The Poet Sandal Maker in Athens

This is a continuation of our trip to Europe in July and I am picking up right where I left off.

July 17, 2012 - We woke up, ate breakfast and were on our way to the airport around 9am. We flew non-stop from Barcelona to Athens and arrived in Athens around 3:30 pm. We then took a train from the airport to Piraeus, which is where we were staying and where the ships dock. We got to the hotel around 6:00pm and checked-in. They put us in a room that smelled like mildew, rot and smoke and the air conditioner didn't work. All a bad combination in Athens in July! We asked the receptionist if they had a non-smoking room available and were pleasantly surprised when we were able to move to a different room that didn't smell and had a working air conditioner! We ate dinner at the hotel that evening and went to bed pretty early.

On the train to the hotel.

We ate fried feta cheese at the hotel for dinner. 

We woke up on Wednesday morning and went to the ship. We got back to the hotel around 1:00pm and then ventured into the city around 3:00. We walked to the subway station and took the train to Monastiraki and did some shopping. We found a famous shop, called The Poet Sandal Maker, that sells custom made leather sandals and we had to go in. This is a family business passed down for 3 generations that has made custom shoes for Sophia Loren, The Beatles, Jeremy Irons, Jackie Onassis and many more! It was such a neat experience! You pick the style shoe you want and then if you decide to buy it they custom fit the shoe to fit your foot! And they are pretty cheap too! Only 15-30€! It was so cool. We stopped in a pub for dinner and drinks and went back to the hotel around 8pm. Our flight to Palma de Mallorca left bright and early on Thursday morning so we packed our bags and crashed.

This how you select which shoe to try on. Each one has a name and a number. The shoes are named after the famous people that have bought them or Greek characters who inspired a specific style. 

So much leather! 

This is the guy who custom fit my sandals. I bought the Minoan's. 

This is the current owner of the shop, Pantelis Melissinos. He is the 3rd generation owner. It was amazing that he was there working at the shop while we visited. 

In front of the shop.

I love my new custom shoes!