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#CatTravels: How to survive Athens without a wallet

By Catherine Toth Fox • May 12, 2014 • #CatTravels, Food

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OK, so the title of this blog may be a little misleading.

I didn’t set out to spend a day in Athens, Greece without my wallet.

But something happened to it.

Between eating frozen yogurt near the Plaka and jumping into a cab outside a McDonald’s that served a Greek Mac (really a hamburger gyro), I lost my wallet.

It’s possible I dropped it somewhere between pulling it out at the fro-yo shop and walking to where the cabs were parked. Or it’s possible it was stealthily taken from my bag, which, I’ll admit, was unzipped. Either way, I was without my credit cards, driver’s license and about $150 in cash.

It wasn’t too bad, though. I called my bank and got both cards disabled. And I stashed some cash in my carry-on back at the hotel, so I had at least another $300 in U.S. dollars there. I would just be stuck for another four days without access to more cash. Good thing my girlfriends have credit cards!

But leading up to that moment — it happened toward the end of the day — wasn’t so bad. We started the morning with a nice, brisk, hour-long walk around town before heading back to the Plaka, which was the only place open on Sunday.

And it was bustling!

Here’s what we did today:

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Grace and Lan were ready to walk! And what a place to start: the all-marble Panathenaic Stadium.

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As we walked around the neighborhood — we were taking paths through small urban parks — we found this street vendor selling κουλούρι, or koulouri, a kind of Greek sesame bread often eaten at breakfast.

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He also sold this huge sugar donut ring for just 1 Euro. It tasted a lot like a Portuguese malasada.

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Right in the middle of Megalis tou Genous Sholi Square near the Hilton Athens Hotel stands this 30-foot statue called “Dromeas” (or “Runner” in English). It’s an impressive glass-and-iron sculpture created by Athens artist Costas Varotsos in 1994.

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Most shops and restaurants are closed on Sunday in Athens, so we were surprised to come across this little neighborhood bakery that was open.

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Inside, we found a wide selection of baked goods ranging from honey cookies to chocolate-filled croissants.

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Here are more of those pretzel sticks.

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And here are some of the cookies and bars the bakery served.

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We found out the Plaka, which caters to visitors, was open on Sundays, so we headed back there. We browsed the shops, looking for leather sandals and sun hats.

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We found a quaint restaurant with sidewalk seating in the Plaka and stopped for some lunch. Or maybe it was a pre-lunch. Regardless, these two — Lan and Rona — tend to eat all day. My kind of travelers!

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Our meal started with a salad, chockfull of fresh tomatoes and bell peppers and topped with feta cheese, a standard ingredient in most salads in Greece.

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It’s surprisingly now many restaurants serve Bolognese — and this eatery was no different. The sauce had a nice, sweet flavor to it.

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Here’s the grilled vegetable dish topped with grilled halloumi cheese, a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk.

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Next, we ordered the catch of the day, which was simply prepared tableside with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

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Here’s that fish, clean of bones and paired with vegetables.

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In Greece, most restaurants serve dessert and an apéritif at the end of each meal, free of charge. We got served this a lot: basbousa or revani, a sweet cake made from cooked semolina or farina soaked in simple syrup. It tastes a lot like rice cake and is often flavored with fruits like grapes, coconut or orange.

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It was Sunday, so we walked from the Plaka to the nearby Monastiraki Flea Market, a popular spot in Athens for shopping and people-watching.

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There are a few street vendors selling snacks like roasted corn and fresh fruits like strawberries and cherries.

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Rona tried the coconut candy sticks, just 1 Euro each. Sweet but tasty.

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Much of the flea market looked like the Plaka, with souvenir shops selling leather sandals, sun hats, magnets and canvas bags with cats and donkeys on them. But there was an area where people had brought their wares, like old records and camera equipment. I really wanted this typewriter.

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And then there were vendors selling furniture like this. Interesting place, but not what I had expected.

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Next (and infamous) stop: FroYo, a chain of frozen Greek yogurt shops in Athens that serves plain Greek yogurt — supposedly low in fat and calories — with whatever topping you desire. This is also the last place where I saw my wallet.

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Here’s the plain yogurt topped with fruits — that weren’t fresh. Bummer.

