"All travel has
its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to
improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy
it" - Dr Samuel Johnson.
 |
| Standing on Areopagus Hill, overlooking Athens. |
by Kudakwashe Kanhutu
Where do I begin? What style should I use? I think I will ask myself a few questions and my answers to them should be an expose and, hopefully, an advert for others who enjoy travel as I do, to also travel to mainland Greece. I also put a lot of pictures at the end which form a photo essay of this diary.
Why Athens?
My desire to visit Greece is in some way related to my Christian faith. I will tell you how. The place I have always really wanted to visit is Israel. I want to see all the places where the events in the bible happened; Christ’s tomb (empty of course!), Jerusalem, Galilee, Nazareth and a host of other places mentioned in the bible. But alas, the people who are currently settled in Israel are doing a lot of unchristian things to each other that I hesitate to visit. So, because of security concerns and other misgivings, Israel is not on my cards. Another country with such a long history and rich traditions has to suffice in Israel’s stead.
Greece is an old civilization that dates back to Christ’s time and even before. There is a strong tradition of Christianity in Greece. The Corinthians, a Chapter in the New Testament, testifies to these facts. There was even a chance of visiting the temple in Corinth which St Paul visited just after the ascendancy, but I will get to that later on. My draw to Athens however, was worldly and not at all spiritual. By this I do not mean I went in search of Greek beauties. No Sir. No Madam. I only mean that as a student of the art of war, literature, politics and international relations (worldly stuff), I am intimately conversant with the fact that there is a lot that the modern day world owes to Greek ingenuity. Democracy was invented here. Algebra (although I imagine maths students would curse rather than rejoice this fact), Geometry, Epic Poetry, Theatre, the Olympics and, a whole host of other things I am not aware of, are Greek inventions. Let’s quickly agree that I was under no illusion that I was visiting a perfect society. An amusing anecdote which forewarned me against this kind of illusion suffices at this point:
The Jerusalem Syndrome:
"The best known, although not the most prevalent, manifestation of the Jerusalem syndrome is the phenomenon whereby a person who seems previously balanced and devoid of any signs of psychopathology becomes psychotic after arriving in Jerusalem. The psychosis is characterized by an intense religious theme and typically resolves to full recovery after a few weeks or after being removed from the area.” (Wikipedia).
I read an article by a travel correspondent for Time Magazine a few years ago, who recorded, with examples, the phenomenon described above by Wikipedia. He recorded an American tourist who was picked up by police wandering the hills around Jerusalem in flowing white robes (presumably to deliver his Sermon on the Mount), then there was the burly German who abused staff at a Jerusalem hotel for preventing him from “preparing the last supper.” The correspondent explained this as how disappointment manifests itself among people who visit Jerusalem expecting an epiphany but, instead, find themselves in an earthly city with traffic jams and garbage disposal problems just like any other. They then enact what they expected to find! The point for me is not the accuracy of the diagnosis, the point for me is, thus, I did not expect Greece to be a model for all the ideals.
Getting There?
 |
| My Swissair Airbus at Geneve Aeroport. |
 |
| A first sight of the Swiss Alps en route to Athens. |
 |
| Crossing the Saronic Gulf starting from Piraeus. The wine-dark-sea of Homer's description. |
 |
| Crossing Aegina Island by quad bike. |
I love flying and, always have, since my background is in Civil Aviation. I even love the little noise the aerilons and spoilers make as part of the pre-flight checks by the cockpit crew. So you guessed it, a flight would be involved in my trip to Greece! I will repeat here what Sir Thomas More said in Utopia, that the dead can get to heaven from anywhere. You can get to Greece from anywhere, I live in London, actually Canterbury, at the moment so I left from London Heathrow. I hope you sense my disappointment in only being airborne for 3 hours (my journey time from my departure port), for when I travel I don't travel to arrive. The journey too, for me, is a part of the vacation. Having worked for a national airline, I tend to root for national carriers or big airlines as opposed to the budget airlines that have sprung up like mushrooms recently. The service is better and the safety record is quite excellent. I don't know about you but I am weaning myself off the Easyjets and the Ryanairs of this world, so I chose Swissair and, surprise, surprise, it was cheaper than the "budget airlines," they served me food and I didn't have to pay to use the toilet on board. They even gave me a free take home souvenir and some Swiss chocolate, now tell me; who has been perpetuating this false rumour that budget airlines are cheaper than real airlines?!
