Blogs from Athens, Attica, Greece, Europe - page 110

April 1st, 2006, Day 86 of our cruise of 105 Athens, Greece Our arrival was delayed this morning as we had to make way for the ferry traffic. Out by 9:30, shuttle bus to the subway, 0.70 Euro and 20 minutes later, we were in the Plaka. The Plaka is the old part of town at the bottom of the Acropolis. The Acropolis is 230 feet high and quite a challenging climb. The sightseeing all the way up, at the summit and during the descent was spectacular. Our ex-friend Robin then brought me up the next hill to get a good view of the first one! That would be the Filopapou Hill and a great viewing spot for the Parthenon. I wish I could have seen it at night all lit up from that spot; we ... read more

Hi all. Hope you are managing to keep up with our travel journal, & that it hasn’t been too much information for you just yet. We just returned last night from Greece, & although it was a bit of a cold trip (the weather was nice & sunny but the wind was a bit cold), we had an excellent time. We didn’t confine ourselves to Athens specifically, although we never really got out of Southern Greece. It was the kind of trip we really needed - to get out of dark rainy London in the wintertime, & I think Vaughan especially enjoyed the break from work. While he is back at work today, I have a break for the rest of the week, while school is out for mid-term, & it gives me a bit of ... read more

After Delphi, it was a quick drive back into Athens. We decided we better put the hotel Ionis behind us and try a hotel in the Plaka which one of Mau's former students recommended(will explain soon), The Central hotel. Guess what happened as we were trying to get to the hotel in downtown Athens? Thats right! We got lost again. The damned one-way streets leave little room for error, and after missing the correct turn it took us twenty minutes to get back on track. We eventually got to the hotel and checked in. The Central hotel was a big step up from the Ionis: better location; newly remodeled; much cleaner; etc... That night we enjoyed a nice Continental dinner at a nearby chic restaurant, where our server was a German woman who spoke better English ... read more

These are pictures from my last day in Athens. I didn't have any problems throughout my stay in Athens until it came time to get to the airport. And here you thought I wasn't going to have any stories to tell! I headed out early in the morning to go to the top of the Hill of the Muses, then I checked out of my hostel, and went to the Metro station to catch my train to the airport. Now, before I left London, I made sure to get directions and info about the airport so that I would kind of know where I was headed when it was time for me to leave. I was flying easyJet and they are notorious for flying into obscure airports that aren't actually the main airport serving the city. ... read more

So, my worries about traveling alone for the first time have been lessened because of Greek hospitality. On the 29th of December, I took the bus to Delphi, where I stayed overnight (1 night). Delphi is one of the most beautiful places that I have been to. It is way up in the mountains, and the setting seems perfect for where the ancient Greeks placed the Oracle. The day I arrived, I was too late to go to the archaeological site and museum, so I did what I always do in Greece at such a time - wander, eat and shop! I walked to areas where I could sit or stand and just take in the scenery, especially to watch the sunset. Later that night, around 8 pm, I felt famished and went to this little ... read more