Well, it's a straight shot from Tripoli to Sparta, so I guess I can try to catch up now.
The Benaki Museum had four floors of Greek Historical garb and pottery, with the exception of the 2nd, which was apparently some French photography exhibit. I don't exactly know what it was doing there, but there it was. On the 3rd floor was the most modern of stuff, from the revolutionary era. They had some clothes, medals, chair, & the like.
Then on the 1st floor were some reconstructed rooms, a lot of clothes, & a rotunda (part of the museum's architecture). On the 0th floor there were miscellaneous old things on various pedestals, plus a gift shop.
We left the Benaki Museum with a good amount of time left in the day. It was decided that we would go to the top of Mt. Lycabettus (Λυκαβηττός). I led us to the base of a massive set of flights of stairs, at whose top was the funicular which would get us to the top of the hill. Climbing this hill caused a problem, though—I got this monstrous headache. Mom and I took the hill slowly, and when we reached the top, we all bought tickets and got on the thing. Sadly, the funicular was completely enclosed.
At the top was a terrific view of the sprawl that is Athens. The city has grown ridiculously large as time has progressed, I guess. There were buildings as far as the eye can see. Everywhere there were white walls topped with these terra-cotta shingles. I spent most of the time seated, but did see the Acropolis when I got up and looked around. There was also this very expensive café (where it cost €3 for a ½ L of water!) at which we did not eat. But we enjoyed the view and headed downstairs to go back to the room before dinner.
Here's where our crisis occurred. Essentially right after exiting the Metro (same block—I checked), we all decided to go to a Supermarket to get Band-Aids and perhaps an extension cord. But Greg was too far ahead of us to hear—we decided that, Greg being Greg, he'd go back to the room (he had the key) and plop down to sleep. So we went to the Supermarket, buying no Bandaids and no extension cords. But we did get many many cans.
Of course, besides space concerns, we have, as of yet, no crisis. So we got back to the street we left Greg at and started to climb to our room. Well, Dad and I stopped at a bookstore and got a map book, while Theresa and Mom went up to the room. Well, on our way up, almost at the hotel, who comes up running behind us? None other than Greg. So all of us realize that by the time we get to the room, Mom will be in a Code Twelve crazy fit.
Well, true to form, we take the elevator up to the room (too much climbing) and Theresa's there being— aloof is a good word, I guess—and tells us Mom has, indeed, had a Class Twelve crazy fit; we discovered she had gone off to look for Greg. So Dad went out to look for her. So I start writing and eventually everyone finds each other and we're all hungry together.
We go over towards the Parthenon where we knew some restaurants were, and looked at this one place recommended by Frommers'. Mom and Theresa didn't like the menu, so we kept looking and found a roof-top place that had stuffed tomatoes—something Theresa really wanted. But aside from grilled chicken and chicken souvlaki there was practically nothing that I was willing to eat, let alone wanting to. Thus we kept looking, much to Theresa's dismay. We ended up choosing this place Yiayia recommended called Dionysus or something that had really good house chicken—a delicious sauce! Theresa was quite unhappy that she could not have her stuffed tomatoes, but Mom and I agree that it was the best meal we've eaten thus far.
After dinner, Mom and Dad went to get ice cream and cash, while us kids went back to the room. We crashed there and eventually all went to sleep. And now we're almost and the caves, so I'll get back to you later.
