Day 27 - Beach day!

After going back to my hotel later than I thought I would last night and not being able to fall asleep until after 1, I was up at 7 o'clock this morning. I also woke up several times in the night.

To start my day off I walked down to the ferry ticket office to figure out how to spend my day. I decided that I would go to Hydra for the day. The ferry left earlier than I was expecting so I didn't get to see the temple again. Not a big deal though, it's just a base and it would cost me over €20 euro.

Once I arrived on the new island I unfortunately realized it was ugly and immediately regretted coming.

Just kidding.

It's so beautiful here.

The town is nestled comfortably in between mountains and forms a perfect little crescent with the port in the middle. Like most other towns here its built amphitheatrically and on the other hand, it is unlike other island towns because of the architecture. The buildings here are quite different from the whitewashed homes of other islands in that they are mostly built of stone and are therefore darker in color. But best of all and the thing that sets this island apart from all others is that there are no vehicles, with the exception of 1 very small garbage truck. I didn't even see any bicycles. What I did see were donkeys and horses, which are essentially the taxis here.

Because I got here so early in the day (9:45am) it was very quiet and empty, most shops and tavernas where still closed, but this didn't last long. I let myself just wander and see where I could get and what I could see instead of heading for a set place. It's nice to take the time to do nothing. After 2 hours of wandering and browsing the shops that had opened I found myself back in the port where a very large ferry had just dropped off a ton of people. A perfect time to leave town. I walked around one side of the crescent and outside the main area. There I found a nice beach. The perfect place for me.
Honestly though, I'm using the term 'beach' pretty loosely. It's actually concrete platforms and a small rocky area below, there is no sand to speak of. Beach aside, the water is phenomenal. Crystal clear, perfectly blue and cool enough to make the heat from the day more bearable without being cold. I also noticed that within meters of the shore line you aren't unable to touch the bottom, but can still see it clearly.
A major downside is that the sea is busy with ferries, fishing boats and sailboats. This makes for very rough water.

After 3 hours of swimming and laying and generally relaxing I decided to head back to town to wander around a bit more.

By 4pm I was hot and exhausted and had nothing left to do. This was an issue since I wasn't leaving until 7:20.

What's a girl to do?!! My life is so hard..

Oh wait. Nope. I'm lying.

I decided to have a waffle. Just because. And after my delicious just because waffle I put on more SPF and sat in the shade for a bit before heading over to another beach. There was no one at this beach now because the sun had moved away, so I had it all to myself! With 2 hours left before leaving and another 3 hours of traveling after that, I was feeling to tired to do anymore than just sit around. And what better place than a private beach?

After sitting for a while and then a bit more walking I ended up at the ferry waiting area where I people watched until I was on board half hour later.
It was a different ferry to any I have been on previously and not enjoyable at all. It was very rocky and left me feeling pretty terrible even with my motion sickness aids. Luckily it's only about 2 hours from Hydra to Piraeus.

Once off the ferry it was a short walk to the metro. I was quite surprised to see that it was completely full, but I'm starting to really grasp just how much Greeks really are night time people. After the hour long metro ride it was a 20 minute bus, a ten minute walk and then right to bed.

It's been another awesome weekend away and I'm glad I decided to see both islands. Unfortunately I think I will be sticking around Athens for the next few weekends because I haven't yet found myself a money tree.

I hope you weekend was great wherever you are!

Day 26 - Sharks, shops and getting lost

Today I went totally out of my comfort zone and didn't make plans. I decided late last night that Santorini just wasn't right for this weekend. Instead, I went to bed having decided to figure out where to go in the morning.

I woke up, got ready, had breakfast and got to the port before I was fully decided on where to go. I was thinking Hydra island. It's 1.5 hours from Piraeus. If not Hydra, it was Poros island. About 1 hour from Piraeus and right between Hydra and Aegina where I went last week. There was also the possibility of doing both. This still may happen.

After 3 hours of waiting at the port in Athens and just over an hour on the ferry I finally arrived in Poros at about 2:30 and quickly found a hotel. For €25 I got an amazing sea view room with fridge, stove and all the dish ware I could need as well as t.v., 2 beds and of course a bathroom. I also have a cute little sitting area right outside my door.

