We went for a long walk on Saturday, and found another park and playground.
Both Patrick and Charlotte are climbers now.

Charlotte is also a runner. she takes a peek back to see who's looking and then heads for the gate. We've been keeping the harness and leash handy. Strangely people here don't seem to get as upset about it as they often did in the USA.
And here are three more (and I think better) pictures from our terrace of Platea Messalongiou down below. We have instaled a tall net on the ladder-like balustrade - so it is now much safer for the kids.
Click on the pictures for a bigger version!

Click on the Pictures!

This is just a reminder that you can click on any of the pictures here to see much bigger versions.

Just before we left Chicago, a thousand years ago (no sorry 3.5 months ago), some friends threw us a going away party at the Walter and Gertrud's house.

We just excavated a disk with photos Matt took.

We don't look nearly as tired and stressed as we felt at the time. It was a very nice party!

All of us are tanner and shaggier than we were at the beginning of the summer.

They're going to finally cut down the sideways tree behind the Oriental Institute. This was a favorite place of all my children but the last (it's been behind a fence since before Charlotte was born). It is also just around the cornet from the Lab School Nursery School, where Patrick went last year.

Hi Sandy and Marie and all the kids in the class!

I was startled from my early morning daze by Patrick's shouts of "Dad, Dad, there's a giant Kookratch in the kitchen!" Sure enough there was one, but it is no more.

We had a quiet if sleepy weekend - I wasn't sleeping well last week - bad cold and all. On Saturday we bought bookshelves, so when they arrive we can get more of thes boxed unpacked. We had stalled on that because of no shelves. Remember our hall in the apartment on Hyde Park Blvd? All built in - we didn't bring them!


Sunday, we went to the Byzantine and Christian Museum. The Guide books we have had warned us that this was not a place for the uninitiated, but we figured we probably know enough to handle it, but low and behold the place was spectacular!



It seems the facility and the display are brand new - I'm told they closed after the earthquake and re-opened just last year. It was a wonderful place, we'll have to go back again soon.





Afterwards - we went to the War Museum of Athens, right next door. This one is free of charge and worth every lepta. Not such a bad place for a four-year-old boy to look at big run-down artillery pieces and derelict 60s era aircraft, but pretty much of a bore otherwise. Much of it was closed. Maybe those exhibits would be more interesting? It seems that the War Museum is the only Cultural Fondation in Greece from the period of the Junta. I recommend the Rock Island Arsenal Museum as an alternative if you wand to look at guns. Of course it isn't in Greece.

Last evening we ate a meal at a taverna on our own Plateaia. not 50 m. from our front door. Delicious mixed grill: stuffed pork, grilled chicken , and grilled lamb sweet-meats - and, of course, Greek salad, sliced apple for dessert. That was nice! The Plateaia and the playground remain lively in the evening even though school has started.

We will try to visit at least one museum a week for a while.

It thundered and lightninged all night with lashing rain, which took me by surprise, but the air is now clean and cool. Patrick finished his first week of school, Charlotte happy as always puttering around the flat and the playgrounds. Almost the only thime she's cranky these days is if we don't get out of the house fast enough to suit her.

A citizens group in Athens in a neighborhood called Mets is organizing to prevent the destructon of the remains of the 5th B.C ionic temple of Artemis Agrotera not too far from where we live. Mets is a neighbohood founded by a German brewer from Metz, his name, and the name of his beer was Fuchs, which is now the low-medium end brand called Fix.

Alex finally found a guy who would cut us a glass table-top for the table on our terrace, so we can sit out there and eat now. We still don't have the replacement awning, but we're expecting it soon. Once that is installed we won't be blinded by the rising sun any more, and we can add the secuurity fence and keep the doors open more. Lisa won't let us buy any more plants from the roving plant guys, insisting that we'll get a better price from the vendors at the Friday market.

Patrick started school this morning, and seemed completely enthusiastic. Charlotte liked it too.

There is another person blogging from Pangrati. They sound a little more unsettled that we are. Of course we have been here a whole month longer than they have. We signed a two year lease last evening.

Here are some of the plants Alex got yesterday. Big ficus! The tall one in the background is six feet tall. Soon we'll have our own jungle. We can't really eat out on the terrace though until we find a place to buy a table top for the table. Strangely, the shop that sell the seat cushions doesn't sell the table tops and doesn't know who does sell them. Hmmmm.


Patrick helps Alex make supper.

Charlotte feeling happy, but ready for bed.

Yoghurt and honey is my favorite!

SS Patrick, with himself in comand. Charlotte can sail it all the wy acriss the flat.
Cityscape at dusk from one of our back balconies. Just to the right of this is the Pangrati Alsos, a lovely green park.

Alex and Patrick went this morning to investigate the pre-school he will be going to: Step By Step: "Our programmes are based on bilingual curriculum with a multicultural focus. We aim to provide your children with a stimulating environment in which they can play, explore and learn. Our particular focus is on the development of language and especially on biliteracy."

Both of them liked it and Patrick begins with the new school year next Tuesday.

The roving plant man came by earlier, Alex and Patrick got some nice plants and trees for the terrace. The awning repair people come this evening to assess whether the awning (tent) can be repaired or needs to be replaced.

For more than a week we have been watching, like everyone else, with a variety of feelings of horror and revulsion as the tragedy unfolds in Lousiana and elsewhere on the Gulf Coast. If I could write about it, I expect I would be working along the same lines as Tom Engelhardt, and Juan Cole, but I can't.

Isaac tells me that Jonathan Freilich made it out to LA with his friend before the hurricane struck. That's good.

We've been working on organizing and unpacking, slowly but surely, and enjoying our new place. Patrick has an interview at a pre-school tomorrow. Tonight is the Fall Garden Party to welcome new members at the American School of Classical Studies.