Athens And The Case Of The Missing Watch

Back when we were about to go ashore to see the Pyramids, we were waiting in line for our tour sticker (the one HAL has you wear and is a dead giveaway that you are a tourist). I was talking with a lady who was also on our tour and she noticed that I had my watch on. "Aren't you afraid of it being stolen? They told us not to wear jewelry."

I answered with, "It is an old watch that has so many scratches and has lost its sheen that I don't mind replacing it if I have to." We came back after our tour and the watch was still on my wrist. Fast forward to our day in Athens.

The white blouse that went missing in the laundry had been returned and I decided to wear it to dinner. It's a nice blouse, sleeveless with pockets that decorate the front. I laid my skirt and blouse on the bed and tossed my watch on top of my blouse so I could put it back on after my shower. I put my blouse on just as Bob returned from exercising and caught him before his shower to help me get the internet through a hotspot on my iPhone. Being distracted by all that, I didn't think about not having put my watch on until we were halfway down the corridor toward dinner.

 I reached to adjust my watch, a habit, and suddenly realized I didn't have it. We turned back to the room. I knew it would be on the bed. That's where I'd tossed it. Nope. I looked on the floor. Nothing. It was getting late for our reservation so I figured our stateroom attendants would probably pick it up when they straightened the room. 

After dinner and evening activities, we returned to find our room prepared but no watch to be seen anywhere. I took out a clothes hanger and ran it around the floor under the bed. Nothing. Bob got down on hand and knees with the phone light and found nothing. I gave up. It was gone. Funny, now that it was missing, I wasn't happy at all about replacing it. I had it so long, it was a part of me.

Feeling a little out of sorts, I sat down to work on my blog  As I was looking at the computer on my lap I noticed a funny bump in the pocket of my blouse. I reached in and pulled out my watch. It had been there the whole time. Now the question is why didn't I or for that matter Bob notice it? It was a strange lump. Oh well, case solved and a good laugh.

We arose Sunday morning to begin out trip back into the city of Athens to see the changing of the guard again and this time supposedly with a  band and more fanfare. We followed the same routine as the day before with the bus but this time when he got to the stop at the Acropolis he told everyone on the bus we had to get off there. He could go no farther. The roads were closed.

We got off and considered taking the Metro the driver had suggested but when we looked on Google Maps, it was only a 25 minute walk. We opted for that and soon found out why the roads were closed. There was a Race For The Cure event and there were thousands of people in promotional T shirts lining up for the walk part. I believe the race was already over. 

Weaving our way through the crowds we finally arrived at the Parliament Building and found a spot to watch the guards. The problem was we had another 20 minutes to wait and the sun was getting very warm. I left Bob for a spot in the shade that wasn't perfect viewing but it was cooler. He opted to join me shortly after. We stood eagerly listening for a band but all that appeared were the new guards in the formation we'd seen the previous day. When I discovered that, I let Bob watch and I found a spot out of the pressing crowd to wait for him.

Since the roads were still not open, we sat a bit in the park and then decided to visit the restaurant we'd had lunch in the day begore. Hopefully the bus would be available after we ate. This time we ordered pita bread with tzatziki dip which is Greek yogurt flavored with cucumbers, onions and garlic. We also ordered some sausage that was a little spicy but good and came with what looked like homemade chips but not so crispy. It was all good and we took our time. Onboard time was 10:30 pm and we would get a cab if necessary to get back before dinner. 

The bus was a bit later than scheduled but it showed up and we rode back to the cruise terminal. The ship had not moved but the check in point was now at the next terminal down so we had a bit of a walk and a lot of confusion to get through before finally getting back to our stateroom. It was turnaround day, the day that passengers not continuing debarked and new passengers were embarking. 

Tomorrow would be a day at sea before we begin visiting and revisiting ports including an overnight adventure to Israel. Stay tuned.

Athens, Greece

 

Athens. While parts might be ancient, most of it is a bustling metropolis. But let me start with the port, Piraeus. It too is a large city and a good sized port that services Athens. We awoke to the announcement that the ship was cleared and we could go ashore. Then there was the announcement that onboard for those guests continuing on in the next segment was 10:30 pm the next night. There there was the announcement that there was a shuttle from where we were docked to the cruise terminal. We were totally awake by then.

Bob had done some research and found a local express bus that went from the port to the city center of Athens. I was a little nervous, I must admit. We've tried local transportation before and it isn't always easy. After breakfast, we took the shuttle which only drove a little ways down the pier to the terminal. We could have walked it just as fast.

Outside the terminal, there was a pedestrian walkway that led out of the port area to a spot on the street where there were a lot of buses lined up. None of them were the X80 that we needed. Bob asked one driver of another bus and he just pointed to the sign I was under that said X80 and shrugged. Okay.

