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Published: July 26th 2012
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Saturday, July 21 We got upgraded to Business Class for the flight from Dubai to Athens. At least I did. Sylvia got upgraded to First Class! The airline personnel were most surprised when she declined the upgrade and said she would rather stay with me. I hoped they would upgrade me also but it was not to be. We both stayed in Business Class. I suppose the fact that we don't use the same family name doesn't make it obvious that we are a couple.
The flight was smooth and comfortable. The food was superb (albeit far too much for one person). The cabin staff were attentive and friendly. Full marks to Emirates for their service. Even Sylvia enjoyed herself after the second glass of Dom Perignon champagne. For what was probably her last flight, it was a memorable one.
The temperature when we landed in Athens was in the mid 30s and, after Dubai, it felt very comfortable. Our hotel, the Electra, is on Ormou Street, right in the middle of Athens, off Syntagma Square. We had only been here a few minutes before there was a big protest march going by our window. Over the next
few days we saw and heard several and there was a constant police presence around the hotel.
After we settled in we took a walk to the Catholic Cathedral, which is only a couple of blocks away, and were in time to attend a mass (in Greek) with a Philippina choir (singing in Tagalog). Quite a unique experience.
We then wandered the streets until about 10:30, ate delicious greek food in a taverna, drank more wine than was good for us and fell into bed.
Greece feels alive and boisterous compared to Dubai though, possibly, had we stayed in Dubai town instead of 25kms away, our experience might have been different.
Sunday, July 22 This morning we went to the markets at Monastiraki – about 10 minutes walk from the hotel – where we bought a hat each to protect us from the sun. We then got on the Red Bus for a sightseeing tour of the city. Now we have a better idea of where everything is we can plan our activities for while we are here.
Today we mostly just wandered around the streets soaking up the atmosphere. In the afternoon we
went to the National Gardens and sat in the cafe in the shade enjoying the coolness among the trees and plants.
Monday, July 23 Up at 6:30. Breakfast at 7. On the bus at 7:15. On the boat at 8:15. Sail to the island of Hydra.Walk about a bit. Sail to the island of Poros for lunch. Sail to the island of Aegina to visit an archeological site and an Orthodox monastery. Sail back to Piraeus for dinner. It's hard work being a tourist.
Tuesday, July 24 We braved the Metro today and went to buy tickets for our trip to Patras on Friday. We also wanted to reconnoitre the route to see whether we would have any difficulty with our suitcases. I'm glad we did as we found that some stations have no lifts just steep flights of stairs, and at some other stations where there are lifts, they are not working.
The ticket clerk at Larissis Station was very helpful and suggested we start our trip from Plakentias Station instead where the platform is at the same level as the street so we won't need to negotiate stairs. The whole trip may be
an adventure anyway as the railway line has been closed between Kiato and Patras and we will need to take a bus through that section.
After buying our rail tickets, we went back to the Metro only to discover that the staff had gone on strike and it was closed. We were forced to take a trolley bus to Omonia Square where we had planned to go to the Archeological museum. We spent the afternoon there until we got kicked out at 4pm by which time the Metro was running again.
Wednesday, July 25 Today we discovered the Happy Train. Similar to the Little Train in Rouen that some of you may know, it wends its way through the small back streets of central Athens visiting some of the older and less accessible parts of the town. Much more interesting than the Red Bus and a lot cheaper too.
One tourist site the Happy Train stops at is the Acropolis and we spent a couple of hours wandering around there before getting back on the train and returning to the hotel for dinner.
Thursday, July 26 Today has been a “getting ready to move
on” day. We unpacked and repacked our bags. We posted some souvenirs and unwanted clothes back to Australia (and discovered in the process just why Greece has the economic difficulties it has). I spent most of the afternoon bringing the blog up to date.
Tonight we will have a final celebration before heading off tomorrow to Venice by boat where we will arrive on Sunday morning.
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
I see that Sylvia doesn't like to fly...
although your statement that "For what was probably her last flight, it was a memorable one." has too much finality to it. I had the forboding sense that this was her last "Bucket List" trip. Say it's not so! I also saw that you haven't planned your US itinerary yet from Boston to Vancouver from 14 - 26 September. I would be pleased to make a suggestion if you wish, and tell me what you are interested in seeing...cities, national parks, history, etc. I would hope that I could route you through Woodland Park, Colorado too, for lunch at our home...we are on the way and near national parks. Also I would need to know what modes of transportation you would consider (e.g., fly between the East Coast and Denver and then rent a car the rest of the way).