We tried a new airline to get to Athens. EasyJet. As a precaution, we each prepaid for a piece of luggage (since the carrier charges if you do so at the airport).   This choice meant that we left from a different airport; not surprisingly, all the “discount” carriers use out-of-the-way terminals.

Schönefeld Airport (SXF) was the airport for East Berlin. Back when the Soviets controlled all of Eastern Europe. To reach this airport, I took the Berlin subway, instead of a taxi. Which let me see parts of Berlin I hadn’t walked through. But, what got to me about the airport was the timber lodge (der Almhutte) outside the official terminal building.  It served vegetarian hamburgers! Unfortunately, the pictures I took of this quaint little place were on the phone that will be absconded in about 8 hours.

After my lunch, I found out how much fun it would be to fly EasyJet. You check your luggage at one end of the airport- and then clear security- only to walk to the opposite side of the airport. But, the flight was fine- albeit delayed due to weather in Berlin.

Finally,  we reach Athens.  We elect to take a taxi to our BnB. Which doesn’t leave us off at the proper place- and steals away with my phone as I was paying the bill. (Oh, yeah, the phone number on the cab was for a Mercedes car repair- not a taxi cab company.)

When we finally trudge with our luggage to  our BnB, our hosts- waiting for us for hours (between the delay and having to walk to the address) are most solicitous.  The place was their mom’s, who was now unwell and needed to live with them.

As we walked through the 3 bedroom flat, we noticed that from each terrace, our lodging in Athens had a gorgeous view. But, like Berlin, no air conditioning. Thankfully, we weren’t going to spend a lot of time there. (And, at least this location provided us some fans!)

The next day, we walked to the Acropolis. OK. We were going to the Parthenon- which is atop the Acropolis (which means highest point in the city- and this rocky outcrop is so qualified). We walked beyond the entryway- since it was not clearly marked. And, got to see a whole bunch of wonderful homes that were at the foot of the Acropolis.

As we walked up the slope, we saw the restored version of the Dionysus’ Theater.    And, then continued to the top.

The Parthenon and the view from the Acropolis were simple- yet magnificent.

From there, we went to the Agora, which was ok. And, then to Hadrian’s Arch. We figured out we were still walking some 10 miles a day, since our trip began.

Our dinners are described in another blog post. But, each night after dinner, we sat on our terrace, enjoying a bottle of wine (or two), fresh fruit, some cheeses. (RubyLynn had pop and chocolate.)   Where we were mesmerized by our views of the Parthenon, the sky, and Mount Lycabettus.

One of our stops over the  next days was a visit to the Jewish Museum of Greece. Most of the Jews in Greece were eradicated during the Holocaust. But, the museum does help one get a flavor of what life was like before the Nazis took over. (Most synagogues that remain in Greece are struggling to have a minyan- the quorum required to hold public prayers.)

We also walked clear across Athens proper, which also provided us the flavor of the city.  (I loved the creativity of the tourist traps- like showing us “Socrates’ Jail”.) And, ended our day at the Acropolis Museum. Which was across from our apartment. I finally understood what we saw through its windows. The museum houses the friezes that resided on the Parthenon- and that’s why the building is the shape and size it is- because the frieze is a life-sized reproduction of what once was.

And, now that we are home, we realize how lucky our timing was.  We left right before the fires that are ravaging the land around Athens, creating smoke clouds all over the city.

What a trip.  But, it ain’t over yet!

Next stop- Ann Arbor Art Fair and Pittsburgh.