So first there was the Acropolis, and then there was the Agora, Hadrian’s Library, and souvlaki. That sounds like a fairly full day, no? Ah, but it didn’t stop there.

We headed home for a short break, then were off again, foraging for food. We visited the tiny market we found yesterday, with its three one-butt aisles. Careful with the backpack, me! We can’t stock up, as I’m wont to do, because we fly again in a couple of days, and we have no room in our luggage for food. Plus, Mike and Barb assure me there’s food on Crete.

Upon leaving the market, we discovered a bakery right across the street. Score! Fresh crusty-chewy bread and a big brownie.

Then there was the produce shop where the proprietress tended the cash register with a lit cigarette dangling from her lips. I gave Mike and Barb some cash and let them do the rest. Can’t . . . [cough] . . . breathe! (Tired of the smoke drama? Yeah. Me, too.)

Wheel of Fortune Across the Street

At home during dinner, I noticed the TV on in a flat across the street. The show looked familiar. Hey, they’re watching Wheel of Fortune! I squinted to see if it was the American version or a Greek version. Were those letters Greek or Latin? I thought they looked Greek, but I wasn’t sure.

So I got out the binoculars.

Nothing creepy about that.

I swear I was just watching the neighbors’ TV! And I was quite entertained.

I like to think it wasn’t too awfully long before I realized we had a TV of our own. I turned it on, and Barb managed to find the right channel.

I’m sorry, Greece, but your version of Wheel of Fortune is rinky-dink by comparison.

The Greek Wheel-of-Fortune set

Their Pat and Vanna—no idea what their names are—are young and . . . what? Casual? I think they lack a level of classiness that Vanna and Pat achieve, Pat’s silliness notwithstanding. The money on the wheel is much lower, and the prizes are of less value. The studio is small and low-budget. The overall production quality is low. It’s a knock-off.

The host is in the red plaid shirt

The lovely Greek Vanna

But it’s The Wheel of Fortune, a recognizable game and show in a not-so-recognizable studio and language. It was fun and funny, like discovering “Share a Coke with Mogomotsi” in Botswana. We tried to play along, sounding out the Greek words, but we had little luck.

Areopagus After Dark

And then it was dark, time to hit the promenade and the Areopagus again.

Nightlights of Athens

Looking up at the Propylaia and Temple of Athena Nike

The Illuminated Temple of Athena Nike

I’m a fan of Areopagus Rock and would enjoy regular visits to this spot if I lived here. It’s a relatively high vantage point: Not so high that getting up there is difficult, but high enough to afford a decent view of the city. And then there is the fact that it’s positioned just below the Acropolis so we have a lovely view up at the Propylaia and the Temple of Athena Nike. It’s not developed at all—save the metal stairs on one end, an alternative to the very slippery, wonky rock stairs—so if you want to sit for a bit, you plunk your bottom down on the rock. Perhaps best of all, it’s big enough to accommodate multiple visitors, leaving enough space between them to make conversations and the experience feel private.

Temple of Hephaestus at Night

I learned a new low-light feature on my camera

Normally, I discourage gifts of cut flowers, but I was happy to appreciate and admire an orphan rose that Mike rescued from the promenade.

Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus

We continued the evening with a stroll over to Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, to see them in the light of night.

Looking up at Hadrian’s Arch

Illuminated Hadrian’s Arch

Spotlights on the Temple of Olympian Zeus