My Swissair flight was leaving Heathrow at 7am to Geneva and the onward flight would leave for Athens around 3pm. Here, I almost made the classic mistake that is to be avoided like the plague. I made the same mistake in January when I went to Madrid and earlier again in 2011 when I went to South Africa with a stopover in Dubai. The temptation is great if you are not wealthy, to exploit stopovers and take a quick look around the stopover city; so as to tick the destination off your places-to-visit-list. Rookie mistake! Not to be condoned by the serious traveller, in fact it should be condemned by the serious traveller. In January, I saw Madrid on the run; there was just no time. I breezed into Madrid Barajas Airport at 10am and my flight out of Madrid was at 1800hrs, there is no way you can take in a city's attraction in 8hrs. I literally had to run through Prado Museum in Madrid, who does that?! At the Santiago Bernabeu, the other visitors must have thought I was on amphethamines because of my agitation and impatience when they lingered too long in a photo op spot. Then, at the Puerta De Alcala, a man running away from war would have hung around longer to take in this magnificent sight. I have no memories of Madrid at all, I see places that I visited appear on TV, and I don't know even their names, let alone their histories. So it was, that, initially I was thinking to race into Geneva during my stopover, so as to get it out of the way but I, rightly dropped that idea. I will visit Geneva separately, soon!
London Heathrow. 27L?
The Swiss run a smooth operation, I hear their banks, clocks and even cheeses are of a very high standard. My experience with their airline confirmed for me the truth behind Swiss efficiency. Even on the journey, Dr Samuel Johnson's quote I used to open my narrative was being proved to be quite incisive. I would copy some Swiss practices in a heartbeat. We left Heathrow's Runway 27L like a dream at 0700hrs. A smooth flight and a dream like landing at Geneve Aeroport, with its stunning snowcapped mountains watching inescapably, ensured. Impeccable time keeping is one thing I would take from the Swiss experience. I managed to look around the airport briefly when I was there, but soon had to board another Swiss Airbus heading to Athens. The holiday proper had now begun!
What Sensations On Arrival?
My Swissair flight was leaving Heathrow at 7am to Geneva and the onward flight would leave for Athens around 3pm. Here, I almost made the classic mistake that is to be avoided like the plague. I made the same mistake in January when I went to Madrid and earlier again in 2011 when I went to South Africa with a stopover in Dubai. The temptation is great if you are not wealthy, to exploit stopovers and take a quick look around the stopover city; so as to tick the destination off your places-to-visit-list. Rookie mistake! Not to be condoned by the serious traveller, in fact it should be condemned by the serious traveller. In January, I saw Madrid on the run; there was just no time. I breezed into Madrid Barajas Airport at 10am and my flight out of Madrid was at 1800hrs, there is no way you can take in a city's attraction in 8hrs. I literally had to run through Prado Museum in Madrid, who does that?! At the Santiago Bernabeu, the other visitors must have thought I was on amphethamines because of my agitation and impatience when they lingered too long in a photo op spot. Then, at the Puerta De Alcala, a man running away from war would have hung around longer to take in this magnificent sight. I have no memories of Madrid at all, I see places that I visited appear on TV, and I don't know even their names, let alone their histories. So it was, that, initially I was thinking to race into Geneva during my stopover, so as to get it out of the way but I, rightly dropped that idea. I will visit Geneva separately, soon!
London Heathrow. 27L?
The Swiss run a smooth operation, I hear their banks, clocks and even cheeses are of a very high standard. My experience with their airline confirmed for me the truth behind Swiss efficiency. Even on the journey, Dr Samuel Johnson's quote I used to open my narrative was being proved to be quite incisive. I would copy some Swiss practices in a heartbeat. We left Heathrow's Runway 27L like a dream at 0700hrs. A smooth flight and a dream like landing at Geneve Aeroport, with its stunning snowcapped mountains watching inescapably, ensured. Impeccable time keeping is one thing I would take from the Swiss experience. I managed to look around the airport briefly when I was there, but soon had to board another Swiss Airbus heading to Athens. The holiday proper had now begun!
What Sensations On Arrival?
 |
| Enter, Athens |
Travel is a personal as well as a shared experience. My personal reason was, I wanted to take a break from the monotony of my War Studies that I had imposed upon myself during the June to September break from University. It was very important for me, therefore, that any political lessons be minimal for me on this trip. I took off my student-of-War-and-Strategy hat, and put on my indifference-to-issues hat. I was not even going to watch the news. But you also meet new people when you travel, so the personal agenda is not so set in stone. The way my travel was configured anyway, I was going to make new friends who would, no doubt, want to know my position on issues. I deliberately set this up when I decided to take the two day group tour of Delphi and Meteora with strangers, but I will come back to that later on.
