Shopping

Shopping in Athens can be an interesting experience to say the least. I’m guessing the economy here must not be as bad as in the US? People seem to be doing a lot of shopping. The stores on a Saturday afternoon are as crowded as Christmas in the US. It’s shoulder-to-shoulder people at the check out. Then again I was amazed at those who were just window-shopping. You would think people had never seen shoes before!

Walking down Ermou in Syntagma Square brings some interesting sites. I already showed you the interesting lingerie displays in a previous entry. I thought these Christmas caroler wannabes (well, they reminded me of Christmas carolers) mannequins fit the bill for interesting though. Love the day-glo hair.

You can find all sorts of food to eat. Cafés, McDonalds, Everest….and street vendors such as those selling delicious baked goods. I have to find out what these are called, but the varieties were tomato and cheese, chocolate, and cheese. If I hadn’t just eaten a chocolate croissant, which was delightful I might add, I certainly would have indulged in one of these.

Roasted corn seems to be popular as well. I might just give it a try one day.

Shopping is as varied as it gets here. From the 3 Euro clothing store to Sephora, you can find it in Syntagma.

Walk a bit further and you end up in the flea market. Wow, two trips to the flea market in one week. I’m showing my true colors aren’t I? But Samantha wanted to check it out and I had nothing better to do, so why not? Besides, you find some interesting items at the flea market. Like a totally naked Dopey doll. Yes, Dopey the Dwarf is sans his typical oversized green tunic. Pitiful isn’t it?

Interesting replicas of some Nazi daggers.

Sam found this sword and was just drooling over it, until she asked the price. A mere 500 Euros is what the vendor wanted. I’m not entirely sure I’d have such a pricey item just lying there without much security. Maybe it isn’t worth all that much and he just thought he would take some naïve Americans. Didn’t work.

Gotta love the phallic obsession here. Phallic bottle openers. What will they think of next? Goes well with the nice little Satyr statue. I keep wondering for whom back home this would make a nice gift? Any takers?

Philosophers and Sinatra…a natural combination?

We finally escaped the masses of Monastiraki and made it back to Syntagma. On the way he walked by the Stoa of Attilus in the Ancient Agora. King Attalos of Pergamon who ruled from 159-138 BCE originally founded it. It burnt in 267 CE and was reconstructed in the 1950’s using the original foundation and ancient materials and now houses a museum.

Back toward Syntagma we happened upon the cathedral of Mitropoli. With the cornerstone laid in 1812 it took another 20 years to complete. It appeared to be under restoration, so I wasn’t able to get any good full view photos. When I have more time I certainly want to go explore it a bit closer. It is open to the public but we opted not to go inside.

It was just another typical day of walking around Plaka, Monistiraki, and Syntagma. Sam and I finished it off by sitting in a little café in Plaiteia Varnarva and having coffee drinks. We had a challenge given to us when we first came here to sit in a café and out last a group of Greeks. We did it! We outlasted two groups. Does that mean we are catching on to the Greek spirit? I hope so.

Oh…what would an entry be without a few felines? Some of them are not being very cooperative, but this little black one was so sweet. I want to take them all home.

Rain. It was a welcome thing in Athens this weekend. It cooled the temperatures and settled the dust. After a busy day on Friday I was able to settle into my room on Saturday and get some work done. Work. Isn’t that a dirty word? I suppose it is why I came here. To expand my knowledge. So like the academic geek I am, I went to the library, read and sat in my room later studying my Greek language material. I’m starting to catch on but I am not sure I will ever like conjugating verbs or declining nouns. I’ll get by though. Ef-kar-e-sto! (thank you!)

