Seeing Athens

No trip to Athens is complete without a trip downtown for a little taste of thens across the ages. I especially like the old lady in black lighting a cigarette with the boys in the background. The quantity of smoking here is downright medieval. It seems they have only just barely left behind the medievl philosophy of putting their newborns in smoky cubby holes next to the fireplace to protect them from evil spirits. What I am meaning to say is that the first thing that overwhelms you about Greece is how much these people smoke

A plateful of Koukia

Koukia, or the fava bean, I had no idea how tasty this Mediterranean symbol of spring harvest could be. We were fortunate enough to arrive at George and Sandra's just in time to enjoy a fava and potato stew fresh from George's garden.

Originally from North Africa, fava beans in a dish known as ful medames is Egypt's number one breakfast item. In Southern Europe, the lowly fava, which grows heartily between early spring and late summer, has saved many a region from famine.

Having had George's fava stew I know that fava will definitely feature in my future dream garden.

Eleusinian Mysteries

Our departure from Athens took us through Elefsina, a very industrial suburb of Athens. My eye caught a sign that rang back to my childhood love of mythology, "Sanctuary of Eleusis", and there it was - the very cave that Hades came up through to abduct the innocent and unsuspecting young Persephone. Could it be? Could I really be cycling through the site of one of the most famous religious festivals of the ancient Greeks? Surrounded by oil refineries and cargo shipyards it hardly seemed believable that I was cycling an ancient route that ran between the Acropolis in Athens and Eleusis the site of the Sanctuary of Demeter. For two thousand years, initiates of the Eleusinian Mysteries travelled this same route to celebrate mother earth, the return of spring, and to be initiated into a cult rumoured to bestow immortality . Today, this site that once venerated the power of mother earth, is surrounded by heavy industry and oil refineries as far as the eye can see.