We managed to get up at 2:00 AM and board our flight from the Athens Airport without incident. Luckily, our chicken was still sleepy so our 3 1/2 hour flight was uneventful. We even managed to get a seat for her - so Dev and I managed to get some shut-eye too.

We are now in one of the many communications zones in the Schipol Airport checking our e-mail and trying to keep the chicken happy while we wait out our 7-hour delay until next flight.

This airport is designed for shoppers. Temptation lurks everywhere - in fact, the airport motto in the tax free/duty free zone is: “Bye, Buy” - nothing like directness in marketing. I am also trying to keep Dev occupied and away from the casino … I don’t know how successful I’ll be.

Posted by Xine at 1:52 AM | Permalink

We spent our last full day in Greece on a day-trip to one of the charming islands in the Saronic Gulf, Hydra. At about 37 nautical miles from Piraeus, it’s a 1 1/2 hour ferry ride - if one takes either the Flying Dolphin or Flying Cat operated by Hellenic Seaways. Hydra, with its arid rocky landscape and geometric brick and stone buildings, is a photographers delight.

We arrived in the early afternoon and immediately set about finding a spot for lunch. After what seemed a trek through a never-ending alley, we came upon a well-appointed taverna called the Dry Olive that has been in operation since 1850. After lunch, we visited the Nautical Museum and enjoyed some home-made ice-cream at an outdoor cafe by the water.

Summer has finally arrived in Greece with the thermometer reading 30 degrees Celsius at mid-day. By the time our Flying Dolphin arrived at 5:30 PM, we were exhausted. Below are some of our favourite images - enjoy!

Posted by Xine at 12:31 PM | Permalink

We’re getting ready to come home.

Our last three days in Athens finds us searching for another piece of luggage because of all our shopping … We are all tired and looking forward to sleeping in our own beds. It will be difficult to get into a regular routine now that we’ve been living like nomads for the past month.

Below are some of our favourite images of our life in Ellas (including our four day trip to Rhodes.) More comments and photos to follow upon our return.

Posted by Xine at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Having arrived at the Leonardo Da Vinci Airport outside of Rome, Dev, the chicken and I waited patiently for our driver (the transportation had been arranged by the Daphne Inn) - A well-dressed older gentleman holding up a sign with “Mr. Stefanitsis” written on it greeted us at the arrival gate … He enthusiastically helped us with our baggage and proceeded to take us to his vehicle. We walked for what seemed an eternity in the mid-day sun to what appeared to be a bus loading zone. Our driver quickly discovered that he had parked in a no-park zone and his vehicle had been towed. He used what can only be described as “international sign language” (as he spoke no English) to describe his, and now our, dilemma. We were told to wait.

And wait we did for about 30 minutes.

Our driver re-appeared with a fellow driver in tow. When we saw a nicely appointed black Mercedes sedan, we thought our luck had changed. With our luggage loaded, our driver in the front seat, next to the second driver, we assumed we were on our way to the Daphne Inn. Instead we were given an intimate tour of the back roads of Rome’s airport - with our driver - barking directions in Italian to his friend - it turns out we were going to retrieve his towed vehicle. 45 minutes and 69 Euros of our driver’s money, we were on our way to our hotel - in our driver’s well-used and non-air conditioned sedan.

The photos below document our experience.

Posted by Xine at 3:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Dev, the chicken and I are getting ready to travel to the island of Rhodes this evening on a Blue Star Ferry. http://www.bluestarferries.com. We’ve booked a first-class cabin and will use this travel time to catalogue our photos (and hopefully post the highlights online.) We have taken over 1400 pictures of our trip thus far (and not all of them are of our chicken.)

We anticipate that our 13-hour journey across the water will probably be full of glitches, not because of rough seas or inclement weather, but because at the mercy of a 24-hour transit strike. Even though we have checked out of our hotel room at the Fresh, we are hanging out at the Air Lounge (not a bad deal considering how hot the mid-day sun is and how pale we all are) on the 9th floor until 4:00 PM this afternoon - in order to ensure that we get a taxi to take us to the Port of Piraeus. Our ferry is scheduled to leave at 7:00 PM … we’ll have to wait and see.

