Greece - Athens

09/Jun/15 – 12/Jun/15, Athens, Greece.

We nervously boarded the shuttle taxi to the airport leaving our car parked to bursting at the ‘Viagoparking’. Here it would remain for approximately three weeks while we travelled ‘light’ to Greece. This was the first adventure to Greece for all of us, we were excited.

Armed with refreshingly little luggage but with a large wad of cash, we boarded our 2hr early afternoon Alitalia flight (previous EasyJet flight was cancelled) from Rome FCO to Athens.
 

We weren’t sure what would unveil as discussions were ongoing that Greece may be declared bankrupt. In the previous three days 1.85 billion euro had been withdrawn from Greek banks. Before we had even got seated the boys were disappointed to find the inflight screen was non-existent. Never mind it was only a quick flight and they did get soft drinks.

Our first experience of Greek hospitality on arrival wasn’t the best, taxi drivers. What a crabby lot. Unfortunately we needed two taxis (couldn’t fit into one) to take us to the centre where we were to stay for the next 3 nights. There was a fair bit of bickering between the male and female taxi drivers trying to coordinate our trip, but once we reached the reception of our apartment accommodation all was lovely. We were shown the one bedroom apartment at the Athens Lotus Apartments (Attiki), a bit of a squeeze but pretty nice and modern (2014), well located beside the metro station (three stops to the Parthenon).

 

I headed off to the nearby supermarket to get something for dinner and a few supplies. I was rather shocked to find that the supermarket prices were so expensive, just as expensive as France. I had assumed that Greece would be as or more affordable than Spain and Italy. I wondered how people managed in these difficult financial times. I came back rather disappointed, I wasn’t laden down with feta, yogurt, olives … as I had expected I would be.

 

The next day when I went for supplies again I stumbled upon the food market one street from our apartment. Now I understood how people could afford food. It was fabulous and cheap, really cheap, I felt almost embarrassed handing over a messily 1 euro for a huge bag of scooped fresh olives and another euro for an enormous scoop of cherries. I then went ‘upmarket’ and purchased a half kilo of the premium olives for only 3 euros. Lachlan and Oliver were well impressed when I returned with these, they gorged themselves.

Ollie was fascinated by the prices of food and kept comparing them to NZ. He was pretty concerned that our olive, ice-cream (gelato) and cheese consumption will have to reduce back in NZ. We gobbled a mass of strawberries, the flavour far superior to NZ strawberries.

The concentration of flavour in fruit and vegetables here and in other parts of Europe explained why a simple tomato sauce could be so delicious.

 

Off we all went on the metro to ‘downtown’, first stop was to try and get a Greek sim card.

I had noted a rather fashionable looking coffee shop next door to the phone shop where we were to spend far too much time waiting.  Off I went with a mission to return with coffee comparable to the odd looking ones in the local’s hands.  A ‘freddo cappuccino’ was what it was all about, expresso topped with a cold milk-based foam known as aphrogala (Greek: αφρόγαλα). I wasn’t convinced, actually it was awful and ended up in the bin.

Back on the metro we headed on towards the Acropolis. According to Greek Mythology Athens is named after the Goddess Athena whom won a competition over Poseidon to become the protector of the city. Athens was a powerful city in Classical times. It was home to Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum. A centre for learning and philosophy it is widely referred to as the ‘cradle of Western civilization’. 

 

Fortunately we arrived at the Acropolis on an overcast day.  It saved us from the sun and the nuisance of crowds. So surprisingly we had a very peaceful and reasonably cool ascent up the south side of the acropolis (recommended side to avoid crowds). The theatre was an amazing site. Almost fully restored it was barracked off. The view of the Parthenon was also obscured behind scaffolding and cranes on the main facade. Even so I was very surprised at how rewarding the experience was.
 



Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

I had not quite pictured the drama of the Parthenon high upon the rocky acropolis looking down upon lush vegetation and numerous other archaeological sites and across over the never-ending sprawling metropolis of Athens.

I wasn’t sure how much of the Parthenon was planned to be rebuilt, but you could clearly differentiate the new pieces linking together the puzzle. The Parthenon built between 447BC – 432 BC, was originally a temple to Athena for nearly 2000 years. It was built in the middle of the Acropolis, constructed using limestone foundations and 22,000 tons of marble. 

With the decline of the city in 529, the Parthenon was made into a Christian church. This saved it from the later destruction of non-Christian temples. When the Ottoman Turks took control of Athens in 1458 they turned the Parthenon into a Muslim mosque. In 1687 it was damaged when gunpowder exploded inside it. In 1759 the Earl of Elgin took some of the sculptures, the ‘Elgin Marbles’ from the Parthenon. Since 1816 they have been on display in the British Museum.

