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Athens, Greece: Day Ten

December 27, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

This was Boxing Day or the day for glorifying the Mother of God. Not much happened, but we had an amazing dinner at O Mpakalogatos restaurant on Fokionos Negri Street in Kypseli.

red merlot wine, bottle of ouzo, bucket of ice cubes

Drinks – red merlot wine, a bottle of ouzo (licorice flavored liquor) and a bucket of ice.

tiny fried fish and green salad

Appetizers – tiny fried fish.

Baked potato – paper thin slices of potato baked with a grated cheese similar to parmesan, like scalloped potatoes, but less messy. (not pictured)

Large bowl of mussels

A LARGE bowl of mussels. Some of these guys were overachievers on size, too.

At this point we were thinking “our table’s too small.” Then, way before we could finish our appetizers, our main dishes came.

french fries, tenderloin, baked tomato, grilled feta cheese, green salad

This tenderloin was so tender that when I gave a piece to DaddyBird to try, he asked if it was meat or butter because it was so tender. Truly melt in your mouth.

DaddyBird’s meal was a bowl, same size as that of the mussels, full of spaghetti with shrimp.

ceiling light fixture made of an upside down colander

(We liked their light fixture, too.)

The food was very delicious and the portions were large. Very worthwhile. We had a leisurely dinner followed by a leisurely walk home.

What are we doing on Day Eleven? Why a food tour, of course. Good thing we do a lot of walking.

(We have Matt Barrett and his terrific Greece Travel Guide web site to thank for helping us find O Mpakalogatos restaurant and many other wonderful things in Athens. If you’re planning on going to Greece, do yourself a huge favor and check it out! A tremendously helpful resource!)

Posted in Athens, food, Greece | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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Athens, Greece: Day Eight

December 24, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Today is one of those days when we did nearly nothing, but it is still too much to fit into one blog post. We went down to the Archaeological Museum which was closed for the holidays.

two orange cats curled up sleeping

We met up with these orange kitties during our espresso/hot chocolate break.

espresso, hot chocolate and two small cresents

We then walked down to the central part of town.

life sized nativity scene

At first when I saw Jesus was missing, I feared he had been stolen, but then I remembered it is Christmas Eve and he hasn’t arrived, yet.

two wise men and two camels

Yet, here come the wise men (two years ahead of schedule) with their camels (who appear to have escaped from the planet of the apes).

Then we walked to the central market. (Brace yourself, Kris – meat market ahead.)

crowded meat market

Where we purchased some very nice pork chops.

butcher block full of large pork chops

You can also get goat/lamb, rabbit, chicken, beef, and various organs.

showcase of pigs feet, intestines, stomach, and other organs

We also bought half a lamb/goat (not sure which, they look the same on the inside) and the butcher chopped it up for us.

butcher chopping lamb

large black dog walking alongside man

We met up with this very amiable stray dog who would have liked a little of what we had in our bag, but luckily was not insistent about it.

two pan flute musicians dressed like plains indians

These pan flute musicians were playing in Monastiraki square. They seem to be seriously confused about their Native American tribes. They are playing South American instruments, but are dressed and kitted out like North American plains tribesmen. But, I’m being picky.

Posted in Athens, food, Greece, Shopping | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

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Athens, Greece: Day Seven

December 23, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

man wearing a hat

Due to the continued rain, DaddyBird needed a hat. This was the one and only style of hat in the shop. I like it. (Notice I had to turn the camera sideways to get the beard in.)

man walking down a marble paved street

We went to the downtown area which has been largely pedestrianized (no cars allowed). (It’s difficult to tell, but in the distance is the plateau of the Acropolis.)

yellow plaster sided church

This is the Church of the Metamorphosis.

back of the church showing old stonework

When you see it from the back, you can see it has gone through a metamorphosis of its own.

restaurant with murals on the wall

We stopped for a late lunch at the Saita Taverna.

