We got up rather late Saturday morning after a good night’s sleep. Both of us had slept remarkably well the past few nights. After breakfast, we sat on our beds discussing our excursion to the islands. We were planning to go to Mykonos first and then on to Santorini, but the reason I wanted to go to Mykonos was to take a boat to the nearby island of Delos, which is very small and uninhabited. However, it is an archaeological site, and archaeological sites are closed on Mondays, so it would do no good to go to Mykonos at that time. We decide to go on the Santorini first, foregoing Mykonos unless we can get there from Santorini. But from Santorini, we can only take a hydrofoil to Mykonos, which could be a problem if the weather isn’t good.
We went downstairs and called Irene to see if we were still on for that evening. When we last saw her on Monday, she invited us to her home Saturday evening for dinner. She said that we definitely were still on. We were to be there at 8:30. She said she had also invited her cousins. We will have to take a taxi because the metro line that goes to Kefissos is not working.
After this discussion, Richard left to do some more sketching on the Akropolis. When we visited the Akropolis on the first day we arrived in Athens, he wasn’t able to sketch, and had been anxious to return. I stayed in our room to continue to write my blogs; however, I soon realized that we didn’t know for sure how to get ferry tickets for Santorini. I went down to the hotel lobby and asked the attendant. He said that we should get them before we go to Piraeus, our port of departure. I then walked a few blocks to Blue Star Ferries and bought two tickets for 07:30 Sunday morning. We’ll have to take a taxi because the metro can’t make it to Piraeus either.
At 16:30 Richard returned with three excellent sketches/watercolors of the Akropolis. We then got ready to go see Irene again, this time in her own home. We had to take a taxi because of the problem with the metro to the north. We arrived a little early. Her home is fenced and has a squawk box out front. When we pushed the button, the gate buzzed and came open. She met us at the front door, very happy to see us. She had told me earlier that she would invite some of her cousins. Soon two women and a man, all about my age arrived. One was Irene’s sister, the other woman a long time family friend, and the man, Alexandros, we never quite came to understand if he was her brother or a cousin.
Irene’s home was in one of the wealthiest districts of Athens, and its interior was posh. It was split level with marble floors, paneled walls decorated with expensive oil paintings, and furnished with a huge coffee table surrounded by an off-white, deep-cushioned sofa.
After a half-hour of conversation and pistachios, Irene led us into the dining room, where her cook had prepared dinner for us. Her cook/maid (?) was not Greek but oriental. She was very quiet and hovered in the background, serving and picking up dishes. We started off with a Greek salata and bread. Then came spanakopita and a fried cheese dish. After this was taken from the table, we were served octopus, lamb, calamari, and potatoes.
After dinner, we again retired to the living room where we discussed a variety of issues. I asked them what they thought of President Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Irene’s sister thought that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabian should have won it. According to her, they were the only two viable candidates. We had a lively discussion about family and friends. Soon it was time for us to leave. He had an early ferry to Santorini to catch. Irene’s sister along with the man and other woman drove us south to where the metro was functioning, and we took it on in to the center of Athens. Quite an enjoyable evening.
(Sorry, but we didn’t take any pictures.)