On arrival in Athens, my Jerusalem Syndrome moment did not arise because, as I said earlier, forewarned is forearmed. Because I did not have great expectations of Athens, I was pleasantly surprised to find a smooth run operation when I got there. Courteous airport staff, train staff who make announcements in English and Greek, Sign posts with both languages, polite bus drivers and polite people who speak both English and Greek. You see, with French and Spanish, at least I know to say je'taime, au revoir, adios, ola, but I didn't know a single Greek word to save my life. I still don't!
The Greek are a friendly people. I checked into the Hotel Ionis presently and within 10 minutes I was back on the street heading to the Acropolis, Athens' main attraction. Would you believe it, I came back from my holiday without entering the Acropolis parameter because, like a madman, I had thought I can take in all of Greece's sights in 5 days. Rookie mistake! When I got to the Acropolis, it had closed for the day since it was around 1800hrs. I managed to get to Areopagus Hill which is adjacent to the Acropolis and affords the same stunning view of Athens as from the Acropolis. My Christian eagerness was satisfied here, for no other than Saint Paul preached to the Greeks from this very spot. It is said he told the Greeks at this rock that, "Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the lord of Heaven and Earth and does not live in temples built by hands." The Greeks had their gods and built temples for them, but they had an inkling of another god they did not know and St Paul opened their eyes to whom it was. Please go there for yourself, you will learn more than I did because I was, unthinkably at the time of the planning of my trip, pressed for time.
On my flight back from Athens the Greek businessman I was sitting next to jokingly asked me if I had had a helicopter in Greece when I told him of all the places I had been to and the ones I missed out on. I will quickly list them here: Aegina Island; Agistri Island; Lamia, Delphi, Mt Parnassus; Thermopilai, Monument of Leonidas, Thessaly Plains, Meteora, Kalambaka; Athens, Vouliagmeni Lake, Asteras Beach, Piraeus. In these major places there will little detours to various sights and places of interest, I missed out on a multitude of the attractions despite being in these places. I will also run down for you the places I wanted to see but could not; Mount Olympus - the home of Olympian Zeus, Cape Sounion and the Temple of Lord Poseidon the earthshaker, Corinth where the New Testatement Book of Corinthians draws its name from, Sparta, Crete, Mykonos, Chios, you name it! There is so much to do in Greece, you need a month to feel you have seen anything at all. But we do what we have to do.
What Did I Get Up To?
On arrival therefore, I had already taken in the Acropolis (albeit from a distance), managed to see all the attractions that surround the Acropolis such as the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Aeropagus Hill, Syntagma Square (Parliament House), Roman Agora, The National Garden, and the Academia. While these seem like quite a haul, the sights I missed are book length, Athens has that much to see e.g the Museums, Hadrian's Library, the Ancient Agora, Theatre of Dionysus, Panatheniac Stadium, name the man or woman who can list all of the sights I missed in one sitting! So it was that I would have to be satisfied with the few places I saw. As it turns out the Greeks are friendly people. I met a glorious girl during my walk around the city and we agreed to have to dinner at a restaraunt near the Acropolis later that evening. It is always a delight to spend time with free spirited people.
I was also aware that I had to take in the nightlife on arrival night, because although my main hotel was in Athens, I was going to spend other nights in hotels outside the city. This was poor planning again on my part, for it means I paid for two hotels on the same nights. Much later in the same night then I went club hopping in the Gazi District of Athens (the "Spanish nights" at Club Socialista was the most outstanding experience!) I have seen things. On the first night I did not go to bed until 6am, breakfast was at 7am if I was to make the early trip I had planned for my second day. Technically therefore on the first night I paid for a hotel room that I did not use except as a storage room for my clothes. At least I made use of the breakfast part of the bed and breakfast designation of my stay...
Cape Sounion, Vougliameni, or Asteras?
On arrival in Athens, my Jerusalem Syndrome moment did not arise because, as I said earlier, forewarned is forearmed. Because I did not have great expectations of Athens, I was pleasantly surprised to find a smooth run operation when I got there. Courteous airport staff, train staff who make announcements in English and Greek, Sign posts with both languages, polite bus drivers and polite people who speak both English and Greek. You see, with French and Spanish, at least I know to say je'taime, au revoir, adios, ola, but I didn't know a single Greek word to save my life. I still don't!
