“Kids playing with me, house women waves their hands, elder treated me their homemade breads”. That’s what I felt in Greece, a friendly country it is.
It was just a short trip, four days only , I felt what I met , I wrote what I felt, that’s all the following about.
At eleven o’clock in the evening, I arrived to Athens airport with a little bit nervous, cause the time was really late, and I was totally a stranger for the city without any reservations.
That was always my style of traveling, but I was suddenly aware that maybe I am getting too old for such a style. Without too much thinking, , I walked to a travel agency counter in the airport lobby and asked for the hotel information.
“I need a clean and safe room.” I said.
The man on duty replied immediately , “Sir, you’ve come to a very clean and safe city, Athens. I said it not because I am a Greek, because it really is!”
With his statement and smile, this man really made a great impression of Athens and comforted me a lot. He gave me a map with the hotel location, euro 62- for 2 nights, the hotel’s name “Adonis”, 2 stars , just in the heart of Athens. I took Bus E95 from Airport directly to SYNTAGMA square, then 5 minutes on foot by following the map. Airport is quite far away from the city, about 38 km, 50 minutes by bus.
My room number was 301 , single bed, with a very small toilet room. You could have shower inside, but your ass might hit the walls if your bend yourself to clean the legs. Anyway, it was a clean room, that’s enough for me.
Outside the window there was a small balcony, you could enjoy the moonlight nakedly if you like! Actually, I did wish my neighbors to do so… but my sincere wish was turned down from God , no one was naked during the whole time. From the balcony you can see the famous Greek temple, Parthenon, directly. It was quite eye-catching because it stood on the hill in the middle of the city and surrounded by strong spotlights. Although I could see it… but only a half, the building across the street covered half of my sight.
Breakfast was served on the roof garden from six-thirty, now you can really see the whole temple on the hill while having your coffee. Parthenon was right under the sunshine, but… I could only see the backside of it! Come on~ it was just a 2 star hotel, Euro31-per day, breakfast even included what you could ask for more ?
Greek bread is really awful! Hard, dray and smelly! But for my energy of the day, I swallowed them together with a lot of jelly.
There are many small mountains separated in the whole Greece. And these mountains become islands after they go into the Aegean sea. Athens is right in the basin between 2 of those. There are 2 main hills in the city, one the old Greeks built a big tample on it, Parthenon, the land mark of Athens. The other hill called “LYKAVITOS HILL”, the highest point in Athens city. Church Saint George is right on the tip of it.
I walked towards to “Parthenon”. The alleys were very narrow and complicated, I just took Parthenon as my target, walk around it to find to find the entrance. Finally, I found the entrance but it takes Euro 14- for the fee! Besides the fee, I had to leave my backpack in the luggage room for security reason. That’s the most thing I was not going to do! To photograph Parthenon was my only purpose, I would never leave my equipments behind. By the way, almost half Parthenon was surrounded by scaffolds! Therefore, I decided not to get in and would shoot from outside with my new telescope lens or from the top of LYKAVITOS Hill.
I kept walking among the streets with my map. I found other sight points such as “Temple of Zeus”, “National Garden”, “The royal Palace”, and the sports field which they first had Olympics.
Athens is a big city, but actually it was not attracting me too much. It’s a modern city but not so quiet as the middle Europe cities, more traffics, more sands and dusts. Buildings looks more poor than south Italy. Besides the temples, almost no art sculptures on the streets. Not like in France or Italy, you see arts everywhere in the city. Here is… let me say… more Mid-East like.
I walked very fast and made a big round of almost half city, and got back to “SYNTAGMA” square again at twelve thirty. “LYKAVITOS Hill” would be my next target. But before that, I needed to have some lunch first, really thirsty and hungry!
I couldn’t even find a small resturant to eat! That’s was true! I walked through so many streets, there did are a lot of cafés, especially a chain store “illy café ” or some bakeries. But I just couldn’t find any small restaurants at all ! Finally I found a very small store called ”Mr. Chicken & Pig”, selling grill foods. I ordered a chicken kebap, Euro 2.30- and a cola.
After small lunch, I walked toward the hill. Small lanes laid across each other, I just kept going up and up and made straight path for myself. About 40 minutes, I reached the top, Church St. George.
