Arriving into the Athens airport from Santorini airport was preparatory to the contrast in everything between the two places. After I retrieved my bag that was no longer carry on size, I hunted for a way to get to the Athens Centre Hotel, and with a taxi being my last choice, I boarded a bus for 5-Euro that was to take me to a main square somewhere central?
As my good fortune would have it, I sat in a seating arrangement that had two seats facing two and it was me and 3 gals. After a bit I pulled out my hotel info which had a printed google map that was very poor and the general directions from the airport when using the metro.
I asked the gal next to me for help, who was a local Athenian and she studied my hotel info and had several ideas. As she was sharing ideas the other two gals who were not local, but knew the city somewhat chimed in. For the next 30 or more minutes, we were all quite engaged with this dilemma and my bus mates were searching for maps and directions on their cell phones for me...it was quite interesting cause from this everyone got to know everyone and found out we were all from different countries so I called it the uniting of nations for a common cause? lol
Athens is another big sprawling town with over 3 million residents in the area, and the capital city since 1834, which has been continuously inhabited for over 7000 years...Wow! It's again where you see the ancient history surviving the centuries, and blending with the modern.
We eventually arrived at the Victoria Square and I was given some general walking directions to the underground metro and the red line going the right direction to Omonia and the Monastiraki Square, as my hotel was supposed to be 10 to 15 mins away, from that point?
While down in the metro with trains whizzing by I am studying their large route map, and of course the station names and trains are all in Greek! Its about 10:00-pm and I have my suitcase and backpack in tow and thinking just how crazy this could get if I get on the wrong train and how do I know exactly when to get off and transfer when I can't read Greek?
Of course I am getting very brave with asking strangers for directions, cause after a month of getting lost in places I have never been before...there is no pride left in me whatsoever! lol
Good thing Greeks value their tourists cause all I have met and asked for help to, have been very friendly, and most helpful, and even when their english was poor.
So I pop up from the lower metro bowels after selecting one of many underground exits and end up in another very big and very active square that is going strong for late on a Thursday night. There is singing on a stage and many people lingering and all the shops around the square are still open including a great bakery where I buy a lovely snack and get more walking directions.
The neighbourhood I am walking down is pretty quiet at 11:30ish, only the odd corner newspaper guy is still around but with all the graffiti on the roll up store front openings and walls....this is now feeling regrettably like...'what kinda hotel have I picked this time?
The Centre Square Hotel was supposed to be quite new and modern and very close to the fruit and vegetable market...which is kinda quiet at this hour, so I am walking in circles and looking for this strange name of a pedestrian walkway, that doesn't seem to exist, and nor does the sign to declare it?
Finally I meet a passer by on the street and he points to this very narrow and dark laneway that I have easily passed by a few times and I see the colourful window lights of the hotel near the end...and yes I have finally arrived!
The night manager in the hotel is Demetrius and a true passionate Greek, so its not long after checking in and we are talking in the lobby about my recent trip into Turkey, I discover that he not a real big Turk fan..."They have no history of their own he goes on to say and it all originated from the Greeks?" lol
The Turks occupied Greece for quite a while and they along with the Persians did quite a number on the Acropolis, so I can get why there might be a bit of lingering resentment from an older native Greek, who is sharing to an inquiring foreigner?
We chatted for an hour to learn he has a daughter with a masters degree from Athens who is struggling for a job as the job market and pay scale is terrible in Greece. Demetrius is very disappointed with the crooked politicians and the under the table handouts to the Germans...which he respects even less than the Turks? It's always very meaningful to get an unfiltered opinion from an experienced local who's slugging it out every day, and this opinion of political corruption and the brutal job market was shared by many Greek locals I met.
I always appreciated meeting the locals wherever I was, and it helped to be Canadian and show a real interest. I remember the very helpful Greek tour bus driver in Athens stating how fortunate I was to be in Canada and how he along with many others would be so very happy to be living in Canada or Australia if they could find a legal way! He went on to also say that there are many people that like to come and visit Greece, and how he was grateful for the tourists but could not understand why people liked Greece?
There was also the simple Greek lady who was sitting in one of the many pavilions inside the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and I was teasing her about liking her job cause it was so quiet and boring staring at ancient statues all day long...she replied how she liked her job very much cause it was a job, and the contract with the museum was ending and she had no other job opportunities.
Greece like many areas in Turkey and Europe survive and thrive on tourism and it is seasonal with the fair weather, and still very popular with North American's and Australians, and also surprised how many Asians were everywhere and in very large numbers, especially the Chinese of course!
