Arrival in Athens
We left Durban on Sunday, 16 September in the afternoon and departed from the dark and oppressive International Departures area of Oliver Tambo (AKA Johannesburg International) Airport at 7:40pm.
I was excited (naturally) and quite a bit nervous. This was my first overseas trip in 11 years, and back in 1996 it was my parents who bore all the responsibilities of checking in, having passports and plane tickets on hand for boarding, sorting out luggage etc. Doing things on my own, I tended towards over-organisation. I’d been packing since the beginning of the week. Hell, I even had original medical prescriptions in case I was questioned about the drugs I was bringing into the country.
The 8h 40min flight to Athens on Olympic Airlines was perfectly fine – I struggle to sleep on planes, and probably got 4 hours sleep if that. And for the record, yes they were showing 300 on the in-flight entertainment system… back in July. We got to watch Wild Hogs and Fracture, complete with the always amusing family-friendly dubbing: “You son of a Biscuit!”
Having been woken at 3am for breakfast, we landed in Athens at 5:45am (they’re 1 hour ahead of us). I was exceptionally grateful for my European Union passport, which meant I could breeze through Passport Control while Paul had to queue for an hour with the rest of the unwashed masses to have his visa scrutinised at the counter.
We checked into Hotel Arion in the Monastiraki area, which looks like the Moore Road area combined with plenty of touristy shops, tearoom-like kiosks, pastry stores and bread vendors – minus the burglar guards of course. We had a room on the 7th floor, right next to the rooftop sundeck that looks up at the Acropolis. We couldn’t resist the photo opportunity.
From there, Paul had to work, so after navigating the Metro to his office, I explored a bit.
Mostly I roamed around the nearby, oh-so-originally named The Mall, one of the largest shopping centres in Europe. Youth culture is pretty much the same the world over, although it was interesting to discover that surf brands are more premium in Europe than designer labels like Puma and Guess. A Billabong shirt you’d buy here for R130 is retailing there for R400+.
Other interesting stores included one entirely devoted to expresso machines (Greeks LOVE their coffee, hot or iced), and a ton of specialist children’s fashion stores. Oh, and shoes! I’ve never seen men so interested in footwear before. Leather is one of Greece’s specialities.
Back at the hotel in the evening we met our Contiki Tour manager and the other people on the Spotlight on Greece tour with us: a mix of Americans, Canadians, Aussies and a British guy. Although there were some Under 20s on the tour (doing the “gap year” thing), mostly our group was a 20-something white-collar collection of doctors, insurance agents, lawyers, accountants and IT programmers.
Our first tour activity was a traditional 3-course Greek Dinner at the nearby Plaka area, which is at the foot of the Acropolis (lit up at night), and home to a ton of restaurants (tavernas) and touristy stores. The meal: Greek salad, Tzatziki cucumber dip, fried aubergines, cheese pastry, sausage, haricot beans in a tomato sauce, souvlaki (chicken or pork kebabs) with roast potatoes and savoury rice, and a slice of condense milk-based ice cream for dessert. Water and a thick crusted white bread accompanies every meal, and we also shared bottles of local semi-sweet red and white wine.
Afterwards we headed back to the hotel through some streets that we’d NEVER use after dark in South Africa. Some of the other tour members went clubbing but Paul and myself were exhausted and needed some sleep before the early start the next day.
To keep this update a bit simpler, I’ll also mention here what we did on our first proper tour day (Tuesday, 18 Sept) before we left Athens on our coach towards midday. First up was a guided tour of the Acropolis, where we first really encountered the tourist crowds. There are a lot of “seniors” tourists who visit Greece, particularly American retirees.
I have some better pics of Paul and myself up close at the Parthenon but Paul has to convert them from RAW format still. Here in the meanwhile are 2 buildings at the foot of the Acropolis. First is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, which is still used for operas and assorted other cultural events. This pic is followed by the Theatre of Dionysos, where many of the great Greek comedies and tragedies were performed for the first time, in tribute to the god of wine and theatre.