After setting all my things in my room and putting on my swimsuit I had a chat with the owner. He told me about the town and where to go. First place I went, the beach!
The water is cooler already than it was last weekend, but when the days are so hot I don't think that's much to complain about. After swimming for a while something bit/stung/jabbed me in the leg and I retreated to the shore. I think it was just a hungry fish.. No damage done. I didn't go back in after though in case it was a tiny shark.... Just kidding. But really, I didn't go back in.

After the beach I wandered around the town and got myself lost in its sweet little lanes for a while. Then I got unlost and continued to wander and browse in shops (and eat ice cream, but don't tell anyone).

By the time 8 o'clock came around I was exhausted and it was getting dark so I decided it would be dinner and then bed. After nearly 2 hours I still hadn't gone back to the hotel. The town really wakes up at night. It was so quiet and peaceful all day and then all of a sudden more shops are open and tavernas are lit up and the streets are packed. It's exciting to just walk around and take it all in, so that's what I did. Eventually though I had to give into exhaustion and go to bed.

In conclusion, it's lovely here and I'm glad I came. It's quite cute and slow paced during the day. There is one main road along the water front that has vehicles, shops, tavernas, etc.. Behind that are tiny narrow streets with homes and hotels and no vehicles. Like many island towns it is built upwards, it has many narrow pedestrian streets, paths and stairways, you very easily get lost, and it's beautiful. Like all the other places I've been it also has plenty to offer in the way of stray animals. Opposite the water front shops are tons and tons of boats. Sailboats and yachts and ferries and water taxis.

Tomorrow I expect another long day. I'm hoping to get up early enough to see the Temple of Poseidon that is on the island and then get back in time to ferry to Hydra for the day before I have to go back to Athens. If this doesn't work out, I will stay on this island, see the temple and brave the water again before heading home and I'll save hydra for another weekend in the future.

See you tomorrow!
xoxo

Or maybe not.

Having said all of what I just said, if I wake up at 4am feeling like crap I may or may not go to Santorini. Realistically, I like to think it would be worth it, but for how much I dislike the vehicle parts of traveling I'm not sure 10 hours of travel to get to only 30 hours of exploring time (including sleeping, when I will in fact not be exploring) to then turn around for another 11 hours of travel would actually be worth it...

I guess we will all be finding out tomorrow!!

Day 25 - I'm going to pack more appropriately this time. Really.

Hello everyone! Today has been a long day for me and I'm preparing for it to be a long weekend as well. Don't be surprised if posts come a bit later, or maybe a lot later than usual.

I woke up early this morning to head into Athens for some time away from the house. I did a bit of shopping and had some delicious (as usual) frozen yogurt. I didn't have to much time because I still had lessons at 3 today.

After the train took longer than usual and I had to take a different bus than usual I ended up getting back about 29 minutes late. Oops...

Lessons went the same as usual and were followed again by the boys swimming lessons. While they were away I was busy packing up and planning for my weekend away. I packed way to much last weekend and it got in the way of me seeing everything I want to, so this time it's one small backpack and my purse.

Ready??

Tomorrow I have to leave home by 4:45am to catch a 5am bus, a 5:30am hour long train and then find my way to the right area of the port to buy a ticket for a ferry that leaves at 7:25. If all this goes according to plan I will be taking a nearly 8 hour ferry trip to... SANTORINI!!!

HOW EXCITING IS THAT??!!
Very! Except for the early morning and bus, train and ferry parts. But if the island is the way it's supposed to be it will all be worth it, and the best part is that I am going to share it all with you!

See you there!!
xoxo

Day 24 - Riots and games

I didn't end up going into Athens today because during the strike yesterday there were molotov cocktails and fire bombs as well as rioting. I didn't think today would be a great day to go, especially since I was originally planning to go to the area where this all took place.
50000 people were on the streets of Athens outside the parliament building to protest more cuts. There were also about 3000 police present.

Instead of going out I made some plans for my weekend, where I want to go and what I want to see. I have a plan A and B and I'm still deciding between them... I'll keep you posted.

The boys were exceptionally good today during their lessons and of course this makes it much more fun for me. When the work was done Aris and I colored and played memory, I finally beat him. Alexandros and I played guess who.
After lessons they had swimming and I started feeling sick again so it's early to bed tonight.

See you all tomorrow for something hopefully more exciting!
xoxo

Day 23 - Strike 1!

Today was a day just like all the rest. I sleep in, get up for some Special K cereal, which I have fallen in love with.., then normally I do nothing much until the kids are home from school.

