Amsterdam and Athens!

A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks, so this is going to be a long post. Brace yourselves.

On November 5, I flew to Amsterdam and met Stephen. I had a connecting flight, so I didn’t get in until 5pm or so. My first flight started out perfect; they gave us each a huge bar of Milka chocolate! I was in heaven. But then the very large and very smelly man next to me proceeded to spill his coffee all over and inside my purse. No more perfect flight. When we arrived in Amsterdam it was pretty cold and it was raining, but as soon as we stepped out of Central Station and saw the beautiful canals all lit up, the bad weather didn’t matter at all. That night, we walked around the neighborhood our hostel was in – Leidseplein – which was full of people, restaurants, stores, coffee shops…oh yes, did I mention that the entire city smells of marijuana? Very different from Vienna! Our choices for food that night were Indian, Chinese, Greek, or Italian. I couldn’t understand why we didn’t see just a normal restaurant. We had dinner at a delicious Indian restaurant, on a street which was entirely made up of Indian restaurants. After dinner, we walked around the Red Light District. It was a Friday night, but – except for the prostitutes showcased in the windows – the whole area seemed somewhat like a boring version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. I definitely prefer Bourbon to the Red Light District. My favorite part of the Red Light District ended up being the sleeping swans on the canal. They were so serene, just floating every which way. The next morning, we went on a canal cruise throughout the entire city and saw the Anne Frank house, Westerkerk, and City Hall, as well as a lot of houseboats and beautiful architecture. After the cruise, we went to the old Heineken brewery and took a tour. It was so much fun, especially the part where they taught us how to correctly drink beer and explained that foam is a good thing because it keeps the beer fresh. I never knew that! We walked A LOT that day, and we ended up once again in the Red Light District that night with a crazy waiter who was obviously high and developed a really strong crush on Stephen. We left the next morning, and I was disappointed that our trip had been so short. I wish I could have seen some other things, but a lot of museums and the Anne Frank house had closed early on that Saturday. I guess I’ll just have to go back! Preferably in the summer, when it’s warm and I can see all the tulips!

            Last Friday, I flew to Athens. I must say, Olympic Air might just be my favorite airline. Even though my flight was less than two hours, I was served an entire meal and they offered me something to drink about ten times. After waiting in the airport for Stephen, we took a train to the city and walked to our hostel. Since it was pouring rain, I was pretty excited that the hostel website hadn’t lied and the hostel was indeed about a five minute walk from the station and center of the city. The only downside of this hostel was the dirty pet shop across the street, where Stephen and I debated saving one of the sad puppies that were going for only 35 Euros. We ultimately decided it wasn’t the best idea. For dinner we went to a traditional Greek restaurant that (according to TripAdvisor) is popular among the locals. It was so good. We ate calamari, lamb, baked feta, and yogurt with fresh fruit. The wine, retsina, was delicious, too. After dinner, we walked to the Plaka neighborhood and went to Brettos. Brettos is a beautiful old distillery that makes its own ouzo, as well as over 50 different kinds of liquor. I had pomegranate liquor, and it tasted just like juice. As we were leaving Brettos, we made the mistake of petting some of the dogs outside. As a result, they decided to follow us home. I was glad for the company; being flanked by two huge dogs in dark, unknown neighborhoods usually deters people from mugging or pick-pocketing you (so I’ve heard). After the dogs (there were three now, we made another friend along the way) attacked a strange man who passed by us, we decided it was time to turn a couple corners and lose them. We made it safely back to the hostel, even though we didn’t have the dogs for the last few blocks. The next morning we had fresh spanakopita for breakfast and walked to the Acropolis. The weather was amazing; I was able to get away with shorts and a tank top. I think I might even have gotten a little tan! The walk up to the top of the Acropolis was a bit of a hike, but it was worth it. Aside from the views of Athens, I got to see the Parthenon and the remains of all the other ancient buildings. I can’t believe how well preserved they are. On the walk down the south slope of the Acropolis, we saw even more remains, like the Theatre of Dionysos. I had my handy dandy guide book with me, which made everything even more interesting because I could read the history which went along with it. We then walked to the Roman Agora, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Ancient Agora. Everything is pretty close together, which makes it easy to do in one day. For lunch, we took the train to the Port of Piraeus, which is the major port of Athens and is where all the cruise ships come in. From there we walked to Zea Marina, which was a smaller port full of huge yachts. We had lunch at a restaurant right on the water. I tried mousaka, which is baked eggplant and mincemeat, and it was really delicious. Since the weather was only getting better, we walked along the water towards Mikrolimano, another port and beach. When we returned to Athens in the afternoon, we wandered through the Plaka and did some Christmas shopping. We ate dinner outdoors at a restaurant right in the middle of the Plaka while people-(and dog-) watching. After dinner we walked around the Plaka for a bit and then went to a bar. It was only about 8pm by then, and we were so tired. Stephen made me stay out until 10pm though, and to pass the time he tried to explain the current state of the U.S. economy to me and the whole deal with the dollar, Euro, and the Yen. Needless to say, it was pretty easy to fall asleep that night. The next morning we ate fresh fruit and pastries from a stand right at the base of the Acropolis, and did some more shopping. Then we walked up to the top of Filopappou Hill, and on the hike up we saw the Hill of the Nymphs and the prison of Socrates. At the top of the hill, you could see everything. The water, the mountains, the city…it was incredible. After we walked down and grabbed a quick lunch of gyros, we made our way back to the airport. Athens was definitely my favorite trip so far. I still have Madrid and Rome to go though, so we’ll see!

            This Monday I took a tour of Schönbrunn Palace. I’d been to the palace and the gardens once before, but this was the first time I’ve been inside. It was really cool, very large and very Baroque. The Christmas markets are beginning to open up around Vienna. They look so beautiful at night, all lit up with Christmas lights. I plan on going to a few this afternoon; hopefully I’ll get some good pictures (and presents!). Tonight, for the very first time, I made an actual dinner. Are you ready for this? First, inspired by the recent Athens trip, I baked some feta in the oven with olive oil and oregano. Next, I cooked pork, carrots, shallots, and some other peculiar looking root vegetables in a pot with olive oil and white wine. It was DELICIOUS. It’s not that I can’t cook…it’s just that I’m pretty lazy…I must say though, I was pretty pleased with my dinner. And now I have a lot of olive oil and oregano to use, so who knows what else I’ll cook!

            Stay tuned!