Just a Dream and the Wind to Carry Us
I figured that by the second day in Athens, the kids would be ancient ruins-out, so I booked a tour on a catamaran for a half day sail around the Aegean and the Athens Riviera. We were all excited about it, but as I made my way down to exit the boat, I didn't feel great. I had a killer headache and felt like something I ate just didn't agree with me. Still, the show must go on.
There was also some confusion about where the driver for the tour was to meet us. It took some time to figure out that he was not where the company nor I expected him to be and was instead a few lots away. So, we were all a bit cranky (including the driver, who was clearly getting chewed out in Greek by the tour company in his earpiece).
We shared this tour with a lovely family of four from Toronto, who were originally from Wales. They were on the Koningsdam, too, and the mom was celebrating her birthday with this sailing.
Regardless of the rest, the day was not having any complaints--it was bright blue and about 15 degrees cooler than the day before.
The catamaran was plenty big enough for our families to gather together if we wanted and then separate when we didn't. Our crew were longtime friends who started sailing when they were 5--this is Greece after all. One was looking for a job that offered more family time; the other was looking to move back to Greece after working in San Francisco tech businesses. Like most of the folks we met in Greece, they work pretty long hours for half the year (tourist season) and then live off these earnings for the remainder of the year--sometimes in Greece, sometimes elsewhere. It is a fascinatingly seasonal way of working and living that seems to support the way Greeks look at life--a little more slowly paced, a bit more family-centric.
Others of us were just fine experiencing the sea as observers.
As the day went on, big black clouds started to appear, turning the day a bit cooler and hiding the sun. And as we sat down to a lovely Greek lunch, my head was pounding and I felt like I was going to lose my breakfast. I scooted out of the banquette and stretched out on the deck, soaking in the sun and the cooling breeze. The rest of the party had a fantastic lunch and even a chocolate birthday cake. Penn came up to check on me a couple times, which was very sweet.
The cloud cover broke and I started to feel better (still didn't want to eat even though everyone had kindly saved me a plate). And the Toronto mom and I talked for a bit about our children, Canada, and our tours of the Acropolis.
Shortly after this photo was taken, I walked to the back of the boat, sat on the bench, looked at Ned and said, "I'm going to throw up." Did just that three times, watched the fish eat my vomit, and immediately felt better. Given that I felt just fine after puking, even though the waves were suddenly bouncing the boat like a rubber ball, meant it wasn't sea sickness but a bad breakfast. (I will say that I didn't eat bacon again all trip.)
Some good photos of the sudden swells.
With the wind whipping up, our sailors let the sail loose.
A day of sun and ocean swimming started to take its toll on energy levels.
But, I was finally feeling better and could have sailed around for quite some time taking in the sun and wind.
But, the breaker of the marina started to come into view, meaning our afternoon at sea was coming to an end.
After we got back to the Koningsdam, Penn called it a night while Ned, Harper, and I wanted to head back into Athens for dinner. We grabbed a cab to the Metro, which led the cabbie to plaintively ask, "Why you not take a taxi?" Ned: "I like the Metro." Me: "Nothing against you. He really does just love public transportation." And we took the Metro to Syntagma Square, right in the heart of Athens downtown dining and shopping district. Ned had scoped out a well reviewed restaurant that had gluten free options, and it was delicious and lovely!
And, the service was incredible--which has been pretty constant on this trip. Our waiter asked where we were from; we replied New York, which everyone thinks means the city. He was so excited by our response--turns out he's a Brooklyn 99 fan :)
Right next door was a great gelato place that had both sorbet and gf cones. Score! I got the baklava gelato, which was so, so good.
Around the corner, we found the creepiest cobbler.
And a Starbucks!
We made our way back to the Metro in a city filled with life and great light.
Wonder how old this sign is.
We got back to the Koningsdam as the sun was setting, just in time to catch the end of Aquaman, a truly awful movie.
We loved our two days in Athens, from the Acropolis to the Aegean, it sparkled!
There was also some confusion about where the driver for the tour was to meet us. It took some time to figure out that he was not where the company nor I expected him to be and was instead a few lots away. So, we were all a bit cranky (including the driver, who was clearly getting chewed out in Greek by the tour company in his earpiece).
