Half time. Tourists 1:Sardines 1

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Greet from Greece. In fact from the base of the Acropolis, near the Plaza, between the 2 main squares and near the old Roman Agora. The location is ideal for any activity in central Athens although our hotel which was terrific last year is showing signs of its age. Admittedly our room is smaller and lacks the balcony I had last year so it’s decreased in size but the prices has inversely risen. We paid more for a small bottle of sparkling water than I did for a souvlaki on the streets! And the souvlaki was good. The same bottle of water is less than one fifth the price at the supermarket 3 doors away! But…

The view from the rooftop garden here is probably worth the inflated drink prices. There’s not a bad view of the Acropolis and Parthenon but from the rooftop garden it is special. But so it is from anywhere as you walk the streets here. You turn a corner and there it is seemingly radiating as the sun is reflected from its sandy marble columns.

I say half time because we deliberately take a break from the hottest section of the day. We will go the the Acropolis later as the temperatures calm a bit and the crowds tend to dissipate a little. Spent the morning going to and through the market. It’s pretty local but a lot of tourists end up there just having a look and a little eat. Had some delightful sardines (but I think I’ve never had anything but delightful sardines) that were simply grilled and served with salt and lime. Julie had some tzatziki which was full of flavour and surprisingly creamy.

And now I’m back on the rooftop drinking my supermarket beverage and feeling quite content and comfortable. Unusual for us to have lunch, particularly before midday, so it’s probably a good plan to take a break for a while.

Booked a food tour tomorrow so I’ll see the market again I’m sure, but it promises a few other destinations and quite a few foodie delights. Should be able to provide details about that tomorrow.

The following day sees us on the move again. Taxi, bus, taxi to get us 200 km or so west of Athens where we commence the first of our 2 Greek walks. The heat is still a concern for us as the 10 forecast does not fall below 31 degrees (that’s max forecast for each day). Overnight drops to around 24 degrees which is still serious. The saving grace for the Juliana Trail was forest walking where the trees provided shade and a gentle cooling breeze, here we will not be able to rely on the same saviour. Here I don’t expect the bush to be anything like a forest although Crete particularly does have a lot of gum trees.

Well that’s the half time report. More play later.

Caio for now.

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