Xαίρε Αθήνα !

Home for not quite two weeks from the U.S., we are out again, this time for a six-day research trip to Athens/Greece. Don't know how many times we've visited Athens - starting in the early 1980ies as students of archeology, and returned quite often, later for our guide books. The city has changed considerably in the course of time, it is much cleaner and more attractive now. Even the riots and the economical crises a couple of years ago seems to be over, or at least isn't as obvious anymore.

It's not really been our day. First, we needed to visit the medical services at Munich Airport because of Peter's eye infection (which had become worse again, plus, he had forgotten to bring his antibiotics). Our flight with Aegean was smooth (pics above taken over the Alps and before landing in Athens), and, we even got a hot meal during the 2:15 hour-flight! Then we had to wait about 1/2 hour for the train into town and, in total, it took us about 2 hours from touch-down to the hotel (not much less than in NYC!). Second mishap was, that we would almost have been robbed on the train, while exiting. Nobody could say, we aren't travel-savvy, but we were distracted by a not-working door, and, to make a long story short: Peter was stolen his little cardholder (credit cards/I.D., no money), but an elderly gent (not sure whether he was involved in this whole group action or not) gave it back to us when the train was about to depart; we didn't even notice before. My purse was open, too, but nothing missing. Lucky us!!!

Checked into the Ibis Styles Athens Routes, just open since August, brandnew and comfy, with great service. A little out of downtown, though, in the Neos Kosmos neighborhood, but by subway and with a 5-day-ticket for 9 Euro, not a big deal.

Checked in and went out again to explore old town, though it got dark briefly after 5 pm. Amazed about all the Xmas decoration (usually Greeks don't celebrate our classical Christmas, but celebrate on Jan. 6), we walked the loop around the Acropolis and its fantastic museum by night (pics) and through the Plaka (pic below) before we ended up in our fav souvlaki place and had dinner for 20 Euro in total.

Walked about 8 miles in 3 hours and are tired now.

Farewell to NYC

Saturday - our last day in town, we took it easy for a change. After having walked an average of 13 km (8 mi) per day for the last 13 days, our feet are hurting now and we are exhausted.

After a "late" breakfast we took the train to Midtown, first to mail stuff at the main post office (pic on the left),which is always not too easy and, pretty time-consuming in the U.S.A. Then we did some last-minute shopping and, on the way, we revisited a couple of "NYC staples", legendary sites, like the Empire State Building, the Madison Square Garden, Herald Square and Macy's (already with Christmas decoration).

No longer the "Forgotten Borough"

,,, that's what Staten Island was called for a long time. It's the smallest borough of the five boroughs in NYC and lies on an island. It's easy to reach by the Staten Island Ferry, which runs 24/7 and is free. Usually, visitors take the boat because of the great views towards the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan's skyline (pic), and, return on the next boat. But, the island has more to offer, some pretty interesting attractions and museums, a couple of them in St. George (the ferry boat's landing), in easy walking distance. Attractions like Snug Harbor or Richmond Town are a little further out and not so easy to reach. We skipped them this time.

This time, the main reason for us to revisit S.I. was the newly opened Empire Outlets, the only Outlet Shopping Mall in NYC, directly on the waterfront. Originally, a huge ferris wheel was planned in addition, but this never worked out; its foundation is still to be seen. The shopping mall is occupied by about 2/3. Once it's fully accomplished (including a planned food hall and beer garden) it may be a new major draw for tourists, also, because of the views it is offering (pics). Before we boarded the ferry back to Manhattan, even we made a good deal at Levis: a jacket for Peter for $ 15!



Before, we explored St. George with Colleen, S.I's tourism rep. Interesting: the National Lighthouse Museum, the former site of the U.S. Lighthouse Service’s (USLHS) General Depot - the national headquarters, testing ground, and distribution center for all materials and equipment used by light keepers from 1864 to 1939 all over the U.S.A. Once a lively site of 18 buildings, only 6 remain today. The museum, located in the 1912 foundry building, tells about the history and technology of the nation’s lighthouses and shows models of lighthouses in the U.S. and from all over the world. There is an expansion planned for the future.

