Meteora to Athens

 Tuesday, August 25, 2026

It’s a really early morning for whatever reason and I get to do my yoga on the balcony again, in the still-dark air and the cool breeze!  Jan wakes up about two minutes before I was going to wake her!

Downstairs for coffee/tea and breakfast and Art is the first to join us, followed by Ginger, completing our table for four.  Before I go back up everyone has shown up and we are all assembled by the bus at the appointed hour. Kathy is concerned because her son says one of her fur babies is missing.  I hope she comes home when she realizes Kathy is back!  I usually hear from my beloved sitter by this time and I haven’t.  I’m going with the theory that no news is good news.  I have heard from Stu that Amanda and Puff are on the road to Maryland for Amanda’s favorite fair!

It’s awfully quiet on the bus this morning.  I think it is part cumulative fatigue, part not being ready for the trip to be over.  It does make it easier for me to type this blog, though!  When we get to Athens and settle in, most of us want to go shopping, especially on the street that Harlan recommended for Delphi-type souvenirs. Now, though, I’m also celebrating having survived Meteora, so something along that line wouldn’t go amiss!  We’ll see what appears!

We pull in to a truck stop to stretch and whatever, then back on the road, arriving at our hotel around 1:45.  

                     It says solar and looks like a battery!  Maybe it's a solar hot water heater?

It is actually two separate buildings, around the corner and down the street from one another.  The one with the front desk doesn't have an elevator and there is a moment of panic;  but we are in the other building.  Whew!  Our room is number 503 but we're on the first floor.  I just won't think about that! There is only one bed but it's huge and we didn't even comment on it! And there is finally a shower that works for people under 5'5"! Too bad we're only here for the one last night.

                                                            Our delightful driver

                           Cool mural/ad on the way from one hotel building to the other

That small door to the right is the elevator.  I holds one person with one piece of luggage.  There there are two doors that open but we never learned which one was on which floor.  And they are accordion door, so the open into the already small space.  And the outside door on the first floor doesn't open from inside the elevator.  l I had to go up to the second floor and walk down!

Art and Ginger are going to the archeological museum, I think Dave is looking for lunch, and the rest of us are going shopping!  Kathy's Harlan has told her which street has the actual artisinal and museum replica things and this is our last chance! We're a bit like an amoeba, constantly changing shape and we ooze into and out of stores. There are some good finds and when we're all shopped out we find a place to sit and have a quiet drink.

                    We're all following Dave to the restaurant, even through this closed mall!

Earlier we had visited a restaurant called The Dolli to see about dinner.  The girls all looj like Barbie, dressed in pink suits with wide rhinestone trim. I'm kind of intimidated! And the prices are outrageous, I think.  Kathy says that for our last night she wants a nice dinnere and we all agree, so we give Dave the task of finding us a restaurant.  He has chosen Geco, a short walk from our hotel and it turns out to be perfect!  There is even live entertainment!  As usual we order a bunch of appetizers and then split some entrees.  Four of us want the sea bass in lemon butter but we don't think a half a fillet will be sufficient so we order three of them and that works out perfectly. And the two bottles of white wine divide up nicely, too!

                                                           Tomatoes appetizer

                                                               Beet root hummus

                                                              Wood oven bread

                                                                 Mini spanakopita

                                                                Tuna kebabs

                                                  Sea bass with lemon butter sauce  

We are sitting back and relaxing a moment, listening to the music, when a large bowl of tiramasu appeard - with a lit candle in it! Guess we're celebrating Art's and my birthdays!  There is plenty for everyone to have a bit and it is simply divine!  A perfect ending to the day and, basically, the trip!

Time to go home and pack!  A new driver will be picking us up tomorrow morning at 6:15 outside the hotel.