a one half kilo carafe of retsina wine and two shot glasses

This is retsina wine. This a 1/2 kilo carafe. One can also get a full kilo carafe. It comes out of oak wine barrels stored in the restaurant.

grilled octopus and fried cheese appetizers

We ordered appetizers. They did not have sausages, which we had ordered, so brought the fried cheese instead. The other plate contains grilled octopus, which was delicious.

fried zucchini

The fried zucchini was very delicious and I ate most of it before DaddyBird had a chance. You snooze, you lose.

lamb chops on a bed of fries

Our main dishes – lamb chops and bakalairo (salted cod).

fried fish and mashed potatoes

The mashed potatoes were served cold with olive oil and a generous amount of garlic. I don’t need to keep repeating that this was delicious, do I?

shops on a pedestrian street

We continued our walk through the shops. Many of these shops carry touristy items.

sign of the Byzantine Church Supply

Before long we had entered a very different shopping area where you could get clerical vestments made or pick up a nice censer or candlestick for your Byzantine church.

small, ancient church

We diverted a bit to look at this wonderful little church. Behind it is its 19th century replacement which is currently under renovation. A man working at a nearby restaurant came out to talk to us and tell us about the churches. He was pleased to hear that we come from Oregon, which he is convinced is a state known for cowboys.

Posted in Athens, food, Greece | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

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Athens Sweets

December 22, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

piles of cookies and buns

Kris has asked about sweets, so here are some sweets from the little bakery across the square.

three types of cookies and a loaf of brown bread

The large brown cookies are somewhat plain and not very sugary. Perfect for eating with a big mug of coffee. The white cookies are tea cakes. The small brown cookies are sugary, nutmeggy, cinnamony, nutty goodness. The loaf is delicious brown bread.

Posted in Athens, food, Greece | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments »

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Athens, Greece: Day Four

December 20, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

two gyro sandwiches with two Coca Colas

We began our day by stopping in at a little grill restaurant (psistaria) next door. They didn’t speak English, but we managed to order the above. Quite fantastic, I must say. (7.60 Euros/$9.97 – the Cokes were 3 Euros – ouch!) The sandwiches are flat bread with pork, tomatoes, potatoes, and yogurt/cucumber sauce.

seven pigeons in a bare deciduous tree

We went to a shoe store so that I could buy a pair of shoes. The ones I wore yesterday will need days to fully dry out and my sandals won’t be sufficient on the next rainy day. I sat in the park for a few minutes enjoying the pigeons.

street lined with tables full of vegetables for sale

Then we walked to the nearest farmers market. It was very crowded and stretched over many blocks of the street. (DaddyBird estimates 1/2 kilometre.)

table full of eggs, both white and brown

The wares were amazing. Beautiful eggs, tomatoes, potatoes, huge cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, onions, garlic, olives, olive oil, and more.

purple broccoli

We bought more than we could carry, so DaddyBird had to go in search of shopping carts and bought two.

two shopping carts

Here are our purchases: eggs, cauliflower, olive oil, mushrooms, garlic, cucumbers, celery, dried figs, purple broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, onions, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and leeks. We did not keep a count of all the prices, but the big tomatoes were 1.50 Euro and 2 cucumbers were 1 Euro. All the prices were very reasonable. The eggs were 0.15 each = 4.50 Euro/$5.90, although DaddyBird thinks he got more change back, so there may have been a discount for taking the whole flat.

table full of vegetables

Just so you can see how big the cauliflower is…

me holding the cauliflower next to my head, it is twice as large

This cauliflower weighed in at 4 kilo (8.82 pounds) and cost 2 Euros/$2.62.

