Peloponnese in January

Yesterday we came back from three-day visit to Lakonia, Peloponnese.

We went to Monemvasia,



the Mani Peninsula,



Mystras, and so on.



The weather wasn't excellent, but was reasonably good for January. The major difficulty, however, was Hubby's stomach; he has been suffering since Sunday and it continued during the trip.

I will write about the trip sometime soon.

Turkish Airlines Inflight Meal 2 (Istanbul-Tokyo)

We were supposed to leave for Peloponnese in the morning, but at the last moment, it was postponed. As soon as we got into the car, Hubby's dad called him to tell that his mom felt ill. She recovered soon after we arrived her home but decided to go to hospital just for check and Hubby decided to go with her and his Dad. I remained here, as they left by taxi and there was not room for me (my in-laws are both pretty bulky) and I would be anyway useless in the hospital. I don't know if we can leave today at all. If we cannot, we will lose the hotel charge and rent-a-car charge for today, this in addition to the money Hubby has to pay for the taxi and for the hospital. Not a lucky day for us.

While waiting for Hubby now knowing what to happen later, if we leave or not, I write this blog. :)


Now, the flight from Istanbul to Narita (Tokyo).

The airplane was pretty large and each seat has its own screen. And the seat number appeared on it so that even the most careless passenger cannot miss his/her seat.



This is the blanket.



I liked the traditional Turkish pattern representing pomegranate. Besides blanket, we were given a pair of slippers and a poach containing a tooth-brush, an eye-mask, a pair of socks etc. Blanket wasn't for give-away, of course, but everything else was.

Now the dinner. Before the meal we were handed printed menu. I chose beef kofte, bulgur and grilled vegetables.



It was neither good nor bad. Just edible. Chocolate mouse was similar to what I had during Athens-Istanbul flight, so I did not eat it.



This is breakfast (no choice).



The cheese omelet was awful, but spinach pie was excellent. It wasn't crispy, flakey pie, but moist and soft, more like a lasagna sheet pie. I remember to have eaten a similar thing in a Turkish pastry shop in Athens.

Yogurt muesli was also a big hit with me (this might be up to my personal preference).

To be continued...

Trip to Peloponnese

We are leaving for Peloponnese for some days. Our plan is to visit Sparta, Mistras, and maybe Monemvasia if the weather permits. I will continue posting when I will be back.

Turkish Airlines Inflight Meal 1 (Athens-Istanbul)

I went back to Japan by Turkish Airlines for the first time. For the occasion, I took some photos of in flight meals.

This is what I was served during the flight from Athens to Istanbul.



There were mozzarella and tomato salad, chicken ham sandwich, crackers, and chocolate mousse. Considering it was just over an hour flight, the meal was pretty rich.

The salad was fine, but the dressing was too oily (as it is in a small bag, you can avoid it at all and sprinkle only some salt which comes in an another bag). Chicken ham was thick-cut and I felt almost like eating chicken ham steak. I found chocolate mousse negligible, but I generally do not like chocolate, so you should not trust me on this one.

On the dinner plate, I found this notice.



No pork meat is used for this meal. The stewardesses were not wearing head-scarf and the stewards were not wearing mustache, but this notice made me realize that Turkey is a largely Muslim country.

Happy New Year/ Xronia Polla!

Happy New Year! Χρονιά πολλά!

It has been a few weeks since my last post. I have been to Japan and did not have nothing to post this blog which is supposed to concern Greece.

This is a Christmas tree. Not just an ordinary tree, but a Japanese Christmas tree! :) To be precise, I took the photo in Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi. Japan is hardly a Christian country (although there is a non-negligible number of Christians), but people celebrate it anyway.



Christmas was introduced to Japan as a non-religious festival: an occasion to give gifts to children and to drink and eat. A Japanese famous folk dance song goes: to dance is silly and to watch people dancing is silly, too. If it is the same silliness, why don't we just dance?



Of course I went to Akihabara, also known as Electric Street in English speaking world (although it is really a town, not just a street).



I was rather shocked to see the changes in Akihabara. There are so many closed shutters and many non-electric related shops. Japan is suffering a 10-year-long economic and social crisis and it shows in Akihabara in a most striking manner. Besides it has been suffering in sales for a long time, on 4 June 2008 an unemployed man massacred 7 and wounded 10 in an indiscriminate attack. Since then, the youth who used to gather abandoned this town.

By the way, I bought a new digital camera. I hope I can take better pictures with it.


Then I left there on 1 January, after a parting new year meal with my family. These are Japanese festive sweets (based on bean paste).




I have not yet recovered from jet lag and that is why I am writing this post at 4 o'clock in the morning. Nevertheless, we are leaving for a small tour in Peloponnese tomorrow. And then I will have many things to post.