Posted by Kanga.
It was rainy, so the real street cats were out of sight in dry hideouts.
So, these were the only kitties we saw.
The dogs, however, were more conspicuous in their attempts to get out of the rain.
The Acropolis ticket office offered some dry shelter.
This one settled in near a store doorway.
Posted by Kanga.
Our outing began at the Victoria metro train station.
We were headed to the Temple of Hephaestus, but this turned out to be our real destination – the Acropolis and Parthenon.
On our way up the hill, we passed the Sanctuary of Zeus, thought to be the oldest site of Zeus worship. One of those buildings is the Chapel of St. Marina.
We were getting closer. It is quite a climb and we were going up the easy way (we came down the hard way). Any devout ancient Greek that made it up this hill to worship has my respect for their athleticism.
We came to the Odeum of Herodes Atticus, an amphitheater.
One bad aspect of being an off-season tourist is that some things are locked up tight.
This is the view looking back down at the other side of the Odeum.
This sign makes you want to reach out and touch the marble, doesn’t it?
Victory! We made it with only a little groaning, grunting and cussing from me. It was raining lightly which makes marble steps slick and dangerous. Not the best day to do this hike.
Proof that I was there. The building in the background is the Erechtheion – a temple to Athena and Poseidon/Erechtheus.
Proof that DaddyBird was there, too. The Erechtheion is to the right and the Parthenon in the background.
The Acropolis closed at 2:30 pm and it went from raining lightly to raining in earnest and we took a different route down off the hill. It was less than fun – steep, wet, slick – but we managed. Soaking wet, we stopped at a coffee shop for a snack and coffee. DaddyBird had Greek coffee (pictured above)
For the rest of the pictures of Day 3, click here.
Posted by Kanga.
There is a large amount of graffiti tagging in Athens. It is not just in our neighborhood, but we saw it in the tourist area as well. Most of it is just ugly defacing of property, but occasionally there is a little art.
Even the trains are not immune.
So far, we have only seen the painting on modern buildings and structures. There appears to be a respect for ancient structures, leaving them graffiti free.
Posted by Kanga.
We wondered through the neighborhood…
…until we found a small souvlaki restaurant near this church.
Our intent was to have a small lunch, but the menu was all in Greek and we didn’t realize that the owner spoke English, so we pointed at the pictures in the menu and this is what we ended up with. Slightly more than a small lunch. Souvlaki is made very much like shwarma, but this happened to be pork.
We found the Victoria metro train station (nearest to our apartment) and took the train to the Monastiraki station.
This church seems to have been assembled out of parts of various other buildings.
I didn’t expect to hear street musicians singing in Spanish, but the day was full of unexpected delights.
When I turned around, there in the distance was the Acropolis. I was not prepared for this sight. It brought tears to my eyes. It brought the old Biblical Studies major and wannabe archaeologist in me to the surface.
We walked through the flea market. (Anyone need a stuffed aligator?)
We stopped for a drink and small snack…
…with the Temple of Hephaestus in sight.
We finally found out where the stray cats were hanging out. They have been conspicuously missing prior to this.
Now that we have found and tested the metro train transportation, we’ll be able to get an earlier start and get up close and personal with a few temples in the next few days.
I will be posting all pictures to this album
If you have difficulty accessing, let me know and I will find another option.
Posted by Kanga.
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.
Our apartment looks out over a “square” with a small park.
Across the Agios Gogorgiou Square (the round park) is a church dedicated to Saint George.
The park full of pigeons.
St. George Church at night.
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 by Kanga.
I have to admit that I do miss the cold weather of winter and the American holiday season from Thanksgiving through New Years Day. The weather here gets down into the 70’s (Fahrenheit) which is pleasant, but not very wintery. We aren’t bombarded with Christmas shopping commercials and ads. We don’t get to see “It’ a Wonderful Life” or “Frosty the Snowman” or “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” or “Miracle on 34th Street” on the TV. The last three years I haven’t had any time off for Christmas, even working the day when it fell on a weekday. So, it doesn’t seem much like Christmas.
Happily, one thing that hasn’t been missing is lights. The U.A.E.’s anniversary falls on December 2nd. This means lots of red, green and white lights. This year was a special anniversary – 40 years – so there was even more celebration.
There were concerts, dance performances, jet ski parades, air shows…
Fireworks on multiple occassions…
Decorating one’s vehicle with pictures of the leaders and colors of the flag is a widespread tradition.
And lights, everywhere.
This is the Fujairah central souk (market – meat, fruit, vegetables, clothes).
The number 40 is everywhere.
Lights are done in a big way.
I particularly like the lights shaped like boys carrying the flag.
My favorite building display is the Fujairah Municipality Building.
It has been a pleasant celebration season and a delight for the eyes. Happy 40th Anniversary to the United Arab Emirates.
Posted by Kanga.
These donkeys found a clump of green. Life is much easier for the donkeys during the cooler months. It seemed like we were seeing fewer donkeys with the advent of cooler weather. My theory is that they don’t have to travel as far to find enough to eat.
We usually see donkeys in multiples of two, so five is odd. I walked toward them until it was clear that they had noticed me and were on the alert. The two that are looking straight at the camera did not flinch the entire time I was taking pictures.
Posted by Kanga.
The Al Saif sword competition and accompanying celebrations continue through December 17th. So, last Friday we headed down to the Fort to see what was happening. We were too late to see the bull butting contest or the camel race, but some of the camels were still out basking in the attention of their admirers.
This little fellow was lucky enough to get a ride.
We had a tasty snack of lamb and chicken skewers.
A wide range of traditional items were on display – pottery, tools, platters, coffee pots, etc.
More camels – these are taking a rest. In the background, a horse and a miniature pony who have been giving rides to children.
Two majlis tents were available for those wishing to sit, rest and enjoy each other’s company. (Majlis has a variety of meanings, but generally refers to any area where people sit comfortably and discuss.)
The activities at the Fort have been very enjoyable, much like a county fair. These are genuine foods, activities, sports, and arts of the local area.
Posted by Kanga.
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.
1970’s decor is alive and well.
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.
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 by Kanga.
In a country where the word “pork” gets bleeped out of TV cooking shows, it is always surprising to see pig themed items. (9.95 Dhs is $2.70)
Trademark is of no concern when you can misspell.
These birthday “candles” come with a warning that they throw off sparks. There’s nothing like having road flares on your cake.
Living the Travel Channel 