The Greek are a friendly people. I checked into the Hotel Ionis presently and within 10 minutes I was back on the street heading to the Acropolis, Athens' main attraction. Would you believe it, I came back from my holiday without entering the Acropolis parameter because, like a madman, I had thought I can take in all of Greece's sights in 5 days. Rookie mistake! When I got to the Acropolis, it had closed for the day since it was around 1800hrs. I managed to get to Areopagus Hill which is adjacent to the Acropolis and affords the same stunning view of Athens as from the Acropolis. My Christian eagerness was satisfied here, for no other than Saint Paul preached to the Greeks from this very spot. It is said he told the Greeks at this rock that, "Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the lord of Heaven and Earth and does not live in temples built by hands." The Greeks had their gods and built temples for them, but they had an inkling of another god they did not know and St Paul opened their eyes to whom it was. Please go there for yourself, you will learn more than I did because I was, unthinkably at the time of the planning of my trip, pressed for time.
On my flight back from Athens the Greek businessman I was sitting next to jokingly asked me if I had had a helicopter in Greece when I told him of all the places I had been to and the ones I missed out on. I will quickly list them here: Aegina Island; Agistri Island; Lamia, Delphi, Mt Parnassus; Thermopilai, Monument of Leonidas, Thessaly Plains, Meteora, Kalambaka; Athens, Vouliagmeni Lake, Asteras Beach, Piraeus. In these major places there will little detours to various sights and places of interest, I missed out on a multitude of the attractions despite being in these places. I will also run down for you the places I wanted to see but could not; Mount Olympus - the home of Olympian Zeus, Cape Sounion and the Temple of Lord Poseidon the earthshaker, Corinth where the New Testatement Book of Corinthians draws its name from, Sparta, Crete, Mykonos, Chios, you name it! There is so much to do in Greece, you need a month to feel you have seen anything at all. But we do what we have to do.
What Did I Get Up To?
On arrival therefore, I had already taken in the Acropolis (albeit from a distance), managed to see all the attractions that surround the Acropolis such as the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Aeropagus Hill, Syntagma Square (Parliament House), Roman Agora, The National Garden, and the Academia. While these seem like quite a haul, the sights I missed are book length, Athens has that much to see e.g the Museums, Hadrian's Library, the Ancient Agora, Theatre of Dionysus, Panatheniac Stadium, name the man or woman who can list all of the sights I missed in one sitting! So it was that I would have to be satisfied with the few places I saw. As it turns out the Greeks are friendly people. I met a glorious girl during my walk around the city and we agreed to have to dinner at a restaraunt near the Acropolis later that evening. It is always a delight to spend time with free spirited people.
I was also aware that I had to take in the nightlife on arrival night, because although my main hotel was in Athens, I was going to spend other nights in hotels outside the city. This was poor planning again on my part, for it means I paid for two hotels on the same nights. Much later in the same night then I went club hopping in the Gazi District of Athens (the "Spanish nights" at Club Socialista was the most outstanding experience!) I have seen things. On the first night I did not go to bed until 6am, breakfast was at 7am if I was to make the early trip I had planned for my second day. Technically therefore on the first night I paid for a hotel room that I did not use except as a storage room for my clothes. At least I made use of the breakfast part of the bed and breakfast designation of my stay...
Cape Sounion, Vougliameni, or Asteras?
 |
| With a goddess like Greek beauty at Asteras Beach |
The best beaches in all of Athens are in Vouliagmeni district, this is on coastal road towards Cape Sounion. I had planned to go to Cape Sounion and take a look around the Temple of Poseidon, the earthshaker. Homer gave Poseidon such a prominent role in the Odyssey and the Iliad, that I wanted to pay homage. I had to drop this however due to time constraints, instead of going all the way to Cape Sounion then making my way back to Athens seeing the beaches, I resolved to just go as far as Vouliagmeni and leave Sounion for next time. Cape Sounion out, it was a matter of visiting Vouliagmeni Lake which is a lake whose waters are fed by a volcano of some sort thus retains a steady 25 degree temperature throught the year. The waters are also said to have medicinal properties. I never tested this theory for when I arrived at the "lake" the Mcdonalds Syndrome struck! Anyone who has ever gone to Mcdonalds to buy a Big Mac enticed by the pictures on their lorries will tell you that the picture tells a false story. When I got to the "lake" I saw that it was not a lake but a pond and only old people frequent it. In my mind I had visions of watersports, yachts and etc, No chance!