The View from St. George was quit nice, you could see the whole Athens without any limitation. You could see Parthenon, and through Parthenon you’d see Aegean sea. Blue sky, small and white houses, hills around, temples and see. It’s Athens.
I spent quit a long time on the “LYKAVITOS”, the atmosphere is easy and peaceful. I thought it was more approaching to the trip I want, peaceful, quiet, without other tourists.
The weather was sunshine but quit windy on the hill. I left St. George around two-thirty and got back to my hotel after 40 minutes. Maybe I am really getting old or something, the half-day hiking was more then enough for me. After a shower, I felt into sleep in one second. When woke up again, it was six.
Evening is more bustling in Athens. I walked to the area which you could find many small shops selling souvenirs and everything, just like out night market. Some traditional restaurants were quit popular and crowded. The main food of them was mostly gill beef. One a plat, they placed 2 Kebaps, then 4 strips of grill beef, then Onions, tomato, and some cinnamon powder on the top! The name of the food was not possible for me to memorize. I could even remember one single word! Greek is greek. You could eat inside with services, or you could also take it away. The beef, tomato, onion, and potato would be rolled by a Kebap, just like Doner in Mid-East or Spring rolls in Chinese food. To take away cost Euro1.40-, and to eat inside would be more then 2 euros.
I bought four rolls from three different restaurants, chicken, lamb, and two beef rolls. Of course, not for long…. I started to feel stomachache.
The next day, good weather! I planed to visit one or two island near Athens and stay for one night. After breakfast with coffee and the backside view of Parthenon, I left my suitcase at the front desk, made a one night reservation for the next days after I came back from the islands. According to my original plan, I should took a Metro to the port “Pireas” with one-time change from blue to red line at Monastiraki station then to the end stop. But when I got to the Metro station entrance in Syntagma square, it was closed until eleven o’clock. I didn’t know the reason. One kindly police officer directed me to take the bus 040 directly to port Pireas. After 40 minutes, I made myself at the port.
“Pireas” is a small coast city with a big port. All trips to the islands would be departed right from here. Actually, Santorini could be the typical Greek image of everyone. That became the most reason I didn’t like to go. And it would take me almost nine hours on the boat, I could die on the deck. The nearest islands from Athens would be Aegina, Poros and Hydra. Aegina is the biggest of the three. But after chatted with some local residents, Hydra became my choice. It is a small island with some old traditional stone houses, beautiful and quiet!
I took “Flying Dolphin”, the only boat to Hydra at the season. Euro14.70- was the ticked.
The next boat was one o’clock in the afternoon. That meant I had to wait for another 3 hours. It was nothing bad for me because I could visit the city ”Pireas”. This town is very different from Athens, due to the port. Traditional fish market is just nearby. Venders yelling for their fishes, you smelled the fishy smell, you smelled the salty , you smelled the sea! Buildings and people were poorer here, many old people were selling small things on the streets, unorganized street-venders everywhere. That’s what you can’t see in Germany! Maybe in Napoli, but poorer.
Flying Dolphin left the port slowly, and speeded up really like a flying dolphin on the sea, Aegean sea. Until now I felt relax a bit, blue water, blue sky, sea-gulls leaning on the waves and flying closely when you passed by. I stood in the out-door area and shot the pictures in the wind, the wind on Aegean sea.
It is quite romantic to sail on the Aegean sea, even such a unromantic man like me would very like to admire it. The atmosphere was very different from Venezia, not only the color was more blue. In Venezia, the boats are their only public transportation, boats are their lifestyle. You can even see the traffic sign on the sea, and the see surface is also arranged just like our roads. But here on Aegean sea, you smell the relax mostly.
About one hour, Flying Dolphin approached to a small island, an old man stood besides me moved a space and pulled me over.
”Hey, after one minute, you must photograph from this direction, and you make wonderful photos! It’s Poros!”
It was true, after one minute, I saw the dock of Poros, many sailing boats, beautiful houses and a lot of sea gulls, Just like in the painting.
Flying Dolphin made a very short stay to pick up some passengers in Poros then moved again to my destination, Hydra. We arrived after 30 minutes.
Hydra island is just a bit bigger then Poros, but with less houses, shops and tourists. There is only one road around the island, no cars, donkeys are the main animal to carry the heavy stuff in the village.
.......To be continued
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