Travel Day
We had an early flight out of Barcelona to Athens, Greece and I was a little nervous about the best way to get to the airport. But there’s nothing new about that. After much research and a bit of time looking at the Barcelona metro map, I found the line (Line 9) that traveled directly to Terminal 1. And I discovered that we could catch that line at a metro station that ended up being a-less-than-10-minute walk from our little Barcelona apartment.
I wanted to depart no later than 7:00 a.m. and ideally, a bit earlier in order to catch the 7:03 a.m. train for the 30 minute trek. We got out a bit later than planned and figured we would have to wait a bit for the next train. The correct platform was located no less (and maybe more) than five escalators down, down, down into the bowels of the Barcelona underground and as luck would have it, the train had just arrived and we walked right on. I am not sure how we have managed our trip with such precision timing but I will take whatever the timekeeping gods want to give us.
We reached the terminal at exactly 2 hours prior to our flight. We were already checked in and I had our boarding passes and our seats. I was a little nervous about Vueling Air … there were some horror stories, canceling flights on a moment’s notice, no customer service, etc., but other than the struggle to get our seats and boarding passes a few days prior (and I still have no earthly idea how I accomplished it … a dozen times it kicked me out and then the next time everything worked) so far things seem to be happening with relative ease. Barcelona airport is large, airy and it was, surprisingly, uncrowded.
European airports are different … they only tell you the precise gate about 40 minutes prior to departure. You better hope you are somewhere near the said gate and not somewhere it might take you 20 minutes to get to said gate. We at least knew we were at a B gate so that narrowed our options. Time for a coffee and a pastry? Yes, please. Time for a bit of stretching our legs? Yes, of course. Then it was time for getting in line and waiting to board. We had a lovely row together (not typical when letting the airline pick your seats) and while Vueling is tight on the legroom (poor Keith and Reece) we had an uneventful 3 hour flight to Athens.
One of our Greek hosts, Anestos, gave us EXCELLENT directions to the apartment. The gentleman at the train ticket counter helped us and we got our 5-day unlimited transit pass and we headed to the train, which again, was waiting for us as we arrived and we walked right on. The train trip itself was uneventful and just got more and more crowded as we moved closer to the city center. We switched lines easily and one more stop had us where we needed to go. We followed Anestos’ directions and arrived at the apartment, rang the bell and Margarita, Anestos’ mother, answered, allowing us entry. Athens and this apartment is our 6th destination/lodging on this trip and the ease with which we found it and were able to check-in was the best out of all of them, thus far. Margarita greeted me like an old friend … the European double-cheeked kiss (which I think is a lovely and charming custom and is something I think we should adopt in the US so if you see me coming, be prepared) and took us to our beautiful apartment.
Margarita lives in the building, a couple floors above us. Anestos lives next door (though we have yet to meet him) and she told us if we needed anything, to let her know. Every room … the bedroom, living room and kitchen … have a door that leads out to the terrace! The only thing the apartment lacks is laundry and Margarita offered the use of hers. We have already arranged to stay an extra night, to Reece’s delight, as she has quite fallen in love with Athens … the vibe, the food and its people. We just made our flight arrangements for Rome for the 8th ($100 for us to fly on the 8th versus $350 for us to fly … and at terrible times … on the 7th), so we are settled in for the next several days and couldn’t be happier about it.
We got ourselves unpacked and thoroughly familiar with our abode and then headed out for food. I guess it is our destiny to have a burger in every country we visit and we trekked back down the street and found a place with a wide selection of both burgers and beer and tucked in. Our waitress, Xenia, was awesome and we all got our fill of good food. It is fairly typical in Greece for the service staff to bring you a taste of the local liquor … so here is Reece trying it. I am not sure what it was, though I know it was NOT Ouzo. We all had a laugh and went with it.
Sunny and pleasant is the forecast for tomorrow. Looking forward to exploring our surroundings.
Athens: Day One
We stopped by the bakery that Margarita recommended and made a pledge to return frequently during our time in Athens. Reece found a delicious looking pastry containing three different kinds of cheeses that she wanted to try. She was generous enough to share a bite or two with her father and I and it was delicious. I can’t believe we didn’t get a photo of it. But since the bakery didn’t serve coffee, Keith and I held off on breakfast until we could find a place with coffee … which wasn’t too difficult.
We decided on a little place that specialized in crepes and got our coffee … a double cappuccino for me and a fredo cappuccino for Keith. He had done some coffee research so knew exactly what he wanted.
Breakfast consisted of the Italia Nord for me, the Tutti Fruity for Reece and something with eggs, sausage and potatoes for Keith.
We headed directly to the Acropolis … a short 15 minute walk through the streets and a lovely green, wooded area. The day was fine and we were transfixed … simply awe-inspiring to be among the history and architecture of the ancient ruins.
