Greece Virtual travel in COVID times

Europe » Greece » Attica » Athens
May 28th 2020

Published: June 15th 2020

28 May – Today we took the flight from Dubrovnik to Athens one and a half-hour later we were getting into the blue line metro to go to Syntagma station. Changed to the red line heading to Anthoupoli and got off at Larissa Station, the central train station in Greece. I had booked an apartment in central Athens so that we could use public transport. Incidentally, we never travel by cabs anywhere unless absolutely necessary. I feel public transport gives you an authentic feel of a place and that is what we travel for! Most countries have safe and clean public transport and I haven’t had a bad experience ever in my 15 years of travel. Touch wood! So here we are in Athens – a dream destination for me. The historical capital of Europe, with a history dating back to the Neolithic age. I can’t wait for the walking tour tomorrow. Today is a rest day , organizing and relaxing. •We are very near the historic center which is a 3 Km pedestrian zone. Looking forward to the historical stories coming alive tomorrow. Just took a stroll around to see the lit-up monuments.

29 May – We had our walking tour map , a good pair of shoes, a haversack with water and food , a heart filled with excitement AND WE WERE GOOD TO GO! One tit bit story about the city we were about to explore today. According to Greek mythology, the city's name came from a competition between the goddess of wisdom, Athena, and the god of sea, Poseidon. Both wanted to become the patron of the beautiful city. As the god of the sea, Poseidon called on his power to create a massive, foamy stream for the people of the city. Initially, they were excited to be given such a practical gift. However, as they approached the water, they realized that it was actually seawater, which made it unfit for human consumption. Athena decided to give the people of the city the gift of the olive tree. A highly practical choice, the olive tree provided the people with sustenance, fuel, and wood to create shelter. So, in the end, the residents choose Athena as their patron and named the city after her. I love such tales and fortunately, I had done some homework on Greece when I wrote the script for our historical extravaganza staged at Icon last year- Myths and Legends. No matter how much you have read about Greece, it doesn’t prepare you for its overwhelming and well-preserved past. One place you cannot enjoy without a guide is Athens. Half the charm of exploring the old town is in the tales buried in its womb. So we took a guided walking tour with George- not his real name- taken on for tourists like us who couldn’t pronounce his Greek name. He was an archeologist so he had us listening to him wide-eyed throughout the tour. His tales woven in mythology, and history, fascinated us so much that we forgot the effect the fast-paced walk through the old town had on our legs! Starting at the Temple of Zeus, we came to Hadrian’s Arch (This huge gateway is located alongside a modern avenue was built in honour of the Roman emperor Hadrian, in 131 AD. It is entirely made of Pentelic marble and is very imposing. From here the temple of Zeus is clearly visible ) to the Acropolis Museum . To the right was the Dionysus theatre from where you can see the Acropolis on top of the hill to your right .We walked past the Herodion theatre which was closed and reached the base of Philopappou Hill ( This green area right in the centre of Ayhens is a beautiful place to take pictures of the ACROPOLIS.) from where we got a beautiful view of Pnyx Hill . (Pnyx is the place where the Athenians gathered to host their popular assemblies (ekklesia), after political power was transferred to the citizens, towards the end of the 6th century BC. At that time, the Pnyx was right outside the city borders.) It was a nice place to have our sandwiches that we had carried with us- always sensible to have food with you - you never know where you will find the idyllic place to enjoy it! ) We walked on, to the Ancient Agora where George left us and we boarded a metro from Thisseio to get back to the apartment for a little siesta. The route was not very long but it took us about 3 hrs. without actually going inside any where. We wanted to get a feel of the city before buying tickets into any of the monuments. The metro system in Athens is one of the best in Europe. During the time when it was being constructed, archaeologists were delighted to excavate numerous findings from Ancient Greece. Many of them are exhibited inside the metro stations. The street art and the musicians on the streets was a bonus on the walking tour. In the evening we set out refreshed to the Central market . This was vagabond time- doing nothing- just BEING!

