The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks (I just couldn't resist)

View from our apartment
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By Christina

After bidding farewell to our boat and its crew, we headed into Athens for three days to get rid of our sea legs and do some sightseeing. The first impression one gets of this city is that it is crazy crowded with cars and pretty darned polluted. We had seen the layer of smog above Athens from afar when we were on Aegina Island last week, so we knew it would not be pretty, but it was just toxic walking around on the streets. The traffic congestion was horrible (it took us about 50 minutes to get from the port to our apartment, a distance of about 5 miles), with cars, scooters, taxis and buses vying for road space in a haphazard manner. In order to avoid traffic, the scooters and motorcycles frequently use the sidewalk. This makes it a challenge for those walking and, evidently, the majority of tourists killed in Athens each year are due to Death by Scooter.

Temple of Zeus (kids and Dan in foreground)
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There also is plenty of litter and garbage strewn everywhere, even at the main tourist sites. While we liked our apartment, the neighborhood left a lot to be desired – believe it or not, there was the shell of a rusted out car on the sidewalk about 10 yards from our front door!! I think this may have had something to do with the fact that we appeared to be staying in the “automotive repair” section of town. The good news was that there are not a lot of pampered pooches around, so at least we didn’t have to worry about stepping in pampered pooch doo doo, as was the case in France and Italy.

On the Acropolis
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In many ways, Greece is a country not yet free of its developing world encumbrances. For example, you are not supposed to throw toilet paper in the toilet, not ever. Now, I can understand this on a boat at sea or maybe even on a remote island; but, in the capital of the country?  Apparently, the garbage cans in the bathrooms are to store the used toilet paper. Now, I know this is TMI, but I just found this whole thing fascinating (and a bit revolting). I just can’t understand why the government doesn’t update the sewage system.

Hat shopping
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Also, the service at most of the restaurants leaves a bit to be desired, with us frequently having to chase down our waiter to get menus, place an order, get the bill, etc. It wasn’t until after our third or fourth meal of doing this that we learned that by law, 13% of the price of every restaurant menu item is a “service charge”; this went a long way in explaining the laissez-faire attitude toward service.

Finally, the sidewalks and roads here are a joke, with enormous cracks, crags and potholes everywhere. Coming from Orinda, I know a lot about bad roads, and these are among the worst I have seen.

Making our lunch
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But enough with the bad and the ugly. Here’s the good: the underground is the cleanest, most efficient system I have ever been on, hands down. I think Greece put a lot of money into it when the Olympics were here in 2004, and it really shows. There is no graffiti anywhere (a huge change from the rest of Europe we have been in) and the trains run on time and go where you need them to go. Also, the people of Greece speak great English. In fact, it seems like everyone speaks English fairly fluently (especially in Athens) and we have had to remind the kids that they need to assume that everything they say can be understood by those around them. The English fluency has been great and has made things easy in restaurants and shopping.

Of course, the sights in Athens are marvelous. Although Grayson was hugely disappointed about all the scaffolding on the Acropolis (we all were) and the fact that a lot of antiquities are currently being moved to the new museum, we have enjoyed so many of the other places we have visited. The magnificent Temple of Olympian Zeus with its enormous columns, the masterpieces in the Archeological Museum, and the guards at Syntagma Square were all big hits. We also had a blast in the Plaka, the old eighborhood in the center of Athens, where we have shopped and eaten.

Speaking of shopping, we went on a bit of a shopping spree yesterday. Dan was itching to get a hoop earring to replace the post from his piercing, and my so-called sterling silver balls had turned green in the thermal spa in Italy, so the first order of business was a jewelry store. Mission accomplished. Then, Grayson bought a Greek fisherman’s hat, which he loves. Abby and I went into a leather store of the famous “sandal making poet” who had made sandals for the likes of the Beatles and Jackie Onassis. We stumbled onto this place (now run by the poet’s daughter) and ended up spending close to an hour chatting with her. It was great and we love our new sandals!

All that shopping worked up a huge appetite, so we went to a local taverna, where we let the owner order for us. We were smart to do so. He brought over an enormous platter of kebabs (lamb, chicken and pork), sausages, and gyros (pork carved from a spit), along with Greek salad, French fries, and pita fresh from the oven. It was a major pig out and we loved every bite. A couple from Singapore soon joined us at the adjoining table and we had a nice time talking about places to visit in Asia when we get there next year.

A brief word on Dan’s new look. We had a blast on the boat showing people Dan’s driver’s license photo and many of the passengers could not believe it was the same guy.  One of the passengers, Sybil (an American now living in Switzerland), told Dan that he looked “sexy”. Well, that was all he needed to hear. So, I think he’s sticking with the beard and long hair hippy look for awhile. Ironically, we have been through airport security twice today (I am writing this from the Athens airport on our way to Rhodes) and both times he has been patted down.  Abby thinks it is because he looks like a "criminal" (she does not like the beard and refuses to let Dan kiss her). Grayson and I both like the look, but are hoping he can tidy things up a bit. Let’s just say he looks a little scruffy (but sexy, of course).