Saturday night some of us got together and had dinner at one of the girl’s apartments. It was cozy. The apartments aren’t made for large gatherings but we had a good time. It seems like even the simplest foods here taste good. Pasta with olive oil and garlic, fresh salad with Greek dressing, and good crusty bread. Top it off with a bottle of wine from a vineyard in Santorini and it made for a very satisfying meal. With our bellies filled we headed out to Thissio via the Metro to see if we could find a music festival that we had heard chatter of. Not having specific directions we had no luck. Instead we ended up wandering the streets. A local saw us and told us there were no tourist places down one street. Head back to Plaka he said. But we didn’t want to go to Plaka! We gave up trying to find the festival around 10:00 and finally stopped for gelato. I had pistachio. It was lovely. Sorry, I forgot my camera, so no gelato snapshots.

Sunday we decided to go shopping in Syntagma. What we didn’t realize was that most shops are closed on Sundays. Now we know. Walking about Syntagma yields some interesting sights though, even though the stores were closed. My favorite was the display in this lingerie shop. The equivalent of Fredricks of Hollywoods I suppose?

Not sure about the zippers as masks. Weird.

There are some familiar sights as well. Applebees anyone?

I know if I am every craving American food there is certainly no shortage of it in Athens. Pizza Hut, Dominos, McDonalds, Subway, TGIF can all be found nearby. I’ll stick with Greek food as much as I can. McDonalds appears to be fairly popular with the local population though.

I found it rather odd to see three Native American’s playing Native American music in Syntagma. They were selling CD’s, but it seems an awful long way to come to sell a few CD’s on the street. I’m guessing they were authentic Native Americans because of their appearance. Who knows, it may have just been a gimmick. But they seemed authentic.

The music was nice though. They were pretty good on those flutes.

While most of the stores were closed we did hit the 3 Euro clothing store, which happened to be open. Unfortunately I found that what is labeled an XL seems to fit only a Barbie doll sized person. Is this some statement about the size of Americans? Or are Europeans just living a dream? I haven't seen many obese people here, but not everyone is a size 5 either. I have a feeling any clothes I purchase here will have to be bought at pricier store.

Since the stores were closed I suggested we walk to Monastiraki and find the flea market I had read about in my guidebook. A short walk from Syntagma and we found the flea market, along with the crowds. The Athens flea market is very similar to flea markets in America. Some permanent shops lined the streets selling everything from clothes to knick-knacks while one street was reserved for vendors who put out their wares on the street.

A new facebook profile pic?

It was an interesting and eclectic mix of items. Very similar to what you would find in a US flea market. Greek LP’s. Assorted musical instruments. Old phonogrpahs. Telephones with actual dials.Sheet music.

Yes, that says Beethoven. I have to remember that mu+pi makes a B sound. Maybe Beethoven will help.

Jewelry. Wall décor. Junk in general.

Hookas.

No, I don’t think I’ve seen to many hookas in US flea markets. Now they have me wondering if there is a hooka bar anywhere in Athens. Maybe I’ll have to wait for Istanbul. I know, strange for such an anti-smoker as myself. I don’t get it either.

If anyone can tell me what “safe pants” are I’d appreciate it. I am guessing they are the equivalent to Depends? Keep you safe from accidents of incontinence? But “safe pants?” Couldn’t they have thought of a better name?

Having explored the flea market we walked through the National Gardens on our way home. The Gardens are a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of Athens. It seems to be a family friendly place complete with balloon vendors and a children’s library. Interesting that American characters are so prevalent here. Spongebob and Dora are universal I suppose.

I came home and did the afternoon quiet time. I think I’m getting too accustomed to the quiet time for naps. It just won’t work when I come home. Too bad. I kind of like the break in the day. I spent Sunday night studying and finishing Greek language homework as well as “skyping” with a friend back home. Skype is a wonderful thing. Much better than the rates you pay for international cell phone service. Skype helps me keep in touch with my husband as well. Thanks to Skype and IM we have been able to be in touch at least daily. I’ve even skyped with my cat, Willow. I don’t think she gets it though.

Last but not least, today is my daughter Bridget’s 27th birthday. Happy Birthday Bridget! I miss you and love you! I’ll leave you with a few Athens felines. Enjoy your day!