May 20
Today we head out for a Sunday market called the Monastiraki Market. We arrive on the early side of things for the Greeks as the shops are not yet open and there are no vendors that we can see. It is quiet and a nice time to walk through the ancient streets and imagine all of the history that has taken place here. We happen upon a very small church, in fact, small is not a small enough word...tiny or miniscule are more apt for this church. It was so small that about half of the congregation had to stand outside the doors. One might say it was standing room only...haha! We peer inside and watch the very end of the service. The stone to build the church, Little Mitropoli, was brought from Galilee in the 12th century and inside you can admire 19 mythological scenes. As we continue to meander we come upon a travel agency and since we are in need of ferry tickets to go to Skopelos so we venture inside and purchase our tickets. With that little errand out of the way, we purchase some of the most beautiful cherries I have ever seen from a fruit vendor and walk along the narrow, labarynthine streets before calling it a day and pressing farther afield. We want to visit Pireaus, the third largest city in Greece and home to a huge port. Paulie really likes the feel of the port and we can have a lovely view and eat a bite of lunch there. We take the metro for what seems a very long ride and come out at the end of the line. It is a beautiful spring day and we bask in the warmth of the sunshine. We pick up a snack of cheese pies at the corner bakery and all share in their toasty goodness before taking a catwalk up and over the large boulevard to the harbor. When we reach the harbor, we are all amazed at the huge boats docked there and how crystal clear the waters appear. We return to the other side of the street to have a lunch of pork gyros and then return to Athens via the metro. Back at the Athens Delta Hotel, we rest and make arrangements for the next days travel. We want to make the most of our last night in Athens and so decide to head back to the Plaka for dinner. After a long walking around and getting slightly lost among the ancient and endless alleyways, we settle on a small corner restaurant that looks delicious. We enjoy a great meal and return to the hotel to get packed up and rested for the next adventure.
Today we head out for a Sunday market called the Monastiraki Market. We arrive on the early side of things for the Greeks as the shops are not yet open and there are no vendors that we can see. It is quiet and a nice time to walk through the ancient streets and imagine all of the history that has taken place here. We happen upon a very small church, in fact, small is not a small enough word...tiny or miniscule are more apt for this church. It was so small that about half of the congregation had to stand outside the doors. One might say it was standing room only...haha! We peer inside and watch the very end of the service. The stone to build the church, Little Mitropoli, was brought from Galilee in the 12th century and inside you can admire 19 mythological scenes. As we continue to meander we come upon a travel agency and since we are in need of ferry tickets to go to Skopelos so we venture inside and purchase our tickets. With that little errand out of the way, we purchase some of the most beautiful cherries I have ever seen from a fruit vendor and walk along the narrow, labarynthine streets before calling it a day and pressing farther afield. We want to visit Pireaus, the third largest city in Greece and home to a huge port. Paulie really likes the feel of the port and we can have a lovely view and eat a bite of lunch there. We take the metro for what seems a very long ride and come out at the end of the line. It is a beautiful spring day and we bask in the warmth of the sunshine. We pick up a snack of cheese pies at the corner bakery and all share in their toasty goodness before taking a catwalk up and over the large boulevard to the harbor. When we reach the harbor, we are all amazed at the huge boats docked there and how crystal clear the waters appear. We return to the other side of the street to have a lunch of pork gyros and then return to Athens via the metro. Back at the Athens Delta Hotel, we rest and make arrangements for the next days travel. We want to make the most of our last night in Athens and so decide to head back to the Plaka for dinner. After a long walking around and getting slightly lost among the ancient and endless alleyways, we settle on a small corner restaurant that looks delicious. We enjoy a great meal and return to the hotel to get packed up and rested for the next adventure.
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