Athens, First Day

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Our first day in Athens was wonderful. The temperture hovered around 100 degrees F with calm winds.The Trafalgar tour guide was waiting for us right outside of baggage. It took less than 1/2 an hour to get our bags and clear customs. Detroit Airport could take a lesson in efficiency from the Greeks. Our ticket included a ride from the airport, usually in a bus, to our hotel. Oddly enough, we were led by the tour guide to a private Mercedes taxi and wwre driven to the Metropolitan Hotel on the outskirts of Athens. This was really odd since we usually expect to wait for others to arrive at the airport. This was great since we were at the hotel by noon. Our room was ready, so we took a quick shower and headed out to lunch. We received a package at check, in that advised us our first meeting with the tour director was at 3 PM, so we had plenty of time to eat and rest. Our bell captain suggested a fine fish restaurant, where his daughter worked of course, only a 5 minute walk away. So off we went to a nice outdoor restaurant. Since it was only 12:15 we were the only ones there! Soon our hostess came and asked us where we were from. We told her Ohio, and she told us she wants to go to NY. So we chatted and drank some water, since we were still the only ones there we had the attention of the restaurant owner, the cook and the hostess! We looked over the menu and ordered pasta with shrimp for 2....12 euros. As we waited, we sat eating some fresh bread, when our hostess brought over a treat. She placed a plate of warm thin breads accompanied by a white paste and a dark gray paste. She told us what it was but we did not understand. So a dilemna needed to be solved. Do we not eat it and offend our host, or do we regret trying it? Ever the adventurous one, I tried the white paste. It was delicious. A sweet blend of fish taste with a tart finish. Even Cathy took a dip, and she NEVER trys anything. She liked it. Now the gray paste. Well I actually had a problem intentionally eating a solid gray food. But I had to try, so I dipped a finger in the gray ooze, and, much to my surprise, it tasted was GREAT. Again a fish taste but a milder finish. With a little coaching Cathy was tempted and once again she liked it. So we ate the appetizer and asked our hostess for a detailed idea of what we just ate. The white paste was a mix of fish roe and a white sauce. The gray paste, was the same roe but mixed with the ink from cuttle fish. Never tried it before so it was a new and tastey treat. Next came the pasta. The plate was HUGE, way too much for lunch. The pasta was perfect in a light red sauce made from fish oils and tomato. The shrimp were whole, including shell and head! There was plenty for us to share. After lunch we were stuffed, but the owner insisted we had to have a lemon mousse for desert, on the house. Of course this was excellent and we left with our belly full and new friends. We headed back to the hotel for our 3 PM meeting with the Trafalgar tour guide. We changed into more presentable clothes and hurried to the lobby for the meeting. Our guide, Anna, a 45ish greek blonde, greeted us. There were only 2 other people who came to the meeting. We expected a tour of 30 - 40 people, but Anna told us "the four of you are the entire group!" It seems that the bookings for the 7 day cruise, which is what we booked, were very poor. Most people booked the island hopper, or 3 day cruise, so we were to become a family of 4. Cathy and I were joined by Nod (Australian) a retired engineer and Susie a 20 ish oriental American lawyer from Philadelphia. Since we were on our own for dinner we decided to meet at 7:30 and walk to a local restaurant/taverna suggested by Anna. Cathy and I headed up to the roof top swimming pool for a cooling dip before dinner. The view was fantastic. We could see the Acropolis, the city of Athens and the Aegean Sea. After cooling, off we headed back to the room for a nap, followed by a return to the roof top bar to watch Argentina take on Nigeria in World Cup Soccer. We soon headed back down to meet with Nod and Susie and off for a 5 minnute walk to dinner. We enjoyed a sumptious meal of mince meat (Hambergers for Cathy), stuffed cabbage (for Susie), moussaka (for Nod) and chicken souvlake for me. We added grape leaves, olives and a plate of Big Beans (which turned out to be lima beans in a red sauce.) It was excellent and my share was only 13.5 euro. Amazing. We chatted about our home countries, politics and sports, as we bonded into our travel family. We left dinner near 10 PM and headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest. A great first day.

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Photos

Acropolis
As seen from the Acropolis Museum