Athens! Yasas!
It was getting toward evening when I flew into Athens. There was just enough light to make the city sparkle–one of it’s unique traits that I noticed–meaning that the satellites/antennaes on the roofs of the buildings reflect the lights and make it look like there are white lights all over the city. It’s hard to explain, but when I post the picture from the plane you’ll be able to see it. I got in and took a two hour bus ride into the city. They dropped me off in Syntagma Square, the main transportation hub of downtown Athens. I happened to overhear a couple near me trying to get to Athens Backpackers, just like me. I struck up a conversation and we headed off to find the hostel in the winding streets of Plaka, old-town Athens. They were from Singapore and we had a great time getting lost, then getting on track, then getting back off track. We found the hostel at last and then we checked into our rooms and I headed out to get a gyro because I was starving: I only had breakfast in London that day. I ate somewhere in Chelsea and I got lost and ended up being way late to London Luton airport than I wanted to be because I had to figure out the bus ordeal and the airport was at least an hour’s bus ride from London Victoria. I was literally checking in for my flight as they were closing check-in.
The next day I took the €5 walking tour with the hostel which wasn’t really worth that much because our guide didn’t tell us much that was actually useful or memorable, but it did help me better understand the layout of the city. I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Plaka and Monastiraki, the old, old parts of the city. I had a frappe which was pretty good but the sweet and bitter combination was a little too much for me. It was almost intensely sweet and bitter at the same time. It was like heavily sweetened strong espresso mixed with a little milk, poured over ice and then topped with sweetened condensed milk. Some places stirred it until it became frothy.
That evening I went up to the rooftop bar of the hostel to check out the Acropolis view and the owner talked me into trying Mythos, a Greek lager beer. It was light and really refreshing considering it was a very balmy evening. I met some Australians, Canadians, and Germans and we later decided to grab something to eat at around 10:30, normal dinner time in Greece. I think it must be heartburn city for older Greeks, but I suppose they manage somehow. The hostel owner recommended a taverna called “God’s Restaurant” that was nearby. He noted that they wouldn’t try to rip us off, which was a relief since a €17 ripoff at the airport bus terminal was still fresh in my mind (don’t ask).
We ordered the house wine, both red and white, and I had lamb kleftiko, which was lamb baked in foil with feta, potatoes, and onion. They brought us complimentary dessert–panna cotta–and we asked our waiter, Niko, where to go next. He told us to go up the street to see his sister who was running the family’s gelato/coffee/liqeur store. What a combo, huh? All the essentials! She insisted we try Raki, the local moonshine, which is flavored with anise. Usually I hate anything that is liquorice-flavored but it wasn’t super-intense in flavor. She gave us some other stuff called Rakomelo which is a specialty of the island of Amorgos. It is raki but it is flavored with cinnamon and honey. It takes like apple crisp. After that we said goodbye, before she poured any more stuff and we all said goodbye and parted ways.
The next day I headed to Exharia, a neighboorhood in the north of Athens, to go to the Archaeological Museum. I had to see the statue of Zeus and the mask of Agammemnon. Turns out, those were the only real show-stopping exhibits. Everything else was just okay–lots and lots of statues of Greeks. There was an interesting exhibit of Egyptian artifacts that had been found in Greece. Oh! And the other thing I really liked was this very large bronze statue of a boy riding a horse. The expression on his face was so vivid and realistic. You could tell he was either being chased or he was in a race.
I left the museum and wandered around until I came upon the Saturday farmer’s market. It was amazing to see how they heaped up all the produce in giant pyramids. All the stands were so appealing to the eye that I don’t know how you could find a bad farmer in the mix! I had my mind set on getting an orange so I looked for the friendliest-looking vendor, a woman who was selling only two things, citrus and artichokes. I motioned for one orange and she motioned for me to just take it and said “next time” (as if I’d be there next week). It was so cute and the first real demonstration of hospitality I encountered. Little did I know that it would be one of only a few demonstrations on my trip!!! : P I walked down a side street, peeled it, and devoured it. It was probably the best orange I’ve ever eaten and the fact that it was free made it taste that much better.
