Big hike today!

Tuesday Oct 30th

WOW!! Having that yummy tasting cappuccino freddo last night did NOTHING for a good nights sleep! I should have known but figured with milk and foamy top it would be less caffeine! NOPE! Up until 1am and then up again at 3 until 5. Did get a couple hours of sleep after that. Will have to remember those coffees for early afternoon LOL!!

Anyways, out the door we go at 10 with our bag of garbage looking for the big bin. Found it but it was full. Lots of bags sitting at the side, so guess that's where it goes until garbage pickup.  Its a little cloudy this morning which is great since we will be hiking up Lycabettus Hill and from here is about 2km - but it will be the steps up the hill that will slow me down :)

We stop at the grocery store and pickup a couple of apples to take with us.  Head up the streets following maps.me to get to the right area. The map wants us to go around the side of the hill and then up. But I think that is longer so headed up the stairs.  And more stairs ... soon it does change to just a very sloped sidewalk, which I find easier.  We get to the top in 30 mins - not bad for an old bird that is huffing and puffing up. This is our first big hike since we got here. We did do that 3 km walk in Amsterdam to pick up cigars for Mar's friend and left her behind to enjoy coffee - but that has pretty well been it.  I was still all sweaty but happy :)  Once up there the views are great. There is a little chapel up there - St Georges, built in the 1834 and also a restaurant.  There is a funicular that comes up here, but its in a tunnel so no views coming up.

Starting our climb up - I'm only ahead to take the pic! LOL!!

View half way up

Lots of Yucca plants here

view from the top 

looking down at the path we came up on-luckily it wasn't a hot sunny day!

After taking in the views we went for a coffee. I had the cappuccino freddo- knowing this walk will for sure knock me out tonight! It wasnt long before a load of people came up on the funicular - cruise people.

Saint Georges Chapel

The interior of the small chapel

Lots of pretty flowering bushes at the top. Trying to capture a pic of the butterfly with 2 eyes on the wings 

such pretty colours!

Better pic of the butterfly

restaurant at the top

Then its time to head back down and start walking to the flea market area of Monastiraki. Suppose to have anything and everything!  Didn't find anything we really needed or wanted LOL!  But the area was interesting!  We stopped and had another gyro for lunch and then started heading back.  Not really sure how many steps today because my fitbit has also quit working! :(  I cant download mapmywalk since I cant use the "dutch app store" not sure what that's about but guess it's cuz of the Dutch SIM card. I can use a health app on my phone and it showed walked 7.8km - I'll agree with that!!

the walk down the other side of the hill was much nicer because in the pine trees 

Statutes symbolizing National Reconcilation 

Athen's Flea Market

Saw lots of girls wearing this "gold" laurel leaf crowns

Even the trains cant get away from the crazy graffiters !

Once we got home we opened the window and sat on the balcony - but not for long because getting bitten by the mosquitos!

Tomorrow is our last day here. We will go check on the metro since we have to try and catch the first one at 5:30AM!!  After booking the flight from Athens to Crete the airlines changed a 10am flight to 7:50am😝 and since the metro takes almost an hour to get to the airport we gotta catch that first one! So next stop is Tsikalaria, Crete 😃