Blogs from Attica, Greece, Europe - page 20

So now it is the last days of this trip. I am sitting on the balcony of our small but cute little apartment in Athens, enjoying a cup of tea. Our week in the Greek Islands was fun and relaxing. Each island seems to have its own character and pace. However, the ferry trip back to Athens was not as pleasant as I expected: too many people smoke and there is no non-smoking section. I suppose it was a good preparation for our days in Athens: the air here is quite polluted. Over the last two days we visited the main sites of the city, like the Acropolis, the agora, etc. I am glad I have seen it, however, I did not fall in love with Athens. I don't know why I always enjoyed a place ... read more

Our first full day in Athens was Sunday, 13th September. The weather is gorgeous, not too hot and only a little bit humid. This was to be our scooter tour. We were to find the tour company office, drive to the beach area south of Athens, jump on a motorized scooter and have fun! The best part of this story is that is exactly what happened. We had so much fun on those machines. I was a little concerned that I would not be able to keep my balance but it was so easy, even with my injured knee. About 5 minutes fiddling about, we were off to face the traffic. Costas, our guide, really looked after us. He seemed to know when I was not leaning forward enough when going up a hill, or not ... read more

As our wheels touched down today in Tel Aviv, the young Jewish toddler sitting on her daddy’s lap playfully cried out, “Abba, Abba!” I was overcome with emotion. As the tears trickled down my smiling face, I thought of Jesus teaching his followers the words of the Our Father. They must have been joyfully, yet fearfully astonished by the affection Jesus demonstrated for Adonai. This is the name the Hebrew people would spoke aloud out of respect for the God Almighty. And here is Jesus, calling our heavenly father, “Abba, Daddy, Our Father…” Can you imagine the variety of emotions that must have overcome the crowd that first witnessed this prayer? I will never forget this moment, when I first heard a child’s voice playfully lovingly utter, “Abba, Abba!” Today's blog and title reflect my landing ... read more

Been doing a lot of kilometers the last few days...so for two days and 3 nights in Athens, it's more about taking it a little slower! This is my third visit to Athens. First time was back in 1994, I did stay in a dorm in a hostel for less than 10 euros a night, followed by 4 nights spent sleeping on beaches in the Peloponnese. Amazing experience. I came back at the end of a cool cruise back in 1999, and stay at the time in a decent 3 stars hotel. This time, it's a little different... You may tell me...but Greece is on the verge of crashing, and people truly don't have an easy time around. Well, so let me help by spending a little around to keep the taxes and VAT entering the ... read more

Dag 10 - Athene Om half negen staan we allemaal weer klaar in de lobby, gereed voor nog een dagje Athene. We stappen na een kort ritje in een enorm drukke metro, uit in Plaka, en vinden daar snel weer een gezellig stekkie om te ontbijten. Na het ontbijt lopen we via de boog van Adrianus (niet te verwarren met onze frauduleuze Adrianos van gisteren!) naar de tempel van Zeus. Een enorme tempel waarvan nog een aantal zuilen statig overeind staan en tevens diverse gedeeltes nog goed zichtbaar zijn. Na het bezichtigen van deze tempel lopen we naar het Kallimarmaro stadion en bezichtigen deze vanaf het plein ervoor. Het rondje dat Kevin er hard gelopen heeft, besluiten we maar over te slaan in deze enorme hitte?. Vervolgens besluiten we de bus te nemen naar de voet ... read more