Athens

Athens

Two months ago when we looked into flights from Croatia to Athens nothing was available. The only connecting flights we could find were around $400 and so in a backpackers attempt to save money, we booked a long winded route to Athens. And so, at 5pm Sunday night our journey begins . . .

After saying goodbye to our friends from the hostel, Kendyl and I attempt to find the Laundromat as we no longer have any clothing left to wear. After an hour of wandering the streets of split in the unrelenting heat, we run out of time and so head back to our hostel to check out.

Breakfast time! The four of us that remain from the yacht week crew go in search of Musli and fruit for breakfast – a simple task one would think, but in a town where every breakfast menu consists of multiple types of omelettes, eggs and ham dishes – it is not quite so! Kendyl and I take matters into our own hands by locating the nearest supermarket and buying our own. We leave with fresh fruit, musli, yoghurt and what we can only assume is a carton of milk – there is a picture of a cow so we must be on the right track. After borrowing bowls and spoons from the hostel and being told that we cant eat our food there, we head off to the beach front and locate the nearest patch of shade under a beautiful big palm tree and enjoy a little picnic on the grass in the slight breeze. After relaxing in the shade we decide to make a third attempt to find the laundromat. A thorough map inspection and a few broken English directions later – success! We find an adorable little laundry with a very helpful lady. We load up the machine and I lie down on the couch for a siesta. After an hour with no aircon and sleeping on a leather couch I can almost swim out of there in the pool of sweat I seem to have accumulated. We unload the dryer and pay the lady 50 kuna – which is the equivalent of around $8. We thank the lady and carry our hot bag of clothing back to the hostel to pack our bags. After waking Claire we make a mad dash to the ferry dock, and with minutes to spare we clear the passport check and head up to board the ferry. The boarding ramp is a huge wide metal ramp where the cars drive up. I feel like we are refugees sneaking onto a cargo ship in hopes to reach easter island! We store our luggage and make our way out of the sweltering heat into the cool aircon and padded seats of the ferry.

After tucking up for yet another nap we are woken at dinner time and join the line of lemmings queing up to be fed. We are served gnocchi, some form of beef topped with bacon and cheese,  a bread roll and some kind of cake for dessert. The portions are huge – I guess an indication of things to come. After  a day fuelled on musli alone, we are greatful to receive it.

Five hours of ferry travel we arrive in Ancona. We have our passports stamped, pick up bags and descend down the huge ramp off the ship. It is around 11pm in Ancona and after searching in vain for a taxi we are informed by the local pizza store that there are no taxis, buses or trains at this hour. So, we are stranded . We meet a couple of young Aussie guys who like us are quite lost. We all sit down together to plot our next move. A very kind local lady offers to drive us to our hostel, we are saved! She drops us on a dodgy looking street, and we are the only females around with a few uncoothe looking men wanding around. We hurridly make our way to our hostel.

We arrive at the bottom of a long set of stairs and after a huge struggle lugging my stupidly heavy bag one step at a time all the way to the top – the next hurdle welcomes us. A very steep hill. But there is light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a small, dimly lit doorway to our hostel! It is now midnight and we are finally checked in. We receive our bedding and board the ancient elevator to our room. We soon realize there is no aircon in our room, so after a lot of tossing and turning we finally fall asleep.

5:30 am the alarm signals the start of our twelve hour travelling day. We shower, re-pack and make our way to the train station. After locating the terminal and a stressful wait in line we make a mad dash to our train – which, by the way is very hard in sandals and lugging a massive bag behind me. We scale another set of stairs, fortunately a lovely man helps me with my bag otherwise I think I would still be at the bottom of those stairs, and we are off racing again. We get to the train with minutes to spare, hearts racing and drenched in sweat.  That was far too close for comfort – note to travellers ALWAYS leave plenty of time for transit to allow yourself room for error. We store our bags and take our seat in the much needed aircon. Back to sleep for me.

Three hours later we arrive in Rome. The train station is huge and it takes some time to locate the ticketing booth. We take a number and wait in line to be called, there is around 100 people before our number so we settle in for the wait. After about five minutes we are approached by a random man. He is quite persistant in helping us get our tickets and manages to convince me to have a look at the self service machine. I am very cautious as Iv heard too many stories of theft in train stations. I feel slightly better knowing all my valuable items are tucked away in my money wallet under my top. He asks if Im paying cash or card and then quickly types something into the machine and informs me it will cost 14 euros. I have no idea what the screen says and so decide not to take his help and talk to ticket staff instead. I excuse myself and make my exit. We observe the man in action as he approaches other people in the station – it appears he helps you then charges for his service – nice try buddy!

