Atlanta Day 3 - Conclusion

We spent our last day in Atlanta sleeping in a little, then going out for brunch and wandering around Buckhead. There are some FANCY shops. We spent some time in a 6 floor Restoration Hardware gallery. 

We had the opportunity to fly home during the second half of the AFC Championship. That is an experience I recommend. Most of the plane was watching the game and the muffled reactions became less and less controlled. There was lots of laughter when the screen showed Bill Bellichick  smiling wide. 

We didn't take many pictures on Sunday so here are pictures Lindsay took during the trip. 

 

Atlanta Girls’ Weekend - Day 2

Day 2!

We woke up earlyish and got ourselves organized. I actually worked out for a little bit because biscuits. Mercifully, it was warmer this morning. We went back to the highland bakery for breakfast and were pleased again. After breakfast, we got back on the MARTA and headed into town. We had tickets for the 11am VIP tour at The World of Coke. If you are ever visiting The World of Coke, spend the extra money on the VIP tour. There was so much to see and it was great to have a guided tour. 

After the nearly 2 hour tour, we went to the tasting room and tried a lot of drinks. I has heard about this magical tasting room when visiting DisneyWorld with Girl Scouts in 1998. There was a smaller version in Disney while we were visiting. Some were good, some where disgusting. I wish we had wine tasting cards so we could have kept track of what we liked (not that we would be able to find it). I went through 5 or 6 cups while Mom & Linz were able to keep reusing their original cup. I kept picking some potent drinks I didn't want mixing in. Apparently there is a gag in Atlanta about everyone loving Beverly, a soda from Italy. Always the scientist, I tried it. I don't remember what it tasted like at the beginning but it wasn’t bad, then....the cough syrup after taste kicked in and I reacted as one would expect. Lindsay and I also tried Tab.....GROSS. Why was that a thing for so long?  After ALL the sugar, we grabbed some food then visited the Civil Rights Museum. It was very moving. We bumped into a woman who works for the museum and she told us about how Andrew Young had lobbied to have a museum in the city wheee civil rights started and they decided to put it near Centennial Park instead of in Auburn where MLK grew up and lived. This location would attract more casual visitors that could stand to learn the most from visiting. 

We headed across Centennial Park after the museum and took a ride on the giant ferris wheel at Skyview Atlanta. We went around more times than i would have expected and it was HIGH.  Dinner was Bistro Niko in Buckhead and was amazing.  We returned to our hotel full once again. 

Atlanta Girls’ Weekend - Day 1

 

We arrived on Thursday night and pretty much went straight to bed, so Friday was really our first day. Our hotel is super fancy and comfortable. If you arrive at the right time in the evening, you will be greeted with a glass of prosecco and dancing hotel staff. Breakfast: Highland Bakery Buckhead This is a coffee shop super close to our hotel which was great because it was VERY cold this morning and we left our winter gear in Boston. Mom and I had eggs and bacon with tea. Lindsay had a breakfast sandwich on challah that was HUGE.

 

From breakfast, we got on MARTA (the MARTA?) and went downtown. We took an electric car tour of the city. It was really fun and a great way to get our bearings. We traveled in these 6 seater golf carts (that thankfully were enclosed) for around 90 minutes. We got to see sections of the city we won’t really have time to visit like MLK’s old stomping grounds. There are a lot of neighborhoods that are on their way back up and some that are already being gentrified. We didn't take many pictures but we did take a few of the car itself. 

 

After our tour, we ubered back and forth to Ponce Market. It is a relatively new food market just north of the Historic 4th Ward. It reminded us of the Boston Public Market but it is significantly more spacious and way hipster. We settled on burgers and then ventured over to the dessert hallway. Lindsay & I got cookie dough and Mom got gelato. All of us were very pleased. 

         

 

After lunch, we went back downtown to the Aquarium. I love fish and aquatic animals so I was excited to go to a good aquarium. (The one in boston is disappointing in my opinion). Geoff, our tour guide earlier, told us it is the second largest aquarium in the world.  It is very large (and it wasn't crowded). The aquarium is divided into different sections by type of habitat and there was a clear flow to each exhibit. Today, they opened a new puffin exhibit which we made sure to visit. The large fish tanks were incredible. One tank had 3 whale sharks and at least two really large stingrays, it was like Finding Nemo. Another tank had 3 beluga whales which were gorgeous. 

