Return to Athens

Friday October 7, 2011

Alas it was time to leave our floating adventure station and head back to our hotel in Athens. We have had such a grand time making new friends, seeing exotic places and getting only a tiny nibble of the smorgasbord of exciting travel experiences just waiting to be tasted. When we got to our hotel it was too early to check in but we were able to store any luggage we didn't want with us and board the shuttle arranged to take us to Syntagma square. From there we wandered over to an area of town we had not been to before. We found the ancient Agora or market place. When we approached the gate to inquire about cost we were delighted to hear “today is free” and she gave us tickets for area which included the museum. This is the area at the foot of Mars hill. We were amazed at the scene the signs revealed to us. Each step we took brought us to a new temple dedicated to another god. There were several and then one still standing. It was much larger than the ones we had seen the foundations for. Standing on a rise it was quite impressive. We saw it later in the evening when we came to the same area on our way to the restaurant and it was lit up. Gorgeous! After walking through the large market area we made our way up on the huge chunk of marble known as Mars hill. I could just hear Paul's discourse as he talked of their temples to so many gods and how they in fact had named one to the unknown god just in case they had missed one and then how he bore testimony of how the god unknown to them was Jesus Christ. I have always loved that passage of scripture and now I was here getting a little taste of how Paul must have felt. The museum had many interesting bits and pieces of the rubble of living, pots, jewelry, voting discs, burial paraphernalia ... a real assortment of interesting things. I loved the voting system. Names were written on a disc that was cast into an area. When they were counted the person with the most votes was exiled for 10 years. Isn't that the best!!!

We made our way back through the streets now busy with the business of the day, dodging enthusiastic shop keepers and those the locals call gypsies that want to sell you something out of the bag they carry or are begging on the streets. It is hard to discern who you should help out.

After catching the shuttle back to the Metropolitan hotel we checked in and had a relaxing afternoon napping and spending time up on the roof top by the pool watching the kids of an Australian family, who were with our group on the cruise, splash around and have fun in the pool. It was not hot enough to tempt me to get wet.

The evening supper was to be in a little taverna in the Psiri district of Athens which is at the foot of the Acropolis. The bus diver dropped us where we could get pictures of the Acropolis lit up at night. Foolishly Dad had left his camera back at the hotel and mine had very low battery so picture taking was disappointing. The meal however was not. We wound our way through the narrow streets through a very run down area but finally came out on streets lit up with Tavernas and clubs where music played and groups gathered to be wined and dined. Sprite for us but the rest of the group enjoyed the “anything you want to drink included”. The meal started with appetizers that included delicious puff pastry chicken pies and dill zucchini balls which were a potato, zucchini and dill mixture rolled into ball, coated with a crumb crust and deep fat fried or baked I wasn't sure. They were light and yummy. We had Greek salad with the best feta cheese I have had. Then our main dish was assorted meats on a platter with french fried potatoes (as popular here as North America). By this time we were starting to feel stuffed. Dessert was assorted fresh fruit and brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce. Needless to say, by the time we were done we felt like we would never have to eat again. When we returned to our hotel we said our good byes to our new made friends. It was sad our time together was over. Many of them had early flights home or on to the next leg of their own adventures. We were packed up and a little unsure of our schedule for leaving as the only way to find out was go to the bus station and find out for sure about departures. Like a lot of things in Greece there are no absolutes just probabilities.

From what we could determine the bus leaves either at 9:45 or 10:00 on a Saturday but with a warning “times are subject to change”. We shall try to arrive in plenty of time.