Greece is the Word

And finally the trip begins. Here I am on the beautiful Ms. Rotterdam finally able to connect with the Internet and begin (in earnest) writing about my travels.

It has been a whirlwind weekend. On Friday morning MPF drove Grace, Dennis and I too the airport for our first flight (Chicago to Newark). We left a bit late, and it was a bit of a bumpy ride, but we had plenty of time on the back end in Newark before our flight to Greece.

Once in Newark we met Jennifer who had traveled via NJ Transit to EWR from Manhattan. Our flight to Athens was full with an interesting mixture of college students, families, and couples of many nationalities. Athens is eight hours ahead of Chicago so we tried our best to sleep on the plane. We had a good flight (overall it was very smooth) and landed right on time.

We landed in Athens around 10:20 AM local time on Saturday morning. After clearing customs and collecting our luggage, we met with a Holland America representative who directed us (and others) to the HAL bus that was headed for our hotel. It is about a 30-45 minute drive from the Athens airport to the Marriot (depending on traffic) and there was another HAL representative on the bus to answer questions about the hotel as well as Athens.

As we drove through town, we passed the Temple of Zeus and the original Olympic Stadium. It was a bright, bright sunny day and very warm (probably upper 70’s or low 80’s) that felt even warmer because of the intense sunshine.

Upon arrival at the Ledra Marriot we were surprised to learn that we had two rooms instead of one. Jennifer and I stayed in a room with two double beds and Dennis and Grace were right next door. The Ledra Marriot is a pretty nice hotel (not much different than other Marriot’s but that is a compliment, not a complaint). We had a very nice sized room with a large closet, TV, desk and extra chairs.

After settling in we decided our first course of action was food. One of the drawbacks of the Ledra Marriot is that is not in the “city center” of Athens. The location, just off a busy highway leading to the port of Piraeus, is a residential neighborhood and there are not many dining options nearby. You can’t stop four hungry Americans, though, and we ended up at an Italian café a few minutes walk from the hotel … ironically, right next to a Starbucks (they really are taking over the world).

While at lunch we decided that we would try and go to the National Archeological Museum that afternoon. We were determined to do things during the day to stay awake until at least 8:00 PM local time – therefore beating the jetlag (hopefully). We soon discovered, however, that the museum closed early so we settled on visiting the Plaka area of Athens.

The Plaka is at the base of the Acropolis and is known for its little souvenir shops and street side café’s. To get to the Plaka, we had to walk about fifteen minutes to the closest Metro station and then just hopped a train to the center of Athens (only two stops away, a quick ten minute ride). The Athens metro is very impressive. The city refurbished most of the stations in preparation from the 2004 Summer Olympic Games and I have to say that they were some of the nicest subway stations (and subway cars) that I have ever ridden in. The signs were in Greek and in English and were very easy to follow, all in all, a pleasant experience.

Needless to say, we girls really enjoyed the Plaka. We spent the afternoon wandering the old winding streets, shopping for souvenirs for others and for ourselves. Dennis brought a book with him and ended up sitting in Syntgma Square under a shade tree while we traversed the Plaka. That night we went to a greek restaurant in the Plaka area for some dinner and tasty Greek beer (Mythos).

The Plaka (below).

By the time we got back to the hotel on Saturday night (around 7:00 PM local time) we were really tired. It never felt so good to shower and climb into bed.

Sunday, May 25th

We woke up early on Sunday (around 6:30 AM for Jennifer and I) in preparation for the big day ahead. For the most part, I think our plan to beat the jetlag worked. We were so tired by the time that we went to bed on Saturday night that we were able to pretty much sleep through the night… I know I did at least.

After a quick stop at Starbucks for breakfast food (all the traditional cafes were closed because it was Sunday and the hotel breakfast was outrageously expensive) we made the trek back to the Metro and headed for the Acropolis. We had read that it was best to see the Ancient Greek site in the morning before the sun got too hot and before the site became too crowded.

I have never been a great scholar of classic Greek literature. The only Greek Gods I know are the ones most often mentioned in crossword puzzles. But I have to say, the Acropolis was simply amazing. In climbing up the huge hill that leads to the main attraction (The Parthenon) you get amazing view of the city of Athens and of the sea. But it is what you find at the top that is most worthwhile. A breathtaking view of ancient Greek architecture and history all rolled into one.

It was a good thing that we followed everyone’s advice and did the Acropolis early. Even at 8:30 AM the sun was blazing hot. There was some shade at the top, though, and when you stood in the shade of one of the amazing marble structures and felt the slight breeze it was actually very pleasant outside.

We stayed at the Acropolis until around 10:30 AM when we headed back down the mountain, jumped on the metro up to Syntagma Square and caught the end of the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Greek Parliament building. By that time we were hot and dusty from hiking up to the Acropolis and hungry for lunch. We decided to head back to the Metro at Syntagma and then went to the northern part of Athens for lunch and a visit to the National Archeological Museum.

In retrospect, it was a good thing we did the Acropolis before the museum. It had many treasures that have been rescued from the Acropolis over the years and it was fascinating to read about the different statues and building facades that had once been part of the ruins we had just seen but were now in the museum. The museum was also a nice respite from the heat of the afternoon and allowed us to slow down a bit.

We spent about a few hours at the museum and then re-grouped to figure out our next steps. Dennis decided to head back to the hotel for an afternoon rest but Jen, Grace and I decided to see some of the other ruin sites that were included in our Acropolis ticket. So we headed back toward the Acropolis to see the Theatre of Dineneasus. This is where the Greek arts really began and flourished. After the theatre we headed to the Temple of Zeus. We had seen it from outside from the bus on Saturday but the view of the site from the actual grounds was amazing. The same can be said for the original Olympic Stadium.

The Parthenon (1st) followed by the temple of Zeus.

We headed back to the hotel after this. Jennifer and I had a drink at the rooftop pool bar at the hotel. The beer was expensive but the view of the Acropolis was worth the price. We had dinner on Sunday night at a restaurant near the hotel and then settled in to pack our bags and get ready for the big day on Monday.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Today we boarded the Ms. Rotterdam at the Port of Piraeus. The embarkation processes went off well and we were on deck eating lunch at the Lido buffet by 1:00 PM. Our cabin is tiny but doable. The ship itself is beautiful. Right now I am sitting in the internet café/lounge on my laptop looking out at the sea. It is finally dark outside (it is almost 9:00 PM) as we head for Kusadasi, Turkey.

Happy Memorial Day to all those at home!