Forty minutes goes by and finally our number is called, our tickets are issued and we make our way to the terminal. We board our train and make the half hour ride to the airport. After a snack and another set of long lines we are finally at the boarding gate. We meet some lovely American guys who are heading in the same direction as us. It is so nice how friendly everyone is when you are travelling. Once we are through the terminal we board a bus which takes us across the tarmac to the plane. We climb the stairs and it is a free for all as there are no allocated seats. We are lucky enough to get seats together and our new American friends are seated behind us. A large, loud complaining American woman decides to make a scene as she wants to sit with her family. She pisses and moans for the next 20 minutes, it has been a very long day and tolerances are low. After another nap we descend into Athens where Calires friend Demi is waiting to greet us at the airport.

The car ride to Demis house is crazy. The streets are so narrow and everyone parks wherever they find a spot. We miraculously survive, park and make our way up the beautiful marble staircase to Demis house. Her father speaks very little English but is at the door to welcome us in with open arms. After dropping our bags in our room and a quick tour of the house, he immediately wants to feed us. He gives us the most amazing chocolate and brings out a punnet of strawberries. After a conversation in Greek Demi convinces him that we are going out to get Souvalakis. He insists on paying, and after we have our food in hand we return to their beautiful home. The table is set and the food begins to flow. It is no exaggeration that te Greeks like to feed their guests! We have our souvalakis and chips. He pours us each a glass of red wine and places a large Greek salad on the table.  He then brings out a plate of delicious cheeses, which go amazingly with the wine. Then comes a large bowl of stone fruits and a plate of watermelon. He then offers us dessert, which we politely decline but are served anyway. This is flowed by a shot of traditional Greek alcohol that is served with Greek meals to aid in digestion – I think are going to need it. So now that we are sufficiently beached we thank the family and waddle down the hallway to our beds. It has been such a huge day but, but a lot of fun none the less. I have been in Athens for only a few hours but I am in love with the culture and so greatful to get the chance to experience the authentic lifestyle with Demis family. And so, in my food coma I happily drift off to sleep for some much needed rest.

The next morning we awake, shower and sit down to breakfast. Another lavish feast is about to begin. Home made bread and jam, cheeses, fruit and ham are placed before us in large quantities. After sufficiently stuffing ourselves to the brim we head down to the local travel agent to book our ferries to Santorini and on to Mykonos. Thank god we have Demi with us or this process would have been a nightmare! After looking through some local stores we head home to do some research for our next four days. Once again Demi saves the day and contacts her friend who owns a hotel in santorini. We get an amazing rate and she arranges for us to be picked up from the harbour. So with one less thing to worry about, we spend some time skyping friends back home. Soon Demis brother and his beautiful wife arrive and after introductions it seems to be lunch time. We are all seated at the table and two huge servings of home made lasagne is placed on my plate. It looks amazing but the serving size is about three times the size of an Australian serve. Then there is the salad, beans, olives, feta, bread and dressings. After we struggle through the delicious lasagne a huge ginormous plate of fruit is placed on the table. Then, when you think it is all over – Out comes the ice cream. So needless to say here comes another food coma. We look at the clock and it is 3pm already, time to get a move on if we want to enjoy some site seeing.

We head down the street and catch the train to the city centre, off to see the acropolis. We wander through the local markets full of beautiful clothes, jewelry and shoes, each atll owner beckoning us to come in and buy. We stop at one particular stall and go down an old stairwell to where a little old man is making the traditional leather sandals. He explains to us the process in which the shoes are made. It is such a unique experience getting to watch him at work and with Demi translating we learn a lot.

