The Bois Family Trip to Athens

March 15 - 22, 2001

The afternoon of March 17, 2001
The National Garden and Lykavitós Hill

The Parliament building in Sýntagma Square was originally built as the royal palace, but the king felt it wasn't majestic enough. It doesn't really matter now, Greece has been a democracy since 1974.

Behind Parliament is the National Garden. Like Athens, parts of it are newly renovated, parts are under renovation, and parts need renovation badly.

It's amazing that anything grows in this dry climate. I had heard that it was the end of their rainy season, but it looked like it hadn't rained in months. It says something about the people that there are flowers growing in window boxes everywhere.

	The National Garden is also home to feral cats. There are almost as many cats in the Garden as there are dogs in the Plaka.

We didn't know it when we walked in, but the Garden has an aviary. Mostly it has small game birds, but there were also a few peacocks and ostriches.

Later, we walked up Ploutarchou Street until it became just a stairway going straight up the side of Lykavitós Hill. There were still high rise apartment buildings on either side of the stairway. I'd sure hate to be a furniture delivery guy in this neighborhood.

There were benches every so often, which Danusia and Adam took full advantage of. I didn't think I was tired, but apparently I couldn't even hold the camera straight.

At the end of Ploutarchou Street, we were only halfway up the hill. We then had to choose between walking up the winding path to the top, or take the cable car. Wimps that we are, we took the cable car. It goes through a tunnel in the side of the hill and arrives at a restaurant, church, and observation deck.

Athens continues in all directions as far as you can see. Granted, the smog keeps visibility pretty low, but it's a huge city.

I zoomed in on the Parthenon even though the sun was behind it. You can still see all the way to the sea, some ten miles past the Acropolis.

I got a better picture of Kallimármaro Stadium, where some of the Summer Olympics games will be held in 2004. I have to wonder how Athens is going to handle the additional hundreds of thousands of people who will come for the games. It's pretty crowded already!

Looking down on the restaurant and the city below. We sat down and had some drinks. Per usual, Adam had a Sprite. I had a Nescafé Frappé, an iced coffee which seems to be the Athenian drink of choice. Danusia ordered an ouzo, but it must be an acquired taste. Neither she or I could have more than a couple sips, but we had to try it.

It seems like the Greeks don't eat lunch. The restaurants and tavernas were doing business, but the people who ordered food were invariably tourists. The locals seem to have just coffee and water.

This is the church on top of Lykavitós Hill.

And this is looking down on the winding path we could have walked up. It's supposed to be a 45 minute walk.

We took the cable car back down.

I know some folks will think the Smart is a strange-looking car, but I think it's perfect for a crowded city with narrow streets and not much room to park. Even with older cities like Boston and Philadelphia, I don't think America's ready for something this small.

On our way back to the hotel, I started to feel more comfortable with being in Athens. Most everyone speaks English, so communicating is easy. My jet lag was over, and I had a good idea of how the streets are laid out - not that there's any logic in their arrangement, but at least I could get from one place to another.

I also got the feeling that the people have some pride in themselves and their city. Besides their window boxes with flowers, they're smartly dressed and their shoes are clean. We had only been there for two days and our shoes were covered with a sticky dust. We wondered how they did it.

We also noticed that there are very few overweight people and many thin ones. I was going to take pictures of all the skinny people, but thought they might object in a way that dogs don't.

We saw the same thing in Scotland last year - diets that include sausages, oils and heavy breads don't necessarily mean you'll get fat. Maybe they stay thin by walking up and down Lykavitós Hill, but it's more likely that we Americans eat too much food designed for profits, not nutrition.

Back at Sýntagma, we saw this dog patiently waiting for the light to change.

We had dinner in the Plaka again and discovered the joys of retsina,
a white wine flavored with pine resin. Sounds awful, but it's delicious.

Next: March 18, 2001 - The Monastiráki Flea Market and the Plaka

March 15, 2001		From Florida to Athens
March 16, 2001		Arrival in Athens, the Acropolis
The morning of March 17, 2001		The Agora
The afternoon of March 17, 2001		The National Garden and Lykavitós Hill
March 18, 2001		The Monastiráki Flea Market and the Plaka
The morning of March 19, 2001		Our Anniversary, more at the Acropolis
The afternoon of March 19, 2001		Sounion
March 20, 2001		Adam's Birthday
The morning of March 21, 2001		Poros
Noontime of March 21, 2001		Hydra
The afternoon of March 21, 2001		Aegina

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