It's only lucky that directly across from the "lake" there is a host of Athens' cleanest beaches, Asteras Beach being the best of the pick. So instead I went across to Asteras, paid my 10 Euro entry. This fee is well worth it because of the facilities you have access to, changing room, loungers, sunbeds, tennis courts, volleyball courts and the like. It was here that I had my best outdoor sleep ever. Asteras Beach is one of those shallow water beaches and the sand is ribbed due to the gentle motion of the seas in this part of the world. The waters are crystal clear as well and it was so calming and peaceful. I met some Greek people who invited me to a party later-on that evening but I declined as I had a dinner date back in Athens with the Greek girl I had met the previous evening. Asteras Beach also has The Temple of Apollo in its perimeter. Oh Joy! I could have stayed all day here but sadly had to return to Athens city. Vougliameni is the most affluent districts of Athens and I plan to stay here on my next visit.
Back in Athens it was dinner and the inevitable ending up in the nightclubs of Gazi District. Returning to the hotel at 6am as usual. It was on my way from Gazi on this night that I experienced discrimination, but not from the usual suspects, I will say something about this at the end under the subheading; politics. My return to the hotel at 6am was necessitated by the fact that my tour group was coming to pick me up for the highlight of the visit. A trip to the centre of Greece. Delphi and Meteora 2 Day Tour.
Was This The Trip That Made My Trip?
I must answer with an emphatic yes. Without this part of the trip Greece would have not been that attractive for me. I took an All Greece Travel guided 2 Day Tour of Delphi and Meteora. I will not preempt what this entails but only to say it has to be done. The best aspect was that our guide was an encyclopedia of Greek history, culture, politics, economics, current affairs, geography and add whatelse! This trip takes you to the ancient monasteries atop the massive boulders of Meteora on the Thessaly Plains via the Temple of the Oracle at Delphi. In ancient times, no statesman made a major decision affecting the state without first consulting the Oracle at Delphi. We left Saturday morning after our bus had picked up all the other tourees (is that a word) and headed out on the E75 highway towards Thessaloniki. I am unable to tell you much about the route as I slept like a baby on the bus owing to not having slept the previous night as I was out in Gazi. The only time I managed to sleep in my hotel room during this trip was in Meteora at Amalia Hotel, but that is only because Meteora in Kalambaka is remote and there was no nightlife near my hotel. I learned a lot here and made good friends with the strangers that made part of my tour group. It was a delight culminating with us having lunch in the shadow of the massive rock boulders of Meteora. All Greece Travel then returned us to our hotels in Athens by Sunday and I proceeded to stay out again in Gazi. So for 4 nights in a row, my main hotel room only served as a storage place.
Agistri or Aegina Island?
Both! Would I go to Greece and not visit the islands? No sir, no madam, not likely. Agistri and Aegina are easily reachable by boats from Piraeus in Athens. I took the Hellenic Seaways Flying Dolphin service to Aegina then onwards to Agistri. My plan was to to go around Agistri on horseback. It's quite a small island but when I got there I was already cutting it too fine and the horses were only available from 5pm. I still had to go Aegina, so was forced to take the bus and walk to the beauty spots of Agristri. I will not say what I saw at Halkiada Beach, #stillshakingmyhead! Go and see for yourself.
By the time I got back to Aegina, I was now in a headlong rush, there was no time. I wanted to see the Temple of Aphaia. Swimming in the sea there was no longer a priority for I had swam my fill at Halkiada Beach in Agistri. The best way to cross Aegina is by quad bike. I found this out quite accidentally after the bus ticket-agent had been very dismissive of me. Granted, I was speaking in English and he in Greek (my usual way of communicating whenever I travel) , but I am also very fluent in body language so I know if someone is being rude to me. I refuse to pay any money to rude people despite any inconvenience this may pose to me. This is my usual rule. So as I was walking away in disgust at the agent, I saw a good spirited New Zealand family who were hiring quad bikes to go in the direction I was going, I paid my share of the cost and we were off like a dream across Aegina Island returning by nightfall to hand back the quad bikes and re-cross the Saronic Gulf back to Piraeus. Oh Joy!
Incidentally?
