Athens & Istanbul

Athens

After our 48 hour exit from the Middle East travails, we land in Athens and are greeted upon our arrival after midnight by the unparalleled view of the lighted Acropolis and Parthenon filling our apartment windows. As our first time in Greece, except for a day trip from Turkey, we’re excited to explore this city and rich culture, accommodating for downtime to recoup and plan our future travels.

Being in the EU means familiar products on the shelves, currency without endless zeros, and drinking tap water but also somewhat higher price tags for this world class city and a language that is completely baffling, lending more credence to the phrase “it’s all Greek to me!” What is clear is that the social fabric here runs deep, visible daily in the throngs of cafes filled with locals bundled against and indifferent towards the cold, catching up over coffee or a bite day and night. 

The next day we jump in head first, navigating our new hood for necessities, eating a fabulous dinner at a Michelin recognized restaurant, then soaking up traditional Greek music until 3am in a smoke-filled room of singalong groupies. The musicians are highly gifted and thrive in the audience appreciation. 

On Sunday we head to Syntagma Square for the Changing of the Guards, potentially the inspiration for Monty Python’s skit Ministry of Silly Walks, made more surreal by the Square also being the finish line for the Athens Half Marathon with modern music blaring for a time warp juxtaposition. The guards are dressed in skirts which wrap 400 times to represent the 400 years of Ottoman occupation and red hats to represent the blood spilt during their revolution in 1921. With many hard toe taps and high kicks, sometimes with sweat and shaking legs, the guards swap out slowly but surely, and, once completed, are groomed by military personnel to ensure each pleat and tassel are Instagram ready. 

We head next to the Benaki Museum for an intimate initial exposure to Greek art over the ages. Sunday lunch has us surrounded by congregating families as the waiter wiggles dishes between the tight tables, only to give up when wandering minstrels take over the pathways for our entertainment. We wander the narrow streets, avoiding death by Vespa and enjoying graffiti which decorates the city in overlaps, lending a grit and vibrancy to this evolving culture. On a tip we head cross town to a locals restaurant with Free Palestine promos and hearty, flavorful food, and of all the gin joints in Athens, the same band of traditional Greek musicians from 2 nights prior is performing and they recognize us – “we’re with the band!”

A day trip to Delphi gets us into the countryside, past agricultural lands and forested snow-capped peaks, to what was considered the center of the world where the Oracle of Delphi (women only need apply) would divine insights for travelers with burning questions, including war strategy and questions of state, as she acted as a medium for Goddess Apollo. Scientists have since determined that her throne sat on top of a crack emitting gases causing hallucinations. Annoying facts aside, the site has stunning views into a valley with 1.5 million olive trees – the largest grove in the EU and protected by UNESCO. 

Back in Athens we tackle the Acropolis Museum in preparation for our grand assault on the Parthenon. While building the museum at the base of the Acropolis, no surprise they uncovered an ancient city, making the ruins ground zero and adding a floor, bringing even more relevancy to the objects within. With a base of historical knowledge, we’re first in line the next day at the ticket booth’s 8am opening before entering a quiet Acropolis with our guide. Dating back to 400BC, the buildings have endured earthquakes, cannonball attacks, and even an artillery explosion, so not much remains of the structures. What had remained was significantly looted, including by Lord Elgin and now housed in the British Museum. Amal Clooney is representing Greece in reclaiming these antiquities from the British government over a 50 year time period – you married up George! As we leave, tourists flood the Acropolis justifying our early rise. We infill our Greek history knowledge at the Archeological Museum which dovetails nicely with our Egyptian deep dive. We especially enjoy the Cycladic Art period which influenced many artists including Pablo Picasso. 

Our week in Athens has been restorative and inspirational! We’re grateful for all the input and connections from friends on things to do during our unscheduled visit to this amazing city. Back on our feet and on to Istanbul, we vow to return someday to explore the Greek isles and become more proficient with the Greek wine list!

Istanbul

Having visited Turkey for our 25th with our daughters in 2019, we were determined to get back to Istanbul, a magical city worthy of special routing. We have the added bonus of meeting up with a new friend from our Dahabiya cruise on the Nile to brighten our time here. It’s the coldest destination of our trip so far, mostly in the forties, and we empty our bags trying to stay warm with mixed success. 

Kicking off our visit with a historical and cultural walking tour, we see the original Serpent Column of Delphi, Greece, which we’d visited on Monday, and an obelisk from Karnak Temple, Egypt, which we’d visited the previous month, both relocated when Romans ruled all 3 regions and decided to rearrange their empire decorations. We revel in the serenity and majestic beauty of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, which are especially alive with the devout during this Ramadan period. Ramadan is a very joyful period, where Muslims break the fast after sunset with iftar, eating together as families and in community tables, ensuring no one goes hungry. While fasting, the wealthy experience the needs of those less fortunate, a humbling equalizer, and wealth is not measured by what they have but what they give. Ramadan brings the Muslim community together, emphasizing generosity and selflessness, and we consider it a gift to be able to witness.

In the evening we attend an intimate jazz performance honoring Miles Davis and John Coltrane with a 5 piece band gathering from Venice, Germany, Austria, Canada, and Syracuse NY, who’s trumpet teacher hailed from Clinton NY, home of my alma mater Hamilton College. Despite this being only their second time playing together, they are tight and vibrant. 

We venture to the Balat neighborhood the next day to see a new part of the city. Historically settled by Jews, Greek Orthodox,and Armenians, we climb the tight streets away from the more touristy areas to encounter a very conservative Muslim community where women are fully covered except their nose and eyes and men wear a flat topped white cap with curved sides which is new to us. The juxtaposition next to urban sophisticated Istanbul is shocking and we learn that the community are refugees mostly from Afghanistan and Syria who are encouraged to immigrate in order to reinforce President Erdogan’s conservative agenda, much to the chagrin of mainstream Turks. In 2019 we witnessed the rallying for and successful election of a more progressive mayor of Istanbul, after his first two elections were deemed illegitimate. Acquiring such a high profile position, many were hopeful for a more liberal direction for the country. However just before this visit, the mayor vowed to run for president in the next elections, to which President Erdogan rescinded the mayor’s university credentials and landed him in jail where he sits today. 

Tonight we grab dinner at a meyhane restaurant which, along with fabulous food and free flowing raki (think ouzo), offers traditional music by a lively 4 piece band that gets many singing along and dancing to the energetic music. Right up my alley!

On our final day we start with a traditional village breakfast which consists of a gazillion small plates filled with different cheeses, pastes, jams, olives, parsley salad, wood-fired eggs, bread, and many dishes unidentified. Brian is worthy of the challenge!

Then we luxuriate in the real reason for coming here – a hamam visit! A Turkish bath is a sensation not to be missed. Relaxing on a massive heated marble slap under a decorative dome, then getting every nook and cranny of your body scrubbed clean to remove dead skin, of which I had 7 years worth, then being covered head to toe in a bounty of bubbles for further washing, all in magnificent Ottoman architecture dating from 1580, it is a restorative experience both physically and mentally. Nearby I find my favorite baklava store, founded in 1946, and show the salesperson a photo of my preferred baklava: Fistikli Kuru. The photo shows the price in 2019 as 100 Turkish Lira per Kg – the same baklava now sells for 2065 Turkish Lira! Inflation is hitting hard everywhere.

Istanbul is one of our favorite cities to date, with its culinary diversity, waterfront vistas of mosques and minarets piercing the sky, and outdoor coffee culture, and we’re grateful that this world class city spanning both Europe and Asia is a vital airline hub and the perfect layover. We vow to return and, when we do, we’ll be sure to visit the hamam!

Next up: Morocco