Today I wasn't feeling like doing "nothing much" and I ventured out around my suburb. I immediately decided that this was a poor choice because it was approximately a million degrees outside and I started melting a minute into my walk. My walk that turned out to last an hour.
I was going out with the intention of going to the post office and then coming back. I asked my host family how to get there and got pretty simple directions. Took under 20 minutes to walk there, but on arrival I discovered it was closed. Apparently they are having strikes today. I of course wouldn't know this because Greek radio is useless to me, as are signs. Oh well, not a big deal, now I know where it is for another day. After that I walked around some more and browsed in a few stores before coming home to lunch and lessons and puzzles and coloring.

After that I had a serious matter to attend to. Deciding if I will take a day trip up the mainland on the weekend or if I'll go to another island, and if I choose the latter, which island will I go to???

Important stuff.
Suggestions??

Tomorrow I'm planning on going into Athens for the morning and maybe trying some more Greek food somewhere. I'll be sure to let you know how this goes.

xoxo

Day 22 - What's the difference?? Part 1

I was going to save this until the very end of my trip to write, but I think instead I will share it now and then update it again later.

What is different between Canada and Europe??

Of course, each country in Europe is going to be different to one another, but these are things I have noticed so far.

Language. Of course. This is to be expected. So far between Dutch, German and Greek they have all be difficult but Greek is the hardest since its the most different.
With language comes communication, or lack thereof. I noticed in The Netherlands that most people that I encountered or talked to had a pretty good grasp of English and were pretty happy to use it, in Germany however, people seemed to be less willing. It seemed less people spoke English and even fewer wanted to. In Greece it's mostly only young people and people working in tourist areas that know English. I've found it much harder here.

Next up, roads. They are CRAZY here!! So different than home. And different between the countries I have been in. Amsterdam was extremely difficult to adjust to because the roads are layed out differently due to the bike traffic. First you have the pedestrian side walk which is next to the bike lane, there is no separation between them since they are both up on the curb. Next is the driving lanes and in between the opposite driving lanes is a bus and tram lane. I'm not sure if its like this throughout the whole city of Amsterdam though. Because of the amount of traffic and especially bikes, it's quite scary. I was nearly ran over by bikers several times. They aren't stopping, so you better move.
In Germany I didn't get to see much so I can't really comment to much here.
In Greece however, I have seen lots. First and worst, pedestrians don't get to go first, or ever really unless there is a specific walk light. Even then, watch out. Next, the drivers tend to be quite pushy and in a hurry. Lots of honking. It does seem like the rules of the road are different here, or maybe people just don't care..

With that said, all of these countries have excellent public transport. At home we have buses and a very limited LRT. Here they have buses, trains and trams to take you anywhere. And you can use 1 ticket for all of them, with the exception of long distance trains. In Athens a ticket is €1.40 (at home buses are 3.50-5$) and can be used as much as you need within 90 minutes, excluding trips to the airport.
In Frankfurt the bus is €2.50 and Amsterdam is €2.70.

And my last point for "Differences part 1" is about animals.
At home you can go pretty much anywhere and it's basically a guarantee that you will see someone walking a dog, see a family cat, etc.. I have noticed in all 3 countries so far that this is not common at all. It doesn't seem like having pets, or outdoor pets, is very popular.
However, in Greece I can see TONS of animals. Unfortunately they are all living on the streets. Hungry, dirty, sometimes hurt. It's pretty sad to see actually. I asked my host family why there are so many stray animals here and I didn't like the answer I got at all. Because of the economy families can't afford to keep and feed the animals anymore so they just put them out on the street. Can you imagine??? So sad. Someone please come adopt them all.

And that's where I am going to leave you for today. I'm thinking this will be an ongoing "series" so you can be sure to learn plenty more.

xoxo

Day 21 - Left alone

After my weekend away and the journey home last night I was pretty tired today.
I slept in and then did laundry before lunch. I got to try another new food today. "Pastitsio" A Greek lasagna. It's much less saucy the our lasagna and its topped with a cream instead of cheese. It also has penne noodles instead of .. Lasagna noodles.. It was quite good.

After lunch was lessons. Nothing new or out of the ordinary. No exciting projects either. I just read to them now instead.
Mid-way through lessons their dad had to go to meetings for the school they go to and I was left alone with them for the first time. After lessons finished we went to play downstairs and they proceeded to be little boys. Loud. Hitting. Throwing things at me. Climbing on everything. Spitting. Just generally little boy stuff. They got to see the angry boss Dani today. I don't think Aris likes her much. That's ok though. His dad came home and he was free.

