New Acropolis Museum

Live restoration work below your feet is just the beginning of this fantastic place. More to come!!

Our Local Favorite

"Never trust a skinny chef" couldn't be truer at one of my favorite cafeterias here, where I think Mom and I are now familiar faces. When I showed up for lunch, the chef asked if it was for here or to go. I told him I'd be eating in. He told me I'd have to wait, as fresh calamarakia were on their way. I told him I do whatever he says. And if you met the man, you would too.

They were hot. They were crunchy on the outside and chewy in the inside. They were delicious.

Shhh!

The moment is rare where neither of these two is talking, so it's worthy of a photo. For those of you who don't have an enormous lunch at 2 followed by a sound sleep, I recommend it.

8 Lambs A-Roastin'...

This is my second time where I've come from Paris directly to Komnina. Locals here tell me I've come from the Big City of Lights to the Little One. No matter the differences (let's start with the fact that I can't get lost in this one I can't get lost, and I've tried...), this village has LAMB.

Cousin Dimitris pictured above was in charge of spit-mounting and kokoretsi making. I literally watched a near-sausage equivalent being made, and I'm currently on the testing phase of how this may effect consumption.

This alone was worth the price of admission to come here. And given all the others who are here, the love we share and the fun we have make it all the more special.

More to come...

Au Revoir, Paris

Marlene arrived today. It was spectacular to have welcomed my friend to a place so dear to her (she lived here as a student for a bit). We wandered around the city together, gabbed, snapped photos, and enjoyed a fabulous dinner. Thanks to her, we got Velibe Bikes, rentals available anywhere in the city. From St Germaine des Pres we crossed into the 7th and made the Champs du Mars (how appropriate) in time for the Eiffel Tower Light Show! Light Show!! We rode along the Seine, down the Champs Élysées, around the Louvre, near some of the great landmarks in the City of Light at night. We had so much FUN!! What a way to end this special time here. It was Mar!velous.

A New Day

I am not a morning person. Yet, one of the things I really like about traveling is being out early in the day to watch the city wake up. It's feeling the morning sun splash on my face as it begins to rise above buildings. That same sunshine pours into windows being dressed to entice today's passers-by, like in the bakery pictured above. It's the hum coming from the delivery trucks making their way through and around traffic to supply the day's goods. To my Greek ear, the absence of honking is conspicuous. People wish each other well for the day. And here--especially here--it's the smell of fresh baked croissants, tartes tatin, eclairs, madeleines...the list goes on. And for me, it's gingerly clutching a freshly baked baguette still a little warm from the oven. To protect its bulbous ends from morning commuters and street-sweepers, I keep a firm hold on its slender middle, trying not to crack its crunchy and flaky exterior.

Smiling, I make my way through the alleys, the narrow streets, the bikes and mopeds. While bright red geraniums reach out from their iron-protected balcony boxes above, I dart around the rivers of water that stream along the curbs below. I delight in this ritual.

I stop to look around. One by one from their tall stacks, tables and chairs are being set for the day. Steel gates are slowly disappearing to show their colorful storefronts. I peer over my other shoulder. An eyebrow rises. Each street ends with another building redirecting it to wind in a new direction, encouraging exploration. What else is there to see, hear, smell nearby? My grin expresses my satisfaction, my curiosity takes hold, and off I go.

More to come...

Arc! de Triomphe

Though this is "Top Secret!," I'm also on the lookout for Du Quois, Latrine, Chocolate Mousse and Deja Vu (though we have not met before).

I love the French. Ernie has so wisely pointed put that France behaves like a Northern European country. They don't even honk here!! My second coffee today was at a cafe, where I sat next to a table of Greeks. Oh to hear that language out of context! Fortunately for me, I know a little German, too; he's sitting right over there.