Schalke 04, the German Football Club were in town for a Champions League match against Olympiacos Piraeus. When I got to the Olympiacos Piraeus stadium, I called on a favour from my Greek friends in high places and got a pitchside guest pass to watch Schalke 04 train for their game. Friends in the right places! This also became a sight seeing tour as I managed to take in the stadium. I love football so this was a good extra.
It's only lucky that directly across from the "lake" there is a host of Athens' cleanest beaches, Asteras Beach being the best of the pick. So instead I went across to Asteras, paid my 10 Euro entry. This fee is well worth it because of the facilities you have access to, changing room, loungers, sunbeds, tennis courts, volleyball courts and the like. It was here that I had my best outdoor sleep ever. Asteras Beach is one of those shallow water beaches and the sand is ribbed due to the gentle motion of the seas in this part of the world. The waters are crystal clear as well and it was so calming and peaceful. I met some Greek people who invited me to a party later-on that evening but I declined as I had a dinner date back in Athens with the Greek girl I had met the previous evening. Asteras Beach also has The Temple of Apollo in its perimeter. Oh Joy! I could have stayed all day here but sadly had to return to Athens city. Vougliameni is the most affluent districts of Athens and I plan to stay here on my next visit.
Back in Athens it was dinner and the inevitable ending up in the nightclubs of Gazi District. Returning to the hotel at 6am as usual. It was on my way from Gazi on this night that I experienced discrimination, but not from the usual suspects, I will say something about this at the end under the subheading; politics. My return to the hotel at 6am was necessitated by the fact that my tour group was coming to pick me up for the highlight of the visit. A trip to the centre of Greece. Delphi and Meteora 2 Day Tour.
Was This The Trip That Made My Trip?
I must answer with an emphatic yes. Without this part of the trip Greece would have not been that attractive for me. I took an All Greece Travel guided 2 Day Tour of Delphi and Meteora. I will not preempt what this entails but only to say it has to be done. The best aspect was that our guide was an encyclopedia of Greek history, culture, politics, economics, current affairs, geography and add whatelse! This trip takes you to the ancient monasteries atop the massive boulders of Meteora on the Thessaly Plains via the Temple of the Oracle at Delphi. In ancient times, no statesman made a major decision affecting the state without first consulting the Oracle at Delphi. We left Saturday morning after our bus had picked up all the other tourees (is that a word) and headed out on the E75 highway towards Thessaloniki. I am unable to tell you much about the route as I slept like a baby on the bus owing to not having slept the previous night as I was out in Gazi. The only time I managed to sleep in my hotel room during this trip was in Meteora at Amalia Hotel, but that is only because Meteora in Kalambaka is remote and there was no nightlife near my hotel. I learned a lot here and made good friends with the strangers that made part of my tour group. It was a delight culminating with us having lunch in the shadow of the massive rock boulders of Meteora. All Greece Travel then returned us to our hotels in Athens by Sunday and I proceeded to stay out again in Gazi. So for 4 nights in a row, my main hotel room only served as a storage place.
Agistri or Aegina Island?
Both! Would I go to Greece and not visit the islands? No sir, no madam, not likely. Agistri and Aegina are easily reachable by boats from Piraeus in Athens. I took the Hellenic Seaways Flying Dolphin service to Aegina then onwards to Agistri. My plan was to to go around Agistri on horseback. It's quite a small island but when I got there I was already cutting it too fine and the horses were only available from 5pm. I still had to go Aegina, so was forced to take the bus and walk to the beauty spots of Agristri. I will not say what I saw at Halkiada Beach, #stillshakingmyhead! Go and see for yourself.
By the time I got back to Aegina, I was now in a headlong rush, there was no time. I wanted to see the Temple of Aphaia. Swimming in the sea there was no longer a priority for I had swam my fill at Halkiada Beach in Agistri. The best way to cross Aegina is by quad bike. I found this out quite accidentally after the bus ticket-agent had been very dismissive of me. Granted, I was speaking in English and he in Greek (my usual way of communicating whenever I travel) , but I am also very fluent in body language so I know if someone is being rude to me. I refuse to pay any money to rude people despite any inconvenience this may pose to me. This is my usual rule. So as I was walking away in disgust at the agent, I saw a good spirited New Zealand family who were hiring quad bikes to go in the direction I was going, I paid my share of the cost and we were off like a dream across Aegina Island returning by nightfall to hand back the quad bikes and re-cross the Saronic Gulf back to Piraeus. Oh Joy!
Incidentally?