And that was all. Good night!
xoxo

Day 20 - Part 2!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 20 - Sunrise on the Mediterranean

Can you believe it's already been 20 days?!!

This morning I woke up sooo early. Like 5:30am. I attribute this to my "pillow" being a brick and to it being my first night sleeping alone since leaving home. (Always been in dorm style rooms or at the house with the family) Normally I'd be opposed to this kind of behavior, 5:30 is a little absurd, but being up so early meant I could watch the stars fade away and the sun come up over the waves. This I am OK with.

After sitting and soaking up the beauty of the island for a bit, I went for a swim again! It was the perfect time. The water is clean and a bit cooler just as the sun is getting hot, a perfect combo. After swimming was breakfast.
It was so delicious! Coffee, orange juice (that tastes like vodka), Greek yogurt with honey, bread, meat, cheese, egg, tomato and a piece of what looked and tasted like chocolate chip loaf bread.

After breakfast and an hour and a half of waiting for and then in a bus, it's 11:30 and I finally head back to Aegina town.
By the time I get there at noon it's scorching out and the town is packed. They have a pistachio festival happening right now. The island is covered in pistachio trees and it seems like its a big thing for them. Because of the festival the streets were full of people and booths full of things to buy. Mainly, you guessed it, pistachios. It seems like the main way they are around here is roasted with lemon and extra salt, and also I found some coated in sesame seeds. Both quite good. I also sampled a pistachio liqueur, which was.. Interesting..
After browsing around the market for a bit and wandering the streets I sat on a beach and then at the harbor for a while. More browsing, then more sitting.
Fortunately I spent a good amount of my day unintentionally with the South African couple I met yesterday. We continuously ran into each other last night and this morning and then waited for and took the bus together. It's always nice to have some company and people from other countries are great to talk with.

Finally at 2:30 I got on the ferry. I quickly made a few realizations. 1st, I don't like when the ship isn't moving, it makes me feel ill, 2nd, we left the port as soon as everyone was on board, 2:40ish... My ticket was for 3:30...... I assumed that the ferry would stay at Aegina for a while before leaving just like in Athens, that's why I got on. And this ferry doesn't run hourly or anything so I had to assume that this was my ferry. Of course, being me I silently panicked, and then realized that worst that could happen is me ending up on another beautiful sun soaked island in the Mediterranean... Or I could get sun/heat stroke..
....
....
....
Are you concerned now that I'm lost at sea??

 

 

Don't worry. I'm not. I made it back to Athens and on to my train. The ferry ride was about 70 minutes and the train ride is a long 50 minutes from the port of Piraeus to Kifissia, a suburb near the one I live in. Once I got there I had to wait 35 minutes for a bus to take me to my suburb. 20 minutes on there, a 20 minute walk, and finally home. Sweaty and exhausted and sore but had an awesome time away!

It was all-in-all a great time and I'm looking forward to seeing many more islands during my time here!

I ended off my night with a nice home cooked meal of meatballs and fries.

See you tomorrow!
xoxo

Day 19 - Aegina Island!

It has finally arrived! The day I get to go to an island!! Yay!

7:00am - breakfast, finish packing
8:00am - out the door
9:00am - This is where the fun begins. Sitting on the ferry, it doesn't leave until 10, but I'm here early because Alexandros starts sailing lessons today and we all came to the port together. So anyway, sitting on the ferry and already feeling motion sick. WE AREN'T EVEN MOVING YET!! And then I rummage around in my bag a bit only to realize I forgot my gravol!! Oh shit.. I'm only the worst traveller ever! How could I forget that!??! It's like forgetting to wear underwear!!! Lets not panic now, I have strange little bracelet things that hit pressure points and make motion sickness go away. Oh wait, no I don't! I forgot those too?! Off to a good start here.
10:00am - waiting to leave now and just saw a dog pee on a chair on the deck... And then saw an unsuspecting traveller put his backpack down on top of it.. Ew
11:00ish - Arrived on the island. It's soo cute! The water is so clean and crystal clear and I can't wait to get in! The ferry trip was pretty good, no sickness. Now that I'm here I first have to take a bus to the other side of the island and find my hotel. The bus doesn't go until 12:30 so i'll have to wait a bit. (Met a nice South African couple while I was waiting and that helped pass the time)
1:00ish - Found a hotel. Not the one I wanted, but it'll do. Set my stuff down and went for a walk around. This part of the island is really tiny and cute and the ocean over here looks even better! While walking I stopped to have the best ice cream I've ever had in my life and then back to the hotel to change for swimming!