I decided to have a late lunch so I went to a place recommended by my guidebook called “O Barba Giannis” and it was very, very authentic. I know because I felt completely out of place. I didn’t yet know the etiquette of eating in a taverna. One of the guys came over and I said “menu?” and then he said, “No. Follow me.” I followed him into the kitchen and he explained what was stewing in one pot, opened the oven and showed me the fish, and pointed to several other dishes as well. I could have just taken a fork to everything right there and then but it wouldn’t have made a good impression. I ended up having the oven-baked chicken with roasted zucchini in a tomato sauce. It came out very quickly because, after all, they only had to plop it on the plate! And it only cost 6 euros! I learned a few things from that first experience even if it was painfully awkward and embarrassing: when you are hungry find the taverna you want and just walk right in and sit down at a table, and have a general idea of what you want to eat…like “chicken,” “fish,” “lamb.” And when you’re done, try to have the exact change (Greeks HATE making change) and leave it on the table. Don’t know how much, or where for that matter, the bill is? Act like you’re getting up to leave and the waiter will know you are ready to pay. Most importantly, don’t go to a taverna when you’re in a hurry. That’s why they invented souvlaki stands.
I went up to Kolonaki, the posh Athenian neighboorhood just to see what was going on there. And I walked right into the middle of some big kind of rally. All I know is that a van was pulled up on the sidewalk and a huge crowd was gathered around it, causing a major traffic jam. There were policemen trying to keep these men from opening the back doors of the van for some reason. All of a sudden, they backed off and let this guy who was wearing a big, heavy black shepherd’s cloak let out a flock of sheep and stareted parading them through the street. The crowd cheered and broke out in song. Things got a little rowdy so I decided to split before I got injured by a wayward shepherd’s hook or lamb hoof. The good news is that I recorded video of the lambs jumping out of the van!
I climbed nearby Lycavittos Hill (no small task despite the simple-sounding “hill” designation) to get a good view of Athens and the Parthenon. The view was worth the climb and the city sprawled out as far as you could see. And all the buildings were the same off-white color and all about the same height. I climbed down and headed back to the hostel. Before I could get back though, an old man who was sitting on a bench motioned to his wrist, asking for the time. I said, “I don’t have a watch” and to my surprise he said, “You speak English!?! Sit down, sit down!” He studied me and asked “Where you from?” and I answered “New York.” He told me that he had been there (the city of course) and that he loved it. He asked me all kinds of questions and I found out that he was from Santorini and he was on a sort of Las-Vegas-type weekend, “gamble, meet ladies.” He was in his 80s at least. Eventually the conversation dropped off a little, perhaps because it showed that I was startled that he was still on the dating scene, and I took my cue to leave.
I dedicated the next day to exploring all of the monuments. I climbed up to the Acropolis early in the morning to beat the heat and crowds. It was amazing! And the surrounding views of the sea and city were also very nice. I climbed down and went to the ancient Agora (marketplace) and was blown away by how quiet and verdant it was. I felt like I was the first one discovering it after thousands of years. Some of the stonework and statues were a little overgrown with flowers and vines. The temple of Hephaeston, the best-preserved Greek temple because of its still-intact roof, was absolutely astounding. The friezes depicted the stories of Theseus’ adventures. I was pleasantly surprised by Athens and I say that because everyone had told me that it was a dirty city and there wasn’t much to do, but I thought it was great. I was nevertheless excited to get to the islands. I happened to meet two fellow New Yorkers at the hostel and we decided to split the cab fare to the port city of Piraeus the next morning. I woke up at 5:00 and met them in the lobby to catch the cab. After several tries to flag them down–they didn’t seem too keen on picking up three people with big backpacks–we caught one and I bought my ticket to Mykonos and sailed away.
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