Holiday Day four

A morning in Central Athens

Day four of our trip was one of those ‘hanging around waiting for a plane’ days. We’d booked a Welcome Pickups very welcome pickup for after lunch, and being the early-bird kind of folk we are, had done the breakfast thing and were ready to head out by eight in the morning. It was a sunny day, and although early March, warm. We were to be blessed with (mainly) good weather for the next three weeks, but we didn’t know that at the time.

What we did know all to well was that the hotel we were staying at had lift music. Just like you see in comedy films, we’d press the button, wait for the whir and clunk, the doors would open, and we’d be greeted by a clanging rendition of The Girl From Ipanema and suchlike. It got to the point of having to cover our ears purely to remain sane or opting for the stairs, but it made us laugh because otherwise, you’d go mad. Lifts were also to play a major part in the days to come, and we’ll be returning to the subject in due course.

Syntagma Square

The first stop of the day was just around the corner and Syntagma Square to admire its emptiness at that time of day.

[Syntagma Square is the central square of Athens. The square is named after the Constitution that Otto, the first King of Greece, was obliged to grant after a popular and military uprising on 3 September 1843. It is located in front of the 19th century Old Royal Palace, housing the Greek Parliament since 1934.]

By the way, these snippets of info are from Wikipedia, so if they are not accurate, you can blame the worldwide know-it-all population who keep the pages updated. For us, it was a case of killing time while doing something of interest, so we watched the Evzonoi at the Parliament building for a while.

[The Evzones or Evzonoi were several historical elite light infantry and mountain units of the Greek Army. Today, they are the members of the Presidential Guard, a ceremonial unit that guards the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Presidential Mansion in Athens.]

The National Garden

Okay, so square and Evzones ticked off the list, and onto the National Gardens, or rather, into them. I shan’t bother you with the basic Wiki definition of the… Okay then, I will, as it’s easier than writing it again. The National Garden is a public park of 15.5 hectares in the center of the Greek capital, Athens. It is located between the districts of Kolonaki and Pangrati, directly behind the Greek Parliament.

I’ve always found it a place of surprising tranquillity considering it’s bordered by wide roads and, at times, heavy traffic. It was still early morning by Greece standards, and there were only a few joggers, bird-feeders and yoga classes to disturb as we showed Paddington palm trees and parakeets, the petting zoo and the pond. We must have walked every path and seen every bush, which are labelled so you can read what they are, before we wandered past the Presidential Palace (more Evzones), and back around to Syntagma.

Coffee was taken at the quirky café whose name I can’t remember, but which offers all manner of delights, including a pavement-side view of a spat about parking. This entertainment, between a lorry driver and a fierce lady, included dialogue such as ‘why should you want to get that f*****g thing around that corner anyway, mal**a!’ which was very enjoyable and helped pass 15 minutes. (There was a lot of storming off and coming back, shouting at those trying to mediate and walking off again.) I didn’t dare take any photos.

To the airport

Back to the hotel to double-check the packing and make sure we’d not left jackets in wardrobes, that we had passports, tickets, money, bears, and that everything was paid for and we were free to go. Our taxi arrived ten minutes early, as they tend to do with that company, and we were whisked off to the airport. The usual Greek taxi interrogation ensued; where from, where going, what do you do, why Symi, how much do you earn, what’s the name of your first-born, and was it arrivals or departures? I can’t remember the cost, but it wasn’t much compared to lugging cases across the city. Mind you, I’ve been from Syntagma to the airport by bus before, and it’s not expensive and only takes about an hour or less, depending on traffic, and there’s always the underground for €10.00, but as I’ve said, it was one of those holidays.

Athens Airport has been voted one of the best in Europe, and I’ve always found it easy to handle and comfortable to wait in. It even has a museum to browse. As usual, we were there several hours before it was necessary, and had plenty of time to wander shops we’d wandered before, sit at cafés we knew, and generally poke around once our bags were checked in. It was an Aegean flight, so everything was on time and well organised, but we were checking the news as there was increasing talk of this virus thing that was spreading through Italy. Images of Rome deserted didn’t help our concerns that we might find London in the same state, but then it was still only ‘wash hands and try not to touch surfaces.’ Paddington, being a well-travelled bear, took further precautions.

He had a seat to himself on the flight, which was comfortable and on a new airbus that had a facility where you could track your journey, which I found fascinating.

We’d organised another taxi at the other end, though not through the same company, and it took a while to find the chap who was, allegedly waiting for us in a very quiet arrivals hall. We did meet in the end, though, and he whisked us off at incredible speed from Heathrow to the Covent Garden Travelodge which I’d used before. Except I hadn’t as it was a different one. Then it turned out to be the same one but another part of it, and once I’d seen the street sign for Drury Lane, I knew where I was, and Neil was happy. We were given a room in the basement which, at first, we approached with trepidation, but which in fact, turned out to be perfect. But more about that tomorrow.

