The Wrap Up

  Monday October 3^rd.

  The plantar fasciitis is a lingering reminder of what it is like to walk on cobble stones and uneven rock for close to 3 weeks. The knee pain is a lingering reminder of the spacious seating arrangements provided by Air Transat.

 The trip to Greece had its moments and luckily they did not involve guys with machetes or falls down waterfalls.

  My last trip to Greece was a whirlwind tour by bus and cruise ship (although cruise ship might be a slight overstatement now that we know better!) with little more than 6 hours at each destination. This trip did afford a full 3 days on most of the islands- still not enough to do a thorough exploration-but enough to savour the finer details at leisure.

Yours truly in front of the Parthenon

 Coming from a country where history is measured by a few centuries and where we fight to preserve historic buildings because they are 50 years old, it is hard to wrap ones head around a country where 1500BC is really the Middle Ages. Stomping around a 3000 year old archeological site with 2,000 other tourists really misses the mark, but when you have the opportunity to experience the same sites, almost completely alone, before the mobs arrive, or after they have left, then that is a treat beyond description. Alone, one can imagine the scenes, the sounds, the smells, visualizing the place as it once had been, not a broken ruin, but, instead a vibrant magnificent city, a civilization with a social system equal to or even better than the one we know today.

 Greece today is, by all accounts, a total economic disaster. While the situation is causing turmoil on the financial markets and turning my Freedom 65 into Freedom 85 ( as my mutual funds tank!!) it is a minor blip in the grand scheme of things. This country has survived far worse over the past 5,000 years and I hardly think that the current financial disaster will register at all when historians look back in a thousand years or so.

 The Euro may not be the currency of choice by the time I make my next visit, which, I hope will happen sooner than later.

 Where my next trip will take me will probably be decided by the end of the week, when I get the final results ( success or failure) of my eye treatment. I am looking at a much delayed visit to the Dali Museum in St Petes, Florida and then maybe, just maybe, a couple of months in Portugal in Feb and March 2012. Until something else exciting happens, I guess I am signing out for a while.

  Take Care and take the time to take a trip- even if it is just to a new town nearby that you have never seen before- every great adventure starts with a small idea that blossoms into a dream that eventually becomes a reality.

2 days in Athens

Detail shot of archeological work under museum

Parthenon with way too many tourists!!

Temple on Acropolis

Acropolis at night

Hadrian's Gate

Parthenon with Theatre in foreground

Wednesday 9pm

Although it has been 9 years since my last visit to this city, it did not take long to reacquaint myself with the various streets and landmarks. While it has hardly changed since 2002, a trip to Athens would not be complete without a visit to the Parthenon. The route from the hotel followed one of the major streets and passed a number of significant landmarks including the National Gallery, the Parliament Buildings and an ancient Roman arch known as Hadrian’s Gate. Joining a mass of several hundred tourists

The National something or other!!

Parthenon Museum

(mostly cruise ship visitors) we ascended the cobbled streets leading to the western entrance to the Acropolis. Arriving at the upper part of the plateau by way of a building known as the Propylaea, one cannot fail to be impressed by the sight of the Parthenon. A massive temple, dedicated to the goddess Athena, it stands with much of its exterior shrouded in scaffolding. Built over a period lasting from 447 to 432 BC, it must have been a magnificent building, its upper areas carved and painted with a variety of mythological scenes. While little remains of the original artwork, historical records provide a fairly detailed account of the missing graphics.

 Following the visit to the Acropolis we spent a rewarding two hours exploring the newly opened Acropolis Museum. Displaying several hundred carvings and statues in a 4 floored building covering three thousand square metres, it was a significant improvement over the much smaller museum, now closed, that was a part of the original Acropolis tour.

  Leaving the museum shortly after 3pm we concluded the day with a walk through the Plaka, an area of old Athens which consists of a maze of narrow pedestrian streets featuring dozens of restaurants, bars, gift shops etc.

