We had only happened upon that particular restaurant because it was right by the synagogue—an actual active synagogue. Greece's Jewish population is quite small—it was much larger before the Holocaust—but this was one town with a functioning congregation. We couldn't visit the synagogue, alas, because it was Shabbat (Saturday). But you can't say we didn't try, even fighting through a dust storm to get there.
Because of the weather we worried our overnight boat back to Athens wouldn't set sail. But the windstorm passed, and, as with all the transportation on our trip, the ferry left on schedule. We'd splurged on a cabin, since it was an overnight trip and it was, after all, our honeymoon (sort of). The ship was fancy and well-staffed, the cabin tiny but comfortable and clean. We even took showers before bed—in our own shower—in our own cabin—on a boat! (Maybe Cruise-Ship People are used to this kind of accommodation, but we sure weren't.) We climbed into our bunks happily; even the mattresses were relatively soft, compared to the extremely hard beds Greek hotels all seem to have. But then...
Shortly after we left harbor the sea got choppy. I mean, really, really choppy. We felt like we were being lifted out of our bunks and dropped back down, then swung from side to side as if King Kong had grabbed the ship and was shaking it to and fro. This went on for hours...no sleep was possible, and getting really seasick seemed imminent.
Eventually, though, we hit calm waters and got a few hours' sleep. Early in the morning we arrived back at Athens, where we took in a number of sites we hadn't gotten to before, like the Public Gardens; the beautiful and marvelous Benaki Museum, which collects Greek cultural artifacts from the Stone Age to the present; and the National Archaeological Museum, with its ridiculously huge collection, including rare bronze Ancient Greek sculptures. It rivals storehouses like the Metropolitan Museum of New York in size and scope—but it's actually in Greece. Big difference.
Almost as impressive was this giant pile of cherries:
Article comments
1 - Christine
Wow, one of the places I have always wanted to go; Greece! Maybe because my last name is Greek. Still holding out hope!
2 - Lynette Yetter, author of the novel "Lucy Plays Panpipes for Peace"
Wow! What a beautiful Edenic courtyard! Thank you for sharing your travels with us, Jon!
3 - Ingrid
Wow did we follow each other. I loved Santorini and Crete and will return again. I did however find the Greeks very rude but that aside loved every minute of it. I have so many photos - the same as yours actually. Everyone should visit there, its fasinating.
4 - Jon Sobel
Thanks for your comment, Ingrid! I didn't find the Greek people to be rude. Rather laid-back, for the most part. But most of the people we met were pretty friendly and helpful. I totally agree with you... everyone should try and visit Greece some time in their life.
5 - Bi
well, it stands to reason that the resorts of Greece are outstanding and worth visiting. but at present I'm very much concerned about the political state of things in the country. as far as I know, people are almost constantly striking there and this surely affects the tourism( who knows when this will end and everything will be calm and stable again.