4:00pm - Just kidding!! I'll just pass out instead... Now I'll go down to the water..
5:00pm - It was amazing! The water is so beautiful and clean and really warm.
5:15pm - Supper time. Spaghetti.. Not very creative or very Greek, but I'm eating it while looking out at the Mediterranean and its only costing me €4.50
I'm not really sure what to do with the rest of my night. It's very empty and quiet on this side of the the island. I've also already walked through town several times. I guess I will be sitting and watching the ocean for the rest of my night.

I've noticed that they have the same stray cat and dog issue here that they have in Athens. Poor animals!

Tomorrow morning I have to get up early to have breakfast and then hike to the temple that is here on the island. I really have no idea how far it is or how long to get there, but I know where the trail starts and that's good enough. From the temple I will hopefully be able to get the bus back to the main town on the island where I can explore a little more before I have to go back to Athens. Or possibly I may just skip the temple and do the town and come back again for the temple.. I guess we'll see.

6:41pm - Got more ice cream. Oops... It's just so good!!! It's like marshmallows and whipped cream mixed together in a frozen yet soft way with chocolate sauce mixed in.. So good. Also, think about how much ice cream you get when you ask for 1 scoop. Generally it's literally 1 scoop. Here it's 3. And when you ask for 2, it's 6..

That's basically been my day. And now it's over. Good night/day/afternoon!

xoxo

Day 18 - Packing!

Hello, hello!
Thank you to everyone who shared what they want to see on here, I now have some good ideas!
Because all of these ideas involve a little thought and definitely some pictures, they will be starting on Monday!
"Monday?!!" You may be thinking, "that's so far away!" But fear not, tomorrow I sail off to an island for some exploring and some fun in the sun (aka laying on a beach pretending I can tan) I will be there for Saturday and Sunday so I should have plenty to share! I've read that this island has one of the oldest and best preserved temples in Greece!

As for today, nothing new. Just packing for the island. Played monopoly with the little ones. Skyped a bit. Considered that I have packed to much, but decided I like it that way. And that's pretty much all. I have to get to bed so I can be up at 6:30am tomorrow to get ready and be off to the port at 8:00.

Until tomorrow.
xoxo

Day 17 - Suggestions, please!!

Alright, let's not just ignore the elephant in the room. I've run out of things to say about my everyday life..
It's basically the same every day here from Monday to Friday. I sleep until whenever I feel like getting up, breakfast, clean up and get ready for the day, boys come home from school, play, lessons, play, supper, bed.
Just be honest, it's not terribly exciting.

I would like to, and plan to continue writing everyday, but writing the same thing everyday is just not going to work.

This is where YOU come in, I will still tell you about the exciting bits in my day and about all the travels and adventures, but what else would you like?? What I'm eating, wearing, dreaming/nightmaring... about... Anything??? Pictures you want to see, I've gathered that we all like pictures, but again, of what? Food, the house I live in, my suburb, stray animals???

Please please let me know! Facebook, email, Instagram, twitter, iMessage, Skype, comment here... Whatever suits you best.

I look forward to hearing from all of you and to coming up with new things to share!!

----
xoxo

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer"

Day 16 - Monopoly and ponies

So, it was just another day again today. Some eating, lots of playing.
Reading Aris books. Mostly about horses, one of his very favorite things. I can tell because he actually sits quietly and looks at the book when I'm reading it. After books it was more playing and I colored a picture with crayons. How fun!
Alex had his lesson, we played, and then him and Aris played a version of monopoly with their grandfather. It's a round board and it talks, in Greek, I guess it teaches you to count. I'm thinking only to 5 or 6 though. Next was supper and then a 2 hour Skype with Chad before bed!

I think these must be getting a bit boring now, being the same thing every day, I'll try to spice it up!

xoxo

Athens day 2 in photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 15 - Alphabet!!

Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I promised pictures and that just isn't going to happen today.. Oops

Today was a day like pretty much all the others. Wake up, breakfast, play, lessons... You know the drill.
Our exception today was that I feel like crap! Headache continuing over from yesterday, unhappy tummy and an on and off ear ache. Well, life's rough. Let's move on.

