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Published: April 2nd 2018
Today started like most days at home - sitting in traffic. We were stuck in Athens rush hour and nothing we could do about it. Our guide for the day said it was worse than usual and might be because of the sand in the air. The air was hazy with a thick tan haze. Unbelievably, it was sand from the Sahara Desert. Not sure how they know where exactly the sand came from, but it was there and stayed the entire day.
We began the tour by driving through the downtown area of Athens to get an understanding of the city and the people. Approximately 11 million people live in Greece and almost half live in Athens. After seeing Athens, I totally believe it. That city is jam packed. Building after building, level on top of level as far as the eye could see. I had anxiety just looking at it. It is always interesting to see different cultures and how they live and visiting Athens further verifies that I could not live in any downtown metro area.
There is tons of graffiti in the area and quite a lot of abandoned or vacant buildings. I was sad
to see so many of those structures unused. I do not know how they got that way and kept thinking that they should be able to do something with them - whether it be houses or businesses. Greece is a country in debt crisis and has been for several years. I am certain that has contributed to the state of many of the places in Athens. We have had many individuals come up and beg for money with some so persistent that they follow you down the streets. Crime is high and we were told to keep our valuable belongings in our hand or in a pouch under our shirt. They are crafty and can steal things from bags and backpacks without you knowing. Some of the local shop owners will bargain with you, some will not. If you pay by a credit card, there is no bargain. They told us that the banks only give them about 60% of the money that was put on the card. The restaurant owners are pretty crafty too, they ask if you want bread, but fail to tell you that you will be charged for it. They ask what you want to drink,
if you say water, they will give you a bottle of water and you will be charged for it. If you sit down at a table, you are charged a service fee. My daughter ordered a meal with chicken and fries. The waiter asked if she wanted fries, and she said yes. He brought out a big plate of fries as an appetizer for us to pay extra. We questioned him on it and he said the meal only comes with 2 or 3 fries. We argued back and did not eat or pay for the appetizer fries. They will tell you that the tap water is not safe to drink so you will buy bottled water. We all drank tap water and we were all fine. And you can request “tap water”at the restaurant and it will be free, even though is supposedly unsafe. We have learned lots of things so far when among the locals, but trying to convert the dollar into a Euro is still challenging.
We did make a quick stop during the tour to visit the first Olympic stadium of the modern era. We were not allowed to go inside it, but Shelby got
herself an Olympic medal and we took a few photographs. This is also where I learned that Athens has pay-toilets. Yep - you have to pay to use the restroom. I think the cost was .5 Euros. Fortunately I was not in need of their facilities.
After the tour of the city, we stopped and took the hike up to the Acropolis. We were able to see the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, Propylaia, and Erechtheion. We also saw the hill from which the apostle Paul spoke to the Athenians and much of the city. But our view was not very far for the sand dust cloud loomed all around. There were so many people there. It was crazy. Thousands upon thousands and a never ending line waiting to get in. We then went to the archaeological museum which has many artifacts relating to the Acropolis. Many of the pieces were either partial remnants or copies of remnants. The best part of the museum, in my opinion, was the floor. The museum was built on top of an old structure in which many parts remain there. So they made parts of the floor out of glass so you can
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Hill where the Apostle Paul spoke to Athenianssee below and the ruins were not disturbed and now remain protected. Our group was not very enthused by the museum. After you saw the real thing, replicas just did not intrigue us. So we called our museum visit short and went into the Plaka district.
The plaka was a cool place. Lots of shops, restaurants, bakeries, etc. A group of 12 of us all sat down at an outside table of one of the many restaurants and enjoyed a nice meal together. It was what I thought a meal in Greece would be like - the right atmosphere made it special. We visited several shops and purchased a few souvenirs. I had great luck bargaining with one shop owner and she was appreciative of my business. But she could not understand why I did not have a jacket on since it was 65 degrees outside. She had to know where I was from and where I was traveling to. She talked a while and I learned about her family too. I also purchased a charm made of red coral from the Mediterranean Sea. The plaka was filled with other people too - beggars, peddlers, thieves, and other types.
We had to be careful and had to be rude to some just so they would leave us alone.
After touring the plaka, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up a bit. We had plans to go to a Greek evening dinner and celebration. So after washing the sand storm off of us we loaded back up and went back into downtown. On the way to our destination our bus driver realized we were in time to see the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. Greece requires all males to enroll in the military upon turning 18. Some of those special soldiers are elected to be the guard, but they do have to be 6 feet tall. The changing of the guard is very symbolic for Greece. Every step and article of clothing hold special meaning. The ceremony is slow, as if in slow motion and takes place every hour to give to allow the guards to rest from their hour long stance.
We arrived to our Greek dinner and was greeted with singing and dancing and food and dancing and singing and food and dancing. A variety of Greek food
was served to each table. It was a loud evening but the kids enjoyed it. It was nice to see how the Greeks celebrate and all of the various dances. If they said Opa one time, I bet they said it 200 times and every time they said it, the crowd said it. They invited guests to dance with them and many of our group took full advantage of it. The belly dancers showed up and then the breaking of the plates. Everything you would expect to see at a celebration. Opa!
We returned to our hotel and sent everyone to bed for it was late and we had to get up early. But before I could go to bed, I had one last errand to run. My mother has this peculiar addiction to collecting rocks from different parts of the world and requested one from the Mediterranean Sea. So my sister and I went out after midnight, in Athens, and ran across the “most dangerous road in all of Europe” according to Mimmo, walked down a dark street, crossed the railroad tracks, waded through the weeds and out to the beach. We were using our cell phones for
flash lights hunting for her a rock and trying to not get caught by a rogue wave. After selecting one, we headed back and was met by a ‘street walker’ at the corner. She gave us a mean look. I guess she was concerned we were in her territory and ruining her business. She need not worry. We did not bring our ‘street walking clothes’ with us. We made it back to our room unscathed. I just hope they do not confiscate that precious Mediterranean Sea rock at the security area when we head home.
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