One of my favourite buildings on the Acropolis is the Erechtheion, which includes the famous Porch of Caryatids, where female figures substitute for standard pillars. Inside the Parthenon (dating to 438BC and under repairs at the moment), there used to be an 11m tall gold and ivory statue of the goddess Athena, who the Parthenon is dedicated to.
After visiting the Acropolis we also stopped at the site of the first modern, international Summer Olympic Games in 1896. It is the only stadium in the world built entirely out of white marble, and was used for the archery event at the 2004 Olympics.
--------------------
Some interesting facts and early observations about Greece:
Greeks call Athens Athena, after the Goddess of Wisdom. The Parthenon temple on top of the Acropolis is dedicated to her, after she gave Greece the precious olive tree.
There are 11.5 million Greeks, and 5 million live in Athens.
Greece, with its Mediterranean climate, looks a lot like the Western Cape. Outside of Athens you’d swear you’re near Stellenbosch or Kynsna.
There is really bad graffiti EVERYWHERE on the mainland.
Despite eating a largely high-carb and dairy diet, the Greeks are not a fat nation. Maybe it’s because they generally don’t eat pre-processed rubbish.
Wages are so low in Greece in comparison to the cost of living that many people work 2 jobs – the second after the early evening siesta period (5-6pm). After that there’s dinner from around 10pm and most local night clubs only get going from around 1am.
You can drink alcohol on the streets.
Given how old Athens is (1600BC+), a generally unspoken rule is that you don’t flush toilet paper. It can clog the old plumbing systems. Instead, you dispose of the paper in nearby bins.
Infrastructure was really jacked up for the 2004 Olympics, particularly the Metro train line. It makes me wonder what we’re going to do in South African for the 2010 Football World Cup, since our rail system is disastrously inadequate and unsafe. The vehicle congestion around stadiums is going to be unbearable.
If you’re going to be jumping on and off trains, buses and trams all day, then buy a 24-hour transport ticket at any station for €3 (R30). If you’re going to be in Athens for 5 days+, consider the €10 (R100) 7-day pass.
I was excited (naturally) and quite a bit nervous. This was my first overseas trip in 11 years, and back in 1996 it was my parents who bore all the responsibilities of checking in, having passports and plane tickets on hand for boarding, sorting out luggage etc. Doing things on my own, I tended towards over-organisation. I’d been packing since the beginning of the week. Hell, I even had original medical prescriptions in case I was questioned about the drugs I was bringing into the country.
The 8h 40min flight to Athens on Olympic Airlines was perfectly fine – I struggle to sleep on planes, and probably got 4 hours sleep if that. And for the record, yes they were showing 300 on the in-flight entertainment system… back in July. We got to watch Wild Hogs and Fracture, complete with the always amusing family-friendly dubbing: “You son of a Biscuit!”
Having been woken at 3am for breakfast, we landed in Athens at 5:45am (they’re 1 hour ahead of us). I was exceptionally grateful for my European Union passport, which meant I could breeze through Passport Control while Paul had to queue for an hour with the rest of the unwashed masses to have his visa scrutinised at the counter.
We checked into Hotel Arion in the Monastiraki area, which looks like the Moore Road area combined with plenty of touristy shops, tearoom-like kiosks, pastry stores and bread vendors – minus the burglar guards of course. We had a room on the 7th floor, right next to the rooftop sundeck that looks up at the Acropolis. We couldn’t resist the photo opportunity.
From there, Paul had to work, so after navigating the Metro to his office, I explored a bit.
Mostly I roamed around the nearby, oh-so-originally named The Mall, one of the largest shopping centres in Europe. Youth culture is pretty much the same the world over, although it was interesting to discover that surf brands are more premium in Europe than designer labels like Puma and Guess. A Billabong shirt you’d buy here for R130 is retailing there for R400+.
Other interesting stores included one entirely devoted to expresso machines (Greeks LOVE their coffee, hot or iced), and a ton of specialist children’s fashion stores. Oh, and shoes! I’ve never seen men so interested in footwear before. Leather is one of Greece’s specialities.
