Stranded in athens

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Geo: 37.9792, 23.7166

After the cruise we disembarked in Piraeus and waited for our taxis which had been booked ahead. We needn't have bothered as there were lots of taxis waiting. As it happened our guys were waiting in Terminal 1 and we were in Terminal B so we had a bit of a wait while we found each other. It was a short journey to the King George Palace Hotel in Syntagma Square. The entrance is grand and the rooms have lovely furniture but are rather dark. The Athenians obviously don't like the sun in their rooms. As the rooms weren't ready we set off to find a bar and then found a restaurant in the Plaka area. An excellent meal but we could have ordered half the dishes as the portions are huge. After lunch we walked through the National Gardens close to the square around the Olympiad ruins, which included the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Gate. It is only a small site but the ticket we bought also was good for the Acropolis and 4 other sites. Dinner was local and again we couldn't eat everything.

The following day we had a lovely breakfast on the hotel terrace, with a lovely view of the Acropolis. It was then that we heard that there was going to be an air traffic controllers strike the following day and so we were stranded for 2 extra days. After confirming our new flights and checking insurance policies and retaining our rooms for 2 extra nights, we caught taxis up to the Acropolis. The place was heaving with taxis and coaches so we got out earlier rather than sitting in a jam and walked up to the entrance and up to the top. Here we were greeted with hundreds of people, mostly in tour groups, all funnelling in. Once through the main gate the crowds thin out but remember to wear deck shoes as the polished granite floor can be very slippery. I was glad we were not in a tour group as they seemed to be large so difficult to hear the guide, and we could wander around at leisure. The whole place is undergoing restoration so I am afraid it looks like a building site with lots of cranes but we still had a good view. We took the winding walk down the hill and could have gone into the Ancient Agora but after walking round one small museum, we were all desperate for a beer. We found a lovely restaurant down a narrow passageway – the Gelos Toy Moria- excellent food and wine and a nice aspect. So good we went there the following day too. In the evening we found another good place just off the square which looks like a cafe but was always packed- Otzitzikae ko marmhpkas is the nearest approximation to the name. The mussels are excellent and the portions huge, so easy to share.

Wednesday October 5th and it is still hot and sunny. The workers are protesting about govt cuts so all the archaeological sites are closed and there were demonstrators and lots of police around. We took a walk up to the Benaki Museum which is private so was open. It is a delightful collection and has a lovely terrace cafe on the roof which is good to go to at the end of the visit. There were so many closed off roads when we came out and the demonstrators were marching up the hill to the Parliament building close by, so we had to go round various backstreets make our way to the restaurant. The owner was grateful we came back as we were the only people in there. The spaghetti seafood was great!

Everything was back to normal the following day so we hopped on the Tourist bus and did the round tour of the City. The commentary was helpful with various facts about the history of the place. It was very slow due to the traffic congestion around the Acropolis but after that it was fine. Sit on the road side as the overhanging trees on the nearside come down so low we had to duck! We got off near the Market which is great if you like huge meat fish and vegetable places. Very busy and fun to walk around. The beers in the local cafes were also the cheapest we had. We found a little cafe and had a substantial meal for much cheaper than in the centre. On the way back we used up one of our other tickets at Hadrian's Library before getting back on the bus. We alighted in Syntagma square and took a short walk through the National Gardens which are a cool haven from the busy streets. There is an aviary in the centre which also contains furry rabbits for some reason! In the evening we walked back to the Market area because we were told that there were some lively restaurants there. However it was mostly closed up and dark so we ended up having a small snack at Quick Pitta. Luckily we were not really hungry

I am glad we had the extra 2 days as we still didn't get around to see it all so still some things to visit if we ever come back.

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Comments

[steve cole]

Looks as though there are some good renovation opportunities there. Have a good one!