Another Night in Athens

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One of my friends was delayed in Paris so we needed another night in Athens. We were not able to secure our apartment for an extra night because it was booked for other people, so we moved closer to the center of Athens. Our hotel, Hotel Athos was within walking distance of the acropolis. A lovely hotel in the Plaka area for 90 euros per night.

 

Across the street from the hotel, was a wonderful find, Oinomateipeio Restaurant. It’s a very small place with fantastic authentic Greek food. Marcos and his wife, the owners, are kind, thoughtful people who treat everyone like family.  We met a couple from Australia and another couple from Mexico. A few other people arrived and before long, we had one big party. A great time was had by all.

Getting Around Athens

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Getting around Athens was very easy and inexpensive. I was a little concerned that there would be a language barrier but most of the signage was in Greek of course but also in English. Many Greeks speak English, especially the younger generation.
The subway station was a convenient 1 ½ blocks from our apartment. We got off in Syntagma, where the parliament buildings are plus what appeared to be a Health Fair where the vendors were promoting every health aid and natural product that you could imagine. I sampled a lot of things and I am sure that by the time I left the area I was much healthier! I did buy olives in honey and Greek olive oil with garlic although I am not sure what the health benefits are with the olives in honey!
A few blocks away was the city centre. We decided to take the little train that winds in and around the city. The cost was only 6 euros and well worth the money for the hour-long tour. You can hop on and off this train as many times as you want. Good bargain! We saw more of Athens than we would have if we had been walking.
Another good find were the restaurants on the stairs. So typically Greek. There did not seem to be many tourists there and it was fun watching the locals.

 

 

 

hanging grapes

 

 

We were back on the subway and after a few stops realized we were going the wrong way. No problem, we just got off and took the correct one. When we reached our destination and walked up the stairs, I noticed a lot of people hanging around the station. I thought it was strange but then thought that perhaps it was rush hour or whatever. We walked across the street when all of sudden people were running and screaming towards us, telling us to go, go! So we ran. When local people are running and screaming, you follow suit. We headed towards our apartment. I wanted to stay behind and find out what was going on but cooler heads prevailed and we got into our apartment. We heard shouting and chanting and then saw the police. We heard gunshots and then the noise of tear gas being released. We could only see a bit from our balcony but we were prepared to head indoors if the gas fumes headed our way.

 

We were not going to go to our favourite restaurant as it was much closer to where the riot was but everything calmed down and we decided to go. Nothing else happened that evening except great food, wine and good times.

Greece

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The next day I was getting over the jet lag and waiting for my friends to arrive. I was one tired puppy but I was in Greece! Spent a quiet day until one of my friends arrived. The other friend was stuck in Paris.
Our landlord Kostas, recommended a restaurant that was literally a few minutes from our apartment. He said it was frequented by locals and was definitely not a tourist place. We had the best meal and so inexpensive. The pictures did not turn out well but you can get the idea.

 

Yes it is as large as it looks!!
Greek salad
mousaka
loved this dessert – yogurt with shredded carrots soaked in honey.

Athens

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Flying Lufthansa was a very nice experience. The food was good and the wine flowed continually. I was surprised that the wine was from South Africa and not a German wine.

My seat mate is a tour guide who spends half the year in my town. The next person I met is from Smithers, another town near to mine. Small world indeed.
The nine-hour flight was smooth and wonderfully uneventful. We landed at the Frankfurt airport with only two hours until my next flight. I didn’t realize how tired I was – can’t sleep on planes – until we were on the next flight and in a holding pattern on the runway. I had a quick 5 to 10 minute sleep at which time I treated my fellow passengers to a view of all the dental work that I have had done in my lifetime.

The flight might have been smooth but finding the person who was to pick me up from the airport in Athens was another story. I came out of the baggage area to a sea of people with signs. I walked up and down looking for my name and finding nothing. I continued to walk around smiling at everyone because Kostas – my landlord – had a picture of me and I was positive he was amongst all these men!  After an hour of doing this, I was getting some strange looks. I realized I must have looked like someone who was trying to pick up a man!  Eventually I was able to find Kostas who had been waiting outside all this time.