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And here’s what I ordered, topped with dark chocolate that hardened into a shell. Kinda like Dairy Queen. The yogurt is bit tangy — reminded us of Yami Yogurt — but delicious.

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For dinner, we walked to a tavern near our apartment. This place came recommended by the woman who worked at the hotel where we were staying, and so far, she had been spot on.

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I love the decor of this place, especially the red and blue tables and chairs. The seating was upstairs and overlooked the street.

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Our dinner started with a lentil-and-mustard spread and bread.

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These are deep-fried zucchini rolls.

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We shared spaghetti again — second time today! — but this one came with veggies and feta cheese. This bowl was completely filled with more noodles than possible for the four of us to eat.

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One of my girlfriends orders meatballs wherever she goes — at least that’s what’s been happening. So here’s this restaurant’s version of meatballs — it was OK; we’ve had better — paired with fried potatoes.

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And here are the pies: spinach and meat. The meat pie tasted a lot like a chimichanga, which wasn’t a bad thing. This was probably the best thing we ate here.

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An adorable stray cat, of which there are many in Athens, got the rest of our meatballs. Everybody wins!

***

Follow my #CatTravels adventures in Greece and Crete on Instagram @catherinetoth and on Twitter @thedailydish.

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#CatTravels: Ancient and modern Athens
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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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14 Comments

  • Reply M May 12, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    Hello Cat,

    Other than your lost/stolen wallet are still in good spirits and having a great time. All the fuud looks so ono. It’s on my got to travel list.

    • Reply Catherine Toth May 14, 2014 at 4:41 pm

      Yay! You’d love the food!

  • Reply Gloria Abaya (localrunnergirl) May 12, 2014 at 6:56 pm

    Have your tried Skordalia ( greek garlic potato dip) and Greek Spagetti with Mizithra cheese and brown butter it’s simple but yummy

    Spent time in Santorini for 2 weeks, did alot travelling to Greece and Spain while on leave in the Air Force

    I’m glad your having a good time and eating your way through Greece =)

    • Reply Catherine Toth May 14, 2014 at 4:41 pm

      Two weeks in Santorini??? Wow, lucky! I hear the island is so small you can see everything in two days! But it’s gorgeous… Wish I were going. Next time!

  • Reply Eric May 12, 2014 at 10:29 pm

    Pickpockets are rampant in parts of Europe, so be extra careful. Hope they didn’t get your passport.

    Great looking fuud pics….Wish my friends had the interest to travel to europe.

    • Reply Catherine Toth May 14, 2014 at 4:40 pm

      Nope, passport was safe. Just credit cards and cash. Oh, well. It happens!

  • Reply Edd May 12, 2014 at 11:14 pm

    Toga! Toga!…

    Wow, sure looks like fun!! …boo, bummers about the wallet tho… 🙁

    But you’re still in Greece! Party on!

    I never comment but that olive oil and lemon fish dish got my attention. I’ve eaten that style of fish only once before in Rome and it knocked my socks off…
    Is there a name to this kind of preparation? I’ve been searching for it ever since, nothing like it in Hawaii.

    Looks like great weather. Enjoy life! 🙂

    • Reply Catherine Toth May 14, 2014 at 4:40 pm

      No name; I was wondering that, too. The fish was outstanding. But the one we had in Old Town was even better. Photos to come!

  • Reply Dennis May 13, 2014 at 6:52 am

    Sorry about your wallet. It’ll show up before you leave. Have faith! Love the selection of food. Must keep Athen in mind for 2015. .

    • Reply Catherine Toth May 14, 2014 at 4:39 pm

      Yes, go, but don’t stay for too long. The islands are where it’s at!

  • Reply Annoddah Dave May 13, 2014 at 7:11 am

    CAT: Aaaiiiyyyaaahhh! Fuud Pix! Tenks! If you want to get an old typewriter, check Kaimuki Typewriter in McCully…they may have some old ones lying around.

    • Reply Catherine Toth May 14, 2014 at 4:39 pm

      That’s a good idea. I would love one but just for decoration. I doubt this one worked!

  • Reply WildeOscar May 13, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    The sun is back. Nice to see, and the food looks delicious.

    • Reply Catherine Toth May 14, 2014 at 4:38 pm

      I am SO GLAD the sun came out. I needed it! (Solar-powered)

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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