 

 After the aquarium and some down time at the hotel, we went to Southern Kitchen in Buckhead for dinner. Soooo good. We had biscuits, fried chicken, sweet potato grits, and some chocolate caramel pie for dessert. Going to bed now feeling 300 lbs heavier. 

 

 

 

 

Dinner in Istanbul: First Night

We did some research in the hotel lobby (using our tablets) and found a restaurant that seemed like a good idea: Grill Hause. As we approached the restaurant, we were enthusiastically greeted by an employee. He ushered us upstairs to a table and I almost felt like I was being kidnapped only to be fed copious amounts of food, then released. I wasn't so far off. We ate lamb, chicken, stuffed eggplant and hummus. It was all so good.

What I didn't anticipate is that this man who greeted us in the street is not unique. As we asked after dinner, we were approached by a man outside each restaurant and cafe encouraging us to come inside for dinner. This happened even as we were exiting the Grill Hause. It's very difficult to politely decline with a language barrier and the solicitor staring you down in the street. Now we know what to expect though and I'm sure we will come up with new techniques to brush off the advances as the week continues.

Planning out a fun day for tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Finale: Beach, Gardens and the Movies

Today was our final day In Greece. We slept in a little bit, then hatched a plan. First, we went to the market for provisions.  I got partially scolded for not stopping at the end of the produce aisle without weighing our bananas. Whoops! They do that here. We walked to the Temple of Zeus ruins and did a lap. Then, we found the tram. The city public transportation system consists of buses, subways and trams. We took the coastal tram south (and managed to pay properly!) outside of the city limits where it proceeded to rain.  We stopped for lunch at Goody's, a American style burger place that isn't particularly fast.  Then, we walked to the beach. I insisted on putting my feet in, even though I didn't take off my hoodie.  

It was nice to relax on the beach and the sun even peeked out. We knew the weather was iffy but figured the train ride would be nice. It isn't exactly beach season here yet, there were still some die hards around, fishing and swimming.  

We found our way home and wove our way through the gardens near the Parliament. They were lush and green, but there was an absence of other colors.  After a gelato break in Plaka, we arrived home to change for the movies.

I did some research on an ex-pat site online to find a movie theater that would be showing The Great Gatsby in English.  Using google maps, we found subway directions. Unfortunately, google gives Subway stop names in all capital letters and in Greek. Greeks give subway stop names in Greek with a mix of capital and lowercase letters.  Between the linguist and the mechanical engineer, we had been able to identify enough Greek letters to find our way to the Athens Metro Mall.  

The mall was typical and we found our way to the movie theater which was dead.  We reserved our seats and wandered through the mall a little before the show started. There was a wellness fair going on so before the movie, a woman was performing a stripper pole workout routine on a stage, and after the movie, there was a giant Zumba class.  The movie was good. Very Baz Luhrman. 

We are mostly packed and drinking beer in our room while watching tv. Tomorrow morning we are heading to the airport and I am heading home, while Jenny is off to Amsterdam.  

This trip was so awesome, but I'm excited to go home. I am ready for laundry and my TiVo. I think this will be my last post, so thank you for reading!! 

Photos:

Temple of Zeus

The Beach

Cheers!

Athens Exploration

Today was our first day without our group. A few people were still in Athens today between planned extensions and the nonsense with the air traffic controllers.  After breakfast and a lobby meeting (we can only really communicate via wi-fi and prearranged meetings here), we headed to the Acropolis Museum. We had heard that it was essentially everything they uncovered at the Parthenon would be there.  Even though we have been living down the street from the museum all week, I hadn't really noticed how beautiful and thoughtful the building was until we approached it on foot. The museum was recently ranked 3rd in the world. It is built over ongoing excavations and has glass floors built over it.  We weren't allowed to take photos inside, but it was really cool. I liked how the floor plan mimicked that of the original Parthenon. 

After the museum visit, the 5 of us went to lunch in the neighborhood to plan our next move.  Emma and Zach headed off to check into their hostel, while Richard, Jenny and I set out to climb Lycrabettus hill to see St. George's Church.  Thus began the adventure of navigating Athens and not speaking Greek. Google advised us to take the number 230 bus, then pick up a tram to the top of the mountain.  We figured out the bus without much incident, but couldn't figure out how to pay for our fares.  We people watched intently and didn't see many people paying, so we didn't. We still haven't stopped talking about how we got a free bus ride. Being in a city that is in financial crisis, makes free public transportation rides seem so unethical.  Upon our arrival in Ika (neighborhood), we began to search for this tram. The benefit of planning to go to a place on the top of a mountain is that you can see where you are headed, but when you can't find the tram and figure you'll just start walking in the right direction.....

