Oct 12/13 - Athens

It was an easy flight to Athens, albeit with an early start (4:30 departure from the hotel).  We weren't pressed for time at the airport but we did use all of it with the check-in and various levels of security and then grabbing a snack for breakfast.  We would have been tight if we had bags to check !

We got to our Athens hotel shortly after 10am and left our bags and wandered.  Being very close to the flea market, we walked and walked and walked, then and later, downscale & upscale, covering a lot of territory.  Sandy says 7 miles and I can believe that.  We took in one historical site and purchased our 30 Euro multi-site ticket which we then used on the 13th at the Roman Agora and the Acropolis.  We skirted some other historical sites and museums as well, maxxing out all I could take.

We then hit the food market, enthralled by the meat and fish, overwhelmed.  Beside that, olives, veggies, nuts and spices, merchants hawking their wares ... a few city blocks of shuffling along with the multitude until we'd had enough.  We're back in our hotel now for a little quiet and will then head out for lunch.  As usual we are eating and drinking well.  My stomach isn't used to all the lamb & eggplant, the change of spices and sauces, but it's hanging in there.  Food is always a highlight for us; the unusual variety.

The city is large and like one big traffic jammed market.  It's quite an experience. 

We leave early tomorrow; 5am taxi pickup to the airport for our 7:20 am flight to Cairo.

Bulgaria, Japan, China, Israel, Greece and soon Egypt - thinking of the different alphabets this year.

Portuguese (Brazil for me, Portugal for Sandy), Bulgarian, Croatian, Italian, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Australian (ok, so almost like English), soon Arabic ... a plethora of languages indeed !

We will never have another year like this (nor would I want to !).  When we started the year, I wouldn't have anticipated Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Egypt or Japan, for that matter, or Hong Kong (China).  Hamid was making noise about Brazil, I was going to be riding in Wisconsin during August, not Japan.  Australia was a maybe, Israel was also a maybe.  Hong Kong, Greece and Egypt came out of flight routes.  Croatia on the way to Bulgaria and Bulgaria itself came out of interest sparked by a ride description.  The biggest "mixed bag", if you can call it that, was Japan with the rain and the heat in Tokyo, the location that Sandy didn't like, but we sorted all that out. 

It's all very fascinating.  Where to next ?  Sandy has India, Machu Picchu (Peru) on her list.  We are also intrigued by other Eastern European countries such as Hungary, Romania and we are definitely planning on Germany next summer. 

Onward.