Colorful Athens...

After splitting off from the hashers, we explored the surrounding streets, where we saw some colorful...

...birds in cages...

...used clothes...

...clotheslines and Mylar balloons.

The pigeons really loved this church.

Ashlynn did a good job of ducking away from this persistent fellow that tried giving her a free bracelet, which he then would have no doubt charged her for.

Athens Marathon...

The Athens Marathon – The Authentic was held the next day with 18,870 runners from 105 countries running the authentic route from Marathon to Athens and another 36,130 runners in shorter distances.

The race ended within the Panathenaic Stadium, the only stadium in the world entirely built of marble. Built in 144 AD and abandoned at the end of the 4th century, it was renovated in 1896 just in time to host the first modern Olympics.

There was no hash that weekend since some hashers were racing, but others were gathering to be spectators. It was a short walk from Ashlynn’s apartment, so we met up with the group to watch the first finishers. 

Afterwards, we walked across town with Grayson, who hashed with us when he lived in The Hague.

He led us through a fascinating flea market area...

...sometimes right next to ruins. 

We ended up opting not to join the group for lunch at an Irish Pub, but met up with Grayson, his son and another hasher the following night at a sports bar for a pub quiz, which we managed to win earning ourselves a free pitcher of beer. 

Temple of Apollo...

Built in 520 BC, the Temple of Apollo would have had 11 columns on the longer sides and 6 on the shorter ones.

 

Most of the temple was torn down in the 4th century AD because it was deemed idolatrous, but somehow one column survived.

Afterwards we wandered through the shopping area of the city...

...and along the port.

Temple of Aphaea...

I had planned on taking the bus across the island to visit its most famous ruins, but the bus didn’t run very frequently off season. Instead I splurged on a taxi to take us to the incredible Temple of Aphaea, dating from approximately 500 BC.

Apparently it was dedicated to the mother-goddess Aphaea, associated with fertility and the agricultural cycle.

On the drive back, I asked the driver to stop at the Church of Saint Nectarios, one of the most widely known Greek Orthodox Saints.

I assumed that the scaffolding inside was for renovations, but apparently the church hasn’t been completed yet.

We were thrilled to find a table at the water’s edge for lunch.

Ashlynn would have been happy to spend the rest of the afternoon in this spot...

...but I wanted to walk over to the Temple of Apollo.

Off to an Island...

Ashlynn had the entire weekend off, so we set off on Saturday for Aegina, the closest island located just 17 miles (27 kilometers) from Athens. First we had to take the metro to Piraeus Port, which was easy to get to, and buy ferry tickets. We thought that the older gentleman who offered to bring us to the correct dock worked there, but turned out he just wanted a tip. Was definitely worth it though as the port was not easy to navigate.

We took this “flying dolphin” hydrofoil which took only 35 minutes to get to Aegina, which was half the time of a traditional ferry. 

The seats were very comfy and despite the windows being pretty scratched up, the views were great.

I particularly liked the paintings on the far side of the port.

The port in the city of Aegina was beautiful with crystal clear water.

Despite not being born under a water sign, Ashlynn gains energy just by being near water.

Search for Dinner and Cocktails...

Ashlynn had a second casting that first afternoon, so I wandered around.

That evening we headed to a restaurant that Ashlynn had spotted on the hill below the Acropolis, but it was closed. We then happened upon a set of stairs surrounded by a bunch of restaurants.

After looking at a lot of menus, we gave up on finding vegan moussaka. I enjoyed regular moussaka while Ashlynn had the first of many stuffed peppers, one of the few vegan options at regular Greek restaurants.

Afterwards we headed to Six Dogs for a cocktail. This photo doesn’t do justice to how cool it was sitting in this garden bar filled with candles.

As much as we loved Six Dogs, we couldn’t justify having more than one of their expensive cocktails. We were happy to find this funky little bar selling €5 and €6 cocktails.

Visiting Ashlynn in Athens...

I arrived in Athens on the evening of November 8. Ashlynn met me at the airport and we took the subway into the city. Athens is much less expensive than Paris, so she could afford to have more space and stay longer. This worked to my advantage as she had a double bed in a one-bedroom apartment that she was happy to share with me for five nights. We had a late dinner of souvlaki (known in the US as gyros). Here she is the next morning in her little kitchen.

We ate breakfast each morning on her third floor balcony. She usually had oatmeal, but would sometimes join me in eating a spinach pastry from the bakery next door.

While Ashlynn didn’t have any jobs while I was in town, she had several castings so I tagged along and waited outside while she had the short interviews. Although public transport was very affordable, Ashlynn prefered to walk for the exercise and to further explore the city. On average, she walked around 12 miles (20 kilometers) per day. Our first walk together took over two hours. Along the way, we passed this husky with piercing blue eyes...

...and walked through several hilly neighborhoods.

While this half was interesting, the second half was along a major thoroughfare, so we took the subway back after her casting at a bridal store.

Was surprised how often there were signs in the loo not to flush the toilet paper.

Ashlynn was thrilled to get fresh coconut from a street vendor for the first time since our last visit in 2010...

...and to have me treat her to some good vegan food. We especially thought it was cool that Veganbeat used large pieces of spaghetti as straws for their juices, a sustainable and tasty option instead of plastic.