Parthenon, Athens.

 



Temple of Hephaestus

From the Acropolis we walked down through the Ancient Agora of Athens. This is the best-known example of an agora in Ancient Greece, the centre of spiritual, artistic, business, athletic and political life of the city. The Agora of Athens was were Greek democracy first evolved, the ‘birthplace of democracy’. “Evidence of human habitation here dated back as far as 5000 BCE possibly even as early as 7000 BCE”. We popped into the Stoa (covered walkway or portico) of Attalos. It was reconstructed in the 1950s on the east side of the agora and now housed a museum. This provided little interest for the boys, so we moved on promptly to the Temple of Hephaestus (Hephaisteion). The peristyle ceiling and frieze were well preserved although blackened from air pollution.

 

We emerged from the agora into a street full of eateries. Here we indulged in yogurt, firstly covered in honey and walnuts and then again but this time frozen with toppings galore. This frozen yogurt shop made ours in NZ look very sorry. Not only was the yogurt amazing, as you would expect in Greece, but the selection of ‘desirable’ toppings was overwhelming.  Berries, pomegranate seeds, nuts, pickled walnuts, truffle balls, endless sauces …

Lachlan and I had developed a ‘bonding’ ritual of buying fridge magnets to keep as souvenirs of our trip. Therefore I was a little worried when I spotted the numerous souvenirs trolleys laden down with ‘penis’ keychains. It was quite odd, very humorous for the boys.

Eventually we relented and allowed Lachlan to make a purchase, a very small metal keychain, he would have preferred the huge wooden one which was half his height.




Lunch, Plaka district.

Hadrian's Library.


 

















Trying to take in a little easy, we headed off again the next day with only intentions of a lunch and a wander in the old quarter. We hoped to partake of the traditional Monastiraki Flea Market too. Lunch was in a cafe in the labyrinthine streets of Plaka, an old historical neighbourhood beside the acropolis, developed around the ruins of the Ancient Agora of Athens. We enjoyed stuffed eggplant, stuffed peppers and a failsafe pasta. Oliver and Jarvis occupied themselves with a stray cat in the ruins beside the café.

We stopped past Hadrian’s library. Built by Emperor Hadrian in AD 132, this once housed a cloistered courtyard, an inner pool, music and lecture rooms, a theatre and a library (where rolls of papyrus books were kept).

At $2 per kilo we got a bag scooped high with cherries from the laden trolleys outside the metro station. Here I saw off the boys to continue my wanders alone.

The Monastiraki Flea Market didn’t really differentiate itself hugely from the other lanes of tourist shops. There was an excess of biker/rock style T-shirts. I did come away with a pair of very Greek-looking sandals. I stopped back to buy the ‘terminator’ t-shirt the boys had previously eyed up in a very unique T-shirt store complete with its own outside art installation. There were many shops full of olive oil and wooden products. I exited a health store with pink pistachios (pink indicated they were fresh), laurel oil and Mastika. The Mastika was offered as a sample, a liquorice flavoured liquor often used as a digestive, “just a little” she warned me, “after a meal”. The Russian women serving me was so lovely, blowing kisses to me down the lane as I left.

I turned down a side lane and was distracted by an enticing collection of handmade spinning tops. I was quite surprised that they interested me so much, but when the shopkeeper demonstrated them to me I was quite fascinated. They all spun differently, very captivating. I came away with five.

I returned back exiting the underground metro to find myself alone, confused and disoriented in a busy non-familiar intersection. It was now dark and I had no recognition of where I was. Failing to make sense of any of it, I tried to remain calm and retreated back to the underground where I tried several more exits until the last one was reassuringly familiar. 

I think leaving Athens I was a little confused as to what I thought, it didn’t present itself as the most beautiful of cities. From the top of the acropolis it looked like a mixture of lush landscape and bustling sprawl. But amongst these ancient landmarks, an open air museum, a vibrant cultural life took place.

Shops were stylish, cafes were lively, grunge and elegance made for an edgy contrast.

With the next few days planned to explore the mainland, we packed ourselves into our rental car.

I was glad Chris was driving.

Italy - Pompeii, Arpino

8-9^th June 2015, Pompeii and Arpino , Italy.

At 20:15 we left Sicily on a 10:15hr trip across the Tyrrhenian Sea to Naples.

