Even though we have never lived here or even spent time here, arriving in Athens felt like coming home. I recognized that sense of familiarity and to be blunt, it came from being in a developed country.
After a month traveling through Egypt, we finally could have any type of cuisine that we craved and even pork! The supermarkets were climate controlled, even in winter, and were filled with a wide selection of recognizable brands and products. There were less cars on the roads and a traffic jam just meant waiting a few extra minutes at a stoplight, not the jumble of cars and the chaos of competing horns in Egypt’s big cities. The roads were all paved and driving over them felt smooth and frictionless, like skating over marble. There were no stones by the side of the road and no dust to be seen. Where was all the dust? It looked like a picture-perfect place with beautiful blue skies and the warm sun smiling down on us.
We drove from the airport toward our Airbnb about 15 minutes north-east of central Athens in the Evelpidon neighborhood that borders Pedion tou Areos, one of Athens’ largest public parks. From the car window, I stared with fascination at the orange and lemon trees lining the local streets as if I was looking at some kind of mirage in the desert. The branches were bent over, like an arthritic old man, from the weight of the plump fruit on its branches. There were juicy oranges and lemons where they had fallen to the ground without anyone taking notice. The only reason I could imagine was that the land was so fertile, the fruit so plentiful and the people so full that nobody gave a second thought to the extra fruit that lay in waste.
So far, we have traveled through Kenya, South Africa and Egypt. In some places, people live with very little and sometimes not enough. In other places, people live with a lot and sometimes think it is not enough. We felt really grateful to be in Athens with everything that we could wish for at our fingertips.
We checked into our airbnb which was on the third floor of a building in a wonderful local neighborhood full of cafes, restaurants, shops and markets. The Airbnb was probably one of the smallest that we have stayed in so far, but it was cozy and comfortable with every amenity we could hope for. The dining area, kitchen and living area blended into one main room seamlessly. The kitchen was compact but had all the appliances and equipment we needed for simple breakfasts. We loved the neutral tones, the wooden parquet flooring and especially the plush living room furniture. The apartment had three bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. One shower is perfectly manageable for us, but our family usually needs at least two toilets. The girls’ bedroom was one of the larger rooms and had two beds. The boys got stuck with the smaller bedroom this time, but it had a bunk bed which is always fun. Leo and I had the bedroom at the back of the apartment which was nice and cozy with plenty of storage space for us to get organized. The bathrooms were so modern and clean with zero broken tiling and no drainage issues or unpleasant smells. These are the things you begin to appreciate after staying in so many airbnbs around the world.
After we settled in, we went out to have our first Greek meal. We found a very cute and very local Greek taverna in our neighborhood. It was a tiny family-run restaurant with about 10 small tables and most of the seats were occupied by old men from the neighborhood. It was intimidating to go in because I could imagine these old men might be widowers who had been coming to this little taverna as part of their daily routine for years. Some of them seemed to know each other and chatted before sitting down to enjoy their meal. Some were helping themselves to the bread and clearing their own dishes after they finished. We stood awkwardly at the front of the restaurant for a while as the waitress was busy with other diners. Our family with all the kids looked too clumsy to fit inside the restaurant. As I was surveying the restaurant for annoyed glances from the regulars, a kind old man put two tables together and pulled over a couple extra chairs, then motioned for us to sit down. It turns out I had nothing to worry about.
We discovered that the waitress was also the chef and we guessed also the owner, who ran back and forth to the kitchen. She apologized and helped us to set up the table. There was no menu, just the food that she prepared that day was displayed in the glass case at the front of the restaurant. We could see pasta, fish, veggies and meat. Some of the dishes required finishing in the kitchen and others just needed warming. The owner introduced each of the dishes to us and was specific about how each would be prepared and how it should be eaten. We ordered a fish soup seasoned with fennel, roast lamb leg with greens topped with bechamel, grilled fish with root vegetables, spaghetti with meat sauce, artichoke hearts with root vegetables and pastitsio (Greek lasagna).
While we were waiting for the food, the owner brought over two generous baskets of local bread and two glass bottles of water. The kids were over the moon with crusty bread and free, all-you-can-drink water. After a month of pita and rice in Egypt, crusty bread was more valuable than gold. After a month quenching our thirst on bottled water, always conscientious not to waste a single drop because the water was often in short supply, the idea of drinkable tap water providing unlimited drinking water was a welcome novelty. We gorged ourselves on bread dipped in olive oil and drank ourselves silly with water.
By the time the food arrived, we were mostly full but the food was so delicious that we gobbled it up too. When we thought we could eat no more, the owner surprised us with dessert – a plate of in-season oranges and tangerines and Greek mosaiko, crushed biscuits formed with melted chocolate. It was a meal fit for a king.
We stopped by the grocery store on the way home and spent some time examining the supermarket shelves, the butcher counter, the frozen food section and the fresh produce. We were giddy with excitement at seeing the myriad of options for cheese, Greek yogurt, salami, fresh cuts of meat and chocolate.
The kids saw a Kinder chocolate advent calendar and really wanted to buy it. Tomorrow would be December 1 and that meant there would be 25 more days until Christmas. Since the kids were small, we have always used the same cloth advent calendar which I bought in Vietnam that was hand-made by local village women to earn a living. Inside each little pocket I write a short note of encouragement, humor, advice or fond memories and put it in along with a small treat for each child, usually just some candy leftover from Halloween. Each morning leading up to Christmas, we pull out the little note and read them together after which the kids eat the sweets. It’s a treasured pre-Christmas tradition that we love.
We debated whether to buy the Kinder chocolate advent calendar in the market. But lots of questions arose. How would we transport it in our luggage? How would we decide who opens the little door each day? How would we decide who eats the chocolate inside? How would we deal with the chocolates because some are bigger than others? We couldn’t resolve all of the questions in the market, but we decided to buy the advent calendar anyway and figure out the rest later. I think that’s a good way to proceed with life – do first and figure the rest out later. We wouldn’t be on this trip if we believed otherwise.
We got back to our Airbnb and simply relished the feeling of being together in a warm and cozy home.
The next morning, Dec 1, we opened the first little door of our new Advent calendar. After much debate over the merits of establishing a fair system or leaving things up to chance, the kids decided it would be best to take turns opening the Advent calendar. The small chocolates could be eaten by individuals and the big chocolates would be shared equally among the four of them.
Over the course of the next six nights, we felt totally relaxed and at home. We tried to live like locals in our neighborhood and found a little salon where RY, AY and I got haircuts.
Leo, RY and AY took a few jogs around the neighborhood in the early mornings and did a little exercise.
We enjoyed going out to see the sights in Athens, but even more than that, we looked forward to coming back to our comfortable airbnb. We caught up on our learning time, cooked a few simple meals, drew and crafted and I even trimmed EY’s hair in the bathroom.
We were in a foreign country in an unfamiliar neighborhood, surrounded by a different language, but this is the first time in a while that it felt like home.