Below, is the news article that was published in the Kathemerini English Edition Newspaper http://www.ekathimerini.com/ this morning:

ATHENS STANDSTILL

No public transport today due to 24-hour strike by unions

There will be no public transportation in Athens today because of a 24-hour strike being organized by the Civil Servants’ Union (ADEDY) and the General Confederation of Greek Labor (GSEE). Taxis will be operating in the city, but buses, trains, trolley buses, the tram and the metro will all be at a standstill throughout the day. Some 50 Olympic Airlines domestic and international flights have also been canceled and passengers are advised to call the airline for further information. Hospitals will be operating on skeleton staff. Unionists will hold their central rally in Kotzia Square from 11 a.m. to protest over labor rights and social security reforms. A march to Syntagma Square will follow.

Posted by Xine at 3:26 AM | Permalink

It’s official: we’ve realized that our little chicken adores the camera - she may be tearful, tired or temperamental - but as soon as we take out the digital camera - she strikes a pose.

She’s efficiently learned to drink water from a glass or bottle. And she continues to explore new cuisine. In Rome, her new favourite vegetable was zucchini - it didn’t matter whether it was grilled, boiled or fried.

Our chicken has also discovered animals - and has even managed to “pet” one or two “Roman” good-natured poodles - so we can only image what she’ll do to our orange tabby Alistair when we return home.

Here are a handful of our favourite photos to date - enjoy!

Posted by Xine at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Our last night in Rome.

We have just come home from a satsifying 3-hour meal at a small restaurant down the street from the Daphne Inn, called “La Corte Dei Leoni”. With our little chicken teething and at the height of her “making strange” stage, we had intended to make our last night in Rome an early one. Our good intentions went by the wayside as soon as we sampled the red wine.

We are happy to return to Athens and the Fresh Hotel which has become our home away from home.

The sights, tastes, and people of Rome will not soon be forgotten — but it is a tiring city. Our feet and backs ache. Dev and I have found negotiating the cobblestone streets and pavements exhausting. Many of the museums and sites in Rome are not stroller friendly, so we have taken turns holding the chicken throughout the day - causing additional strain on our backs (in spite of using a hip hammock).It is strange to write this — but — we are looking forward to spending some “down” time in Athens.

Today found us spending most of the morning and early afternoon at the Galleria Borghese (more on the museum later) and the surrounding park. We had a very civilised breakfast at 1:00 pm at the Cafe de Paris, followed by a 2 hour nap at our hotel. We spend the rest of the day near the Spanish Steps taking in some last minute views of this amazing city.

Posted by Xine at 1:57 PM | Permalink

Today is our second full day in Rome and we are finally getting used to the streets and all the people. We have successfully taken the Metro (and avoided the pick-pockets) and walked an average of 8 hours a day. Dev has become an expert map-reader/navigator. The chicken, however, seems to be somewhat overwhelmed by all the crowds (as are we at times).

Our bed and breakfast is located in the heart of district known as “La Dolce Vita” — and like our experience at the Fresh Hotel in Athens, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Daphne Inn http://www.daphne-rome.com to anyone who is travelling to Rome. The staff are very helpful, patient and have a great sense of humour. Without them to help us plan our itineraries, we would be wandering the streets aimlessly.

Like the Athenians, the Romans spend a great deal of their time in cafès, and, naturally, so have we. Cappucinos are the drink of choice. And the gelato is fabulous. On our way home from the Trevi Fountain yesterday afternoon, we indulged in a large cone of deliciously dark chocolate gelato.

We have discovered that it is very, very easy to spend money in Rome. With cafès, wine bars, and shops around every corner, we have been drinking, eating and shopping our way through the city. We have a collection of business cards from restaurants and wine bars that we’d like to visit again … but in a city the size of Rome - there is always another such establishment within a stone’s throw to help us part with our euros.

Our sight seeing has taken us to:

The Vatican Museum,
Michealangelo’s Sistine Chapel,
St. Peter’s Basilica (and square),
The Trevi Fountain,
The Pantheon,
The Spanish Steps,
The Castel St. Angelo,
Palazzo di Giustizia,
Piazza Navoni, Piazza Barberini (where our B&B is located) and the Piazza del Popoplo with its 3700 year old Obelisk.

We have a 9:00 AM start tomorrow morning as our first outing finds us tackling the Borghese Galleria and Gardens along with Ancient Rome — the Colussuem and Circus Maxiumus, among other such wonders.

Posted by Xine at 7:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)