This year's big summer vacation was to Greece, the birthplace of democracy, theatre, geometry, philosophy, the Marathon, the Olympics, Olympian mythology, classical architecture, classical sculpture, and phyllo dough.
We flew into Athens and went straight to the Acropolis Museum, which is open until 2200 on Friday nights. We closed the place down, enjoying the view of the Parthenon at night and the original relics arranged in the same orientation as they were on the original structure, as well as several other outstanding sculptures and reliefs. But the highlight of the museum was...
A LEGO version of the entire Acropolis! Isaac sat here for about two hours enraptured.
Like this.
And this.
So let's go on a tour of the LEGO model so that when we see the real thing we'll know what we're looking at. Above is the south face which we ascended when we visited. The theatre is the Theatre of Dionysus where the plays were held. The columned building to the left is the Temple of Ascelpius, the god of medicine, and the building served as the Emergency Department of the complex. The Parthenon is directly above the theatre. All pictures by Isaac.
This is the Odeon, which was the musical concert hall farther to the west on the southern slope.
This is the entrance to the Acropolis, the Propylaea, which is on the western side. On the right is the Temple of Athena Nike (Athena Victorious) and on the left is the Monument to Agrippa.
Entering the Acropolis you would have seen the statue of Athena on the left. To the right are mini-figures that symbolize the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the naming rights of the city. Poseidon brought forth a salt water spring, Athena the olive tree. Therefore Athens instead of Poseidonia.
Further up on the right is the Parthenon, the western half being reconstructed as it was in antiquity and the eastern half as it is currently. The building on the left is the Erechtheion with the famous Porch of the Caryatids, represented here by mini-figures.
The golden figure in the Parthenon is the 30-foot statue of Athena that was inside the temple and faced east. The guy on the left is devastated at the destruction that the Venetians wrought when they targeted the Parthenon with artillery and blew up the gunpowder stored inside by the Turks.
Keep those landmarks in mind.
After the museum closed we went for a late dinner at a restaurant literally 50 feet from our apartment which had the best saganaki cheese and fava bean hummus EVER, in addition to many more tasty treats.
The next morning, Saturday, we set out for our food tour. A lot of our friends had told us that Athens was a sketchy dump and only worthwhile because of the Acropolis. So we expected a lot of this, which we saw. But this in no way defines Athens for me.
THIS DOES. On our way to the tour we accidentally walked past the old Roman forum which is at the foot of the Acropolis. The building you can see above is the Erechtheum.
And this. This is Monasteraki Square, which was the start of our food tour. Five generations of architecture are on display here: the ancient Acropolis, an early Christain monastery (on the left), an Ottoman mosque in the center, and a neoclassical train station on the right behind the modern sculpture.
Our first stop was a breakfast of koulouri, large wheat rings crusted with sesame seeds. This is the bakery that supplies most of central Athens. We got them hot and fresh out of the oven.
This is a street beautification project done by some local artists. Just electrical wire, lights, and common household items.
This is Andreas, our food guide, at our favorite stop on the tour - a food store on the main flea market street. We had amazing cheese, cherry vinegar, thyme honey, spoon sweets, and award-winning olive oil here.
In full attack mode.
We next stopped at a pie cafe where they make the phyllo dough right in front of you. This guy was amazing. He stretched that dough like it was elastic. The magic of gluten.
Here he is tossing it in the air as I talk with Andreas in the background about the Greek economic crisis. The cheese and cream pies were outstanding.
Isaac in a meat and cheese shop on the tour. The large red things hanging from the ceiling are compressed meat, modeled after the camel meat that nomads used to make when one of their camels died. They would put the flesh under the saddle, where the pressure would help to preserve it.
After the food tour we headed for a late afternoon stroll through the Acropolis, well after all of the cruise ship hoardes had returned to their floating prison with crappy food.
We approached from the south and came first to the Theatre of Dionysus.
On the seats.
From there we walked up toward the main Acropolis, crossing over by the Temple of Asclepius.
Enjoying the view. The black glass building on the left is the Acropolis Museum.
Next we came to the Odeon, the concert hall. They still hold concerts here.
Next we came to the entrance of the Acropolis, the Propylaea.
The theme of this trip was Isaac sneezing during photos. At first it was accidental, but it became more and more suspiciously purposeful as the trip went on.
This is the view from the southern rim of the Acropolis.
Next up - the Parthenon! This is the eastern facade, from which you could access the statue of Athena. Above this facade were scupltures of various gods at the birth of Athena. The western facade, with the competition between Athena and Poseidon, is more intact and is the typical image you see of the Parthenon, but it is under renovation.