The next morning outside was very different than the late night before, as the street merchants are already in full action after setting up their fruit and veggie stands early, and they are quite boisterous as they beckon the prospects. This is a large daily market and attended mostly by locals it seems, as the fruit and produce vendors would only sell a minimum Kilo quantity...so no fresh fruit for me to stash in my pack on this morning other than what I grabbed as usual from the breakfast buffet table.
As I walked along the street back towards the Monastiraki Square there was plenty of adjacent market buildings with inside vendors displaying their many varieties of fresh fish and hung whole meat....pork and lamb was plentiful, from what I could recognize in that pink skeletal condition?
Along the way to the square the streets were alive with stores displaying their merchandise out onto the sidewalk and there were many commercial items from lawnmowers and blowers saws to paint and hardware. The walk was much shorter than the night before of course and the Monastiraki Square was alive with the cafes and bakery in full gear and the Athens Flea Market was in full tilt with a ton more merchants and some nicer retail stores...not sure why it was called a flea market?
I could easily see the prominent Acropolis up on the hill under the beautiful blue sky on this sunny warm day that is to reach over 30 degrees. The walk up from the slope was more interesting than the easy and well used tourist road, and less traveled so that is the route I took while passing by a small excavation group scraping rocks on their knees using a dentist pick and brushes.
On the way up I view the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus, and having seen a boat load of these over the past month, this one is still very cool because it's still being used for the popular Athens Festival, which begins in May and carries thru to October.
Many known talent such as Andrea Bocelli, Nana Mouskouri, Elton John, and Frank Sinatra have performed here...Athens very much embraces their theatre, and with over 148 stages it ranks first in the world for theatre stages.
The name Acropolis is the hill in Athens on which the Parthenon stands. "Acro" means "high" and "polis" means "city" - so it is literally the "high city". Many other places in Europe and turke have "an" acropolis, such as Corinth in the Peloponnese of Greece, but "The Acropolis" usually refers to the site of the Parthenon in Athens.
Here's a bit more of what I learned from varied guides and books about this site, as this ancient site is the one that 'cannot be missed', when you are in Athens.
Work on the Parthenon began in 447 BCE and continued until 438 BCE; some of the decorations were completed later. The temple was dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, who saved the Athenians from the Persians. Athena Polios ('of the city') and Athena Parthenos ('young maiden'). The 'on' ending means 'place of', so 'Parthenon' means 'Place of the Parthenos'.
The Parthenon was built of Pendelion marble in the Doric style and it survived the test of time quite well. Firstly a church and then a mosque, until finally it was used as a munitions depot during the Turkish Occupation of Greece. In 1687, during a battle with the Venetians, an explosion tore through the building and caused much of the damage seen today. There was also a damaging fire in ancient times.
The Parthenon site is very large and measured approx 111 feet by 228 feet, and the building is still regarded as the finest in Greek architecture. Much is often said of the reverse optical illusion that was designed into the building using clever and varied curves and pillars that vary in size from each other and also become narrower as they gain height, and all of which was designed to provide the perfect optical image of grandeur.
Many opulent treasures would have been displayed inside the building and the glory of the Parthenon was apparently the gigantic statue of the goddess Athena designed by Phidias and made out of chryselephantine (elephant ivory) and gold. The Athena statue of course was long ago ravaged and destroyed, but there are many others of her in the museum and her rival Poseidon as they beat each other up and according to Greek mythology...she was the nastier of the two? lol
I enjoyed the great expansive Athens city view from the top and the other sites such as the Propylaia and the Erechtheion with the nicely preserved and detailed statues at the top called Caryatides...lotsa tourists at this site now and time to retreat inside from the sun to the nearby new and modern Acropolis Museum.
My one full day and two nights in Athens included the famous old ruins and rocks of the Acropolis and two museums called the New Acropolis Museum and the National Architectural Museum...5-Euros for the Acropolis, which was kinda interesting and 7-Euros for the National which was very boring to me.
Perhaps after a month of ancient museums I have become a bit critical and hardened, as some of what I have seen was very amazing. The Greek museums and ancient history is very heavy into mythology with their gods and goddesses, many statues and busts, and very weird creatures that were worshipped and believed to have some spiritual significance or value. The detail of the varied ancient artifacts was exquisite in some cases and that earned a photo, otherwise I became rather bored after almost 2 hours hours in each museum and wanted to enjoy the city Hop-on guided bus tour and get some good food.