It was a good crossing, especially compared to the previous crossing we had had from Barcelona to Cittavecchia (port close to Rome).
We took off on time and arrived only 15mins delayed at 6:45am. This time we had two four berth cabins this was the only option I could book online to accommodate a group of five. But it meant for a comfortable sleep.
Lachlan shared with Chris and I while Ollie and Jarvis had their own room.
The boys were happy to discover arcade games at only 50 euro cents per go. They were still young enough to get quite a kick out of sleeping on big boats.
Lachlan looked so adorable on the top bunk, with his bandaged foot daggling out of his sheet. Chris managed a bit of work too.

Naples didn’t really look the best as we drove along the waterfront from the ferry terminal. Despite its dodgy reputation it is said to be full of unique charms, distinct from the many other European cities which can all start to look a bit similar.

We were relieved that the road from Naples to Pompeii ran around the outskirts. It was noticeably quite an unusual road, a major long road all made of cobbles.

After a ‘filling in time’ breakfast in Pompeii town we headed for the site trying to get there for the 8:30 am opening time.

The waiter thought it was pretty strange that the kids ordered Spaghetti Carbonara for breakfast, but they were completely over sweet breakfasts from our time just spent in Sicily.
The waiter looked at me oddly as I accidentally ordered a large rum baba for breakfast.

Armed with a rather useless audio guide we spent the next few hours exploring the fabulous ruins of Pompeii.  They were so much more impressive than when Chris and I visited 15ish years ago, a lot more had been excavated and a lot of ongoing works were happening.

You could get a really good overall impression of the town that was once here, an active Roman centre which can to a standstill in 79 A.D. by the eruption of Vesuvius.  
Now we could walk inside buildings, re-emerged from the 4-6 m layer of ash and lava which had covered them. Some had even been re-roofed.
Lost for about 1500 years, it was initially rediscovered in 1599 and then again 150 years later. It has been a tourist destination for 250 years, approximately 2.5 million people visit a year.

The first hour 8:30-9:30 was nice and quiet, not too hot either. But by 9:30 the crowds were pouring in, making it difficult to walk up and down some of the roads.
By 10:30 it was 30C and quite uncomfortable with the lack of shade.
The paved roads were fascinating, they had opened up a large area since Chris and I were last there so we really got to see how extensive Pompeii was.
The raised pedestrian crossings allowed people to cross the street without having to step onto the road which doubled as a drainage and sewerage system.
The spaces between the pedestrian blocks allowed vehicles pass along the road.

 

  

The Forum, Pompeii.



House of Meander, Pompeii.

Teatro Grande, Pompeii.





Ampitheatre.

 

From Pompeii we drove to Arpino, a small hilltop town in the region of Lazio in central Italy. Here we were to spend the night before our midday flight to Greece the following day.

It was a bit of a windy road to get there but beautiful once we arrived.
We were staying the night in two rooms of Hotel Cavalier, a beautiful 18th century historic building with views to its lovely garden and out over the endless hills.

Arpino, Lazio, Italy.



 

 

 

Hotel Cavalier, Arpino.

 

Chris went off for a run and came back enthusiastically telling us “to get into it” while it was still light enough outside to see how lovely it was.

A very enthusiastic young male staff, who had visited NZ, joked to us “I could tell you where all the people are, but there aren’t any. In winter it is so quiet that I pack my bags and leave.”
But this was perfect for us. It felt like an undiscovered jewel.
The town was beautifully located high on the hillside, with a lovely small historic centre. The ancient archaeological site of ‘Civitavecchia’ (not to be confused with the port near Rome) was just around the corner. It predated Rome.
Chris had spotted a beautiful house for sale, we navigated it from the outside. Old, ornate and derelict with a town fountain out front.
I tried to imagine the inside and life that had been here. I had a big 'want' feeling, of purchasing something in need of love in an ‘undiscovered’ remote part of Italy.
Probably if I had done some research I would have found it had been discovered, but there was something in the air, an unexpectedness and ease of life hard to describe.

Arpino.

 We took the advice of the lady at reception and ate out at a casual trattoria. It was quite a neat environment inside, so relaxed. A simple menu with non-fussy food.
We ordered a 1L carafe of wine which was very drinkable (maybe too drinkable we felt the next morning), later we discovered this to be only 3 euros.
It came from a large stainless drum sitting by the entrance door where you could bring in your own containers and fill them up.
We got our first taste of ‘fried bread’, it was complimentary (not something I would normally opt for, thinking it to be too unhealthy), but unfortunately it was very yummy.
The next morning we left for Rome FCO airport, a 1:40hr drive, to catch a flight to Athens.
We selectively packed two bags to check-in for our flight and slightly nervously left the car packed up in a secured airport carpark for our return three and a half weeks later.