I am glad I decided to stop over in Athens again this winter.

Since I wrote about the town last year in these blog posts I am not trying to describe Athens more. Just some comments about living here this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This place was pretty shocking when I arrived one year ago. Now the city has improved a lot with a year of Economic recovery. This is still a poor country and it shows. But the graffiti is down by half, the streets and the sidewalks are being swept and the trash hauled. There are new shops and a great deal of new lipsticking of existing ones. And the taxis are clean. All good signs.

The weather has been very fine until the last days when after a rain it plunged into the 50s. (smile)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This makes the visit even better because the town has an endless number of nice restaurants for al fresco dining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Athens has many nice areas. I do not live in one.

I live (you guessed it) just beside the fish market!!

 

 

 

 

 

In an OK but overpriced hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have the impression that all hotels in Athens are overpriced. But prices are wanky here. A taxi from the airport costs 48 dollars. But I can buy a good dinner with wine anywhere for 20 dollars. Pay 5 dollars for a huge, absolutely fresh fish and pay 3 dollars to have someone charcoal grill it.

 

 

 

 

 

Actually I like the area of my hotel because from here I can walk every day up through the ancient historic area, around the hill of the forum, and back through a maze of nice quiet streets.  Almost traffic free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along side the fish marker there just happens to be a meat market, and if one were to jig instead of jog.. well .. what the hell (??!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

This happened to me. But I was rewarded by learning a valuable life lesson.

The system of buying critters and then taking them into a restaurant (I learned this in Hong Kong where it is very popular) and paying someone to cook them .. opens one to the risk of error.

And so, I learned the probably valuable but nonetheless disappointing lesson that there actually certainly is a mistake size serving of lamb chops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have decided to spend next week checking out a few Greek islands. Mr. Theodoros Consolas has advised me on how to use the ferry system and upon where go in a week, and I am excited to be off at o-dark-thirty tomorrow.