The one bedroom apartment was lovely. We were in a residential area and so I felt like we were part of the real Greece. The cost was 20 euros each – total 60 per night.

view from the balcony
view from the balcony
the apartment is on the right
our landlord, Kostas

The next morning I headed out to find a taverna (restaurant). Flocafe was a great choice. My waitress Evangella was so nice and patient with my questions for her. I sat outside and people watched, my favourite sport. Cappuccino 3.9 Euros; 2 mini brioches 2.6 Euros.

Next stop was to a supermarket. This one had 4 floors. One floor was for meat and dairy; the next was for groceries; the next for housewares. I didn’t make it to the top floor so did not find out what was on it but it could have been anything from clothing to hardware.

Planning a Trip

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Planning a trip is almost like being pregnant. It is exciting but scary at the same time. You hope that all the plans you make will turn out as wonderful as everyone says it will. After all, this is something that you have been waiting for a long time. You listen to all the good advice from other people, hoping that the decisions you make are the right ones. Then, you realize that regardless of what plans you make, it will still be a wonderful experience. So in a couple of days, I will head off for Greece, Italy and Spain for my new adventure.
After travelling to Mexico for years, I thought I had enough “stuff” for this trip – wrong. Therefore, after some research and listening to others, I had to go shopping.
Tablet – 850.00
Backpack – 125.00
Walking shoes – 150.00
Walking sandals – 125.00

 

Having a supportive husband who loves me unconditionally and has worked hours to set up all my technical things for this trip, and going with a friend who brings out the adventurous, fun-loving part of me, PRICELESS.

Chile en Nogada

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My apologies to my friends who took the last cooking class with me in Melaque. I had promised to post the recipe but unfortunately, life got in the way. So, here goes:
Ingredients:
Pomegranate – for garnish
4 or 5 eggs
6 poblano chilies – big
½ pear finely chopped
½ nectarine finely chopped
50 g. Raisins
200 g goat cheese
Handful of almonds finely chopped
200 ml. sour cream
½ onion finely chopped
Flour
½ kg. hamburger
2 cloves garlic finely chopped

 

Instructions:
Add a bit of oil to pan and sauté onion and garlic. Add meat and sauté until brown.
Add salt
Add fruit and cook for a few minutes
Add raisins and cook until raisins are fluffy.
Add more salt to taste.
Char peppers over open flame or broil in oven until blistery. When done, put in plastic bag to steam and soften.
Slit open one side of pepper but not all the way to the bottom. Cut out seeds. Clean the pepper of all seeds.
Stuff peppers with mixture. Close peppers with toothpicks.
In a bowl, add 3 eggs and salt. Mix with mixer until foamy.
In another bowl, put approximately 1 ½ cups of flour.
Dip stuffed peppers in flour  and then in egg mixture.
Fry in pan with at least 1 inch of oil that has been heated, the hotter the oil the better.
Cook and turn until golden brown. Do not overcook.
In blender, add sour cream, goat cheese, about 20 almonds, and 2 TB of sugar. Add milk if too thick.
Put peppers on individual plates, pour some of the sour cream sauce over, and sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the pepper as well.

 

Enjoy!

Bonampak & Yaxchilan Pyramids

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Were we tired of seeing ruins? No, in fact we were very excited. I think we have developed ruin sightseeing fever. So today was a big travel day. We were going to two different sites, Bonampak and Yaxchilan.

Once again, we went with a company that provided the transportation, lunch and paid the fees required to go through indigenous territory, boat ride, and entrance to the ruins. It was over a 3-hour trip to our first destination – the boats to take us to Yaxchilan.

Our first stop was to the restaurant where we would be having lunch. We placed our orders so they would be ready for us. Then we were off to our first site.

