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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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Athens: Walking tour of the Parthenon and Museum

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After a hastily bolted breakfast at the hotel, we met Chrysa, our tour guide, in the hotel lobby at 8:00 a.m.  She explained that, yes, we were walking all the way up to the Parthenon.  I’m sure we looked skeptical! We walked just a block or so to the Parliament Building, where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is.  The guards in traditional uniforms are for the unknown soldier, not Parliament. The guards change every hour on the hour.  We’ll try to see that happen tomorrow. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier below Parliament Building  Next we saw Hadrian’s Arch, a Roman who paid homage to Greek heritage.  Entrance for climbing up to the Parthenon Poppies! The climb wasn’t too arduous for us, though there was one steep slope where we had to pause to catch our breath.  The surface is very uneven, with some slippery marble and mostly gravel and larger pebbles. We were extra careful!  As we approached the theater, we saw Menander (c. 342-290 BC), a playwright...
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