Sifnos:
Dinner at the famously recommended "Mama Mia"- italian restaurant with food to die for! Perfect waterfront view, in the cool breeze, no flies around or only just a lonely one.
7/24 Sifnos:
Sifnos Island- HOT today! Battled the heat with mom's "cool coolers" around our necks, or as my hairband. Quiet, mellow, and simple here. We miss Santorini already, but at least Sifnos has sandy and shallow beach for Caleb, who did his first beach dip during this entire vacation. Compared to others, he's well-protected, but looks rather ridiculous- water shoes (for the hot sand), multi-patterned swim trunks, surf shirt, bright neon orange waxy ear plugs, inflatable arm floaters with unmatching multi-colored cartoon characters, and finally Niel's fishing hat (for sun protection). Caleb has been refusing to wear any of his cute hats, so he was forced to wear Niel's with its fastening strings. The lapping water is cool and clear- just like at Lake Tahoe.
7/25 Sifnos:
Beach first thing in the not as hot morning, after the hotel breakfast. The family huddled together in the cool water, holding the slightly submerged Caleb in turns, since he was still resistant to standing in the shallow water.
Caleb finally gets his real swimming in the hotel pool on our way back. Ice cream on a beachfront porch with steps leading to the water.
Dinner at Kastros in the middle of the east islandic coast- Audriana, a model beautiful Athenian Greek working at our hotel during the summer, recommended us to try out the restaurant "Frogs" for the "veddy good" food, which she repeated thrice, it being her favorite. We gladly set out for Kastros by bus with Caleb's stroller. We arrived there surprised to find the long series of steps we'd need to take to reach the waterfront restaurant from the top the hill. With stroller locked around a phone pole, we hiked down, Caleb either riding on my hips or gleefully doing his "grown-up" steps. We passed by a few fenced goats and a cow. Niel thought we went the wrong way, finding only dirt, overgrown vegetation, and no marked paths, so we went back up some more steps, only for Niel to have spotted a couple walking across the dirt. We went back down, crossed the open dirt area, but then some free roaming goats appeared in front of us. My left leg shook in exhaustion and apprehension. Caleb clutched my shoulder tightly. Niel went up further to scout it out and eventually discovered the cove beach and the restaurant, so it indeed was the right direction. The cove was beautiful- sage green rocky serrogated cliffs enclosed this private tiny beach of multi-colored pebbles and rocks, the hues of oil in the sunlight. People were sunbathing and swimming, apparently being there all day. We wish we had known to come earlier with swim gear. By the time we got there, we had only 1 hour before catching the 7:45 pm bus, or we'd have to wait till 10 pm. Our linguini came with full-bodied prawns, eyes and all, and very delicious sauce. We gobbled up everything in the 5 minutes that the dish was presented, before we took off. Niel ran up the long, steep steps to catch the bus and ask it to wait for us (the bus had almost left when Niel stopped it), while I trailed behind, awkwardly carrying a 26-pound laughing toddler up in a rush. That was the meal and exercise of our year! We topped it off with an evening swim in the pool.
7/26 Sifnos:
Pool swim in a.m. after breakfast- Caleb's favorite activity. We visited one of the island's 366 churches, "Christoplous" via bus and hiking trail of another long series of steps. The all-white small church lies on a rocky mini-island, connected by a bridge, standing atop a cliff with a 340 degree view of the sea. Very windy and a worthwhile hike. For the first time, we all entered a church in Greece, wearing pants and full-covered shirts. We treated ourselves to ice cream nearby. The hike back up was tough, but this time, Niel wore the baby carrier backpack, as Caleb contently fell asleep inside, under the shade.
Reserved a good space in the shade at the beach in the late afternoon when the sun has moved away from the coast, behind buildings. We all swam, Caleb now standing up in the shallow water, holding my hand.
Greek salad with its flavorful tomatoes and feta cheese from the restaurant behind us. Good news... Niel NOW likes tomatoes, lots of 'em, chunky and raw! A change of heart toward tomatoes, or it's the distinct Greek tomatoes that won him over?
Mama Mia for dinner again- so good! Ping pong at the hotel outdoor commons area in the evening. Caleb now talks about "Ping pong", imitating the swinging of the arm and wrist.
7/27 Sifnos:
Windy and slightly cool- a welcome change! same routine as the day before, except more playing at the hotel. Caleb discovered toys at the common area and played with the staff's dog and cat. Fun and relaxing (yet competitive) ping pong again!
7/29 Athens:
Ancient ruins and one of the wonders of the ancient world. Hike up to the famous Acropolis to see close up the Parthenon and the temple of Athena. Hard to fathom how this civilization goes back to 3000 B.C. with many monuments still standing today from a few centuries before Christ. How can this little walled fortress on top of the towering limestone crag be the original entire city of Athens? It later on served as a site for religious devotion, as the city expanded down below. We had to be careful walking on the surface of the Acropolis, our old shoes have lost the traction for safe contact with marble. The ground, broken up as it is now, was actually mostly marble that has worn down over the centuries to uneven and slippery ground, mixed with dirt and rocks. Caleb enjoyed the trip for a while until he fell asleep in my arms, so I had to be extra careful descending the slippery path! On our hike down, we walked through the Agora where people once assembled for major cultural and daily functions. We also stopped by at the Acropolis museum for more history and artifacts. Caleb enjoyed finding artifacts with animal shapes or paintings.
7/30 Airborne:
We left Greece on July 30th, and arrived in California on the same day of July 30th, while we have actually been up for at least 24 hours due to the time zone difference! Although our flight itinerary indicated a 9:30 p.m. arrival time, we didn't get home until 2 a.m. Home sweet home!
