Parthenon
I left LAX via United Airlines, using free air miles, at 5:50 p.m., Wednesday, on a 10–hour nonstop flight to Heathrow (London). Lots of turbulence over the Eastern U.S. and the North Atlantic. I don’t think everyone on the plane got breakfast served as the hostesses were ordered by the captain not to move around. We arrived at Heathrow at 12:15 p.m., Thursday. It was raining in London. I got some sleep on the plane, but the walk at Heathrow from the international terminal to the connecting flights terminal is long enough to completely wake you up. I had a 3–hour layover at Heathrow and had plenty of time to look at the airport shops and to have my first cup of European coffee––it was great! Then, I got on a Lufthansa plane to Munich, Germany, and almost right on another Lufthansa plane to Athens, Greece. I arrived in Athens at 10:30 p.m., Thursday. Total travel time not including getting to LAX and to my hotel in Athens: 14 hours, 40 minutes. Athens is 10 hours ahead of Los Angeles time. I had read in my travel book that the taxi fare at night from the Athens airport is horrendous, so I had arranged to be picked up by a shuttle––which didn’t show up. So, I had to pay the horrendous taxi fare to get to my hotel in Athens. I arrived about 12 midnight. The photo is of the Parthenon, the most famous building in Athens. I did see it lit up that night, but I took this photo of it the next day.
Parthenon
Lost in the Plaka
It is already Friday morning. I had a very good buffet breakfast at my hotel, the Royal Olympia (breakfast was included in the room rate) and met the Trafalgar rep who had a desk in the hotel lobby. He welcomed me to Athens. I was to be on my own for 8 days before my Trafalgar tour started, but Trafalgar did keep an eye out to make sure all went well with me. I decided to make this a short sightseeing day as I knew that at any moment I would start to doze off because of the time change. I set out to see a “hidden” section of Athens called the Anafiotika, which I read was at the foot of the Acropolis. First, I had to find the Acropolis. I took three maps of Athens with me and how I got so lost I contribute to not being able to read maps and jet lag and anyway my travel guide did say that this section was “hidden.” But I found out some very nice things about the Greek people on my hunt for Anafiotika––they are very friendly people, very helpful to lost tourists, and almost all Greeks speak English. I was making friends just by using two Greek words that I asked my taxi driver to teach me: “yai sou” (hello) and “efharrysto” (thank you). But each time I asked someone the direction to the Acropolis, they would give me only two directions, such as turn right and then left. So, after turning right and left, I had to ask again for directions. But I did finally find the Acropolis and got to take some photos along the way. I was mainly walking the Plaka section (the old section) of Athens. I passed these interesting signs along the way.
Lost in the Plaka
Sign in the Plaka
Parking sign in both Greek and English. Most of the signs in Greece were both in Greek letters and in Latin letters, with the Latin letter translations either in English or close to it.
Sign in the Plaka
Taverna
In the Plaka, I was told to turn right and then go up a hill and next go down another hill and I would see the Acropolis, which I did. I would never have passed this section of tavernas up on the hill if I had not have gotten lost. The Plaka is made up of a maze of streets and I don’t think you would see all of it unless you walked around it for days. Too early for the tables to be filled with diners.
Taverna
Taverna Sign
Since the menu is in English, then tourists must make it up this hill.
Taverna Sign
Another Taverna
Another taverna (tabepna) seen along the way.
Another Taverna
The Acropolis
I found the Acropolis and tried to figure out where the foot of it was, where I would find Anafiotika. I was directed back up another hill around the other side of the Acropolis and told to keep walking on that pathway. I was simply at the wrong foot of the Acropolis. Photo: Walking around the Acropolis.
The Acropolis
View of Athens
A view of the huge city of Athens from near the Acropolis. The ancient building with the columns is the Theseion, the Temple of Hephaistos, which I would visit tomorrow.
View of Athens
Old House
I was now on the part of the path that I believed was at the foot of the Acropolis. I was still on a hill. I passed this very old house. Surprisingly, we didn’t see too many old houses such as this one on our trip through Greece, probably because of the number of earthquakes that they have had.
Old House
Restaurant
A restaurant I passed built into the hill. I wonder if diners actually sit at the lower table.
Restaurant
Agios Georgios tou Vrachou
I was now at the end of the path and at this church. A priest was standing outside the church and I asked him where Anafiotika was. He said go back a bit the way I had come and then go down the steps down another hill (it did turn out that this church was in the Anafiotika section and that one of the pathways into it was on the side of the church). The priest invited me into the church, which did surprise me as I didn’t think that I was dressed properly (my travel book said that women needed to wear a skirt to enter Greek churches––this turned out to be mostly incorrect). It also surprised me that I was allowed to take photos (my travel guide said that you cannot take photos inside the Greek churches––again this was mostly wrong). Part of this church dates back to the 13th century accoring to the priest. You can see the Acropolis in the background in the photo.
