Athens Day Two

 The pilgrimage to The Acropolis. To get from Psyri to the top of the mountain involves spiraling up the outside. Through this dance, the temples are always in sight. You might be transfixed were it not for the scaffolding and hordes of tourists that need to be dodged. From the line, I got my ticket and started my hike up the hill.

If these stones could talk. It really is an incredible monument. The starkness of a crowded Athens making way for this forested hill in the center covered in trees and marble. The ruins are, well, ruins. However, they quietly convey the immense effort that was required of the Athenians to bring the stones such a far distance. The walls are thick and the scale is incredible.

I walked down the mountain in search of something to bring to my next stop. I found it at the main market in Athens. An old man who runs a honey farm in the mountain with his sons in the mountains. The flavor of honey is heavily influenced by the plant that the bees are pollinating. In Greece you can find heather, pine, and thyme honey with ease. A fragrant jar of heather honey came with me.

After a nap, I went to a taverna for my last supper. Over dinner I read more about Ahmet Etergun. I noticed the table next to me was staring at me. Their chatting stopped every time I looked over. After a while they asked where I was from. Everyone lost the bet. The four of them were celebrating a birthday with beer, rakimelo, and halva. If you’re not familiar with halva, putting a candle into it is something of a magic act. They were kind enough to invite me to their table to drink and chat. Sitting with them I heard the same familiar discontent with the Greek economy and government. Young people here are losing faith in their Greece. So saddening.