Up on the Acropolis

We made our pilgrimage to the Acropolis today. We tried to get out of the house as early as possible (on Sunday), after a long day yesterday in Corinth-Mycenae-Nauplio. The students were ready to go sharp at 7:30, but the buses are infrequent on Sundays, so we finally got down to Monastiraki by about 9. Luckily it was an amazingly cool, partly cloudy breezy day, and we were still early enough to beat the mobs of tourists. We got in free (thanks again Deree!), and did a leisurely tour. Because I (Phil) am not licenced to tour guide on-site in Greece, we had to be careful; I would explain things very loudly to my boys, and the students would stand within earshot. The students dug the ancient buildings and the spectacular views.

Afterwards, we came back down to Monastiraki, and Leslie took the students on a tour of the Sunday flea market--a pretty overwhelming experience, especially for those students who haven't even been to a flea market at home!

Then we let the students find their own lunches. Monastiraki and the Plaka were crowded and the restaurants had tourist prices--12 Euros for an entree, which is $18. We checked our guidebook, and found out that nearby was the neigbourhood of Psirra, trendy and pretty and with good cheaper restaurants. We found one--O Nikitis--whose proprietor was very tolerant of our etsi-ketsi Greek. We got ourselves a delicious taverna lunch: tzatziki, spicy peppery cheese, dolmadakia, pork and grilled chicken. Fabulous! Next time we're down here we'll point the students here.