A Day in Athens

Holiday Day three

This day started with a discovery of something that wasn’t there if you can discover such a thing. The thing that wasn’t there was Neil’s jacket, which he’d not needed since Symi. We searched but decided that it was either still hanging on the back of a chair at the café by the quay in Symi, or was enjoying a sailing in the cabin wardrobe aboard the Blue Star Xios. When leaving a café or restaurant, I’m the kind of chap who checks that we’ve taken everything (furniture and fittings excepted), and I didn’t remember seeing it on the back of the chair in Symi. So, we assumed it was still on a voyage somewhere, never to be seen again. Never mind, there are plenty of shops in Athens, and we could pick up another one outside of our daily spending allowance because this was, after all, a one-off holiday.

Meanwhile, someone was more than happy to lie in bed and watch us hunt through the suitcases and check the cupboards for the fifth time in case it had magically reappeared.

This day was our only full day without arriving or departing, and after breakfast, we set off to take a wander around and see some sights we’d not seen before. If there’s a checklist to tick off, then we’d previously done things like the Acropolis and museum, National Park, Syntagma Square, Evzones, Ermu, Thissio market, Monistiraki and so on. Today, it was the turn of the Archaeological Museum which we found thanks to online maps and Jenine (who you can see photobombing this photo).

Central Municipal Market

From the hotel to the museum was a steady 2 Km walk past the new Omonia Square development (then, still behind boards), and the Central Municipal Market where we called in to look around and ‘enjoy’ the smell of fresh fish and dead animals. It reminded me of Billingsgate and Smithfield rolled into one. A far cry from our small fish market on the bridge on Symi and our ‘Super Markets’ which I’ve always thought of as absolutely super supermarkets so no need to split the word – but that’s what we do here in Greece. (Even the current track-and-trace system gives you the option to dial for permission to visit the super market, but that’s just me being pedantic.) Anyway, the market…

Along the route, we stopped for the obligatory frappe and Paddington joined us to rest his legs, and take a break in that most traditional of Greek male rituals…

Onwards, the trek took us via a leather shop for a new jacket for Neil and on to Plaza Kotzia. [Kotzia Square is a square in central Athens, Greece. The square retains several characteristics of 19th-century local neoclassical architecture, such as the City Hall of the Municipality of Athens and the National Bank of Greece Cultural Center. It is named after Konstantinos Kotzias, former Mayor of Athens.] And lots of pigeons.

Archaeological Museum

Paddington was more interested in the pigeons, but we dragged him away and made it to the Archaeological Museum for a good, foot-aching, walk around. It was a school day, and there were a few parties of younger children on a tour with a teacher, gawping at the massive naked statues, giggling at each one left ‘in tact’ and being told by Teach that it was perfectly artistic, and also rather rare. Apparently, Pope Pius IX (r. 1846 to 1878) was responsible for de-manning many ancient statues, taking Pope Clement XIII’s fetish for covering ‘bits’ with fig leaves one slip of the chisel further. But that may not be what happened to these Greek statues, and besides, many in this museum are still pene integrum, much to the delight of class 4b.

I digress. We saw plenty of other interesting sights, including this collection of busts which was, believe it or not, indoors.

In the evening

After a foot rest and an orange juice, we wandered back to Centrum, and, on the spur of the moment, booked a session with the barber around the corner where I had my first proper haircut in about 15 years, and Neil had a shave and trim, making us both feel more human and slightly pampered.

To celebrate, that evening we went to Ciel in Mitropoleos Square. That’s the square we were in last night where playetes were smashed in Summer, but rather than being on the ground, we were several storeys up in the air, as suggested by the name of the venue. Popular with the young (and us), this café, bar, restaurant has wonderful views towards the nearby Acropolis, though my phone camera and night shots don’t go hand in hand so well. It reminded me of when I was young(er) and used to go the Roof Gardens on top of what was Derry & Toms and, later, the Biba building in Kensington.

I’ll close the day with a slightly better shot, probably from Neil’s camera. Tomorrow, we have a morning in Athens before an afternoon flight to London and the second stage of the journey to, and back from, Canada.

First day in Athens

Day two – Athens

Day two of our trip dawned peacefully and chilly while passing by Siros, Kithnos and Kea on the way to Piraeus. The good thing about the evening ferry from Symi is that you have time for dinner, and, in the morning, a decent breakfast, if you’re on one of the ferries that serve it. Unlike arriving at Symi from Athens, which tends to be early in the morning, you have time aboard the boat to watch some islands go past; the rest happen during the night. We were up and about early on our second day, catching the sunrise before enjoying a calm sailing into the sprawling mass of Piraeus.

