Athens Day 3

September 20:  Today was a pretty relaxed last day with major sites under our belts.  Varis and I escorted Karen to the subway station to assist her in buying a ticket and catching the correct train to the airport.  She was on her way to San Francisco via Montreal.  We learned how to buy a ticket to the airport and Karen squeezed into a packed subway car.

Varis and I then went for coffee and raisin cake, his new favorite breakfast treat.  We returned to the hotel and joined up with Betsy, Jan and Ron to decide on a plan for the day.  After some discussion, Jan, Ron and Varis decided to catch the hop-on, hop-off bus to Piraeus (the port area) to visit the Maritime Museum.  Betsy and I walked with them over to the Acropolis Museum (the stop for this particular bus), and we made plans to meet up for lunch when they returned.  Varis and I could send messages to each other so we would know when they were returning to the city.

Betsy and I first walked up Philopappos Hill just SW of the Acropolis, with 360 degree views.  We could see Piraeus and its ports, the Acropolis from a new angle, and the rest of the city.  The buildings were gleaming white from a distance (up close most are dingy and dilapidated) and there were a number of tree-covered parks.  The city is surrounded by a ring of low, brown mountains like the filling of a pie crust.  Philopappos HIll has a few caves in its side, included one associated with Socrates.  

We then wandered around the central city, passing through and by the Ancient Agora (the original city center and where democracy took form as citizens met to talk about issues).  We walked through the flea market area, the central market with lots of butchers and un-refrigerated meat, fish, fresh produce, nuts and olives, and huge arrays of spices.  We stumbled upon a side street strung with multiple, varied lampshades - quirky.  At the end of the street was a over-the-top decorated coffee shop where we stopped for iced tea and a yoghurt/ fruit bowl.  We wandered back through Plaka to the area of the Acropolis Museum, our planned meeting point for Jan, Ron and Varis.  

We had a 15-minute wait (the bus was behind schedule), and all went to a nearby restaurant for lunch.  It advertised itself as recommended by Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, etc.  Our lunches and dinners follow a consistent pattern - first, we order several bottles of water which are consumed almost immediately, we then order a couple more, followed by drinks  (beer and wine), and then a basket of bread, and finally we order salads and entrees.   Depending on the restaurant, we may get olives, spreads, butter with the bread.  We have tried most all of the famous Greek dishes.  After eating, we always have to request the bill and I do the math to allot the total to the various people/couples.  Then, we can pay with separate credit cards (using the handheld machine and we all, except Varis, must sign the invoice kept by the restaurant); Varis has a card that accepts a PIN and does not require a signature).   This particular restaurant served us free watermelon after our entrees, a nice ending to a tasty meal.

After lunch, we walked back to the Parliament Building area to catch the bus again to go back to the hotel (for Varis, Betsy and I) or to the Archeological Museum (Ron and Jan).  We relaxed the rest of the afternoon, watching Saving Mr. Banks (about the making of the Disney movie of Mary Poppins) on our computer.  We regrouped about 7 pm for dinner at Alexander the Great, the taverna close to the hotel where we had eaten on Saturday.  The food was still good and the service attentive.  This time they gave us plates of thick Greek yogurt with sweetened carrot shreds as dessert.  

Back at the hotel we checked in with British Airways for our flight tomorrow and said goodbye to the other 3 who are taking a ferry to Santorini early in the morning.