Schalke 04, the German Football Club were in town for a Champions League match against Olympiacos Piraeus. When I got to the Olympiacos Piraeus stadium, I called on a favour from my Greek friends in high places and got a pitchside guest pass to watch Schalke 04 train for their game. Friends in the right places! This also became a sight seeing tour as I managed to take in the stadium. I love football so this was a good extra.
 |
| Pitch-side with Schalke 04 |
I will be the first to admit that the things I did in Athens are dwarfed by what I didn't do, so I am going back!! Definitely. After the Olympiacos Piraeus experience, I returned to my hotel to change and head back for dinner in Gazi district and the usual night on the town. At 5am I returned to the hotel to briefly sleep in anticipation of my being kicked out at 12pm, I think the polite people at the hotels call it, euphimisticallty, checking out.
End Of The Trip?
You would think, but how wrong you would be! My return flight was not on Swissair, I had instead booked Lufthansa German Airlines. I have always had great respect for the Lufthansa's operation from my days at Air Zimbabwe. My flight from Athens was therefore via Frankfurt on Lufthansa with a 1 hour stopver there to change aircraft. All my life I have always secretly hoped for a delayed flight so as to enjoy a complementary holiday. To quote the brilliant Greek girl I had been in conversation with the previous days in Athens; "if you want it badly, the universe will give it to you!" How else do you explain that our flight that was running 20 minutes ahead of scheduled landing in Frankfurt suddenly was diverted to Nurnberg owing to freak bad weather over Frankfurt? How else do you explain that while we were in Nurnberg, the refuelling overshot the required fuel by 2 tonnes? All this time there had been an outside chance we may still make our connection with the London flight. Our Flight Commander on the Lufthansa Airbus A321 - 200 aircraft initially considered defuelling but overruled himself instead and chose to fly out then hold over Frankfurt until all the excess fuel had burned out. You see, planes cannot land with excess fuel. So a trip that should be about 15 minutes became a 1 hour 15 minutes flight, making it just in the nick of time as I am told Frankfurt airport closes at 11pm every night due to its proximate location to residential areas. Thank you universe! I got what I have always wanted.
SHERATON FRANKFURT!
End Of The Trip?
You would think, but how wrong you would be! My return flight was not on Swissair, I had instead booked Lufthansa German Airlines. I have always had great respect for the Lufthansa's operation from my days at Air Zimbabwe. My flight from Athens was therefore via Frankfurt on Lufthansa with a 1 hour stopver there to change aircraft. All my life I have always secretly hoped for a delayed flight so as to enjoy a complementary holiday. To quote the brilliant Greek girl I had been in conversation with the previous days in Athens; "if you want it badly, the universe will give it to you!" How else do you explain that our flight that was running 20 minutes ahead of scheduled landing in Frankfurt suddenly was diverted to Nurnberg owing to freak bad weather over Frankfurt? How else do you explain that while we were in Nurnberg, the refuelling overshot the required fuel by 2 tonnes? All this time there had been an outside chance we may still make our connection with the London flight. Our Flight Commander on the Lufthansa Airbus A321 - 200 aircraft initially considered defuelling but overruled himself instead and chose to fly out then hold over Frankfurt until all the excess fuel had burned out. You see, planes cannot land with excess fuel. So a trip that should be about 15 minutes became a 1 hour 15 minutes flight, making it just in the nick of time as I am told Frankfurt airport closes at 11pm every night due to its proximate location to residential areas. Thank you universe! I got what I have always wanted.
SHERATON FRANKFURT!
 |
| The Sheraton at Frankfurt Airport
I missed my connection flight and needless to say I was now in Lufthansa's care to wait on me hand and foot! This is exactly how I got my extra day of holiday in Frankfurt. I made sure I was booked on the latest available flight to London, so went into the city and looked around. I was struck by Germany's beauty close up and will still make a trip to take an even closer look. The highlight was certainly my stay at the shockingly expensive Sheraton Hotel. It is out of my league and even if I could afford it, I don't know if this would not put a serious dent in my practical-guy-credentials. All the same it was the most beautiful night's sleep I have ever had.
|
 |
Rooms at the Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel and Towers Conference Centre, courtesy of Lufthansa after having delayed me!
|
The Politics
In Greece? I was completely switched off from politics but I could not help notice that the good people of Greece have been made to suffer by the foolish decision to join the Euro currency. I hated that aspect about whoever made this decision on behalf of the good people of Greece. Secondly I also found it odd to see a lot of stray dogs on Athens' streets. Where was the GSPCA? A third point and this relates to the discrimination I experienced that I mentioned earlier. On my way from Gazi district at 5am one night I saw some black sex workers (one of my papers last year investigated the plight of people crossing the Mediterranean illegally from North Africa), here was a chance to talk to them and find out how it was for them. I asked how much the cost was (the cynic may think I was soliciting here but I wasn't, honestly), to which these women told me they don't deal with black men, they only deal with white men. If I wanted it, it would be 100 Euros upfront. Now you tell, rejected by my own people!
