Hello Athens!

     Today was my first full day in Athens! After losing a day to travel; a ten hour flight from Boston to Istanbul, a two-hour layover in the Turkish airport, and a second quick flight to Athens, we finally arrived last night.
     This morning I awoke to bright light streaming in through our balcony and no idea where I was. Not until I got up and peered outside to see the breath-taking view down the street did it actually hit me. That's the thing about arriving in a new place in the dark. I poked my head back in the room to rouse my roommate, Sanico, and we both squealed as we allowed our tired American eyes adjust to the gorgeous Grecian light.
     We met up with the rest of the group during breakfast at the hotel's roof restaurant and bar. We met our historian, Ioanna, and she took the thirteen of us over to the cafe at the Hellenic American University to meet two more ex-Pats and fill out some paperwork. Later, the group headed down town to the Benaki Museum, where Ioanna gave us a shot-gun lesson on the history of Greece, complete with icons, ceremonial vases, and 18th century clothing.
     When we finished touring the museum, a few of us headed up to the rooftop bar there and re-hydrated. I was photographing a group of older socialite women dining and chit-chatting casually with  elaborate quaffs and outfits. One woman saw me photographing, invited me over to their table, kissed me, hugged me, sat me down, and bought me a glass of wine, while they all spoke to me in high-speed Greek. They wanted to know where the photos of them would end up…

Ladies Lunching, Athens, 2014

     I gave them directions to my website which carries a link here so hopefully they'll find their happy faces.

     Once the whole group reconnected, we walked further into the heart of Athens in the direction of the Acropolis. We found ourselves between the high street with all the fast fashion stores and the tourist trap side streets with shoe stores and t-shirt carts galore. A few people broke away eventually to head back to the hotel before meeting back at the Hellenic center for dinner, and the rest of us continued on to see some of the ruins of ancient Athens and various stray cats.
     Sitting at dinner was refreshing for those of us who thought it was a good idea to break in new shoes… Later, eight of us met up on the hotel's roof bar again for Mythos beer and red wine. I can't wait for tomorrow.