30 May Instead of doing Historical Athens again today, we decided to take a break and do an island hopping tour. The four Saronic islands near Athens are Hydra, Spetses, Poros, Aegina and they are all accessible by hydrofoils, catamarans and conventional ferries. Since we were not interested in a historical perspective and just wanted ferry rides there, we did not take any of the numerous expensive conducted tours. We decided we would do whatever was comfortable and get back by the evening to see the old town lit up. We took a ferry to Hydra from Piraeus port in Athens M1-line took us from our apartment to Piraeus in 30 minutes. and about 2 hrs later we were in this picturesque island with unique architecture where we just strolled around without bothering to find out who made what and when! This quaint Hydra town just needed to be soaked in! The port is in the centre of the island and by itself awesome! The Profitis Ilias monastery, Kiafa settlement, and Hydra port were the sight seeing places, but today we were in mood to go into any history! so we just strolled past them. There are no motor vehicles allowed here so walking through the island, admiring the traditional stone houses at ones own pace was just the way we wanted to spend the day. Should have taken a donkey ride, but these deeply inbuilt notions about riding a donkey, held me back, though I do regret it. Everybody seemed to be having fun! Shopping, ice cream and coffee added to the flavor! By the afternoon we took a ferry to Aegina . From the port itself we took a bus to visit St. Nektarios first so that we knew how much time we would have in Aegina. St. Nektarios was lovely but could have been given a miss considering we did not have time to visit a third island later! The pistachio treats sold by street vendors by the church were delicious and inexpensive – the high point of the visit. By the time we got back it was late afternoon, so we gave up the idea of going anywhere else so just sat by the water on a bench and looked at the boats ride by. The ride back on the ferry was a treat to see the sun set and by the time we reached Athens the monuments were lit up! • •31 May- That break from History did me some good as we set off in the morning to explore the rest of Athens. People feel that holiday is about sleeping till late, I feel , its about packing in more in your day that makes a holiday. So at 7 we were out to a very exciting place , Monastiraki , a central Athens district with a completely different— a flea market where you can buy almost anything — clothes, jewelry, pottery, artwork, sweets, baked goods, electronics, antiques. Its narrow lanes create magic ! Not that I bought anything, - minimalistic living you know!! – but we got a clear 3 hrs there before it was time to go to Parliament Building at Syntagma Square to see the changing of the guard .The pageantry was worth watching specially on a Sunday when Evzones, of the Hellenic Army, stands perfectly still before changing positions in front of theHellenic Parliament. On Sundays the guards wear the official costumes and perform a more complex ceremony. While not as dramatic as that "other" Changing of Guard at London, but it was fun! After that we took the red line metro to The Plaka. It is the area of winding streets around the Acropolis renowned for its small shops, restaurants, and local architecture. The whitewashed homes of the adjacent Anafiotika neighborhood give the area a Greek-island feel. At the foot of the Acropolis is The Theatre of Dionysus , considered the oldest theater in the world. We just sat around there imagining that we were watching poets and playwrights like Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Euripides, and Sophocles in the 5th century B.C. • Coming out of my reverie , we took a bus to Philopappos Monument , located southwest of the Acropolis on Mouseion Hill. It was not far but felt too lazy to walk. The sunset was spectacular and the views of the southern part of the city exotic.It was a full day and a quiet dinner made sense. •

01 June - The day trip from Athens to Meteora was something i was looking forward to. The pictures reminded me of Tiger’s nest in Bhutan, which remains one of my most proud memories of travel. So we caught the 07:20 am train from Larissis Central Train Station in Athens. No matter where you are in Athens, there will be a metro station nearby and once you are there, getting to the train station is easy as pie. We reached The Meteora monasteries in 4 hours and they were stunning! The journey was scenic through the Greek countryside and we arrived at the Kalabaka train station at 11.30. From there we took a minibus which was booked beforehand that took us on a 5 hr Meteora tour. We could have done it on our own but then should have spent a night there. So a bit hurried to enjoy the ethereal beauty but it was worth every penny we paid for!
The bus stopped for some of the best breathtaking viewpoints of Meteora
The Greek word Meteora means “suspended in the air” and this aptly describes these remarkable Greek Orthodox monasteries on top of steep rocks . They house priceless artifacts and wall paintings. As we approached the town of Kalabaka, the complex of giant sandstone rock pillars that climb up into the sky came into view and the famous Meteora monasteries could be seen. We entered only two of them. The Holy Trinity Monastery that is known from the James Bond film “For your eyes only”.The rest of the time we just took in the awesome view of the place. Monastery of Great Meteoron which is scattered around one of the top rock pillars and is known for its stunning red roof and the hermit caves of Badovas are known as the miracle of Greece. Nature is at its gorgeous best and the dazzling rocks with their beautiful shades of brown, gray, and black are a perfect background for the lush green flora. At around 16:45 in the afternoon, the bus transferred us back to Kalabaka train station and we took the 17:15 pm train back to reach Athens at around 21:25. A beautiful day spent !

02 JUNE – Took the first bus from Terminal B at Liosion at 7.30 am to Delphi, the most famous oracle of the ancient world. 3 hrs later after a spectacular journey we were high up on Mount Parnassus, enjoying our packed breakfast and hot coffee.

The ancient Greeks once considered this the centre of the world, visiting to communicate with the Gods at the Temple of Apollo. We followed the Sacred Way path as it wound its way up the mountain . The lower parts are lined with trees, but the upper parts of the path are fully exposed. As we climbed up we passed a number of excavations, and , Athenian Treasury and the Serpent Column which is a black twisted column with the top broken off. The Temple of Apollo at Delphi is overwhelming against the gray cliffs of Mt. Parnassus. Just above is the Amphitheater dating back to the 4th century BC. The view is absolutely spectacular! Here, every four years, the Pythian Games were held to honor Apollo. These games were the precursors to the ancient Olympic Games. It wasn’t an easy climb but can’t come to Delphi and not climb!
On the way back stopped at The Ruins of the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia , less than a kilometer down, it is nice to experience Delphi in the way the Ancient Greek’s did.
The extremely photogenic round temple of Tholos is a thing of beauty. I believe the museum is worth seeing too, though we did not go inside the museum, we took a quick detour to the spectacular mountain village of Arachova. The small town of Delphi is also quite carming and we wandered around for an hour before taking the bus back after a full exhausting day. Sleep did take over in the bus in spite of the spectacular views on the drive! There’s an ethereal quality to the mountain air at Delphi.- Even the sleep was delicious!
The myths were interesting and I loved the feel of History here mingled with nature which has its own stories to tell! It was like travelling back in time! Delphi cannot be complete without the legend connected to it!
The high priestess at Delphi (and it was always a woman) was known as the The Pythia and she oversaw the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. But more importantly, she was believed to speak for the Greek god of Apollo on Earth. That’s a lot of power ! For centuries, no major decision anywhere in Ancient Greece was undertaken without consulting The Pythia. People would travel across the known worlds to visit Apollo’s Oracle and receive “divine” guidance. The Pythia at Delphi offered advice to leaders, settled disputes, and provided practical guidance. In later times, it was rumored she had visions and predictions of the future, although where those legends started, nobody really knows !

03 June – Today we start a roundtrip Cyclades island tour - By the way, the name “Cyclades” refers to the islands forming a circle (in English it means: “circular islands”) around the sacred island of Delos. According to the Greek mythology, Poseidon, God of the sea, furious at the Cyclades nymphs, daughters of Oceanus and Tethys, turned them into islands. These myths and legends lend Greece its mystery and mystic flavor.
Greece to me was always about the sea, the islands, the luxury, the picturesque locations Bollywood used for their romantic songs! Now we were going to savour these picture perfect islands and I was most excited!
We put half our baggage in storage and much lighter, we reached the Piraeus port to catch a high speed ferry to Myknos. Quite a luxury ferry and the scenery from the deck was exotic. I think it’s a lot to do with your own mood. The 3 hrs ride was like watching a travel video! We were booked into an apartment at Platis Gialos beach. I was so enchanted by the view from the apartment that we didn’t move out till the afternoon, but there were many sunshine hours left yet. So we said Hello to Myknos !
According to myth, Mykonos was created in the Gigantomachy, the war between Zeus and the Giants. Zeus’ son Hercules eventually killed the Giants, which he threw into the sea; the giants turned into stone and created what is now Mykonos.
The island used to be a famous pirate hangout in the 20th century The only colors allowed for the doors and windows to be painted in Mykonos are blue, green and red. This old tradition dates back to when the sailors used to paint their doors and shutters blue, the farmers - green and the rest of the people- red. The characteristic colorful houses in this ’ Little Venice’ used to belong to pirates, who would used them to hide their loot. The picturesque white houses with old and super colourful window shutters and doorways,old-fashioned white windmills standing proudly on the rocky hills above the narrow cobbled-stoned streets, blooming with pink bougainvillaea vines shall be what my dreams will be made of when I return home in a few days. Next five days are relaxed- beaches, sand cruising and chilling out. As the time comes nearer to go back home, these moments become more special!
04 June : A lazy morning for a change and a day of doing nothing! Just the beach, calming views and eat and drink! A sunset picnic at Armenistis Lighthouse was the ultimate!

?? ???? : A lazy morning looking out into the sea from our apartment and taking in the beauty of Mykonos with a hot cup-a-tea in hand, what can be nearer bliss!
With not much to pack, we had a lot of time to have a leisurely breakfast and Mid morning we left our cosy pretty apartment to go to the New Port to board a sea jet to Santorini .