Juliet is starting to fade.
I couldn't get a decent full family picture here. So hard to criticize people who willingly take your photo. Georgie did a great job with this one.
This is the eastern facade of the Erechtheion with the Parthenon in the background. The Erechtheum was a temple dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon.
Georgie frolicking at the northern facade of the Erechtheion.
This olive tree is a replanting of the original tree that was supposedly a descendent of the actual tree given by Athena. On the right you can see the famous Caryatid columns, which are copies of the originals. Five are in the Acropolis museum, one is in the British Museum in London.
The girls mimicking the Caryatid ladies.
Isaac and I with the Caryatid Porch in the background.
This is the temple of Athena Nike that is at the Propylaea entrance. Notice that the columns are Ionic style with the scrolls, like the Erechtheion, as opposed to the Doric style of the Parthenon.
That night we went back to the exact same restaurant we had eaten at the night before. We ordered several of our favorites and a few new things, like dolomades and moussaka.
The next morning we were off bright and early to the ancient Agora, the center of town during the times of Socrates, Plato, Sophocles, Euripides, Diogenes, and Alexander the Great.
This is the Stoa of Attalos, the shopping mall that was reconstructed in the 1950s by the American Center for Classical Studies and now serves as the Agora museum.
Isaac and I looking pensive in the very same place where Socrates and Plato once walked and taught. Now that is a secular humanist dream come true!
The girls imitating a statue of Aphrodite. It is interesting the differences between this statue and the many statues of Athena. Obvious differences. But you can also see how the Greeks mastered sculpture and why the Romans and Renaissance artists copied them.
Athena's upper half. She always wears a sash with a Gorgon head medallion.
Isaac with a statue of Heracles, holding the skin of the lion that he killed as part of his 12 labors.
Juliet with Hermes, the messenger god. Notice the winged sandals. And the Temple of Hephaestus in the background reflection.
Juliet imitating Eros, the god of love and Aphrodite's son.
Inside the museum we found an ancient Greek toilet for infants and small toddlers. This is how they toilet-trained back in the day.
Isaac with a real Spartan shield made of bronze. There used to be a Greek inscription on it that let everyone know that the Spartans had given up their weapons, which was against their code of always fighting to the death.
Georgie with several authentic ancient Greek coins, most of which had Athena or her symbol of the owl on them.
Back outside, we walked across the Agora, past one of the original Greek orthodox churches with the Acropolis in the background. Ashley loved the church and took several pictures. I was all about the paganism.
Back to paganism, this is a Corinthian capital that was once part of the huge theatre that was in the center of the Agora.
A statue of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who loved Greece and was nicknamed the "Little Greek". You can see the Roman she-wolf feeding Romulus and Remus on his breastplate.
Walking up to the crown jewel of the Agora, the best preserved Greek temple in all of Athens, the Temple of Hephaestus.
The Greeks thought that this was where Theseus, who slayed the Minotaur, was buried.
Looking fabulous. I felt like Sicilia was a perfect warm-up trip for Greece, with the food, the ruins, the wonderful people.
There were a few tortoises crawling around outside that the kids were more interested in than the temple at this point.
This is the view of the Agora and Acropolis from the temple. This is also the route that the Panathenian parade would take every four years to celebrate the city's founding and open the Olympic games.
Back down the hill, these are the giant statues out in front of the theatre in the center of the Agora.
And this sums up how the kids were feeling about touring ancient ruins all morning.
We tried to eat at the number two rated restaurant in the whole city (on Trip Advisor), which Andreas had recommended to us, but being Sunday it was closed. So we settled for the number 43 restaurant which was right nearby and open.
Ashley's dakos salad, which is basically a Greek salad on top of a large barley crouton. Delicious.
Fried zucchini croquettes with a mint dip and fresh summer greens.
Stuffed eggplant imam with moussaka in the background. Take me back now. Italian food has nothing on Greek food.
Loving it at Oinopoleio!
Isaac wearing all of the girls' hats.
Next we made our way to the nation's capitol building to see the changing of the guard in front of the tomb of the unknown soldier.
Funny outfits, funny marching, and loads of Chinese tourists under the hot Greek sun.
This is where all the protests and counter-protests started happening the day after we returned from Greece as they were trying to figure out how to vote on the referendum called by the prime minister before he defaulted on their loan repayment to the IMF.