Posted in Athens, food, Greece, Shopping, travel adventures | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments »

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Athens, Greece: Day One

December 17, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

street lined with mandarine trees

Here’s a view out of our window. The street is lined with mandarine trees. The streets are narrow and parking on both sides restricts traffic to one lane.

public "square"

Our apartment looks out over a “square” with a small park.

church

Across the Agios Gogorgiou Square (the round park) is a church dedicated to Saint George.

a round park

The park full of pigeons.

front of the church at night

St. George Church at night.

canaloni, Greek salad, chicken, artichoke hearts

Here is our first Greek meal experience. This is at a restaurant in the building next to our apartment building. I had chicken and artichoke hearts. DaddyBird had canaloni. In the center is a lovely Greek salad with amazingly ripe tomatoes. Very delicious and it cost 16 Euros ($21.00). The restaurant owner recognized right off that we were English speakers and asked another customer to speak to us about what we wanted to eat. However, the owner knew “beef,” “chicken,” “soup,” “canaloni,” “artichoke,” and “salad” so we communicated well enough.

Posted in Athens, food, Greece, travel adventures | Tagged , , | 6 Comments »

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Curry House

December 11, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

storefront of the Curry House restaurant

We recently had dinner at the Curry House (in Fujairah) an Indian, Arabian, Chinese restaurant. This combination is advantageous for us, because DaddyBird can have his food spicy and I can order non-spicy dishes.

textile wall hanging

1970’s decor is alive and well.

two metal bowls and ketchup packets

Condiments for the international menu include soy sauce, chili pepper sauce and ketchup. Ketchup (or catsup) seems to be the global condiment. We find it everywhere. I think sushi restaurants are the only places we haven’t been offered ketchup.

plates and dishes of food

I had garlic chicken, chappati (flat bread) and salted lassi (yogurt drink) and DaddyBird had three spicy dishes with plain appam (pan bread) and tea. All this cost us 66 AED ($18.00 US)

When we ordered, the waiter asked about spiciness and we were able to explain that my dishes should not be spicy at all and DaddyBird’s should be very spicy. We will definitely be going back regularly.

Posted in food, Fujairah, restaurant | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments »

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Tiny Cooking

November 26, 2011

Posted by Kanga.
frying pan full of bite-sized burgers with a little square of cheese on top

DaddyBird usually cooks big, but discovery of some miniburgers in the frozen food section led to tiny cheese burgers on mini-bread.

two burger patties per bun

They were rather tasty little bites.

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Amateur Tour Guides

November 25, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

We served as amateur tour guides for Sharjah International Book Fair visiting authors (Mike, Terri, Sophie, Nicola, Stuart, and Yahia – I hope I got that all right.)

We started with lunch at a Yemeni restaurant.

people sitting on a carpeted eating area

We shared a large platter of mandi (lamb and rice).

large platter of lamb and rice

Eating rice with their hands seemed to be a new experience for everyone. It was enjoyed by all and mastered by some.

fort

Then we were off to Fujairah Fort which is open to the public due to the 40th National Day celebrations that started November 11th (with the beginning of the Al Saif sword competitions) and will continue through December 15th. The actual National Day is December 2nd and commemorates the joining of the 7 Emirates into a single country.

inside of the fort

It was a real pleasure to get to see the inside of the fort.

woman sitting at the top of the stairs

Sophie found a place to rest with an inspiring view and took a moment for contemplation.

fishermen making nets by hand

Below the Fort many traditional activities are on display. This man is making a fishing net by hand.

men tying palm leaves together

These men are tying palm leaves together to make a small boat.

palm leaves tied together

boats made of palm leaves

Eventually, it will look like this.

large grey bull

Then, of course, we had to squeeze in a visit to the bull butting. This competition is held every Friday afternoon and dates back to the 1600’s.

two bulls butting heads

The dark bull was something to see. He started by kneeling and rubbing his head on the ground and then was up in a flash, catching the other bull by surprise and gaining the advantage.

Unfortunately, time ran out and the authors had to return to Sharjah for the book fair activities. We enjoyed giving them a taste of Fujairah and Emirati culture.

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Live Entertainment

November 22, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

The Oriental Restaurant has added live entertainment.

white puppy with brown spots, brown puppy with white spots

Two of the softest, cutest puppies ever.

sleeping puppies

By the time we left it was nap time.

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