We decided on a 5 day pass that allowed us to see all the nearby structures, not just the Acropolis. Reece, as a student under the age of 18 got in for FREE. And while we certainly didn’t have the place to ourselves, it was easy enough to move among the sites and not be overwhelmed by the people.
After spending a few hours catching some rays and exploring the area, we headed down the hill and back to our apartment. We went through the Plaka neighborhood … narrow streets, lovely, well-kept homes. On our way down, we were approached by a young man from Nairobi … an immigrant. He was “selling” woven bracelets (much like friendship bracelets) and chatted us up. I couldn’t resist. He told Reece that she “looked like her mama” and to “mind her parents, especially her mama because she took care of you for your first 9 months” so, of course, I adored him from that moment and would have willingly given him the shirt off my back though no one wants to see that. At any rate, he selected a bracelet for each of us, tied them to our wrists had us clasp each others forearms and then gave us a sweet blessing for which I gave him most of my coins. And I was happy to do it. My only regret is I didn’t get a photo of him
We made it back to our apartment that afternoon and followed our normal routine of catching up on news, homework, flute practice and such. Reece and I found a little restaurant about two blocks away that had what I thought was excellent souvlaki (meat kebabs) and gyros, both of which Reece was determined to try while we were here. We brought it back to the apartment and feasted on it in the comfort of our surroundings. The waiter was very nice as was the owner who spent 12 years in New York in the 70’s and 80’s. While we waited for our food, which was delivered very quickly, the waiter brought us out a shot glass of the local liquor, telling us it was much stronger than Tequila. I don’t know about that as we couldn’t finish it … it was horrible. It tasted like wood varnish. I asked if he would be offended if we didn’t finish it and he said of course not. So we didn’t.
We never made it back to the bakery in order to sample some of their delicious-looking desserts. I guess we will save that for another day.
Athens: Day Two
Keith was feeling like he needed a day off … a bothersome back and two sore Achille’s tendons had only gotten worse with all the walking we had done the day before. The weather was quite overcast and since he wasn’t a fan of the open markets, Reece and I decided to go exploring and find it.
We had a lovely walk, again through the Plaka neighborhood. It was kind of nice to spend quality time with Reece talking about what is going on back home with her friends and their events. She’s been easily able to keep in contact with friends even with the time difference. I had been hoping there would be a tad more separation but I think she’s happier knowing that she is keeping on top of all the happenings and admittedly, not missing it too much.
We found the market and were really looking for fresh fruits and veggies but all we saw were meat and fish … and pigs heads and rabbits that had been skinned but for the fur on their paws. Not my thing and I did not feel inclined to take photos of it. It was a happening place but sadly no fruits and veggies.
We did a little shopping on the way back … Reece wanted to find some souvenirs for her friends and herself … her Christmas money was burning a hole in her pocket. We also stopped by our now favorite little restaurant to pick up some dinner for ourselves and Keith. Plus we got back to the bakery and Reece was able to choose a decadent chocolate delight of her choice while we chose an individual berry pie for Keith and I got something with phyllo dough, cream filling and syrup. Our tastes in desserts are so varied … it’s interesting.
Athens: Day Three
It is Saturday and it is gray and gloomy but we have only three days left on our five day Acropolis pass so we have to go out and use it. We are prepared … we have each downloaded the Rick Steves’ podcast for a walking tour of the Acropolis. We each have our own set of earbuds … we are ready … for THE biggest frustration to date during our travel odyssey. To be sure, we haven’t had many disappointments except perhaps some food choices so in the grand scheme of things, it isn’t a big deal but frustrating nonetheless.
Two days ago, on our first full day in Athens, we decided to hike up to the Acropolis and check it out. You, of course, have to purchase a ticket and we were happy to do so. After discussion with the woman in the ticket office, we decided to purchase the 5-day pass that allowed us to see ALL of the ruins for the cost of 30 euros each for Keith and myself. Reece was still free due to being a student under 18. Great. So we toured the Acropolis first and were done for the day. We came back today, ready to listen to Rick tell us all about the ancient history. Our pass wouldn’t work. Try it again. And again. And again. Finally they told us that we had already used our pass for our ONE visit to the Acropolis. Wait. What? I thought it was good for five days. Yes, it is but you only get one visit. Okay. Then what is the point of having the ticket be good for FIVE days? I embarrassed Reece as I told the women at the gate that the one visit criteria was not made clear to us at the time of purchase. Reece was apologetic for my behavior … granted it wasn’t the women’s fault but where did it say ANYWHERE that you only got one visit? We would have planned differently had we known this.
I decided to check with the actual ticket office and was told that while the pass was good for FIVE days, it only allowed one visit at each of the sites. Huh. Again, this was not made clear at the time of purchase. At no time during my purchase was there the mention of only one visit to each site. So here is the sign that states the two different types of tickets, the cost and what they include.