The riverboats were long and narrow and I was a little nervous about travelling ½ hour to get to the site. I am a good swimmer but crocodiles in the river are another thing. The boat owner had plenty of red life jackets and so we passed them down the boat. Our guide said he did not want one as the crocodiles love the color red. Thanks!! The other thing that made me nervous was the boat owner asking one person to move to the other side to “balance” the boat.

 

 

The trip down the river turned out to be quite pleasant despite my fears. We found it amazing that one side of the river was Guatemala and the other side Mexico. I was a little surprised to see the two countries that close to each other. Apparently, both sides travel back and forth without having to go thru a border crossing. Just the short ride to the site one can understand how difficult it would be to patrol that vast area.

Yes, we did see crocodiles and we spotted cattle coming to the river to drink, and women washing their clothes.

This site is not as large as Palenque and sees fewer tourists as it is not as well known and takes a bit of travel to get there. Yaxchilan means “green stones”.

This site is definitely in the jungle. I felt like Indiana Jones finding a lost site.

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Our guide asked us if any of us were afraid of spiders or bats. I asked what kind of spiders but was relieved to find out that they were not tarantulas. Just big spiders. We found out why he asked when we went inside one of the ruins. Spiders and bats were very evident.

 

More climbing, but well worth it. I did slip and fall on the tallest ruin (133 steps) on my down. I was not the only one.

 

 

 

Our guide told us a true story about the statute without a head. It seems that the statute was damaged when they excavated the site. The Maya came out to the site and would not let anyone repair the statute. They believed that if it were fixed then it would mean the end of the world so the statute was left. The body is one area and the head in another. We can now feel safe in the knowledge that all is well with the world as long as no one puts the head back on the statute!

 

Our guide’s family gathers once a year to this site. The women gather at one of the trees that is believed to impart energy when touched. I hugged the tree several times. If that story is true, I wanted to get as much energy as I could.

 

one the top of this ruin is a culvert and when the rain fills it up, it comes out of the mouth .
closer picture of the mouth

The next stop was to the restaurant for a much-needed lunch before we headed for our next destination, Bonampak.

 

 

I decided to only go half way to see the reliefs. By this time I was too tired to go further.

 

these paintings were very well preserved

 

 

even the ceiling was painted

 

 

sculptured stone lintels set above the doorways contain hieroglyphic tests describing the history of the city

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

statute of a jaguar

 

We were very tired by the time we got back to our hotel that evening but it was well worth the effort. This trip provided more thought-provoking insights than any other trip I have taken so far.
Many thanks to my husband Lionel for taking all the wonderful photographs. It is greatly appreciated. I am sorry I could not share all 600 of them!
Thanks also to Bob and Anna. You are great travelling friends. Where and when is our next trip?

 

PALENQUE Pyramids

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Visiting the ruins was one of the main reasons we took this trip. We were not to be disappointed. Overwhelmed but not disappointed.

THE OPEN SQUARE IN THE MIDDLE IS THE “TOILET”

 

INSIDE THE MEDITATIVE STEAM ROOM

 

UNDERGROUND

 

 

Notice the upside down pyramid. This was done because they believed that you start your journey after death by going 9 steps down to the underworld. Therefore, everything is upside down.

 

I couldn’t resist posing as royalty

The Palenque ruins date back to 226 BC until its fall around 1123 AD. After its decline, it was absorbed into the jungle until Father Antonio Solis discovered it in 1740 but it was not until 2005 that 1 square mile had been exposed. It is estimated that less than 10% of the total area has been explored, leaving more than a thousand structures still covered by jungle.

We took a taxi from town. Before we got to the site, we had to go through indigenous territory and pay a fee there to be able to pass and then a fee to the parks department. Then, of course, we had to pay the entrance fee to the ruins.

We hired on of the many guides that were outside the entrance to the ruins. Money well spent. I would recommend hiring one of the guides so you can truly appreciate and understand what you are seeing.  Also outside the entrance are a few restaurants and shops. You are given a wrist band and can freely go back and forth from the ruins to the outside if you want.

