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Embarkation Day on Celebrity Infinity

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Our driver picked us up at 10:00 this morning and drove us to the Port of Piraeus, which has existed for 2,500 years! We walked a few feet to the Retreat luggage drop, then a staff member led the two of us to the Retreat lounge in the terminal. They had food and beverages available.  Just before 11:00, we were allowed to board.  We checked in at our muster station, dropped our carry-ons in our room (which wasn’t quite ready), then headed to the Retreat lounge for some champagne. Here I am as of 11:11. Our suite is very nice, with comfortable seating and enough storage. We have a bathtub/shower, but the bathroom is tiny.  The balcony is spacious, and I expect we’ll enjoy it when we’re docked in the different ports. Here I am in Luminae, the dining room for Retreat guests, ready for lunch. Charlie asked for a green salad (not on the menu), and they obliged. I ordered the kale, quinoa, fennel, and pistachio salad, and it was delicious. We both opted for the lobster roll with...
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Athens Food Tour

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For today, we scheduled another Culinary Backstreet food tour.  We really enjoyed the one in Barcelona, and this one did not disappoint!  We walked about 15 minutes to the meeting place and met our guide, Constantine, and another couple (from Oklahoma City).   First, we got to try a sesame seed encrusted, slightly sweet bread that we’d seen and wondered about. It was tasty plain and also dipped in Greek coffee later in the tour.   Our meeting spot  Constantine, our guide, with the sesame bread rings Our next stop was at a bakery specializing in phyllo dough.  We managed a photo of the man stretching and folding the dough, but not of the spanakopita or the custard-filled sweet pastry.  Constantine pointed out some local graffiti. Next, we walked through the meat and fish markets.  The meat market, especially, almost convinced me to become a vegetarian.   Then we went to another part of the market where parakeets were for sale (as pets, our gui...
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Changing of the Guard and Queen Amalia’s Garden

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Very close to our hotel is the Athens National Garden, formerly the Royal Garden established by Queen Amalia, modern Greece’s first Queen in 1838. When Greece’s constitutional monarchy ended in 1927, it was opened to the public.  As we walked toward the garden, we noticed that we were just in time to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Charlie captured a couple of short videos for you.  The queen planted the tall palm trees at the entrance. We were surprised to see a small zoo of sorts, first noticing these animals, which proved to be rare Cretan wild goats. They were behind two layers of fencing hence the poor photo. We spotted these colorful parakeets and other parrot varieties, which we’ve also seen in trees around the city. The garden covers about 40 acres and is a wonderful place for a morning walk.  The temperature was in the low 60s when we set out, but warmed up quickly.  Today’s high will be 74. We’re about to head in search of ...
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Dining at the Athens Capital Hotel

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After much-needed showers and naps following our long walking tour yesterday, we had dinner in the hotel’s rooftop restaurant, Mappemonde (Map of the World).  Our meal was outstanding!  Perusing the menu  We started with the Green Salad “Twenty,” described as a  variety of 20 salad leaves and herbs, baby vegetables, chestnuts, hazelnuts, truffle, amaranth chips and dressing with aged Asyrtiko vinegar from Santorini.”  It was SO good, and it included several greens we’d never seen before, plus some edible flowers. The truffle added a wonderful flavor. Green Salad “Twenty”  For my entree, I chose the Sole Meunière, with  brown butter, capers, lemon, local greens, cauliflower, Jerusalem artichoke, potato, and salsify.  It was beautifully plated and delicious. Charlie always chooses bouillabaisse if it’s offered.  This version didn’t disappoint, with  grouper, scallops, mussels, clams, saffron, lemon, fennel and fresh baked baguett...
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