An Amazing Weekend...

Notice the contrast... lush, green Athens, and the view from our place the day before we left...

We're back! We had the most amazing weekend... it was so great to get out of here and see friends, feel and see the sun and colour and plant life and happy people, and eat good - wait - GREAT food!! It was a genuine escape. The first day we were there I honestly couldn't stop taking pictures of flowers and plants and trees - there is none of that colour here at ALL. I'm sure we'll see some when spring arrives... (I hope!) but I've obviously really missed seeing colour. And sunshine. And happy people. Can you blame me? It was one of those weekends that seemed like it lasted a week, even though our departure was a complete whirlwind - I'm not sure if I conveyed the flurry of activity that occurred between Wednesday night and Thursday morning - it was sooooo worth it!

Freddy, Reid and Lindsay Priddy, Hector "Piki" Soto, and me and Steve after the game

Like I said in my previous post, the guys won a point (by losing 3-2) and guaranteed the team a spot in the league for next year, so the management was really happy. There was an American and a Puerto Rican player on the other team, and Steve, Freddy and I know Reid Priddy and Hector "Piki" Soto, so it was good to see them. The American's wife comes along on all road trips so she was there too, which was great. We had met in Moscow at the all-star game last month, so it was fun to see her and share stories about life and people in Russia - like the way people stare at you when you wear running shoes, or how some taxi drivers watch movies, while driving.

So anyways, there was a major flurry of activity when we got back here after the game, with four days off we knew we had to go somewhere - and Steve and Freddy wanted out of Russia. They scoured the internet and found a good deal for a weekend in Athens, and by around midnight our trip was booked, including the 3am taxi from Yaroslavl to Moscow. So we had a few hours to pack and clean up etc.: by 7am we were at the airport ready to go, and by 1pm we were in sunny Athens!! The package that we booked on Expedia put us in a nice hotel just outside of the centre of the city, with a view of the Acropolis... it was awesome. We dropped our stuff and took a shuttle downtown to find a place to eat... no problem. We went to a famous souvlakeria restaurant just off of Monastiraki square where we had a few cold beers (it was sunny! and warm!) and some amazing food. The greek salad was out of this world - fresh tomatoes and a huge chunk of feta (SO GOOD!) and so was the souvlaki, tzatziki and pita bread. It was almost like we were experiencing a bit of a culture shock - seeing happy people, fresh, colourful (and cheap) food, music, sunshine, bustling activity, smiles, plants... a stark contrast to what we've gotten used to in Yaroslavl. So we had lunch, walked around a bit and came back to the hotel where we enjoyed the executive lounge and it's free food (and beer)... and then caught a movie at the cinema next door. (All movies and TV shows are dubbed here, and are in the original language with subtitles in Greece.)



After a fantastic sleep in a bed that makes our mattress here seem like a mangled spring box, we were all rested and ready for Day 2. A few friends were due to arrive sometime after lunch - Carla was flying in from Alexandroupoli (her husband Chris - Canadian National team player, is playing there...) and our buddy Nik that we met last year in Patras was making his way from Kavasila - so I spent the morning downtown (walking around in the rain - no problem!) while Steve and Freddy treated themselves to a morning at the spa... yes the spa. I chose shopping over the spa... but didn't have much success... though the long walk was super enjoyable - as was the coffee, the Greek pastry (I wanted to buy everything at the bakery... I also wanted to take pictures - remember, no bakeries or amazing goodies here) and the gyro I ate for lunch. Yum.

That afternoon, the whole group met up at the hotel and it was SO good to see Carla and Nik... and we went for coffee... and then out for dinner at a small taverna in the suburbs (definitely not on the tourist track) where we stuffed ourselves silly. I feel like I can't stop talking about how amazing the food was... but it's true. It was so so so good.. and we ate so so so much. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves - it was super delicious and super cheap. We would have paid two or three times more to eat this kind of a meal (I'm thinking quality and quantity) in Russia. The meal put us out of commission for the night - we were all too full to do anything else - not to mention that it was after midnight by the time we were done.... so we caught a cab back to the hotel. It was an interesting ride - as Carla said, she hoped the beer breath was ours and not the drivers... but he was friendly, funny and chatted us up - again, the polar opposite of a cab driver here in Russia - quiet, cold and stoic.

Steve, Nik and Freddy - before the feast

How good does that look?! An unforgettable salad...



Saturday was another great day. We met up with Chris and a few of his Canadian teammates at the Acropolis - it was a bit of a Team Canada Volleyball Reunion up there. The place was crawling with kids (spring break) and Steve and Gavin, whose combined height is over four metres, also proved to be a bit of an attraction. It was a gorgeous day, and super fun to meet up with a group of Canadian friends. Carla and I went on to check out Ancient Agora, the Temple of Zeus and the Olympic Stadium while the rest of the guys had lunch and found a cafe to watch a European cup volleyball game. Carla and I had an awesome time walking around the city, talking, catching up and enjoying the weather - we both got a bit of a sunburn - my skin hadn't seen the sun since January. So, the plan for the rest of the day was to watch a Euro cup game on TV (volleyball), and then find the gym where the Alexandroupoli team (stacked with Canadian players) was playing... and watch that game. The first part of the plan worked out... but the second part, not so much. We found the gym, and settled in to catch the last few points of the first set. The teams were maybe five points into the second set when, from the midst of the home team's unruly, chanting, thuggish fan club, comes a full beer - thrown onto the court, spraying beer everywhere, and dousing a few players in the process. Apparently this kind of a thing isn't uncommon... and the rule is that if it happens twice (we werent' sure if that meant twice in a season or twice in a game), the other team wins by default. Of course it isn't always enforced... but there has to be some kind of a process or punishment for the team that is associated with the out-of-control fans (fanatics). So.... after loooong wait... we found out that the game was called.. and that Alexandroupoli would leave by police escort. Nik suggested that we get out of there pronto.... and we did. It was exciting and a bit scary and nutso and crazy. We found out later that it took two hours for the police escort to arrive, during which time the Canadians, along with the rest of their team, were stuck in their locker room, guarded/protected by police. Seriously!?

So anyways, we made it back to the hotel and met up with the other Canadian players a few hours later. We had a few drinks and then made our way to Dekko, a club downtown where Nik and a few of his friends had made reservations for a big par-tay! We had an awesome time... even with the smoke and mega-blasting tunes. So.. that's it! Our journey home was long - the flight wasn't that bad, but the four hour drive from Moscow to Yaroslavl was - with all of the trucks and slow traffic, 40km/h was our average speed for a good portion of the trip. We arrived safely to what seems like a new season here - it was mildly warm here... not Athens warm but spring weather warm.... so hopefully that lasts. There is still some snow here and there... but the sun is shining today and we both feel refreshed and rejuvenated after an incredible weekend with great friends... and great weather and amazing food!
Me and Carla at the Acropolis

Me and Steve - amazing weather, amazing view!



Me, Steve and Nik out on the town on Saturday night...