After our diplomatic briefing we headed out in Piraeus to find the train station to make our way to Athens. It was quite a walk, especially since we only had a vague idea of where the metro was supposed to be. As a side note I still get thrown off calling trains etc. the “metro” since our public bus system at home is called the Metro, but anyway…Our first stop was about 30 minutes down the line to what was labeled as the Olympic Stadium. What we found there was an amazingly huge but completely desolated group of stadiums. There were no tourists around but we saw a group of kids who were part of a day care that had set up shop there. It was kind of eerie and it was strange that you can’t go into any of the buildings. All the windows are blacked out so you can’t see anything.
Since that was kind of a disappointment we got back on the train and went to the area that has a market near the Acropolis. We got lunch at a place called OQANASHS or Thanasis. I had a mystery meat “kebap” which was great with tomatoes and fries. After lunch we wandered through the shops and looked at all the Greek goods. Most shops had the same tourist souvenirs; replicas of ancient vases, evil eye jewelry, worry beads, sandals, and ouzo. We made some purchases then headed back to Piraeus to shower before going out to celebrate Julie’s birthday.
Back in Athens we had dinner at a place called MUOSES KAFE. I have no idea what it means but the food was great. I had a real Greek salad which actually does not have lettuce or dressing like they do at home. It was made of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and olives with oil and vinegar if you wanted. I have developed a liking for tomatoes and cumbers which I didn’t like at all before this trip. I also ate feta cheese and almost liked it! After dinner we wandered around looking for a place to party it up for Julie’s 21st. (Which was actually yesterday, the 12th) We found a small bar/restaurant/lounge where we were the only people. All 14 of us celebrated with tequila shots and ouzo till about midnight when we had to catch the last train back to Piraeus. Fun was had by all.
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I got to take a photo with the owner of the restaurant at dinner.
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Julie didn’t get to dance on the bar for her birthday.
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