Athens

We are settled in to our hotel in Athens and it is very comfortable. We have just been fortified by an excellent breakfast in the 8 th floor restaurant. This resturant just happens to  look out at the Acropollis. Amazing! As we sat down,the gleaming white Acropollis looked so lovely standing in front of the pink dawn sky. For a split second I thought it was a sensational visual effect, and then I realised it was real. Such a delight.
The flight from Adelaide on Ethiad was very easy and comfortable. We slept well. The food was interesting and in places unusual. For instance the bread came with a choice of butter, olive oil with balsamic, olive oil with pomegranate or olive oil with lemon. No plain olive oil. I didnt catch on that these oils were to go with the bread and waited for the salad which never ever arrived.
Before we ate the ladies "dressed" the table with a cloth and cutlery. We would say "set".My Turkish neighbour in Darwin, Jenny Aslan used to "dress" the beds every  morning. We say "make" the bed ( but the bed is actually already made ), so perhaps "dress" is more accurate.
The plane was swinmming in champaigne and other alcahol. There are huge duty free shops in Doha airport. It may be a sin to DRINK alcahol,  but there is obviously no sin in in selling it to foreign sinners.
As we took off out of Doha, the entire region was shrowded by a thick sea mist. Evidently this is a common phenomenon on the Doha peninsula and occurs many days in the year.
We are off to HIT the museums today. I hope the weather stays fine. It has been cold. The Greek Christmas shoppers are rugged up to the ears and look like woolly bears as they stumble over the cobble stones
Hot Chestnuts and corn are being sold in the street as well as delicious bread rings covered with sesame seeds. Yum.
We hope for a politically quiet day today.. Our hotel is on the square opposite the parliament. Yesterday there was a big demonstration, and our driver wondered if we would get to the hotel. Luckily it was all over when we arrived. Demonstrations by the far left are frequent and there doesnt seem to be a lot of sympathy from ordinary peeople who ony want to get on about their business. The driver said the demomstrators are getting more vicious. Love to all Mum.