Final European Destination - Athens

Locals enjoying a late lunch and street musicians.
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Athens

November 7 – 11, 2006

Thanks, Vange and Nikos for a terrific time in a terrific city. We’ll always have fantastic memories of Athens!

Everything we had heard and read about Athens prepared us for a polluted, grey and somewhat boring city. See the Acropolis and leave was the message we had heard from numerous sources.

Chengs in front of the famed Parthenon.
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It could have been the beautiful weather. It is likely that 22° C is a more comfortable temperature in which to explore the Acropolis than 40° C. It could have been that the Acropolis is truly an amazing sight. It could have been that Athens has been beautifully cleaned up for the 2004 Summer Olympics. It certainly has the cleanest and most modern-looking subway system we have ever seen. But I think it was the wonderful reception we had from our hosts, Vange and Nikos. Vange was a classmate and friend of mine during university days in Edmonton and we had lost touch over the past years. I had moved to Vancouver; she to Greece. We had both married and had children. We were both pediatric dietitians. After 20 years, we were excited to be re-connecting. Vange and Nikos showed us Greek hospitality as we hadn’t experienced to date. We experienced Greece more intimately in the 4 days we lived in their home than 3 weeks on those beautiful islands. This is real Greece and it was fun! We lived the Greek life style for a few days – wonderful home cooked lunches at 3 pm, dining out at 10 pm (and this was early according to Vange and Nikos), late night tour of the Olympic stadium and Athenian heights courtesy of Nikos, and lots of lessons about the importance of staying connected with one’s home village.

Night view of the Acropolis from the town.
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Thanks, Vange and Nikos for a terrific time in a terrific city. We’ll always have fantastic memories of Athens!