I had a plan for the morning. In Rick Steves’  guidebook, Greece, there are directions for a three part walk that he says will help newcomers to Athens get oriented. However, when Nick awoke, he said his back was bothering him. That couldn’t be because we are getting older, could it? He put on his elastic back brace and took some Aleve. We  were very grateful that we had  another “open” day before the tour started, so we could relax.

Eventually we went downstairs to the breakfast buffet, at which eggs, meats, cheeses, cereals, spanakopita, cakes, and fruit salad were available.  Nick said that his back didn’t hurt as long as he didn’t move. I took out my Kindle, reading   a book from the  Ladies’ No. 1 Detective Agency series  called How to Raise an Elephant while Nick read a book from the Detective Montalbano series. A few hours later,  we went back to the rooftop restaurant for lunch, sharing a Caesar salad that featured two of my favorites, croutons and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. I told Nick that when I was a child, only Americans of Italian ancestry  knew about that cheese, but now, my grandmother’ surname, Parmigiani, is known all over the world.

Later in the afternoon, Nick said he was feeling well enough for a short walk. The touristy part of the city was nearby. We bought a placemat to use on our deck at home, and a pin for my hat.

Eventually it was time for dinner. It may seem strange that we went to the same restaurant when there are so many restaurants near our hotel, but the food was so delicious, and we were promised a view of the Parthenon at sunset. Our meal included a free drink. I chose Prosecco, while Nick thought that when in Athens, ouzo was in order. Ouzo tastes like licorice, a taste that neither of us enjoys. The first sip of ouzo was absolutely awful. The second sip was strangely refreshing. The third sip, well, I had to stop!

For dinner, Nick chose beef cheek with celery root puree, and I ordered mushroom risotto with truffle oil. Dessert was orange cake with vanilla ice cream the best thing that could happen to my childhood favorite, the creamsicle. To top it all off, there was an after dinner drink made from a plant that only grows on one of the Greek isles, served with lemon juice and black pepper. We dined  as the sun set, and we saw the Parthenon in lights, while I thought of all the workers whose efforts went into the construction of the Parthenon. This has been such a memorable evening and the tour hadn’t even started yet.

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