We ended up "urban hiking" on the carved paths and paved roads all the way to the top. Near the church and cafe, we met a lovely retired couple from New City, NY.  They were hilarious, and also had trouble finding the tram.  When we finally climbed the last stair to the cafe, Richard grabbed a Coke Light (he is in talks for an endorsement deal) and we took pictures and visited the chapel. I can't imagine who would have ever worshipped there.  What was unclear to us before we reached the top is that we were significantly higher in elevation than the acropolis. The views were amazing and I'm glad we went even if it meant walking uphill. When we went to the WC (bathroom) we found the elusive tram and bought tickets for a ride down (€3.50 per person). 

We walked the rest of the way through the neighborhood to the subway station where we got to experience yet another form of public transportation.  Only in Athens are there relics in the subway stations. We paid for our fares on this trip, but it appeared that the turnstiles were invisible and nothing was stopping you from just walking through. Dear Greece, we have some ideas for Revenue sources.  The subway system was built for then Olympics so it is very new and very clean. 

When we got back to the neighborhood, we had a snack and I managed to FaceTime with Mom & Tess who may or may not have been in an art museum in Phillie. Jenny and I are now sitting in a Chinese restaurant (she is the only Asian in sight) and playing on our tablets. We are exhausted. Tomorrow is our last day and we are hoping for some sun! Can't believe this trip is almost over, but I am beginning to miss home.  

Photos: 

Acropolis view from the museum terrace

Coke Light! 

St. George's Church 

 

Athens: tourist day

Last night, we went to the ALBA business school at American College to listen to a talk from the CEO of the National Bank of Greece. It was interesting to sit in a room filled with business school students from Athens.  Overall, the CEO seemed more optimistic about Greece's current situation, but the Greek students didn't seem to agree when we spoke with them in the lobby after the presentation. 

Later that evening, Jenny and I explored the neighborhood near our hotel. It sort of reminds me of Rockport with all the boutiques and restaurant.  We split an appetizer (balsamic mushrooms), a salad and penne with chicken and bacon.  The view of the acropolis from our table was so pretty.  We then visited a pharmacy to pick up some cough syrup for Jenny.  Pharmacies in Europe are like little mini Sephoras. We had fun playing around with the different Greek cosmetics and bought facial treatments to do before bed.  We're so wild and crazy. Haha 

This morning, we drove to the acropolis, where we slowly walked to the top to see the Parthenon.  Standing so closely to such old old buildings was so cool. If only it weren't for the renovations, it would have been perfect.  Our tour guide, Lula, was awfully long winded, but very enthusiastic. Jenny and I also spent some time with our professor who pointed out a bomb shelter on the top of this hill from World War II. Being in Athens really reminds you as an American that your country is so young.  I've heard Londoners say "There are buildings on my street that are older than your entire country."  Since I have been volunteering this school year and studying American History with a high school junior, I get a renewed perspective on the World Wars.  It's been a nice refresher but also helps me see these places I'm visiting and studying in school differently.  The weather was perfect today. Apollo has clearly rewarded us with sunshine. 

Before lunch, we visited the National Archeological Museum. It is smaller than I anticipated and at this point a lot of the antiquities are starting to look the same.  There was a beautiful contemporary mosaic exhibit in the courtyard. Also, the temporary exhibit was about a ship wreck that had been uncovered a while ago.  It was a cargo ship from 220ish BCE carrying lots of antiquities.  Some of the sculptures had been partially stuck in there bed and had eroded unevenly.  There was also an exhibit about a mechanism they uncovered and how they have spent decades just trying to figure out all it does. It seems to be a astrological predictor of some sort and there were plenty of fun posters about gears.  

We had lunch in the Plaka neighborhood where we ate last night and then were released for the afternoon.  Jenny and I sauntered around, visiting various shops. We stopped for coffee and Greek frozen yogurt for a bit.  After bumping into some people from our trip, we discovered that the Greek air traffic controllers are planning to strike tomorrow and a lot of people from our trip are getting stuck in Athens for an extra day. We should be fine by Saturday though.  There are worse places to be stuck for a day. 

Right now we are relaxing by the pool before heading out to our farewell dinner. Tomorrow we are on our own and plan to see more of Athens.  

Photo: Jenny and me at the Parthenon