Taxis

One thing I’ve started doing of late is organising transport before I leave home. Previously, I’d get the courtesy bus from the ferry to the dock gates (a 45-minute walk otherwise), cross the road and take the train into the city centre. It’s quick and cheap, but this time, as this was a special holiday, taxis were to be the thing. I used Welcome Pickups, a brilliant pre-book service that operates in various major cities. You do it online, state your arrival time and place, send some details including your photo, and pay in advance. (The prices compare well to other firms, and they track your flight or boat in case of delays.) Nearer the time, they send you the name, phone number and a photo of your driver who is invariably waiting for you when you arrive. That’s great for people travelling alone because you know who to expect, you’re not going to get ripped off, and you’ve already paid. They give you a bottle of water, maps and if you want, a good chat about things to do and see. Anyway… Our guy was waiting for us and whisked us off to the hotel.

Eating

We were staying at the Best Western next to the Plaka, a few minutes walk from Syntagma Square, and not far from Monistiraki, all our favourite places to visit. The day was mainly about getting a haircut, but the place we’d used before, Sir Barber just off Syntagma, was booked up, so we let that idea go and wandered Monistiraki and the surrounding area.

Needless to say, the holiday eating tour started well. We visited a place I’d been to with my mother the previous year (can’t recall the name right now). Then, in September, it was busy with tourists but also with locals drawn to the nightly live music and reasonable prices, considering it is right next to the cathedral. It was quieter in early March, and one of the attractions was the hostess who enlivens the guests by promising that ‘Later we dance Zorba. After, we smash playetes…’ in a drawling Australian-Greek mix. Great fun though there was no dancing or plate smashing when we were there. We also took a look around our locality and spied a barbers’ shop just up the road, closed at that time of night, and put it on the to-do list for another day.

Our main day in Athens was to be the following day when we had no travelling to worry about, and that turned out to be a walk and a half. More about that tomorrow.

Let’s go on holiday (Day one)

I’m not going to have much to talk about over the next few weeks because we’re lockdown again here on Symi. We can only go out for a few essential reasons and only then with permission, so I shan’t have any new photos. If I hear of anything suitable for the blog, I’ll put it up, but otherwise, I thought it high time I took you on holiday. Over the next however-long, we’ll be travelling from Symi to Athens, London, Canada and back on a journey that began in early March before the world changed. Basically, I’m going to tell you what we did on our last holiday and share some of our photos with you, and it might take a couple of weeks to get through, but hopefully, it will see us through our lockdown, and take you away from the pressures of your own.

Background

Last year, Neil and I, decided we would take that ‘trip of a lifetime’ and journey across Canada by train, something we’d always wanted to do. We were booked to leave Symi at the beginning of March, and when the time came, were faced with a dilemma. If we cancelled, we would lose a substantial sum of money because everything was, more or less, open, and there were no travel restrictions. If we went, we might find ourselves having to turn around and come back. Our insurance and travel companies were not paying out for cancellations at that point because things weren’t so bad, and the countries we were visiting were operating as usual, but under the ‘wash hands and be careful’ guidelines. Airports were open, nothing was cancelled, it was all going to pass us by as long as we were nowhere near Italy, and there were no cases in Greece, the UK or Canada. Things didn’t look too bad.

Day one

The first day of the much planned and anticipated trip started at the new dock on Symi waiting for the Blue Star to Athens. The ferry is much our preferred way of travel to the mainland (rather than flying), and we had booked a berth on the Xios for the 17-hour, overnight journey. The boat was very quiet, as it often is in the out of season months, but operating normally. We found our berth, dumped our bags and headed to the stern to wave goodbye to Jenine and Harry who had come down to see us off, and when the tailgate lifted, the adventure was underway.

The itinerary was set. Two days in Athens, a long weekend in London to see a couple of shows and catch up with some old school friends and family before meeting our tour at Heathrow. We then had 10 days in Canada including Toronto, Niagara Falls, five days on the train, and Vancouver. The journey home was to include another two days in London to see the Tutankhamen exhibition, and two nights in Athens to chill out before the boat back. All in all, about three weeks of travelling.

We were not travelling alone, of course, and you’ll see more of this chap as we go…

The first stop, after dinner, was Tilos, as this was a Friday night sailing. After that, we were up and about long enough to see the docks at Nissiros in the dark, and then Kos, but were asleep in our forward cabin by the time we reached Kalymnos. I have difficulty sleeping when on the move but managed a couple of hours in my bunk before waking up, creeping around and out so as not to wake himself, and watch the sun rise over day two. Which we will get to tomorrow.

Back to lockdown

I don’t think there will be many new Friday photos for a couple of weeks. If you haven’t already heard, we’re back into lockdown from tomorrow. Only seven viable reasons to leave home, and a form or SMS is needed before you go out. Bars, cafes etc., all shut, so today is Neil’s last day at the bar (it was going to be Sunday anyway). As far as I know, those traders and pilgrims already at Panormitis will have to leave as that won’t be happening, and there will be fewer boats.

Meanwhile… I must prepare a blog post for my other blog ready for tomorrow where I will be showing off the cover of my new book for the first time. Check in and take a look here for a regular Saturday post about all kinds of writer things.

I’ll keep slogging away here, but once again, the posts may simply be morning thoughts and photos from the balcony when we have the shutters open. And talking of photos, here are a few from the files. Have a good weekend.