Back at the hotel in the evening we met our Contiki Tour manager and the other people on the Spotlight on Greece tour with us: a mix of Americans, Canadians, Aussies and a British guy. Although there were some Under 20s on the tour (doing the “gap year” thing), mostly our group was a 20-something white-collar collection of doctors, insurance agents, lawyers, accountants and IT programmers.
Our first tour activity was a traditional 3-course Greek Dinner at the nearby Plaka area, which is at the foot of the Acropolis (lit up at night), and home to a ton of restaurants (tavernas) and touristy stores. The meal: Greek salad, Tzatziki cucumber dip, fried aubergines, cheese pastry, sausage, haricot beans in a tomato sauce, souvlaki (chicken or pork kebabs) with roast potatoes and savoury rice, and a slice of condense milk-based ice cream for dessert. Water and a thick crusted white bread accompanies every meal, and we also shared bottles of local semi-sweet red and white wine.
Afterwards we headed back to the hotel through some streets that we’d NEVER use after dark in South Africa. Some of the other tour members went clubbing but Paul and myself were exhausted and needed some sleep before the early start the next day.
To keep this update a bit simpler, I’ll also mention here what we did on our first proper tour day (Tuesday, 18 Sept) before we left Athens on our coach towards midday. First up was a guided tour of the Acropolis, where we first really encountered the tourist crowds. There are a lot of “seniors” tourists who visit Greece, particularly American retirees.
I have some better pics of Paul and myself up close at the Parthenon but Paul has to convert them from RAW format still. Here in the meanwhile are 2 buildings at the foot of the Acropolis. First is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, which is still used for operas and assorted other cultural events. This pic is followed by the Theatre of Dionysos, where many of the great Greek comedies and tragedies were performed for the first time, in tribute to the god of wine and theatre.
One of my favourite buildings on the Acropolis is the Erechtheion, which includes the famous Porch of Caryatids, where female figures substitute for standard pillars. Inside the Parthenon (dating to 438BC and under repairs at the moment), there used to be an 11m tall gold and ivory statue of the goddess Athena, who the Parthenon is dedicated to.
After visiting the Acropolis we also stopped at the site of the first modern, international Summer Olympic Games in 1896. It is the only stadium in the world built entirely out of white marble, and was used for the archery event at the 2004 Olympics.
--------------------
Some interesting facts and early observations about Greece:
Greeks call Athens Athena, after the Goddess of Wisdom. The Parthenon temple on top of the Acropolis is dedicated to her, after she gave Greece the precious olive tree.
There are 11.5 million Greeks, and 5 million live in Athens.
Greece, with its Mediterranean climate, looks a lot like the Western Cape. Outside of Athens you’d swear you’re near Stellenbosch or Kynsna.
There is really bad graffiti EVERYWHERE on the mainland.
Despite eating a largely high-carb and dairy diet, the Greeks are not a fat nation. Maybe it’s because they generally don’t eat pre-processed rubbish.
Wages are so low in Greece in comparison to the cost of living that many people work 2 jobs – the second after the early evening siesta period (5-6pm). After that there’s dinner from around 10pm and most local night clubs only get going from around 1am.
You can drink alcohol on the streets.
Given how old Athens is (1600BC+), a generally unspoken rule is that you don’t flush toilet paper. It can clog the old plumbing systems. Instead, you dispose of the paper in nearby bins.
Infrastructure was really jacked up for the 2004 Olympics, particularly the Metro train line. It makes me wonder what we’re going to do in South African for the 2010 Football World Cup, since our rail system is disastrously inadequate and unsafe. The vehicle congestion around stadiums is going to be unbearable.
If you’re going to be jumping on and off trains, buses and trams all day, then buy a 24-hour transport ticket at any station for €3 (R30). If you’re going to be in Athens for 5 days+, consider the €10 (R100) 7-day pass.
Comments
You...throw used toilet paper in bins? Ewww.