It’s All Greek to Me — Piraeus


Piraeus, Greece

Well, the flight from London was anything but uneventful.  Worst inflight turbulence I’ve ever encountered.  Not only was the Airbus 321 bouncing up and down, it was hit with humongous sideways inputs.  How bad did it get?  You know it’s bad when the pilot announces over the intercom that passengers should note the location of the exit nearest their seat.

But we made it to Athens, loaded the luggage aboard a bus, and headed for the port city of Pireaus.  There, we were directed to a charming restaurant called 4 Brothers. We started with a very tasty appetizer of fried zucchini with a yogurt and cucumber dip:

Fried Zucchini with Cucumber Yogurt Dip

Fried Zucchini with Cucumber Yogurt Dip

Ursula had the moussaka:

Moussaka

Moussaka

I opted for the stuffed eggplant:

Stuffed Eggplant

Stuffed Eggplant

After dinner we were surprised with a dessert that the waiter just sprung on us.  It was a very dense, almost cake-like concoction served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some caramel sauce:

Desert

Desert

The next day, after about a five-mile hike, we stopped by the same place for refreshments.  I tried a Greek beer called Mythos, which was quite tasty:

Mythos Beer

Mythos Beer

And what did we see on that five-mile hike (more than six if you include the walking we did post-refreshement)?  Quite a bit, actually.  Click on any image below for today’s slideshow.

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Fun Photo Friday — Clues to the Cruise


Near the Port from which We'll Embark

Near the Port from which We’ll Embark

Welcome to today’s hint-filled Fun Photo Friday.  Today I present a preview of just some of the sights I hope to bring to you over the course of the next month.  Originally we were supposed to meet the ship at the port serving the city pictured below, but we backed it up a week:

A Visit to an Ancient City

A Visit to an Ancient City

But before we get there, we’ll be revisiting this charming fishing village:

The Name of this Fishing Village is all Greek to Me

The Name of this Fishing Village is all Greek to Me

Shortly before entering the Atlantic we’ll visit this city for the third time (and the inside of this cathedral for the first time):

Does This Look Gaudy?  Or is that Gaudi?

Does This Look Gaudy? Or is that Gaudi?

Let’s hope our passage through the Pillars of Hercules is less trying than this crossing was:

The Northern Pillar of Hercules — Hope it's calmer this time

The Northern Pillar of Hercules — Hope it’s calmer this time

Our last stop before crossing the wide, deep pond will be:

This City is Beyond the Pillar of Hercules

This City is Beyond the Pillar of Hercules

 

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Hope I Can Keep This Up for the Next Month


MS Ryandam — Home for the next month

The cat sitter is diligently taking care of Max and Pooh — the cats who reign supreme in Casa Wicker — and overseeing the old homestead.  The flight to London was uneventful (I hope, as I wrote this in anticipation of an uneventful flight).  The flight to Athens should take place as scheduled.  Our cabin aboard the MS Ryndam awaits.  Internet access will be expensive and, thus, limited.

Even so, I hope to bring to you my thrice-weekly blog.  Over the next thirty+ days I will attempt to post photos of our adventure through the Mediterranean and during our transatlantic crossing.

In mid November — at cruise end — we’ll be meeting with online friends at one of our favorite Tampa-area Italian restaurants.

The voyage aboard MS Ryndam will not be our first.  You may remember our transatlantic excursion in April, 2012, to visit the D-Day Invasion Beaches and other sights:

But the destinations this trip will be much more akin to the 54-day cruise we took aboard MS Prinsendam in April and May of 2010.

MS Prinsendam — Home for 54 Days

What destinations will those be?  Stop by for this week’s Fun Photo Friday for a hint or two.

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