We waited about five more minutes and lo and behold, the bus with X80 across the top arrived and stopped. There was one other couple that got on with us who had done this before on another trip so we rode together to the ticket office that was actually in the port area or just across from one of the terminals. We bought our roundtrip tickets for 4.10 euros (about $4.40 USD) and we were on our way.

The trip to Syntagma Square which is a popular place in the city center and near the Parliament Building which also has the tomb of the unknown soldier. We had been in Athens and done a tour a few years ago and the driver had taken us to the palace to see the changing of the guard. We wanted to watch it again. It's quite impressive.

The bus trip took between 30-40 minutes, most of which was on a freeway but the beginning of it took us around another harbor and marina for yachts and sailboats that was very picturesque. The bus also had a stop at the Acropolis but we passed on that. Been there, done that, didn't want to climb up again.

The bus dropped us right in front of a McDonald's so it would be easy to find the stop again. We had already passed the tomb and saw a crowd watching the changing of the guard at the 10 o'clock hour. With a little time to kill before the next change, we opted for coffee at McD's and with it the opportunity for a potty stop. The coffee was way too strong but the restroom was nice and clean. With your order you received a code on your receipt that got you into the restrooms. 

We made it back to the tomb just in time to watch the ceremony for the changing of the guard. They make a strange choreographed step, swinging their leg out and back before taking a step. The replacements were wearing white uniforms rather than the beige ones worn by the guards at the earlier hour. 

Once the change of positions was accomplished, another soldier in camo uniform approached each guard and made sure his pleated skirt was in order as well as his vest, the tail on his hat and his vest was adjusted just right. Once each passed muster, the soldier stepped away and the guards were left to finish their hour of duty at attention, not blinking, for the rest of the hour.

It was getting close to the noon hour and we sat for a bit in the park in the square deciding what we wanted to do. My GPS My City app showed a few things close to us but nothing that really interested us.

"How about lunch here somewhere?" I suggested. "By the time we get back to the ship it will be past time for lunch." It wasn't that we couldn't get food. It was more that it would be past our usual lunchtime. A friend asked how we stay healthy on our travels and aside from frequent hand washing and Purell, I think some of it has to do with trying to keep to a schedule of meals and sleep. We establish a routine and stick to it as much as possible.

A ways down the street from the square we found a nice restaurant that had tables just off the sidewalk and out of the congestion. The menu was quite extensive with all sorts of appetizers, plates and larger meals. We ordered an appetizer of skewered meatballs that came with a little salad, some diced tomato and a small pita with yogurt underneath it. We also ordered some pita on the side. It was perfect. Just enough to satisfy and get a taste of Greek food as well.

Our wait for the bus was not long. The neat thing was that there was an electronic display that showed its estimated arrival time. We boarded, tapped our tickets on the meter box that was just inside the door and we were on our way. The trip home took less time than it had getting to the square.

And we planned to do it all again in the morning. You see on Sundays at 11 we found out that they do the changing of the guard with a band. So, why not? We know how to get there and I'm up for another Greek lunch at that restaurant. 

Through My Lens - Athens, Greece

Athens, Greece - The Five Hour Tour

After visiting the Acropolis our tour just seemed to fly by. There was so much to see. It didn't take long to figure that we would have to make a return trip. John, our guide and driver from Athens Tour Greece, took us next to the Temple of Zeus. It sits below the Acropolis and is impressive in its own right. While I still have difficulty distinguishing between Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, (should have stayed awake in those morning art history classes) it was obvious that these were the fancy ones--that would be Corinthian (I looked it up).

We lingered just long enough to admire it a bit and take some pictures and then we scurried back to the air conditioned car. It was heating up and this was not even summer! In summer temperatures soar but as we were told, it's a dry heat. Right.

Next we pulled up to the curb in front of the Olympic Stadium. It was originally built in wood but updated to marble construction in 329 BC. The Panathenaic Games were actually first held here. The original Olympic Games were held in Olympia. The Panathenaic Games were also held every four years. Versions of the Olympic Games were held here in 1870 and 1875 but when further renovations were completed, it served as the primary stadium for the Olympic Games in 1896. We jumped out of the A/C long enough to take a picture and return.

There were several other landmarks and places we passed but John just pointed them out as he was about to treat us to a great experience--the changing of the guard at the presidential mansion. We drove past the parliament building and stopped for just a moment to see the monument to the unknown soldier. Then we went around the corner and John parked near the presidential mansion. We wandered for about five minutes in the gardens across the street and came out just in time to witness the changing of the guard.

It is quite the ceremony as it is in most countries. The Evzones as they are called were dressed in their weekday khaki but still looked very impressive. On Sundays, the guard is dressed in traditional white garb with red fez-type hats. The guard is changed every hour. Probably because they are not allowed to move for the hour they have duty. It is said that one would not even move when during a demonstration in front of the Parliament building a Molotov cocktail exploded in his guard house catching it on fire. He didn't move until ordered to do so even though his uniform was smoldering from the flames.

We watched the two guards stationed in front of the mansion (there are others at the parliament and I'm guessing other strategic places around the complex) begin their routine. They slowly marched toward each other with an extremely athletic and difficult step. As you can see in the pictures, they raise their foot high, then bend it at the knee and bring it down to stomp the ground and shuffle. It's all done in slow motion requiring even more concentration and athletic skill.

From across the street we saw a small unit of guards marching toward us. I think their headquarters were at the corner of the park we had been in. Once they were in place, they exchanged places with the old guard, and stepped their way back, each to their own guardhouse while the other guards marched back to their headquarters. From what I read I think the Sunday production is even more impressive especially in front of the parliament building. Also much more crowded.

The Agora

Next John drove us through a part of the area called the Plaka. It is the oldest area of the city and not far from the Acropolis (although we had driven around so much it seemed far away). As we drove down some surrounding streets, we could look down others that are all pedestrian now and see wonderful shops and restaurants that would have been a delight to explore had we the time.

After the Plaka, we arrived at the Agora, the old marketplace of Athens. The apostle Paul once roamed this area on his visit to Athens. The structures in the Agora are mostly reduced to foundations but it is still interesting to wander around them and imagine a bustling center of government and philosophy, a meeting place (the name Agora actually means meeting place) for citizens, and certainly a place to worship at some of the temples there. There were also shops and even a mint where coins were made.

Colossal Giants and Tritons

The area dates back as far as 3000 BC. It was destroyed and rebuilt several time and eventually abandoned. During the Byzantine era, the Christian Church of the Apostles was built in the southwest corner. Excavation began in the mid 1800s. During the 19th century, the four colossal figures of Giants and Tritons that had stood outside the Gymnasium (a training center for those participating in public games) were restored.

The road that runs through the Agora and led to the Acropolis is called the Panathenaic Way. It was a thoroughfare in its day and was once paved with stones. Here was where participants in the Panatheanic Games were celebrated.

Christian Church of the Apostles

One of the buildings, the Stoa of Attalos, was reconstructed and made into the Ancient Agora Museum. We walked through specifically looking for the display John had said contained the first ballots of democracy. They were ceramic pieces that were written on and used in voting to ostracize the politician in office. I posted earlier about it since it was nearing our election time.

John drove us through an area called Kolonaki which is the upscale shopping and residential area of Athens. We didn't stop but continued on to our last destination which turned out to be the perfect spot to lookout over the city and promise to return--Lycabettus Hill. From the lookout, you could see the center of Athens, the Acropolis and almost all of the other ancient landmarks we had visited. They were all in that green area at the base of the Acropolis. Even though it seemed we had driven a long ways, everything was quite central, just the way the early Greeks planned it.

Lycabettus Hill view of Acropolis

As we took in the view we knew we would have to come back. Five hours was quite a whirlwind tour in the context of the thousands of years of history to be absorbed from this amazing city.

Viewing the city from Lycabettus Hill it seemed to go on forever so I wasn't quite so surprised to find our trip to the airport taking almost an hour. It was quite a while before we hit open countryside. The Athens airport was very modern and once our luggage was checked, we found a nice restaurant on the second floor, The Olive Tree, and indulged in a fresh salad and bread with tangy dips all made with, what else, olives and olive oil. There was plenty of time to reflect and think about what lie ahead. . .the Greek Isle of Santorini.

Voting in Ancient Greece

While my posts about our visit to Athens will not appear for a couple of weeks yet, I wanted to share what we found in a museum in Athens in the ancient Agora. While our guide insisted that the Greeks were the first to use the vote for government, I'm sure that over the ages there was a system of selection for leaders that could be defined as voting. But I did think that their take on how to weed out political leaders in the ancient times was interesting.

Here's what the sign in the picture says:

Ostracism was a unique type of voting intended as a means of protecting the city against aspirants to despotic power. The result of the ostracism vote was valid only if there was a quorum of 6000 present. Each voter scratched or painted on a potsherd the name of the man he thought most undesirable. The "candidate" with the greatest number of votes against him was obliged to withdraw from Athens for ten years. Ostracism was decreed by Kleisthenes and was used through most of the 5th century B.C. In many cases it came to be used as a tactical manoeuvre between rival politicians.

That last line says it all. No matter what the system, politicians are politicians and will find a way around. Still, the freedom to vote, to have a choice in the system is precious. Don't forget to exercise that freedom on Tuesday.