We reach the end of the market place and start our climb up the hill to the acropolis. We pay our 14 euro entry fee and continue the climb. It is very steep and in the hot afternoon makes for some great and much needed exercise. Along the way Demi explains to us the history of Athens and the legend behind its origin. The Greek mythology tells of a battle between the God Posiedon god of the the ocean, and the goddess Athena to be the protector of the city. The gods decided to offer the people gifts and let them decide who they wanted to be the god of their city. Posiedon raised his trident and offered water, Athena offered the Olive branch. The towns people chose the olives and this is why the city of Athens is full of Olive trees, yet there is not a lot of water around. . It was so great to learn new things along with seeing and experiencing the ancient sites.

We reach the top and I am in awe of the sites in front of me. I have always wanted to visit the ancient ruins and now that I am here I couldn’t be happier! As we approach the pathenon Demi explains how the Brittish stole a lot of the beautiful ancient statues. It is so sad to think these beautiful pieces of Greek history have been taken and now reside in a Brittish museum. After observing the gorgeous view and taking in the historical site and newly found knowledge  we head down to the over to the museum to observe and learn more. The work of the ancient sculptors is absolutely breath taking. The precision in every line line, and the way the sculptors subject is caught in mid movement gives each piece a sense of life. I wander around and observe each astonishing piece of art, drinking it all in. There is so much amazing history here and so many amazing historical facts to learn about Athens. It truly is a city so rich in ancient history and I am so humbled that I get to experience and explore a piece of it.

After we get kicked out of the museum we make our way back down the hill and stop at a huge rock that overlooks the city to relax and watch the sunset. The city turns from a brightly lit, compacted area of white houses, to the bright oranges and pinks of sunset, to a glistening cluster of lights, twinkling like diamonds against the deep dark sky. The acropolis also comes alive with lights and is a stunning sight to see. We continue our descent down the hill and catch our train home. We have decided to take Demi and her parents out for dinner to thank them for their hospitality, or so we thought. 

We get changed and drive to a little restaurant up the road. On arrival Demi informs us the Greek parents will absolutely not accept our payment and in fact they insit on paying for ours and that it is pointless trying to convince them otherwise. At dinner we try to insist that it would be an honour for us to pay for them to thank them but her father just shakes his head. We explain that in Australia we show appreciation in this way, he responds with – you are in Greece now. We counter with ‘it will really upset us if you don’t let us pay’ to which his response is ‘ it is better for you to be upset than for me to get upset’. We realise we wont win, so thank him and sit back to relax and enjoy a glass of delicious red wine. 

Then the food arrives . . . Plates of fried cheese, large salads, grilled zucchini, a traditional lentil dish, meatballs, chips, pastry filled with cheese, grilled peppers and of course bread. Our plates are piled high and it is an amazing feast. Then dinner comes out! We should have known. Huge servings of meat with chips and rice are placed in front of each of us. I am about to explode from the previous spread of which I thought was dinner – but in an attempt to be greatful and show my appreciation I reluctantly pick up my cutlery and begin to eat. I manage to get through about a third of the dish and cannot physically eat anymore. Breathing is difficult and I am certain one more bite will cause me to explode. After assuring the parents that there was nothing wrong with the food, we are not eating because we are full, we raise our glasses for another ‘chin chin’. Kendyl and I are in high spirits and giggling ike little school girls. We realise this is due to the fact that whenever our glasses appeared like they were approaching being half empty, Chris, Demis dad, would refill them!

Then dessert comes out! Seriously?????! After a deep breath, and two difficult, yet delicious mouthfuls of the cake and ice cream, I am beyond full and I think I can feel a heart attack coming on.

The walk to the car is a painful one, lying me on my side and rolling me there would probably be a faster and easier journey. It is now midnight so we definatley need to gte as much sleep as we can before our 5am start in the morning. After hugs, thank you’s and good byes we waddle down the hall to collapse on our beds in a food coma induced sleep.

The alarm is beeping at 5am sharp. I roll out of bed (still full) have a quick shower and head to the taxi with the girls. Demi explains to the driver where we need to go and after we say goodbye we jump into the cab where another insane ride ensues. Driving  8okm an hour through narrow 50km speed limited streets, our driver taking photos of the moon and updating facebook along the way, we somehow make the marina in one piece. We pay him the 23 euro, thank him and join the que for our 4.5 hour ferry ride to Santorini.

We locate our seats, figure out how to recline them and lie back to catch up on some much needed sleep. When we wake we will be in beautiful Santorini for two days of site seeing and a lot of relaxation. Or so we thought . . . .