It was nice just cruising on the top bus deck and relaxing in the sunshine while learning bits of information along the planned route. I jumped off at the Panathenaic Stadium which seats over 60K and it was the site for the very first Olympic Games in 1896. The stadium name in Greek means 'beautifully marbled' and it is very beautiful and is the oldest and only stadium in the world built entirely of white marble. It is still used for the annual marathon, concerts, and other athletic events. That was a very cool site to visit and chat with different ones to learn a bit about it.
A couple blocks away from the prominent stadium is the National or Royal Gardens on 38 acres and commissioned by Queen Amalia in 1838. A nice quiet walk with many varieties of trees and plants and walking trails as it weaves next to the Athens Parliament Buildings which has a formal guard and armed police, and I watched the inspection and changing of the guard for a good pic!
Back on the bus to complete the red loop tour as the blue loop had expired for the day now...made it back to the square and the Saturday night action with the cafes and restaurants was doing well.
I decided for some strange reason to hop on the little green train that was guided and went all through the narrow streets that are pedestrian only...the restaurant hosts were handing their cards off while you sat to get you to come back for dinner. It was fun and went all the way up to the Acropolis so got to see the street vendors and night life from the safe relaxing confines of the wee train.
My last meal was authentic Greek Spanakopita, which they call Spinach Pie, because that is one of my favorite selections at home when I go for Greek lunch. This of course looked completely different than how its prepared in Abbotsford, and it was very tasty indeed!
My desert treat was a Yogolicious Greek Yogurt treat where you add what you like for fruit, nuts, sweets, etc and you pay by the total weight...The Greeks love their yogurt and this was a very busy franchise...my wee yogurt cup was over 4.30-Euro, expensive but it was delicious!
Kinda sad when I finally gave up on staying awake and the walking and enjoying the people and light singing in the square...I had my packing to do at the hotel as my shuttle was to arrive close to 9:00-am.
I got up extra early on Saturday and had my last big breakfast to tide me over til the airport and sure appreciate Kostas who held my bags for me and arranged for the shuttle driver to come back to the hotel, while I made one last dash to the market.
It's always the local people that make it great, and leave you with the moments that allow the memories and the feelings to linger...whatever city or village or ancient site, it will be the people that made this journey special for me!
The hour ride to the airport provided many mixed feelings and reflection, while facing the almost 20 hour flight home which is never enjoyable as the comfort level is poor for the longer legged travelers!
My return flight home was with Air Canada from Athens non-stop to Montreal, and a short layover to clear customs and plane change before the non-stop 5 hour flight home to Vancouver.
Just in case I thought the so called law of attraction had expired when I left Europe...I sat next to a couple from Victoria who had just completed their 7 week journey through Italy and Greece. Kamran was a Victoria doctor originating from Italy, while Nazila was working in his health nutrition business and she originates from Persia. They were celebrating 25 years of happy marriage and traveled the varied world for many years. Our Air Canada flight from Athens was on their Rouge service, which simply means no movies or any aircraft personal comfort features, and that can rather suck when your flight is over 11 hours!
However the not so good always provides some good, and that was we were able to meet and chat for many hours while with a movie and trying to sleep you often never even get to know your cabin mate! We had a ton in common from caring for our parents to super food and health supplements and then the irony continued or as Nazila called it serendipity. We were again both booked on the same flight from Montreal to Vancouver and I was kidding them in line, as to what the odds would be if we were seated together on the full 767 to Vancouver...guess what? So again we enjoyed more good conversation and a movie and tried to sleep a bit...whatta pleasant hoot!
Of course we exchanged contact information and we both are looking forward to working together further towards the health and nutrition lives we work in and personally enjoy...such a great couple and another special people moment and pleasant way to remember the long journey back to YVR!
Very nice to be back in english speaking Canada and especially back home in Abby...my body time clock is rather messed up as I am still 10 hours ahead, however we will adapt as always and all is very good!
Whatta great historical adventure journey and many pics along with this first time travel blog to keep the memories intact. I have lotsa great pics to sort out and likely one just last entry before I close out this blog. I would like to capture each of the 35 days with a single photo if possible, that might represent an indelible moment for me. It may likely be a person or a meal or just one of those many serendipitous situations...so standby cause it will take a bit to organize a few thousand pics, but a great pictorial way to bring back the awesome adventure and record the overall moments! :-)
PS- I got good high speed internet now and for a refreshing change so I've included a boatload more pics with this final Athens to back home travel update...enjoy and hope it enlightens or it could also put you to sleep, too many ancient rocks, ruins, and museums can easily do that? lol :-)