On to another S.I. "gem", the St. George Theater, a magnificent theater, dating in 1929. The main architect was Eugene DeRosa and this new movie and vaudeville house outshone most of its competitors of the day, even on Manhattan, technically and aesthetically. It has one of the largest cantilevered balconies ever built and velvet seats, gilded balconies and grand staircases. The theater's interior is a variety of Spanish and Italian Baroque styles, with a spacious lobby.The theatre continued to operate as a movie palace until 1977, then different reincarnations of the space that included a roller rink, an antique showroom and a night club, were not successful. In 2004, a local lady by name Rosemary Cappozalo and her daughters, started a not-for-profit organization to save the historic theater from being torn down and since then it's a true success story.


We walked the promenade after lunch at Marie's (pizza) and inspected the 9/11 Memorial, a spectacular wing-like structure with plates mentioning all people in service who died during Sept. 11, 2001.

Back on Manhattan, we took the train back to Harlem and out again to the Village for dinner at Soogil, a Korean restaurant with French influences. We had the "Chef's Tasting Menu", a really great deal, including delicacies of all kind: braised short rib, foie gras, yellowtail, sea urchin, etc., all of it very tastefully prepared and combined and nicely presented. The chef, Soogil Lim from South Korea, who greeted us, is a very modest gentleman, though he studied at CIA (The Culinary School) and learned in star chef's Daniel Boulud's kitchen. We had another great evening with our friends and a (last) superb dinner!

Liberty and Hope

It was cold, ice-cold and windy, but dark-blue skies and clear views. We left early to catch an early boat to Liberty and Ellis Island, and were able to avoid lines and waiting in the open.


First stop: Liberty Island, where in May a new museum was opened, in a separate LEED certified building on the tip of the island (pic below). Before it's been located in the pedestal of the statue's base and was not too attractive. Now it's much more information and multi-media, and, one highlight is the original torch (pic), rescued from the elements and replaced in 1986.

The old lady never looses her fascination, especially when standing closeby! It was not an American, but a French idea - by Edouard de Laboulaye, who proposed the idea of a monument for liberty in 1865. Ten years later sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. While the French were responsible for the statue itself, the American people were to build the pedestal.Both countries were at some point struggling to get funds to realize the project, and, in addition, in France, Bartholdi required the assistance of an engineer. Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design a massive iron pylon and skeletal framework for the statue's massive copper skin.

Meanwhile, in America, fund-raising for the pedestal was about to fail, but Joseph Pulitzer proclaimed a campaign and was successful in motivating the (middle class) people of America to donate. Architect Richard Morris Hunt designed the the granite pedestal in 1884, it was finished in April 1886. The Statue was completed in France in July 1884 and arrived - disassembled in 350 pieces, packed in crates – in New York Harbor in June 1885. On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland was present at the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in front of thousands of spectators.

Ellis Island, our next stop, has an equally interesting history: Around 12 mio. immigrants passed through the now quiet halls from 1892 to 1954 to follow the American dream. Ellis Island was America's largest and most active immigration station, an "Island of Hope" - or, for some unfortunate ones, when they were sent back, an "Island of Tears". Besides original rooms, like the large Registration Hall (pic), the examination rooms, kitchen and such, there are exhibitions, starting with the first immigration waves, how people came, for what reasons, about the passage to the fate of immigrants in the country, their rough start, their professions, families and how they coped. Also, there are relicts of people of different origin, their beloved toys or other items. Outside there is an Immigrant Wall of Honor with all the names of people who went through and in a research library visitors are able to do research about their ancestors. Didn't find neither of our family names on the wall,,,

Back in Manhattan in the late afternoon, chilled to the bones, we took the train back to Harlem to get ready for dinner in Midtown in a traditional Japanese Izakaya restaurant by name "Aburiya". Alone the menu was a piece of art (pic)! Wouldn't say the meal was filling, and, also, the eating with chopsticks was a bit of a challenge, but it was highly delicious, the best Japanese food we've ever had: grilled meats, sashimi, seared fish and other small plates we shared, everything of top quality, fresh, taste-wise carefully balanced and wonderfully presented. The Sake tasting we had, was in perfect harmony with the meal. Didn't have a glue how many different sakes (rather similar to beer than to wine!) there are existing!


Home late, still lots of people on the subway and musicians in the stations: