Athens: You must eat here

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To any people other than my subscribers back home who are reading this and who are coming to Athens. If you want a great breakfast you must go to the restaurant called Plaka....in the suburb of.......you guessed it Plaka....which is the old bit of town. The address is 16, Kidathineon St. It is right beside the Taverna Vizantino that the Lonely Planet recommend. I wouldn't recommend it. The waiters are pushy as hell and once they get you seated loose interest and can't wait to get you out again. They litereally accoust people on the street and try to hassle them into the resturant. Plaka Taverna is not like that at all. Tell the lovely waiter Demetri that Dee from NZ sent you.

I had breakfast there again this morning. Demetri asked how I was and I said how I was getting a bit of a sore throat. He promptly went away and came back with a throat lozenge for me to suck. What a sweetie. It turns out he doesn't own the place as I first thought yesterday but just works there.

Boy the Greeks work hard. Pavlos had told me that everyone works very long hours and works these long hours so they can keep their jobs. Unemployment is a big problem in Greece. Demetri told me this morning that he worked 7 days a week from about 8.30-9am to about 10pm. And that he hadn't had a day off in about 6 months. Can you believe it??? I can, given what Pavlos has told me. I enjoyed another fabulous omlette and coffee, then, just when I was thinking about ordering another coffee Demetri came and gave me another one, on the house.

Ok, now some general comments:

I had heard that Athens was a very polluted city and when we flew in I was gobsmacked to see this dirty, light brown fog hanging over the entire area. Smog!!!!!!! Yuk. But when you are down in the city of course you don't realise it is there.....unless it has blown away??? Can that happen?? As there have been strong winds for the last few days. But I am wondering if the pollution is causing my throat to get sore. So I am looking forward to getting to Santorini and some fresh air.

Dogs and cats: Are everywhere, strays most of them. Yet a lot of the stray dogs have collars on them..........?? I saw the most hilarious thing yesterday. I was wandering round the gardens and there is a small animal bit with birds, chickens, goats, ducks, donkeys etc. I came across this enclosure that had two donkeys in it, some peacocks, hens, ducks and cats. Yes cats. And I saw the cat and the hen scrapping for the food that a person was putting through the bars. It was hilarious to see a cat back down to a chicken!

On the way home from the gardens I saw something that both horrified me and amazed me. A stray dog crossing the road, and not just any road.....a 6 lane road chock a block with traffic going far, far too fast!!! I have crossed this road before and have been terrified, even though I have been crossing with the pedestrian lights. The traffic goes so dam fast and generally you can't get across the whole thing in one go so you have to wait in the middle for the light to change again.

So I walk up to this crossing point and wait with another couple and this dog comes up and waits beside us. The couple and I just stare in amazement and I say " no dog, don't do it". The dog is actually looking in the direction of the traffic, I kid you not! The light changes to the wee green man and me, the couple and the dog then proceed to cross the road. We only get to middle bit then have to wait on the small median strip. I am terrified, as were the other couple, that the dog wouldn't wait and would carry on out into the speeding traffic. But the dog stood on the median strip and waited too. Then we got the go light and proceeded to cross the next bit, the dog following. Then to our horror though the dog changed it's mind and turned around and went back the way it had come. It then stopped again on the median strip with another couple and waited to go back to where it had started from. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. I have two photos but will have to wait most probably to I get home to put them up here. I didn't want to look anymore as I am sure plenty of dogs must get hit.

Men with beads: You see men everywhere playing with beads (small necklaces) in their hands. Apparantly it is a stress reliever. I wonder if these men don't smoke....... Here as in Croatia, no actually here is much worse, everyone smokes (except Pavlos).

Yesterday I found the 'famous' Athens flea market. It was only operating to half capacity though as I believe the real day for it is Sunday. Interesting to say the least. Here shop owners, or workers, stand out side their shops and try to convince you to come in and buy something.

Oh, the other thing I have encounted which is really sad is very very young children (they look under the age of 7) who accoust you in cafes etc. They will be playing some kind of instrument and will come right over and get in your face and start to play something and they want you to give them money. If you don't, sometimes they get shitty.

In restaurants at night flower sellers will come round, as they sometimes do in NZ, but here again they really get in your face and you have to say no a few times before they will leave you alone.

I didn't do the metro trip yesterday, Pavlos may be taking me to the Port tomorrow to catch the boat........I hope so!!!!!

Thanks for the comments.

Laura........things here are as I thought (hoped) they would be.........Jupiter in my 4th house remember........LOL

Jeff........it is cheaper for me to eat breakfast out than try to buy something and make it myself. LOL. I have no fridge or any facilities in the hotel.

Nat........Ouzo is expensive apparantly, according to Pavlos. I will try the wine when I get to Santorini.

Dee

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Comments

[Nat]

Cats n dogs n smoke n zoomin traffic ....
this is all just adding to the wonderful experiences travel gives you aye - priceless :). Be in every moment and commit to long term memory for all its worth. .....roll on Santorini - WAHOO. You MUST guzzle some label of Ouzo before your leave Greece Dee :-)