Greek Christmas - Part IV Aegina

Dear All,

After finishing our tour of Ancient Corinth, we dropped off our car and took a taxi to our apartment in downtown Athens. Along the way, the taxi driver filled us in on the political and economic situation of Greece. In particular, he was very unhappy with the politicians and thought that every one of them should be fired or worse (there was some mention of an electric chair)!


Apartment in Athens (Αθήνα)

We had planned our highly anticipated visit to the Acropolis of Athens for the following day. Since the 25th and 26th were both holidays in Greece, we were looking forward to getting in as much sightseeing as possible. The kids were also excited for this part of our journey since Nicolas and Elyse had both learned about the Acropolis in school and they had all listened to stories about Athens from Julie's reading of "The Fugitive from Corinth." Unfortunately, when we arrived we found a sign that the workers were all on strike. While watching the shocked reactions from our fellow tourists, including some that had probably come from the cruise ships that were only in port for the day, we came to the realization that we would have to re-plan our whole day.

Strike at the Athens Acropolis

The museum adjacent to the Acropolis was open so we were able to make this our first stop. It sits above ruins of ancient Athens and contains a number of the sculptures found near the acropolis as well as many of the temple reliefs that sat atop of the columns. Some of the originals were missing, however, having been forcibly removed by an Englishman at the beginning of the 19th century. They now reside in the British Museum and their return to Greece continues to be hotly debated between the two countries.

Acropolis Museum

Blocked in our efforts to see the Acropolis or the Archaeological Museum of Greece, we decided to next visit one of the nearby Greek islands. We took the metro to the port of Pireus and hurredly purchased some tickets to Aegina. After only a few minutes on board the ferry, the sailors cast off the lines and retracted the car ramp and we were again sailing on the Aegean sea.

Crossing the Agean to Aegina (Αίγινα)

Once we arrived in Aegina, we walked up and down the waterfront before settling on a restaurant for lunch. Instead of ordering a big meal, we decided to sample a few dishes, including Tzatziki, a cucumber yogurt dip served with bread, Melitzanes Tiganites or batter-fried eggplant, spanakopita or spinach pie, and Greek salad. Nicolas and Elyse were reluctant to try some of the dishes, especially the spanakopita. However, Nathaniel wanted to be like Grandpa Onstott and tried everything put on his plate. He even ate a huge Greek Olive that turned out to be a little more than he could handle. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice his contorted expressions or the olive juice dripping from his chin.

 

We arranged a taxi to give us a tour of the Island, including the 6th century BC Temple of Aphaea on the highest mountain of the island. Not surprisingly, it was also closed due to the strike. However, we found an excellent footpath with views of the sea and were able to circumscribe the entire site. Nathaniel remarked that it was one of his favorite hikes of all time. Our taxi driver also took us to see the monastery and church of Agios Nektarios. We could tell that the taxi driver was proud of his church and wanted to show it off. With so many agnostics in France, it was good to meet someone of faith. It was also nice, though a bit surreal, to listen to American Christmas music as we drove around the island dotted with palm, olive, and pistachio trees. 

Tour of Aegina (Αίγινα)

Following our afternoon tour of Aegina, we purchased some Greek honey-sesame peanut snacks and boarded the ferry for an evening ride back to Athens. Even though the island is only an hour and fifteen minutes away, the adventure of taking a ship to get there made it seem much further. 

The next morning, we were informed by Nathaniel that he had gone on strike the night before. When Joe asked what were his terms, Nathaniel responded "to not brush his teeth." Striking may be contagious, but at least our kids haven't figured out how it works yet!

Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel