It's our 10th anniversary this year so Karel and I treated ourselves to a trip to GREECE!! I've been there a few times (in 1984 then again in 1986 - both times as a poor back packer) but Karel hasn't and was intrigued with Santorini after seeing the movie "Summer Lovers"So on May 10th we left Toronto for our three week adventure. Psyched up and ready to go (and Barb with a fractured foot so thank heavens for my handy dandy little air cast. There was no stopping me with that little miracle!)
First stop Athens! Now, my memories of Athens are of a dirty, crowded, UGLY city! However, it is the hub for Greek travel and you simply can NOT go to Greece without a visit to the Acropolis - it would be like skipping the Pyramids in Egypt or the Eiffel Tower in France. Unthinkable!!
I'd found us a reasonably priced hotel in a convenient location (be warned - Athens is EXPENSIVE!!) The HOTEL EKONOMI was fine for us - nothing fancy but walking distance to the Acropolis and Plaka at 75 euros/ CDN$120 per night including breakfast. (Just in the name of interest and comparison, when I came in 1984, I stayed in a lovely place called the HOTEL HERODIAN and payed CDN$45.00 for three nights. It was a three star hotel at the time, I believe. It's still there - when I Googled it this year, the rate for three nights now is 400 euros or CDN$640. YIKES!! Mind you, it is now classified as a 4 star hotel and that WAS 24 years ago. Oh well, just an aside!
The first day we were there, we just chilled, napped, then out to sight see in Plaka which is a fascinating old Turkish quarter, one of the oldest areas of Athens. It's a maze of narrow streets lined with restaurants, bars, shops. A fantastic place to people watch. Believe me, this is still a great place to come and see the locals!
I did find that everything is quite expensive now compared to when I was here in the 80's. But we have to keep in mind that Greece in now part of the European Union and so drachmas (the former currency of this country) are long gone and Greece uses the Euro. I remember clearly walking around here by myself in 1984 and buying espadrills, jewellery, postcards, etc for PENNIES! Alas, no more. But it is a wonderful, interesting, exciting place to wile away a few hours. A virtual beehive of activity with shop keepers calling to you from their doorways, hoping to entice you to check out their wares. So many temptations!
We walked for hours, poked in many shops then stopped for dinner at TAVERNA THSEPIDOS. We paid 54 euros/CDN$86 for a TERRIFIC dinner. Split a delectable order of TZATZIKI ( we all know what THAT is - and if you are NOT a garlic lover, then you should definitely avoid this Greek specialty.) I had wonderful grilled chicken with small roast potatoes and of course, a wonderful Greek salad complete with feta, olives, tomatoes, onions and a nice light vinagrette. Karel had a lovely veal stewed in tomato sauce with pasta which he thoroughly enjoyed. We each had a 1/2 bottle of the local wine (I prefer white while Karel is a red drinker whenever possible). The nice thing about these places is they all give you a complimentary dessert of HALVA which is semolina, soaked in honey and orange juice. Really tasty and not too sweet - JUST the right thing to end your meal. So, don't worry - not all meals in Greece will set you back that much. But if you dine in Plaka, be prepared. However, we were hugely entertained throughout the whole meal - our table was about a foot away from passing tourists and locals, cars squishing their way through the roads, cyclists... you name it. We could reach out our hands and touch all of humanity that passed us by. LOVED it!
After dinner, we wandered further through Plaka. The action here picks up after dark and the streets, cafes and restaurants were PACKED after 9:00pm. That's how they do it in Europe. The streets were teeming with people. We happened upon an evening wedding in a tiny church tucked away in a side street. Stayed for awhile to see the happy couple and hear the musicians playing celebratory music. Surprisingly, this part of Athens is very easy to maneouver on foot. Just bring a GOOD pair of walking shoes, a map and a good sense of humour and you will certainly enjoy yourself as you explore the charming, ancient PLAKA.
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