After lessons, Alex, "my" 8 year old, taught me the Greek alphabet.. Let me tell you, it's pretty bizarre for someone who only really knows English. It's not like French or Spanish or any other language that at least has the same letters, in fact, the few letters that are the same don't necessarily have the same meanings or sounds. I didn't really learn a whole lot, but I'll keep working on it..
Wanna see it???

Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Χ Φ Ψ Ω

Those are the Greek capital letters and now here are the lower case.

α β γ δ ε ζ η θ ι κ λ μ ν ξ ο π ρ σ ς τ υ χ φ ψ ω

And there are 24 capital and 15 lower case. Allow me to explain using my extremely limited knowledge of Greek.

Σ = S
And because it is a capital "S" it is only used at the beginning of words. If you want to use a small "s" inside a word, it is "σ" and if you want a small "s" at the end of a word it is "ς"

Therefore Σ, σ, and ς all = S

Crazy stuff!!

That's enough of that nonsense for tonight though, I'll keep you updated as it becomes less nonsensey and more.. sensey...?

"Travel is like a giant blank canvas, and the painting on the canvas is only limited by one's imagination"

Day 14 - Just a day

Hello! I have nothing special to tell you about today!
I slept in, did lessons but no projects or fun crafts, watched Aris play airport and did a puzzle with him and then it was bed time for me..

To make up for it, tomorrow I will post pictures! I know how you like those. And then hopefully I'll have something more to tell you about as well.

Good night
xoxo

Day 13 - Pouring down and standing tall

Such an awesome day again today!!

After an early morning Skype with mama and a walk followed by a bus followed by a train, I ended up in old Athens again.

I was meeting with another Au pair who is working in Athens so we could tour together. First thing we did was head up to the Acropolis! As we were walking there it was drizzling a bit and the sky was all cloudy, but as soon as we got there, BAM!! Pouring! The kind of pouring where you might as well not put your jacket on because by the time you realized you should, you're already soaked.. But I don't mind, I melt in the sun not in the rain.
After a few minutes under a shelter the rain lightened up and we went in. And guess what??
It really is real! And standing strong and tall and looking amazing!
So once again, I took way to many pictures of everything and then we moved along.

After the Acropolis we went for lunch and then for day 2 of the bus tour, this time through the city. Squares, hotels, museums, etc.. Exciting and lots to see, but I have to say that day 1 was much better and I will take the sea over the city any day. Not to say I won't be exploring the city more.

I didn't end up getting to see the Acropolis museum, but with 11 more weeks here I'm not really concerned.

Walk, train, bus, walk and finally back home and ready to pass out.

xoxo

Day 12 - Athens!!

Today has been an awesome day! I finally got into Athens!!!

I took a train from near my suburb to get to the centre of old Athens. As soon as I walked out of the train stations it was tourist madness! People everywhere!! From in the square outside the train there are lots of small side streets to walk down and they are jam packed with people and lined with tourist shops full of everything. Jewelry, leather, trinkets, clothes and food. LOTS of really good smelling food. While walking down these streets you will catch a glimpse here or there of something old and crumbling and generally epic. For me, I happened down a street and barely noticed at first, then took an instant look back over to find that just up ahead was the Acropolis.
The freaking Parthenon!!!
How cool is that?!?? Its one of those things you have known about forever and you've seen in movies a million times, but is it actually real? Could something so old actually still be just sitting here??
Yes! And it's incredible.

I didn't actually go up to see it full on but you can see a lot from below. I continued browsing around at the shops and doing the obvious touristy things like taking pictures of everything and looking at useless souvenirs like they are precious jewels.
Let's be honest. We all do it.

After a while, and when I say a while I actually mean ages, you come out of the shop streets and end up at the base of the Acropolis (mountain,hill,rock?) and also at the Acropolis museum. Which I've been told by my 8 year old is better than the actual Acropolis..
I'll let you know after I see them for myself.
Next to the Acropolis there is a rather large rock that you can climb up on and get the most incredible view of Athens from. Again, being the touristy tourist that I am, I took tons of pictures here before moving on.

Back through some shop streets and had some Greek yogurt with strawberry jam. Very good. And then on to an open top double decker tour bus for, you guessed it, a tour. The ticket allows you to get on and off whenever you would like within 24 hours and you also get a free second day, the ticket can be used to tour Athens or the harbor or both. The tour I took was to the harbor.
What an amazing view.
Mountains, city, ocean, yachts, sail boats and cruise ships. And said cruise ships are obnoxiously sized. Like floating cities.

