Hello! Long time no write.
We’ve just returned from a lovely week in Athens, Greece. Given everything happening in the world right now, it feels like a miracle that we made it there and back in one piece. I have to admit, we had a wonderful time.
I say this because I was quite anxious about traveling, especially after all the warnings I received from people when I mentioned I was going to Athens. There were mainly safety concerns about the dangers of pickpockets and associated gangs and group. However, we were perfectly fine – treating our excursions with the kind of care and attention that any one might in a big city. We somehow managed to exist in a kind of tourist bubble filled with sightseeing (the Acropolis of course and just wandering around Athenian streets), eating, and resting. It was glorious.
I’m not sure I have many words to describe our experiences – perhaps I’m still in post-vacation laziness mode – but I certainly have plenty of pictures to share, especially of our food adventures. Let me start with breakfast.
As you might know, I’ve been trying to ensure that my mornings are calm and relaxed. This helps set the tone for the rest of the day, as part of my efforts to improve both my health and emotional well-being. I’m happy to say that I was able to continue this habit on our holiday.
We started each day with slow, light, and relaxed breakfasts. We stayed in an Airbnb, and interestingly, no breakfast items were provided – unlike some other places we’ve stayed. There was a coffee maker, but I chose not to use it. Instead, I decided to treat myself to Greek coffee made by someone else – I’ll tell you about later *spoiler alert* it was lovely.
We shopped at a local supermarket and stocked up on a few essentials:
– A box of green tea with what appeared to be spices (star anise and cinnamon). I added lemon juice and slices of ginger to it.
– A loaf of tsoureki, a sweet Greek bread. It reminded me of a denser chewier version of brioche.
– Tomatoes, cucumbers, sliced Greek cheese, Greek butter, and strawberries.
– A big bag of oranges, which I hand-squeezed each morning to make fresh juice for Ignacio.
– Later in the week, we added a small loaf of rye and barley bread. I’m a big fan of rye bread so this was a pleasant delight.
As you’ll see in the pictures below, everything was arranged into quick, easy-to-make breakfasts. We mostly ate indoors. Our one attempt to eat on the tiny balcony table ended with a bit of spilled tea, so we gave up on that idea! Plus, the air conditioning inside the apartment was an essential with starting morning temperatures of 25oC.
Of the seven mornings we spent there, we only got up before 8 a.m. on three of them: two days for our Acropolis tickets (a tour around the Acropolis and tickets to the Acropolis museum) and one for our flight home. The rest of the mornings were our usual holiday style – waking up when we were ready and unhurriedly preparing tea, juice and toast and its accompaniments.
Our breakfasts were simple and by no means elaborate or glamorous. They certainly weren’t Instagram worthy! However they were the perfect start our long hot days of wandering around Athens. It was lovely to have time to pause, plan the day ahead and just enjoy spending time with each other. It was nice that we were able to bring a little of our home ritual with us, anchoring, grounding us and giving us a deep sense of peace.
So here’s the privilege and pleasure of slow mornings. I am so grateful that I was able to continue with my creature comforts providing the bedrock and fuel for new experiences. And now that I am back home, settling back into real-life and responsibilities, I am holding onto the calm generated by those quiet mornings in Athens.