I was not prepared for the emotional impact as I took my first view of the site. The jungle surrounded the site and the plazas were landscaped. Walking around the site, I felt as though I had stepped back in time. Even with the other tourists, you felt as though you were back in 226 BC and walking around the city. The sheer size of the area absorbed the sounds of the humans leaving only the jungle sounds of the howler monkeys, parrots and other wild life. Tranquility cloaks the air as you explore the area.

Our guide provided us with a lot of thought-provoking insight to the Maya culture. One story he told was that the Maya would give sacrificial blood to the gods. The first area of the body that they would pierce to let the blood flow were the fingers, next was the tongue and then the penis. I can see the men crossing their legs at that one!

NOTICE THE JUNGLE SURROUNDING THE BUILDINGS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTICE THE DETAIL

 

 

ANOTHER PIECE THEY ARE WORKING ON

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YES WE CLIMBED THE MAJORITY OF THE RUINS – GREAT EXERCISE

We decided that we would take the jungle tour, as we were right there. Fatigue from climbing all the ruins had not set in yet. So once again, outside the entrance we hired another guide to take us through the jungle. You need a guide because you will be hiking through the jungle and there are no clear paths marked. If our guide had left us, I am not sure we would be able to make our way back. If you have any mobility issues, I would not recommend taking this tour.

We did not realize at the time that we would be walking on and around history. Our guide pointed to some hills and told us that they were ruins that had not been excavated yet. There were so many of them. We walked on and saw slabs of rock that had been carved to build the ruins, some with carvings or markings engraved on them. It was mind boggling to say the least.

 

We arrived at the “forgotten” ruin as our guide called it. This ruin has been carbon-dated to 300 BC. We climbed the few steps to the top and took a well-needed rest.

 

 

 

 

Along the way, we spotted some howler monkeys. I cannot believe how much noise they make.

It is called the tourist tree because it turns red and peels

 

 

 

Agua Azul & Miso-Ha Falls

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We booked a trip to the Aqua Azul cascades and Miso-Ha Falls. Good decision as it was 33º. Our first stop was to Aqua Azul, which in Spanish means blue-water falls. The blue-green water cascades down 500 series of falls and rapids. The waters are on Zapatista land and a fee must be paid to drive the road to the falls and then enter the site.

 

 

The Maya believe that the colours green and blue are the same. The colour green is the color of life. Wandering along the cascades, one can ‘feel’ the life force from the water. There are many places to stop and meditate or relax along the mesmerizing hike to the top.

trying to get some sun

 

There were many vendors along the route selling local food and crafts so if you forgot to bring food or water there are plenty of choices. Do not forget your bathing suit!

Our next stop was to Miso-Ha Falls, (meaning “Streaming Water”). Misol-Ha is one of the state’s most wonderful natural sights as the river glides off the edge of a cliff and some 35 meters (120 feet) down into a deep pool of water surrounded by lush vegetation. Swimming is allowed in the pool. We ventured along a small trail that took us behind the waterfall. You can explore a small grotto in return for a small fee. The caves eventually lead to a subterranean pool.

 

 

 

 

large overhang

 

 

 

waiting outside the grotto

 

heading back out of the grotto

 

 

 

Palenque, Mexico

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Day 7

Today was our travelling day from San Cristobal to Palenque. It was a 5-hour trip with a 20-minute stop at the halfway point. The total cost was 9.00 cdn. each.

Interesting countryside along a very windy road and it was nice getting into warmer weather!

 

 

Hotel Chablis would be our new home for the next 3 nights. We were greeted at the entrance by one of the ever-present helpful staff.

 

After settling into our room, we went searching for a place to eat. We found Restaurant Maya Cañada. Cañada in Spanish means canyon. We had a lovely meal there and it was outside! Warmth at last.

statute at entrance to town