2017 - Athens Again

The Acropolis - Athens, Greece
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

OUR LAST trip to Athens in 2015 was the final stop of our cruise, and we spent the day, overnighted and then flew out of the Athens airport. This time, it was just a "day stop." Having seen the Acropolis (2x for us), and most of the other historic sites, we decided we wanted to change it up. We found a walking, food tour of the city, which lasted nearly a full day.

Port of Piraeus, Greece
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

ARRIVING AT Piraeus, the port for Athens, we found a taxi ride into the center of the city, where we met our guide for the day. This one was lots of fun, though by the time we finished, I am not sure I could have eaten another thing for at least a day!

Roman Columns - The Acropolis - Athens, Greece
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 All Rights Reserved

WE STARTED with a traditional morning "breakfast" for the Athenians. It was a kind of pretzel - like crusty pastry, and traditional "Greek" coffee. Although they would cringe at my suggestion, I find the Greeks and Turks food cultures to be very similar. Indeed, we hear them "bicker" about who invented what and whose is best, between some staple items like yogurt, coffee, pastries, and certain meat dishes all the time. As much as they are similar, though, I know they certainly have their differences. Some nuanced. Some more broad. On the coffee, I tried Turkish coffee in Istanbul in 2013. This was the first time I had had authentic Greek coffee. I couldn't tell the difference at the time (which was probably a function of the 4 years between tasting 😀). Perhaps a better test would be to try them side - by - side (or at least closer to each other). Perhaps we will have that opportunity on our future booked cruise to Turkey and Greece in 2027. A quick internet search tells us a few (perhaps?) interesting facts. Originally called Turkish coffee, Greek coffee as changed to "Greek Coffee," when independence from Turkey was achieved in the 1800's. Prior to that time, the Ottoman Turks had conquered what it now Greece and ruled for 400 years. Greek coffee is said to be less sweet than Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee is is sweeter and is made from darker roasted beans. Both are prepared the same way, boiling finely ground coffee in a special pot. Both are served with a (Turkish or Greek?) jelled, mastic-based candy (mastiha) that they again bicker over the origin of: Turkish/Greek delight.

Mastiha confectionary shop selling mostly Greek Delight candy
Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

WE FINISHED our Greek breakfast with Greek delights. We then visited a confectionary store where they sold them.

Selection of Olives - Downtown Athens Fresh Food Market
Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

ALONG OUR way, we tasted some Greek Olive Oil, and walked through the huge downtown fresh food market. I was impressed by the selection of olives. I love olives and I find that they are a staple for appetizers throughout Meditarranean Europe, and that olive oil is the prevailing oil to be used for cooking and served with bread tableside.

Street Art - Athens, Greece
Image Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

AT LUNCH time, we stopped at an outdoor stand for some souvlaki; a Greek lunch staple. Translating into English as "little skewer," for those who didn't already know, souvlaki is a skewer of meat (generally chicken or pork), often served with a pita, onions, and tzatziki sauce. "Street food," it was delicious. The downtown is kind of an eclectic mixture of modern and traditional architecture, with narrow streets and decorated buildings in most parts, though there is a wide, ultra-modern area with the high-end department and brand name stores right in the middle of everything.

Athens, Greece
Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

STREET ART, like in many of the European cities we have visited, is also common. Some of it is pretty impressive. To finish out our food tour, we stopped in a traditional, family restaurant to sample their Moussaka. The portions were large, but I felt compelled to eat it. 😊 Again, for those who didn't already know this, Moussaka is a layered casserole (some might compare it to Lasagna) with slices of eggplant (and/or) potatoes, and a layer of ground meat (traditionally lamb) in a bolgnese type sauce, topped with Bechamel sauce and baked to perfection. I know a few folks who say they don't like eggplant. I love it, and I think Moussaka is pure heaven. But after our day, I didn't really need to go back to an all-you-can-eat, cruise ship atmosphere, for sure. As they all unfortunately eventually do, the day eventually ended and we found our way back to the Reflection. We would have a day or two at sea, before we made our next and penultimate port stop: Naples - for the Amalfi Coast.