Tuesday we spent relaxing in Penteli. I caught up on work-related stuff and prepared for the journey home. One of my favourite things to eat in Greece is kontosouvli, so in the evening we went to find some in a nearby taverna. Unfortunately it wasn't on the menu for the evening but they did have both pork and lamb on the spit. I chose the lamb and it was delicious.
We finished the evening with a trip to a summer cinema: in Athens, during the hot season, many gardens or other open spaces are turned into outdoor cinemas. It's a great way to see a movie and, of course, most movies in Greece are in English with Greek subtitles. Here's the place we went to:
I've seen a few movies this way in recent years and always enjoyed the experience. Unfortunately, on this occasion the pleasant setting didn't compensate for a rather poor movie: Beginners.
It gradually dawned on me as we were watching that I'd read a bad review just before the holiday - if only my short-term memory was better it would have saved us the hassle of sitting through a tediously pretentious film. The actors were so in awe of the script that all dialogue was delivered in hushed, reverent tones - but none of it was the slightest bit engaging. And as for the soundtrack - I can't get the banal, F minor phrase, repeated ad nauseam and thumped out on a tinny piano, out of my mind - it drove me nuts. Christopher Plummer was good, by the way, but it wasn't enough. Sitting there was torture and, with 30 mins to go we couldn't take any more, so we left.