  Returning to the hotel for a couple of hours of rest we emerged to streets filled with police and protesters. Having seen footage on CNN of the previous night’s demonstrations- cops wailing away on protesters with batons and people generally running amuck,)- we decided to eat dinner at a small Taverna close to the hotel.

Thursday 10pm

  The early part of the morning was spent exploring the market area. A number of shops and stalls were selling dried herbs in bulk including lavender, oregano, sage, tarragon and others with unrecognizable Greek names. The prices were unbelievably cheap, especially compared to the prices charged in the tourist areas of town. After purchasing a couple of bags of lavender as well as a small bag of cinnamon sticks, we spent the balance of the morning visiting a few ancient sites- the Agora ( market place) the remains of Hadrian’s Library as well as a large area to the west called the Keramikos. Here many ancient graves had been discovered as well as some of the original fortified walls and gates of the old city.

Typical Greek Taverna ( we ate here in 2002!)

 The balance of the day was spent shopping and having supper in the Plaka area. There was still a noticeable police presence on the streets as we walked to the hotel, but fortunately, no demonstrations or protests. The public transit strike seems to have ended and all trains and public buses were back in service.

  With our airport shuttle set for 11:30 tomorrow morning, there will be little time for anything besides packing. While it has been an interesting trip, it will be good to get back home. Greek restaurants clearly know how to make a great salad, but other than French fries, they seem clueless about preparing cooked vegetables, with the exception of eggplant.

Mykonos to Athens

Tuesday Sept 27^th

Little Venice- Mykonos

Monday was basically a lazy day at the beach with little excitement until 4pm when we hopped a bus into town for a look around at the various sights for which Mykonos is known. A series of old windmills and an area called Little Venice usually make interesting photo ops. However a cold north wind with some fairly high gusts made walking and even standing a little difficult. Waves were crashing onto the patios of various bars and restaurants in Little Venice area.

  Seeking shelter a few streets in, the walk became a lot more pleasant. By 5pm stores were beginning to re-open from their afternoon “siesta” however as Mykonos is primarily a cruise destination, prices tend to be higher than Rhodes and Crete.

 Settling on an early supper, we chose a seafood tavern in one of the smaller squares.

Two crazy birds-Mykonos

  A large platter of grilled fish, shrimp, calamari and smelt was adequately filling and quite tasty. An extra for the evening was a visit by two local celebrities, a pair of large pelicans who serve as the islands mascots. With their appearance the restaurant was suddenly surrounded by several tourists snapping photos of the birds, who seemed oblivious to the attention. After a while one wandered away while the other walked through the restaurant and positioned himself at the kitchen door patiently awaiting a meal of raw fish.

Windmills of Mykonos

  Walking back towards the bus stop we visited a store selling a local “toy” known as a kombeloy. Made of various materials, they are similar to prayer beads, but with no religious significance. After some discussion and a bit of bartering with the store owner we selected a few as souvenirs.

Typical street- Mykonos

  3pm Tuesday

  The trip back to Athens today is by way of a rather large 4 deck ferry, 2 for vehicles and 2 for passengers. Transat actually spent the additional funds to allow access to the business lounge with comfortable seats and a view from the front of the vessel.

  With two stops before reaching Piraeus ( the dock at Athens) the trip is expected to take 5 and ½ hours.

The hungry mans platter!!!

  The trip actually ends tomorrow for most people with a flight back to Canada at noon, giving most people only an hour or so this evening to explore the city. Having added two extra nights to the trip, we will have 2 full days to explore the city, enough to cover a few sights and maybe one museum.

Athens 12:30am

 The ferry arrived in port at 7:45. The trip from Piraeus to our hotel took until 9:30pm. Normally a 30 minute trip, a demonstration in front of the parliament buildings resulted in the need for a significant detour through streets jammed with traffic. Traffic lights had little meaning, as vehicles jockeyed for position while bikes maneuvered in and around larger vehicles.

 On the advice of the hotel front desk staff we abandoned a planned dinner near the protest zone, opting instead for a small Taverna near the hotel.

 With all public transport on strike, any exploration of the city will be limited to sites within walking distance- it night be a fun two days!