Agios Georgios tou Vrachou
Ayios Georgios tou Vrachou
Inside the church. Similar to the other Greek Orthodox churches that I visited, this church had many icons and frescoes, but no statues.
Ayios Georgios tou Vrachou
Ayios Georgios tou Vrachou
More of inside this beautiful church.
Ayios Georgios tou Vrachou
Ayios Georgios tou Vrachou
This church is unusual as it has parts of old columns in it. I am unable to find out how old the columns are.
Ayios Georgios tou Vrachou
Side Street
Side street that I passed walking down the steps.
Side Street
Steps
I got down to the bottom of the steps and, of course, was told to walk back up them to get to Anafiotika. This was a beautiful area of Athens, with restaurants and some shops on the steps.
Steps
Taverna
A taverna on the steps. I came back later and ate at the front table. This was my first experience eating at a Greek restaurant. A large bottle of water was placed on the table––if you drank from it, you were charged for water. Also, bread was placed on the table, and likewise. I ordered Greek salad and chicken souvalaki (we would call it chicken shish kebob), which came with rice. This was my first of many Greek salads: a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper, Bermuda onions, and sometimes, but not always, some lettuce. It is topped with a large slice of feta cheese with herbs on it and dressed with Greek olive oil and vinegar. Very good. The chicken souvlaki was so so. Total, without tip, 19.40 euros. I found that I couldn’t eat that big of a meal during the day and cut back on what I ordered for lunch.
Taverna
Anafiotika
Anafiotika found! I found Stratonos Street, one of the streets mentioned in my travel guide of bordering the area. My book wrote of Anafiotika: “The fishing village … marooned in central Athens…This tiny district at the foot of the Acropolis is the most beautiful and quirkly hidden spot in all of Athens.” It was definitely hidden but not beautiful. In the 19th century, trademen came to Athens from the island of Anafi, one of the Greek Cycladic Islands. They came to build the King’s palace but missed their home so much that they re–created their island home here in Athens. They built dome–topped blue and white houses and a maze of passages.
Anafiotika
Anafiotika
One of the passageways in Anafiotika. There weren’t any dome–shaped roofs here and not all the houses were blue and white; in fact, many of the houses were in disrepair. You can see Lycabettus Hill in the background. I went up to the top of this hill on another day.
Anafiotika
Anafiotika
These girls let me take their photo.
Anafiotika
Anafiotika
More of Anafiotika.
Anafiotika
Anafiotika
More of Anafiotika. Actually, these houses make up a photo in my travel book.
Anafiotika
Anafiotika
Drawing of a girl on a building. I saw this girl drawn on a number of buildings in Greece, but I have no information about her.
Anafiotika
Anafiotika
Stray cats and dog on a street in Anafiotika. One thing that you notice very soon when you visit Athens are the number of stray dogs and cats in the city. It is somewhat confusing at first as some of the dogs have collars on them but these dogs stay in the same areas as the collarless dogs. We got the scoop on this: Dogs are allowed to run loose but there is a program to pick them up and take them to the vet to get shots and to be neutered and when this is done a collar is placed on the dog. The dog also then becomes the property of the mayor of Athens. The neutering will eventually take care of the stray dog problem––a totally Greek way of doing something about stray animals. However, there still appeared to be many dogs without collars on them. The dogs roaming around do not bother people and look adequately fed. After about four days in Athens, they become just part of the Athens scene to its visitors. I don’t know if there is a program for cats, but the cats also look adequately fed and taken care of.
Anafiotika
Anafiotika
View of the street from the other direction. I walked back down the steps and saw the man who gave me directions up the steps and told him that I had found Anafiotika. He said, “Not like you expected it to be, was it?” No, it wasn’t, but if I go back to Athens someday, I will do more exploring of the area. One problem that I had was trying to figure out its passageway system, probably made confusing to keep conquerers or visitors out.
Anafiotika
The Plaka
Somehow, I figured out that if I walked downhill I would end up in the Plaka area, which I did. The Plaka’s maze of streets are full of stores and tavernas. Here are some photos of the souvenirs for sale. First, cotton shirts and skirts.
The Plaka
The Plaka
Handbags.
The Plaka
The Plaka
All kinds of nuts.
The Plaka
The Plaka
Real sponges.
The Plaka
The Plaka
Bracelets and necklaces to ward off the Evil Eye.
The Plaka
The Plaka
Heads of statues.
The Plaka
The Plaka
Icons.
The Plaka
The Plaka
T–shirts. I went back to buy this one for my brother in law.
The Plaka
The Plaka
Ouzo.
The Plaka
The Plaka
More T–shirts.
The Plaka
The Plaka
More tavernas. I found my way back to my hotel and passed the street to the Acropolis that I had tried to find this morning. It would have taken me about five minutes to have gotten there. I went to the local Internet cafe to e–mail my family and then took a long nap. I ate dinner at a very good restaurant right next to my hotel: very tasty lamb shish kebob, rice, crusty bread, diet coke, baklava (yum––not as overly sweet as in the U.S.), and coffee––18,80 euros plus tip.