The kids were fading fast, but I insisted on going to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the largest temple in Athens which was completed by Emperor Hadrian. It is down on ground level so the marble was easily pillaged for other construction projects.
Isaac sneezing.
This temple was huge. I love this shot with the Acropolis in the background. The kids had given up and were resting in the shade while I walked around taking pictures.
One column restored and standing, one column lying in ruins on the ground.
This is the Arch of Hadrian which marked the entrance to the temple. Can't get a picture of it without traffic. This is one of the main streets in Athens.
Some creative person had graffitied: "Mrs. Merkel (prime minister of creditor Germany), we still love you." -Greece. Which is funny on multiple levels. This is like someone defaulting on their home mortgage and then telling Wells Fargo that they still love them.
The kids were toast at this point so we went back to the apartment to decompress. We went out late that night not for dinner, but for one of the best dessert places in the city.
Yogurt with honey and walnuts, fresh donuts with ice cream, and a special cake of some kind. Take me back now.
Thus ended our Athens adventure. The next morning we woke up early and caught this 5+ hour ferry ride to Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea. We met up with Charlotte, Ben, and Luke Crandall, our close friends from Aviano, and shared a beach house for five days.
This is the "Three Brothers" restaurant 200 meters from our house where we ate lunch that afternoon. Take me back!
This is the Tower of Babel/tennis ball racetrack that we built on the beach that evening. You can see the tennis ball by Georgie's feet. It really worked. Ben is the big dude on the left.
Our crowning achievement. Ben is holding Luke, whom we all call "Luca", the Italian version of his name, and whom I diagnosed with "rapid-cycling toddler bipolar disorder" on this trip because he would switch from joyfully happy to screaming bloody murder any time he felt like it. Glad my kids are the ages they are.
The next day, Tuesday, was all about the inland part of the island. We drove to Eggares in the north where we toured an olive oil museum and ate at the local restaurant.
The town church.
Walking the streets.
Juliet and Luca at a little mini-church.
The front.
The olive oil museum was conveniently attached to the big church.
Inside the museum. This is the rolling stone they used to crush the olives.
This is the kitchen where our food was cooked in the restaturant. The matriarch is on the left. Her grandson was sleeping in a stroller just in front of the counter. She brought out big portions of salad, bread, cheese, beef, potatoes, lamb, and pasta.
We stopped here to document the huge marble quarry on the top of the mountain behind us, getting a blue Greek cemetery gate in the picture as a bonus.
Next stop was a mountain town called Apiranthos. We went on a hike to an old church that we thought would be short but learned afterward was supposed to be three hours round trip. We cut it down to about 90 minutes.
Hiking along an ancient Greek path with ancient walls near an ancient city on an island in the Aegean Sea. Not a bad way to spend 90 minutes.
The turnaround point with no church in sight.
The kids did great and they loved picking flowers and finding snakes on the ground.
Back in town, we found a door just the right size for Juliet and Luca.
Charlotte and Luca in front of a lovely terrace and doors.
I think Isaac wants one. A Honda tricycle.
"I'm gonna wake you up early 'cause I'm gonna take a ride with you..."
My girls in front of a lovely door.
My favorite picture of Georgie, my bleach blonde beach babe.
Charlotte and Luca at the lovely store where we bought olive oil soap, worry beads, and had Citron for the first time. The husband came in from his other work and immediately poured himself some.
An archway and terrace by the store.
The whole town was a series of Kodak moments.
We walked up to get a view and ran into these older residents relaxing in the afternoon shade. They loved Luca and Juliet and we communicated despite our language barrier.
Luca was pretty shy at first.
As was Juliet.
This is the view they were enjoying with the old windmill and castle and the new church and cemetery. And Isaac sneezing. Again.
Walking out of town we came across a random donkey that just had to be petted. He thought we were going to feed him.
Luca joined us for our family picture on the idyllic white steps of Apiranthos. He jumped in a few more of our pictures throughout the trip and was made an honorary Merback.
That's a fake one.
Our goal was to drive the 45 minutes back and have a nice, quick, cheap meal at home before putting the kids to bed at reasonable hour. But that was before we remembered that we were on a Greek island! We saw this windmill and had to stop.
Which led to our finding this amazing view.
Which led to our finding this amazing restaurant with this view, which happened to the the number one restaurant on the island with amazing food.
Which led to this.
And this.
How much does a meal cost when you are at the number one restaurant on the Greek island with the best food and you have this view at sunset? $130 for eight people. I kid you not. That's with appetizers and wine and dessert and free blankets. And we were the only people there! TAKE ME BACK!!!
Isaac and Georgie bundled up. The only negative was that it was windy and cold and we weren't dressed for that. That's where the blankets came in.
A once in a lifetime experience. So of course we got lost in the dark on the way back and added about 15 minutes to our drive and the kids didn't get to bed until after 11. No matter. It was worth it.
The next morning we were back on the beach, snorkeling and paddle boating and paddle boarding and building a bigger Tower of Babel tennis ball racetrack.
A sand lizard that the kids found.
Luca was fascinated.
I challenged Ashley to a handstand contest. It was pretty even, but she looks way more composed and balanced than I do.
We had lunch at Three Brothers again, of course. Which was amazing again. Of course.
That afternoon we found the Aegean Pool Bar where the kids could swim for free as long as you ordered something. Juliet worked on her swimming and is doing better every day. Pretty sad that she can ride a bike before she can swim. That's what happens when Mimi lives across the ocean.
I love Juliet's pose in the background.
Had to get my workout for the day.
The next day we spent minimal time at the beach and more time back at the Aegean Pool Bar. You know your four year old has been raised in Europe when she says, "This is a cool bar!"
Isaac relaxing.
Georgie and I working on our cheerleading moves.
We are ready for the big game. At least the kid behind us thinks so.
Ben and I chucking Luca back and forth in the sunset.
The next day we rented four wheelers for $25 each, with insurance.
All of the kids got a chance to drive one while supervised, even Luca.
Juliet loved it!
You can see her smile in the rearview mirror as she drove down the road.
Ben and I took the big kids to a secluded beach on the southwest part of the island. This was a hotel started by Swiss investors in the 1950s then abandoned when the funding went south. It is a huge complex right on the beach that is now covered in graffiti but is very fun to explore.
The kids inside the "ruins".
Ashley and Charlotte took Isaac exploring in the hills.
Is this not the best picture of Ashley that you have ever seen in your life? And Charlotte is one bad mamma jamma, even pregnant.
A small country church they found. Isaac decided to call the faithful to mass. No one came.
Ashley and her boy.
Isaac posing in the sunset.
That night we went out to dinner and took pictures at the restaurant's decorative boat at sunset. We found an Italian couple from Milano to get a picture of all of us.
Great trip with great friends.
Still in love after 12+ years.
This is inside the restaurant, which was the most crowded and expensive of the whole trip but still good. Lots of retired northern Europeans patronizing the place.
The next morning we had to pack up all of our gear and return the rental car. We stored our luggage by the port and walked around Naxos town for a few hours.
Candid shots walking from the town to the ruins nearby.
The arch above is the only remaining structure from the island's ancient Temple of Apollo.
The view of Naxos Town from the arch.
We then walked up into the old part of Naxos Town, which used to be ruled by the Venetians.
Ashley was reminded how much she likes the door knockers that look like hands. She failed to buy one at the flea market in Athens and was "kicking herself!" mentally. So on the way from the port to the airport we changed trains at the flea market stop and I forced her to go up to the surface and buy a knocker. We only missed one train and we made our flight no problem.
Again Kodak moments everywhere you turn.
For lunch we went to a place rated "the best gyros in Naxos". It was a small family shop somewhat off the beaten path. The 17 year old son, Manos, was the server and interpreter. We talked to him for over an hour about the island, the food, and his life. It was a fascinating experience and the food was amazing. Eight people stuffed ourselves for 42 euro. Unreal.
While we could have had an ocean view just a few hundred meters away, we got a much more authentic Greek view of life sitting outside the restaurant. These dudes were waiting around to move the large furniture pieces from the truck inside the building. Classic.
Yia mas! ("Cheers" in Greek.)
Our landlady kept telling us that we had to go to "Waffle House" in Naxos Town. We were all a bit skeptical. Waffle House? Isn't that the sketchy place with the yellow and black sign where drunks and homeless people eat at 3 AM? Well, in Greece, Waffle House is a chain that makes artisan ice cream and does a really good job. The flavors were very intricate and inventive and they all came with a waffle cone.
We caught our ferry back to Athens and watched Greek news about the IMF default and referendum. The foreigners were not interested but the Greeks were riveted to the TV screens. Lines were forming at ATMs that evening as we made our way to the hotel and again the next morning as we walked to the metro. After we arrived back in Italy we found out that banks would be shuttered the next day, Monday. Such interesting timing for what was probably our best family vacation ever.
"Greece, we still love you!" -The Merbacks
