Ever since we arrived in Greece, we were hit with the reality that Christmas is approaching quickly! In Morocco we saw an occasional “New Years” decoration (that looked exactly like Christmas), but nothing like here in Athens! It started with the taxi ride from the airport: Christmas music on the radio. And almost every store is decorated, public places are lit up and people are in Christmas shopping mode…
But one thing I’m still looking forward to and haven’t seen here at all are Christkindlmarkets ❤️. You can’t have everything and the cold weather in Germany has to be rewarded with something, right? Why not with Christkindlmarkets? 🎄
The bad news started on this exact intersection 4 years ago (on Ted’s birthday!), when a pocket thief stole my wallet out of my zipped crossbody bag despite Ted standing right next to me, on my right side where the bag was facing. When crossing this intersection, we had to stop in the middle to wait for the green light. Once we were across the street, my wallet was gone; my bag zipper closed again.
Damage: blue wallet, credit card, debit card, €300, my German drivers license (which cannot be replaced) 😖
So today we took the tram to downtown Athens, when 5 or 6 big tall guys with black puffer jackets entered the tram together with us. You have to validate your ticket upon entering and they all created this commotion when I realized that my purse’s zipper was open and my notebook was missing. I immediately knew what was going on and shouted out that my notebook was stolen. I tried to shout to Ted that he should check his things, check his wallet, passport, everything, but those guys blocked me from Ted. I was furious and those guys all of a sudden “found” my notebook. Then Ted realized that his passport and his wallet were stolen out of the front pocket of his jeans and he started to make a fuzz and got loud as well. Suddenly those guys “found” the passport and the wallet on the floor as well. I told Ted to check his credit cards and those guys got all agitated and aggressive that we accused them of theft. Peter started to argue with them, and they got cold feet. They quickly got out at the next station and disappeared. Then Ted realized that his credit card was taken out of his wallet and was gone. Along with those guys. This whole thing took only a few minutes, a lot of emotions and accusations were exchanged and fortunately we got everything back except Ted’s credit card. One phone call later that problem was resolved. We were very lucky, but traumatized! I was so sure that the way I wear my bag was foolproof. But I was wrong! And Ted’s jeans pocket? His front jeans pocket?!?
This is how I wear my bag, which is a Fanny pack with the zipper right at my chest.
So when you are in Greece, especially in Athens, you want to see old stuff, really old stuff, right? And if you don’t want to, don’t go to Athens then, because there is plenty of old stuff everywhere! Not only out in public, on the streets and underneath the surfaces, often displayed under glass floors or behind glass walls, but also in many different museums, one of which we visited: the National Archeological Museum
Animal head with gold hornsWeapons from a grave, 16th century BCEDuck shaped vessel – made from a single piece of rock crystal! Minoan craftsmanship excellence (Edith’s favorite piece)The Antikythera Mechanism – Ted’s favorite piece and the reason why we ended up at the National Archeological Museum (see separate post)In front of the National Archeological Museum
Did I ever mention that our friend Peter used to own a Greek restaurant in Monterey, called Epsilon? No wonder, everything he is putting on the table is just delicious, well spiced, perfectly finished and sooo tasty! My plan of loosing a few pounds will be postponed – again!
Dinner party with his neighbors and friends (from left: Edith, Jenny & Yanis, Ted, Yanis & Dagmar)Peter’s creation: Chickpeas, Fish, Octopus, red cabbage salad, red beet salad and Greek caviarDinner party foodEverything you see on this plate is cooked from scratch – thank you, chef Peter Peter at the farmers market
Peter is not only a good cook, he also shows us different neighborhoods, where the locals go, where you can eat authentic food and feel a little like a Greek who lives here in Athens and enjoys the mild winter weather. It is December now and 15 degrees Celsius. A few raindrops here and there, a warm breeze from the nearby Mediterranean; there is nothing to complain about! Our initial 2-3 night stay is changing into a 1-week stay I guess. There is so much to do, so much to see…..
Hallway at Peters apartment buildingGreek Orthodox Church
