Greece 7/13-7/14

Continuation of our adventures in Athens.

We decided to go out for cocktails at a local coffee/cocktail bar just around the corner from the apartment.  To our delight we were seated outside under the wisteria with cozy lighting. I ordered some type of fig cocktail that came in a martini glass and it was amazing! It was also pricey at 12 euros.  My daughter ordered some concoction  that equally tasted wonderful and just as pricey. We arrived there about 10 at night just as everyone was coming out to hang out with their friends.  We ordered one more cocktail each before we realized it was after 2 am and we needed to be up early to catch the Tram to Pireas to meet up some cousins.  Not sure what was in those drinks, but time had flown by and neither of us slept that night. It was like there was some coke in those drinks, our minds were going a million miles an hour and sleep was impossible.

                           

                                                                                                           

the piece of fig that was left ........

By the time the sun came up I was ready to get on the Tram.This time we did pay for our round trip tickets, got off at the last stop and caught a cab the rest of they to their house.  We had a lovely time with lots of food, family and laughs! Forgot to take more pictures with everyone... I was having too much fun, and getting very sleepy by the end of the day!  My daughter and I were so tired that our cousin drove us back to the apartment.... I guess I didn't need that round trip ticket after all.

 I just want to mention that in Greece, maybe all of Europe restaurants and bars do not rush people to leave for the next customer, they want their customers to feel welcomed, relaxed and enjoy the time spent at their establishments. The main difference between the U.S and Europe is that the wait staff makes a living wage and they don't rely on tips.  (It is nice to tip them sometime too when they go above and beyond!) 

Greece 7/12

While we were staying in Glyfada, we were one Tram away from central Athens. When in Greece visiting the Acropolis and museum is a must.  The Tram was a 10 minute walk from the apartment and I made change to purchase the tickets for the Tram. We get on and there is nowhere to pay. It seems they are on an honor system, purchase a ticket electronically somewhere on the platform and get on the Tram. We did see a scanner on the tram but didn't see anyone scanning their tickets. When I asked a local about how to pay she yelled at me and told me that I need to get off and purchase it and get on the next Tram...... I just went to next car and sat down and took my chances of not getting caught for not paying. (We did purchase tickets on our way back)

We got off at the last stop and the Parliment was across the street with the two soldiers standing guard in the traditional uniforms. I forwarned my daughter that the pigeons at the parliament were very friendly.... as we approached the photgrapher threw bird seed at us and all the pigeons flew all over us landing on our head sholders and arms. It was the perfect poloraid picture and worth the 5 euros!

It was so hot that day that we did not wait to see the changing of the guards and headed to museum and the acropolis instead.

Greece- July 10-11

It was a long flight to Athens Greece from Texas, the trip took a total of 17 hours.. I even booked the apartment through Airbnb for July 10th forgetting that we weren't going to arrive until the 11th. The apartment we stayed in was located in the city of Glyfada, my teenage hangout, and the only place I would consider living if I ever moved back to Athens.  My daughter and I arrived and we were greeted by our wonderful host Sila. Sila explained to us that this was her family home, built in 1932.  It was two separate buildings were her family lived, and she had a loft apartment on the roof of one of the buildings.  The apartment had a separate entrance and the set of stairs were on the outside of the house. My exhaustion from the trip helped me overcome my fear of heights as I looked up the steep set of stairs.. Once we climbed up the patio was large and inviting and inside, the one bedroom apartment was cozy and beautifully decorated.

As I looked over the from the patio I saw the many coffee shops, restaurants, bakery, and right below was a cocktail lounge. On the corner was the biggest flower shop that marked my territory so  I could find my way back to the apartment when we ventured out.

We stayed a total of 4 nights in Glyfada, and we both wished we could live there. In that city. In that apartment.
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The  stairs were a bit scary at first, but I quickly got used to it and if forced me to overcome my fear of heights.

We loved Sila's home!!!

Our first dinner out! The food was amazing! The vegetables in the salad had so much flavor! The olive oil was also better tasting than any olive oil I have purchased at home. We ended up eating salad with every meal while on our trip!

Career change- and re-activation of my blog

I deleted my blog for about a week, then I thought about why I deleted it. Does a professional person require the person to be "untouchable"? or just about their career?  I have considered myself as a professional for my entire working life, through Arts and in the Title industry. I just never had to market myself. I realized that no matter what type of work I do, my career choice does not make me one dimensional. I am a wife, a mother, an artist and a professional career woman. So I re-activated my blog and changed my career!

I decided to re-activate my real estate license that I worked hard to get back in 1998. That year when I worked on it, by taking classes, studying, taking tests to achieve it, my kids were very young. I was in new city, alone with my husband and three kids. My husband worked out of town and was hardly home most of the time. I didn't know anyone and I didn't have any family here. It was a very difficult time for me to start a real estate career. Did you know day care requires payment on Fridays whether you have money or not,  and they won't watch your kids after 6 pm when you have an inspection appointment or a showing? After struggling for a while with, it I decided to go and work the back end of real estate at a title company, and that's where I have been for the last 16 years.  It's been a great run and I have helped thousands of people with final process of closing on their homes, buying and selling.  So I am ready to be at the beginning process again and ready for the change! By the way, I have joined the BEST real estate office in San Antonio!

So at the same time I decided that I am going to keep my blog and hope I can keep it interesting enough for my friends, family, customers and clients (those whom decide to google me and run across this) want to read it.  Today I am just going to post my professional business picture, but in my next few posts I will tell you about each of the 14 days, with pictures, about the trip that my daughter and I spent traveling Greece. I hope all my blogger friends/follwers have a great day!!!

Drita Harris, REALTOR®

M. Stagers Realty Partners

Last post?

A lot has happened since I last posted. An awesome vacation in Greece with my daughter. A change in the work place, with contemplation on changing careers. A temptation to delete my blog in it's entirety to revamp a professional online presence.  I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. Is it time to say goodbye to public blogging and start writing in a private journal? Possibly since I only share my private thiughts feelings and art. I do enjoy reading the other bloggers posts.
Anyway, here are some beautiful pictures of Greece

My Corner

I have a private corner that I keep cherished things.  Toys, gifts, poetry, small paintings and other items.  I can tell you that some items are decades old, some not so old. Each has a story, and usually another person attached to it.  These are the things that to some may seem too childish to keep, but to me they are all memories that make me smile. Since this little shelf is hidden away it is only seen by me... and my husband who gets the other side of this shared space.  I have a few more shelves below this one with other precious things. All of these shelves remind me of the true friends that I have made over the years, and the people in my family that I love very much..... Isn't kind of funny that that real friendships can be counted on one hand (at least that's true for me).

Art in the afternoon

My daughter and I spent the afternoon just relaxing in the quiet of the house and creating some art.

I finally decided to open the box of pastels I got as a Christmas gift, and just play around. I ended up with three 9"x12" paintings. Pastels are pretty fun to work with since I use my fingers as a tool!

  

Although I was done a few hours ago, she is still working on her pen on canvas drawing, so  here's picture of the artwork she did during the week.  She painted some very cute characters on 4"x4" canvas's that I really adore! As you can see she has an outer space theme going on!