There is quite an extensive list of sites. Awesome. Show me where it says that while you have 5 days to see all those sites, you may only enter each site once.
Oh well … we were able to find the Ancient Agora today and we wandered through there. We also went into the museum that is on site. That was cool. Rick Steves has a podcast for the Ancient Agora as well, unfortunately we didn’t download it as we hadn’t intended to visit it today. I guess we could listen to it after the fact. Not quite the same.
We finished our tour of the Ancient Agora and were headed back toward our apartment. Reece needed a snack and we found a place that sold Chimney Cakes … an enriched bread which is wound onto a wooden spit and roasted over a charcoal fire. This place, for a price, would fill it with ice cream. Reece chose “Gretl Vanilla” and toppings. It looked pretty good but we didn’t get much of a taste of it. But Reece seemed to enjoy it.
When we first arrived in Athens we purchased a 5 day metro pass and decided to initiate it by taking a ride to the end of the blue line. What we get for not planning is that we don’t know what we should be looking for. The end of the line is called Agia Marina. Apparently there is also an Agia Marina beach which I would guess is accessible by this metro station but I didn’t see any water and we headed quickly back to the metro station and decided to call it a day.
Athens: Day Four
Sometimes a person just needs a day to just be. Today was that day for me. So there isn’t much to write. I stayed in our apartment and had a day where I wasn’t “on the go” all day long. Keith and Reece went to the Acropolis Museum and thought it was really cool but no pictures allowed. I worked on our travel arrangements for Italy, for which we depart on Thursday. I let Keith and Reece deal with the evening meal. And I read and I watched a bit of television. It was wonderful to have some time to myself and I think it is important that I remember to take it periodically.
Athens: Day Five
The sun decided to shine today after three days of overcast skies. That means it was the day to find the beach. I don’t think of Athens as a coastal town and the heart of Athens is somewhat inland, but there is a thriving population on the coast and we saw it today. We got a 5-day metro pass that is good for the trains, buses and trams and we put it to use today, traveling from the station nearest our apartment, changing trains at one of the main stations and then taking the next line to the end of the line where we found a tram that took us along the coast. We didn’t go too far along the coastline but far enough to find water and beach.
I was particularly excited about finding quite a stash of sea glass. I ALWAYS look for it whenever I am on a beach and it was actually Reece who brought be three pieces when she was fooling around, taking photos. We all decided to walk the beach and I couldn’t believe my luck as every few steps was another piece. We found so much, I could afford to be picky and keep only the best pieces.
We even found a couple of pieces of cobalt blue, amber/yellow and purple!
We had one more day on our 5-day pass so after eating a quick lunch, seaside, we headed back in and took the tram to the end of the line which led us to Hadrian’s Gate and the sanctuary of Olympian Zeus. Most of these monuments close at 3 p.m. so we literally had 10 minutes in which to enter and check it out but I am grateful we had that much time. It is pretty impressive.
After we got kicked out the sanctuary, we meandered through a lovely garden …
The late afternoon was filled with homework, practice and writing. Keith and I picked up a few groceries and some treats … we got one of each of these bite-size treats.
What better way to taste them all and figure out which is our favorite. They are so beautiful and I always hope they taste as beautiful as they look. And they rarely do which is disheartening. Perhaps I just remain partial to Neopolitin de Chocolate.
Athens: Day Six
Since we only saw a small part of one beach and since today was another sunny and beautiful day, we got back on the tram and headed back down to the sea. We found a quicker, more direct route and rode it all the way to the end only to walk back, along the beaches, to find some more treasures. And find we did, though not quite the bounty that we found the day before. The beaches in this area were, for the most part full of pebbles and very little sand. The locals … mostly the men, don their Speedos and do their exercises and then jump in the water. Although the weather has been in the 60’s, which feels summer-like to those of us from the far reaches of the North, most locals are quite bundled up with heavy coats and scarves. I guess it is winter here. Which is why I found it all the more amusing to watch these older men, prancing around in their barely-there swimwear. Spoiler alert: There are no photos of said scantily clothed men.
We headed back to the apartment for a little downtime before heading up the hill at sunset to watch the Acropolis light up. Reece was our photographer and considering she is just learning some technique and didn’t have a tripod, she got a fair rendition. It was quite beautiful and so close to where we were saying. One day we would love to see it again, particularly on a crystal clear night.
Athens: Day Seven
Our final day in the lovely Athens was spent doing laundry, studying, flute practice and packing. Nothing much to report except that laundromats in Athens are spendy … 7 euros a load. I don’t keep up on laundromat costs back home so perhaps those prices are consistent. And only 4 hours of sitting around. I am glad I brought my kindle with me. But totally worth the clean clothes.
Tomorrow we are headed to Naples. We fly into Rome and then take the bus 2.5 hours to Naples. We’ll see how that goes.
Cheers!
Teresa