Would I Do It Again?
Yes Of Course!!
See you in Athens next year...
Photo Essay:
Below are some of the things I got up to. I would do it again. I apologise that the photos may be out of sequence as this is my first foray, but in my next article, there will be some semblance of order, so that the title photo essay will be apt.
In Greece? I was completely switched off from politics but I could not help notice that the good people of Greece have been made to suffer by the foolish decision to join the Euro currency. I hated that aspect about whoever made this decision on behalf of the good people of Greece. Secondly I also found it odd to see a lot of stray dogs on Athens' streets. Where was the GSPCA? A third point and this relates to the discrimination I experienced that I mentioned earlier. On my way from Gazi district at 5am one night I saw some black sex workers (one of my papers last year investigated the plight of people crossing the Mediterranean illegally from North Africa), here was a chance to talk to them and find out how it was for them. I asked how much the cost was (the cynic may think I was soliciting here but I wasn't, honestly), to which these women told me they don't deal with black men, they only deal with white men. If I wanted it, it would be 100 Euros upfront. Now you tell, rejected by my own people!
Would I Do It Again?
Yes Of Course!!
See you in Athens next year...
Photo Essay:
Below are some of the things I got up to. I would do it again. I apologise that the photos may be out of sequence as this is my first foray, but in my next article, there will be some semblance of order, so that the title photo essay will be apt.
 |
| The briefest of stopovers in Geneve on the way to Athens. |
 |
My destination (Aegina Island) viewed from the air, at this point I was thinking I will save some money by walking from one end to the other, no chance!
|
 |
| Looking up at the Acropolis on Arrival in Athens. |
 |
| Areopagus Hill and the Acropolis |
 |
| On the E75, heading to Thessaloniki |
 |
Matina and I, on the way to Delphi. What she doesn't know about Greece is not worth knowing.
|
 |
| Chicken Souvlaki and Mythos, could I get any Greekier?! |
 |
| The Temple of Apollo at Delphi. |
 |
| Contemplative at the Delphi Theatre. 5 000 seated! |
 |
| The Stadium of the Pythian Games at Delphi. |
 |
| Here, I conquered Mt Parnassus, The Home of the Muses at Delphi. |
 |
At the monument to King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans who held off a larger Persian Army so as to give Sparta a chance to rescue itself.
|
 |
| My Hotel in Kalambaka, to see the Monasteries of Meteora. |
 |
| Looking at the Rocky Forest (noun.) Meteora, Greece |
 |
The Author, suspended between Heaven and Earth, in Meteora, Kalambaka on the Thessaly Plains.
|
 |
| At the Monastery of St Stephen, Meteora, Kalambaka |
 |
| The waterfront at Aegina Island, the home of the Temple of Aphaia, Greece. |
 |
| On board the Carte Blanche II, on Agistri Island in the Saronic Gulf |
 |
| Hellenic Seaways' The Flying Dolphin XVIII |
 |
| Land's End. Looking out to Piraeus from Halkiada Beach, Agistri. |
 |
| Hiking through the pine forest on the Island of Agistri. I couldn't find the horses. |
 |
| Asteras Beach, Greece |
 |
| Greek Goddess at Asteras Beach, Vouliagmeni, Greece. |
 |
| Chatting to a glorious Greek girl, in hexameter, at Asteras Beach |
 |
| The train stop at Syntagma Square, Central Athens by my calculations. |
 |
| Areopagus Hill |
 |
| The Sheraton, FRA |
 |
| David and Goliath Statue, Frankfurt Am Zeil Mall |
 |
| The best night's sleep ever! |
 |
| The River Main, Frankfurt, Germany |
 |
| Oper Frankfurt, Germany |
 |
| Das Auto! |
 |
| The most common symbol of Greece, The Greek Parliament. |
 |
| A hidden gem, The Temple of Apollo tucked away at Asteras Beach |
 |
| Hellenic Seaways, Highspeed 4 |
 |
| Hellenic Seaways, Highspeed 6 |
