Athens Day 3

So Monday morning was Plan A: Golf at Glyfada . . . . a 34Euro cab trip informed me that Glyfada is NOT open on Monday Morning . . . didn't see that on their web site, so - okey-dokey.

We'd already planned to hit a couple more museums after I played golf, so we just left early. But both museums we tried, The Benake Annex and some other, were closed both Monday & Tuesday . . . didn't see THAT either on www, so, okey-dokey.

As we walked the mean streets of Athens to and from these closed museums I saw these two street arts:

Does my memory fail me or is that Georges Pompedou in the middle ? . . . but hey, it looks like Spiro & Tricky Dick to me,

Hmmmmmm...

So, filled with failure, we stomped back over to our now regular, er, stomping grounds . . . now we found the starbucks, just up the street, and a little sustenance seemed in order . . . for all the coming and goings, it still wasn't noon, yet. 

I would have taken pleasure in telling you that this store, 

next to starbux, on the plaza in front of the Cathedral, 

sells the IHT, we found copies there every day we looked -- it would have given me pleasure, but SBUX has moved down the street to a corner on Aiello (spelling) with a view of the Parthenon. We were there when it happened . . . on day SBUX is here, the next day it is there . . . so I don't know if the store will still stock the IHT. . . but the little kiosk in front of the new SBUX does, now.

So we walked around the gentrified area by the entrance to the Athenian Agora . . . there's tons of tourist traps, shops, & eateries. . . We don't mind looking for stocking stuffers (always looking ahead!) and immediate gifts for the kids. There was a brass band playing for tips on this square and another plaza by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, later . . . 

It just may be that since the two euphoniums seemed to lead this band that it caught my ear . . . it seemed unusual to me at the time.

We walked around some more then back "towards" the hotel, still hoping for dinner at one of the places in our notes . . . we walked around the block of the hotel, and found another SBUX, 3 blocks from the hotel, but nothing else of interest. We finally went back to the hotel and consulted the desk for assistance . . . the place we'd decided on, from the IHT article didn't open till 7, wanted reservations, and the clerk blanched when we said we might walk over there. It would involve the train for one stop from Osmonia to Metaxourghio. We went up to the room to watch a couple of Mike & Molly episodes till 7 . . . but in the end we decided to stay in the hotel . . . they had a 2 for one happy hour from 7 - 8, then dinner, so okey-dokey. . . 8^) . . . 

I think Mrs was a little leery of spending a whole hour in the bar before dinner, but it was fine. She had white wine and I had Sempe Armagnac -- very nice . . . 8^) . . . before we had finished the first round, the bartender had laid a fire in a more secluded area of the bar -- not that there were many people around, at first we demurred, but then I said, yeh bring our second round over by the fire . . . so we sat on the couch in front of the fire and drank our drinks . . . 

however long it was till 8 pm seemed to fly by there . . . if you know what I mean . . . so we moved over to a table for dinner. 

I had grilled octopus salad with balsamic vinegar, nothing wrong with that, a tiny bit rubbery, maybe just . . . 

Mrs ordered Cauliflower Soup . . . oddly, it came 5 minutes after my salad, and was so hot she couldn't eat it for another 10 . . . it seemed thin to me, too, and milky instead of creamy . . . unsuccessful, I would say . . . 

Mrs had a Shrimp Salad for her main . . . 

I had something . . . starts with PO.... I saw it on the menu somewhere else, too . . . the waiter said it was a typical Easter Holiday Dish, pork with peppers kinda stewy . . . *could* be related to the Spanish dish Posole, but no hominy . . .