Alas! No Shah Rukh Khan to sing; Tobha, tumhare yeh ishare!

But Glamourous Santorini is deliciously different. Santorini curves round a giant lagoon in the Cyclades islands and is actually a group of islands consisting of Thíra, Thirassiá, Asproníssi, Palea and Nea Kaméni.
What hidden lavas can beauty hold in her breast! The whole complex of Santorini islands is still an active volcano and probably the only volcano in the world whose crater is in the sea?

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As the ferry docked at Santorini port (Athinios), the beauty hit me like a bolt! It can romanticize the most hardened heart, so I was an easy target! I have grown up on bollywood mushiness so poetry comes easy to me in such locations!

Since this is going to be our last port on the holiday, we had a booking at one of the finest Aparthotels- Kaleidoscope Cave Houses located in Oía. pronounced Ia. They say if you stay in Oia, flaunt it! Well, I’ll do it with the pictures. Oia, , is the most famous of all villages of Santorini and known throughout the world for its beauty and the sunset. Situated on top of an impressive cliff ,it offers a spectacular view over the volcano and the island of Thirassia. Oia has a very traditional character but chic and expensive restaurants and great shopping . Though the hotel is enough of a drain to exclude shopping but window shopping is great fun too!
A natural disaster of the 17th century BC – a terrible volcanic eruption – led people to build cheap bio houses. A thick layer of pumice covering the island saved poor people from the winds and bad weather providing them with a warm place where water could not penetrate easily. These cave houses were the ones that survived the earthquake of 1956 with no damage. But today they are THE STYLE!
Well, we hadn’t paid a bomb for nothing! we decided to spend the evening there itself – the hot tub outside was a luxury worth soaking in!

LAST THREE DAYS IN GREECE

06 June – These last three days of the holiday are reserved just to chill and savour Santorini and its neighbouring islands and beaches, so that I feel refreshed and invigorated to go back to work. Since we are staying at Oia , which is at a height, it was a pleasant walk to the castle and then to Ammoudi descending 214 stairs starting right in front of the Castle (Kastro). Ammoudi is a charming bay just below Oia and to view the huge red rocks gave a different perspective to the landscape! Fresh fish and seafood , the striking blue color of the water , the red rocks above and boats and catamarans sailing on the sea! Is that heaven? A boat ride to see the nearby volcano, swimming in the sea and then the sunset from the bay – 6th of June became a day to remember! My motto in life: Die with memories, not dreams !

07 June : Santorini deserves a week but I have only 2 more days! So for the next two days I will store all this beauty in my heart! Today we spent the day at the Red Beach. It is arguably the most famous – and the most beautiful – beach on Santorini. Framed by massive formations of red and black volcanic rock, it’s a small white sand beach where we took in the different colors of the cliffs as we wandered down the path to the shore. Did some snorkeling and by the afternoon came back to change and set off to Fira to get to know the town a bit. A bit of wine with some people watching made the evening heady. The best is always kept for the last, so that the taste lingers for the time to come! Santorini will be one beautiful memory!

08 June: Days have melted and today is the 8th of June. Time to come back to reality! Got up early to savour the day . The luxury of our hotel kept us glued to the balcony and the pool till now. It is time to pack and depart for Athens. We sleep the night there and catch an early morning flight back home tomorrow.

40 days of this dream world has kept me afloat! Starting with Moscow to Budapest and then exploring Croatia, travelling through the country and now finishing the travel in Greece- - it’s been an amazing journey.

A lot of History, nature, experiences and a whole lot of memories to carry back.I am sure all of it will have a sense of Deja vu' when I revisit these place next year hopefully or maybe the year after that. But visit , I surely will!

It did not feel like virtual at all! Each day I was transported into a world that was far removed from the horrible statistics of the world they said was real! This was the world that would have been mine if the virus had not played spoil sport. But anything in life will put you down only if you let it!

We often underestimate the power of our mind. It can do incredible things and these 40 days have been proof of it. Not for a day did I feel deprived of my annual holiday because I believed I was travelling in the two hours I spent on my computer each night in my make belief world! Living two lives each day was a part of the excitement and I feel refreshed taking the flight back home.
Meanwhile the lock down has lifted and though we do keep confined by choice still but the imposing dictats are not there, which is a relief!
So here I am signing off for now and we shall compare notes a year or more later.

Greece Virtual travel in COVID times

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