After my tour I went for more souvlaki (my new love) (sorry Chad) (just kidding, I won't replace you with food) ... And then after souvlaki I had more yogurt, except this time it was frozen and strawberry flavored, and had cream puffs in it, strawberry and banana flavored cream puffs *drool*

I'm gonna need to find a gym while I'm here...

Train ride home, more food, write this for YOU, and bed. Looking forward to more discoveries tomorrow.

Until tomorrow.
xoxo

"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us"

Day 11 - Market and basement party

Wake up, breakfast, head out.
Today I went out again to see what more I could see. While wandering I found an outdoor market. Fish, fruit, vegetables, clothes, shoes, kebabs... Usual stuff.
A trip to the grocery store for a chicken and then back home for lessons.

Nothing much to exciting again today. Until after lessons. The boys and I were playing in the basement an they are of course speaking Greek to each other and then all of a sudden the floor is clear, there is a streamer from the lights and the lights are turned out... Apparently we are having a party... Cool
The party is actually a show. A show were Aris walks back and forth across the play area in the dark pushing a toy and Alex flashes a light around. And all the while a piano is playing a pre recorded song... My kinda party!

And to end off my night, traditional Greek souvlaki. It was amazing! It's so not like me, but I am really looking forward to trying more foods while I'm away. Everything has been so good so far!

xoxo

Day 10 - Venturing out

Today I ventured out on my own for the first time since arriving in Greece. I don't live right inside Athens but rather in a large suburb about an hour from Athens city center. Agios Stefanos has of course plenty of residential but it also has shops, cafes, restaurants, parks and schools. They call this a suburb, I would be more inclined to call it a city much like St Albert is to Edmonton.
The walk from my house to the center is only about 10 minutes. I spent about an hour out exploring and seeing what was near me. By the time I got back I was sweating buckets and ready to flop down on my bed and stay there.
Its entirely to hot here.

Aris got home from school shortly after I got back and as usual was ready to play. He has a toy that can be taken apart and put back together pretty much anyway he wants. He made a human shaped robot complete with "handles" One coming from his neck and the other from his, erm, crotch.. I must admit that handle isn't the first thing that came to mind... ..
Anyways. Moving along.

Lunch time, play time and then on to lessons.

Nothing much overly exciting happened Just lessons and projects. Then a trip to the crazy kid store again to buy school supplies.

Supper, exhaustion, bed.
See y'all tomorrow!

xoxo

Day 9 - Perfect circles

Another day just like yesterday and like I'm sure the next several will be.

As part of the lessons I do with the boys we also do projects. Alex had a lesson that talked about the invention of the phonograph and Thomas Edison. As his project he decided he wanted to make his own phonograph, and so that's what we did. A shoe box, paper, straws. That's all it takes. Unless of course you expect it to actually work... Those things just may not cut it... Anyway, it looked like the picture he had and when you are 8 years old that is plenty good enough! He was very impressed with my ability to cut a free hand circle from paper and kept asking how I do it... Practice?

With Aris we do a different kind of project. He is still learning more basic things and so we do simple projects. The same idea applies. His lesson talked about spiders and so the project is to be on spiders. *insert heeby-jeebys and squeals* For his project we simply cut and paste pictures of spiders while talking about his basic knowledge of them. What are they, where do they live, enemies, etc.. Let me tell you, he was NOT having it. He is supposed to write a simple sentence under the pictures about what he knows. This was not happening because "writing is stupid and useless and I don't like it or want to do it" Of course he was yelling all this in Greek and his brother was translating it for me while I tried to wear my teacher face and not start yelling back "ENGLISH!!!!"
Anyways, at least he is cute.

After lessons it was of course back to playing and Aris was back cooperating and being rainbows and kittens. Sometimes literally.. He likes to meow at me... ... ...

And that was my day!
I hope yours was lovely wherever you are, and if you are back in Canada, enjoy the weather for me. I'm still melting here. Though can I really complain?? It's Greece and I'm going to the beach on Saturday and the Acropolis on Sunday....

xoxo

A few highlights

Canal in Amsterdam

Windmills in Zaanse Shanes

House hook, Amsterdam

 

Belle statue

 

Old Frankfurt

World's skinniest house (red)

 

Leaning house

Church in Frankfurt

 

Bookcase entrance to Anne Frank's "Secret Annex"

Canal at night, Amsterdam

I AMsterdam

Old Frankfurt

Sweet treat

Old Frankfurt