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Athens, Summer 1999 |
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| After 10 days in
Volos, we headed south by taxi for Athens, 3 hours away. The taxi ride was made far more
civilized by the DVD player and a battery which lasts for 3 hours. Daddy and the kids
squeezed into the back seat of the Nissan and had a remarkably good ride along the coastal
"highway." Daddy,
Nick and Katie en route to Athens. (large)
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Arrival in Athens
found Veit and Laura walking down the street just outside of Katia's parents' house. Her
parents, Petros and Natasha, were very "convivials" and their generosity was
overwhelming. Their house is in a beautiful residential part of Athens and was extremely
comfortable. In a nearby park we managed to play a little baseball (not a very popular
sport in Greece, but one for which they are required to develop a "league"as a
condition of their hosting the 2004 Olympics). <-- Kids fighting for position against the dishwasher. (large) |
Baseball scene in
Athens. (large)
Nick pitches to Laura. (large) --> |
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| After our walk and playing in the park in the intense heat, we
headed back to Petros' and Natasha's for a bath and then dinner. The kids took a bath
together and had an exceptionally good time.
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<--
Surreptitious shot of the kids. (large) Posing for the camera. (large)
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| The next day took us
to the beach where Petros and Natasha have a beach apartment. The scenery was lovely and
the company of Katia's cousins added to the experience. We built a masterful castle which
required massive fortifications to withstand the force of the sea. It did manage to
survive several hours before succumbing to the overwhelming forces of nature. Beach shot of the group. (large)
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<--
Natasha's Birthday cake arrives. (large) Cake cutting begins with
little girls getting tickles and hugs. (large)
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| On the final day, before we
headed to the airport to catch our plane home, we went out with Veit and Laura to wander
the shopping area and grab lunch together. We ended up in a Goody's (Greek fast food
chain, we called it "research" because of our ongoing plan to open a McDonald's
in Volos). The kids had a super good time with Laura and Veit was the perfect gentleman,
outstanding host and genuinely decent human being and good friend that he always is, which
made leaving difficult. Katie, Nick, and Laura looking way too cute in Goody's. (large)
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| We finally had to say good-bye to Veit, Laura and Petros and
Natasha, as well as Greece, the Filipizzis and our summer vacation. It will go down in the
record books as one of the best vacations on record!! |
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| French Alps | Italy
| Metsovo | Volos | Athens
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