We shared this tour with a lovely family of four from Toronto, who were originally from Wales. They were on the Koningsdam, too, and the mom was celebrating her birthday with this sailing.
Regardless of the rest, the day was not having any complaints--it was bright blue and about 15 degrees cooler than the day before.
The catamaran was plenty big enough for our families to gather together if we wanted and then separate when we didn't. Our crew were longtime friends who started sailing when they were 5--this is Greece after all. One was looking for a job that offered more family time; the other was looking to move back to Greece after working in San Francisco tech businesses. Like most of the folks we met in Greece, they work pretty long hours for half the year (tourist season) and then live off these earnings for the remainder of the year--sometimes in Greece, sometimes elsewhere. It is a fascinatingly seasonal way of working and living that seems to support the way Greeks look at life--a little more slowly paced, a bit more family-centric.
Our tour had two swimming stops so that we could either leap into the sea or climb down using the ladder. All of our swimmers were leapers! Some a bit more reluctantly than others.
The water was a million shades of blue and absolutely crystal clear.
Others of us were just fine experiencing the sea as observers.
Truly, look at that sky.
Back on board as we sailed to our next stop, Harper and Penn were Harper and Penn--so connected that the Toronto mom asked if they were twins. Might as well be.
As the day went on, big black clouds started to appear, turning the day a bit cooler and hiding the sun. And as we sat down to a lovely Greek lunch, my head was pounding and I felt like I was going to lose my breakfast. I scooted out of the banquette and stretched out on the deck, soaking in the sun and the cooling breeze. The rest of the party had a fantastic lunch and even a chocolate birthday cake. Penn came up to check on me a couple times, which was very sweet.
The cloud cover broke and I started to feel better (still didn't want to eat even though everyone had kindly saved me a plate). And the Toronto mom and I talked for a bit about our children, Canada, and our tours of the Acropolis.
Shortly after this photo was taken, I walked to the back of the boat, sat on the bench, looked at Ned and said, "I'm going to throw up." Did just that three times, watched the fish eat my vomit, and immediately felt better. Given that I felt just fine after puking, even though the waves were suddenly bouncing the boat like a rubber ball, meant it wasn't sea sickness but a bad breakfast. (I will say that I didn't eat bacon again all trip.)
Some good photos of the sudden swells.
With the wind whipping up, our sailors let the sail loose.
A day of sun and ocean swimming started to take its toll on energy levels.
But, I was finally feeling better and could have sailed around for quite some time taking in the sun and wind.
But, the breaker of the marina started to come into view, meaning our afternoon at sea was coming to an end.
After we got back to the Koningsdam, Penn called it a night while Ned, Harper, and I wanted to head back into Athens for dinner. We grabbed a cab to the Metro, which led the cabbie to plaintively ask, "Why you not take a taxi?" Ned: "I like the Metro." Me: "Nothing against you. He really does just love public transportation." And we took the Metro to Syntagma Square, right in the heart of Athens downtown dining and shopping district. Ned had scoped out a well reviewed restaurant that had gluten free options, and it was delicious and lovely!
And, the service was incredible--which has been pretty constant on this trip. Our waiter asked where we were from; we replied New York, which everyone thinks means the city. He was so excited by our response--turns out he's a Brooklyn 99 fan :)
Right next door was a great gelato place that had both sorbet and gf cones. Score! I got the baklava gelato, which was so, so good.
Around the corner, we found the creepiest cobbler.
We made our way back to the Metro in a city filled with life and great light.
One of the things that surprised us in Rome and Athens was the omnipresent graffiti on every surface--without any attempt to clean it or cover it. We asked around and learned that Greeks just look the other way and don't see it as an issue. They see it as a form of expression and not as a criminal act--and those we spoke with stressed that it is not associated with any gangs (which we hadn't asked, so that was interesting). To get a sense of what I'm describing, check out these Metro cars looking like the NY subway in the 70s and early 80s.
Wonder how old this sign is.
We got back to the Koningsdam as the sun was setting, just in time to catch the end of Aquaman, a truly awful movie.
We loved our two days in Athens, from the Acropolis to the Aegean, it sparkled!
Comments
Post a Comment