Athens!

Day 2: Friday, June 14^th

Reunited

What we did: This day was a bit truncated because we lost 8 hours due to the time difference.  Cora finally fell asleep in the Rome airport and pretty much stayed asleep until we arrived, via cab, to our hotel in Athens.  The downside to this was that while I was exhausted and ready to finally sleep, she was ready to play.  So I pretty much dumped her, awake, into her “baby cot” and fell asleep on the bed.  She fell asleep again too and we both woke up, feeling refreshed and ready to see “da-dee”.  He arrived back at the hotel from his final day of MBA class lectures/tours/presentations and we got to go out with his classmates and professor for the final dinner.  Luckily, I’d thrown a change of clothes into my book bag because our luggage did not arrive in Athens with us.

What was most memorable: I’d heard less than stellar things about Athens, but my initial impressions were all very favorable.  Driving into the city was impressive – white buildings as far as the eye could see and two big hills – one with the Acropolis on top and the other where our hotel was located.  The closing dinner was at a rooftop restaurant on the slope of the Acropolis hill.  The weather was temperate and breezy and the views of the city and the lit Parthenon were awesome.  Plates of food kept arriving and I thought everything was delicious.  I thought my baby-led weaning baby would do me proud, but after eating a few bites of moussaka, she stuck to her bread for the rest of the night.  She continued to be Miss Charming, engaging the neighboring table and happily being passed from classmate to classmate and to our Greek hosts.  

We had made a major gamble that my suitcase would indeed arrive that evening (as I’d been told) and that the final diaper in my carry on would last us through the evening.  Well, there was no suitcase when we got back, so Cora spent the rest of the night in that same diaper until a pharmacy opened up the next morning.  Her sheets had to be changed, but not too much harm done.

Day 3: Saturday, June 15^th:

What we did: On our full day in Athens, we started with breakfast on the picturesque terrace of our hotel with full views of the city.  We then set off on foot (a trademark of a Landry vacation) and walked to the Acropolis making a stop at a baby store to pick up a backup outfit for Cora since we were still wearing our one and only change of clothes.

We walked from that hill to the spot where this picture was taken!

We toured the Parthenon and other ruins and walked through the local market.  

This is "Elvis," a stowaway that Jacob found in his shoe.  We think that was a Cora move, but Jack appreciated seeing his friend's travels.  

We had a yummy lunch of lamb and Greek salad and then walked back to the hotel for rest.  Cora napped twice in the stroller and explored the ruins via the Ergo. Still without luggage and with the luggage department unable to tell us where my bag was, I went shopping at H&M for clothes while Jacob and Cora listened to street music. 

We then made a misguided metro trip to the port only to realize we’d not chosen a very picturesque spot.  We backtracked and walked around the city looking for dinner.  We figured Cora would fall asleep ... at any moment... and then we’d stop for dinner... but that never happened and we ended up with one MAD baby on our hands.  We learned that 11:00 p.m. is so far past Cora’s limit that she won’t even be distracted by food.  We made it through a delicious crepes dinner at a café where she may or may not have peed on the street (was that puddle there before?) before getting the poor child into bed.

What was most memorable: I don’t like to make generalizations, but since this is a positive one, I will.  The Greek people seem to really love a baby (or at least this one!)  Cora spent her entire lunch not eating, but instead, reaching out to various diners wanting a handshake and an acknowledgement.  On the half hour subway ride, she made friends with all around her and even though not much English was spoken, one of her new friends was able to tell us that there was “no good eating” where we were headed, thus helping us know we should rewrite the dinner plan.  Waitresses and our hotel housekeeper just pick her up and walk off with her, which we decided we were okay with (we'll take free babysitting on this trip.)