Our final day in Greece was largely a hodge podge of mostly “housekeeping” things.
Morning School Hustle
My parents broke off in the morning to check out the Museum of Archaeology on their own. Meanwhile, back in the AirBnB, Doug & I focused on a hearty school session with the girls. We’ve skipped a few days and needed to get back into it. Our focus was math, so I was with Paige (multiplication!) and Doug was with Sadie. They were working on fractions and Sadie hit a wall, frustrated that she wasn’t understanding it. Doug was getting frustrated too. I suggested they change it up and use some other stimulus; in the past Sadie has done well with more “hands-on, tactile” approach to math. I found some spaghetti pasta, which Doug used to break into pieces and visually show fractions. That helped bust them both out of their funk and helped Sadie grasp the fractions while having fun all the while.
After logging school, the girls spaced out with an episode or two of “Just Add Magic” while we finished up laundry & prepped lunch. Just as we were finishing lunch my parents returned from their morning out & about. They thought the Archaeology Museum was really well done.
Evening Plans
We collectively took stock of how we wanted to spend our remaining afternoon/evening in Greece. After much back & forth, the six of us ultimately decided to get a sunset drink somewhere with a view of the Acropolis. It was a Saturday night, so we knew our chances were slim to get a table for 6 at sunset, but we figured it was worth a shot, especially if we arrived early! We agreed on a 5:30pm departure time.
Move Our Bodies
That left us about two hours. We needed to get the girls (and us) out for some fresh air, after being cooped up in the apartment all day. We headed to a nearby playground; mini workout for me & Doug, and playground fun for the girls. My parents hung back at the apartment, enjoying some down time after being on their feet all day. We then all quickly showered and freshened up, ready to hit the town :)
A for Athens
Getting a taxi for six is near impossible, so we divided up. Doug & I walked the 25-minutes to our destination, A for Athens, while my parents & the girls hopped in a taxi (that apparently smelled like smoke & with a driver that spoke very little English), leaving a few minutes after us. A for Athens consistently topped the list of “best places to see the Acropolis in Athens”. We arrived at virtually the same time and took the elevator up to the rooftop terrace, fingers crossed we’d snag a table. The host ushered us to the side while he checked on the table situation. He came back a few minutes later and told us that he’d have a table with a view of the Acropolis for us, if we could wait just five minutes more. Five more minutes for a sunset view of the Acropolis? Of course we’ll wait!
Jackpot View
The Greek Gods must have been staring down on us, because we scored a corner table with a dynamite view of the Acropolis! Insanely fortunate and we all knew it. We ordered a round of drinks (Aperol Spritzer for Grammy, beer for Gramps, white wine for Doug, sparkling rose for me and some homemade berry lemonade for the girls) and took in the view. Side note: We realized only later that the girls’ drinks had soda in them. We have a strict no-soda (or any sugar drink) rule in our family, and were disappointed in our rookie move ordering them & not clarifying soda water instead of soda. Sadie drew the Acropolis in her little travel journal, and we all soaked up the moment.
It was a truly magical hour, enjoying the views of the Acropolis while the sky turned pink with the setting sun. Once down, the lights switched on around the base of the Acropolis, making it even more majestic. Still hard to wrap our heads around it being the epicenter of Greek civilization 2500+ years ago!
‘Twas a fantastic way to end our time with Grammy & Gramps in Greece!
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