Athens Day 3
Since we had hit up most of the major attractions on our first day, Ray had said he wanted to find a beach and go there. So when I woke up, I had to look for information on how to get to a beach south of Athens. After a little bit of looking I found that by taking the metro to Dafni and then taking the 171 bus to Varkiza. After a quick breakfast and a stop to purchase socks, we headed on the metro towards Dafni. When we got off the metro, we were surrounded by bus stops! We went around to many of them looking for the 171, but also looking for a little man in a box who could help us with finding the 171 to Varkiza beach, We ended up learning that the 171 no longer came out to Dafni and we would have to take the metro to the end of the line and catch the bus there. So back onto the metro and off to the final stop (WHATEVER DOMITRIOS). We headed upstairs and as Jim was getting a Coke and Sprite from the Cafe next to the bus stop, our bus pulled up. Instead of rushing, Ray said we should just wait another 10 minutes for the next one. So we sat and waited, admiring a somewhat less ghetto area of Athens than what we had been in.
Finally the bus came from around the corner and we hopped on. Ray went and asked the driver when we would get to Varkiza. He said "10 minutes". After 10 minutes, we were NOT at Varkiza, so we waited a little longer, just in case bad traffic had been a factor and Ray asked again. The bus driver said "10 minutes". We have come to believe that when they don't know what to say to Americans (or other English speakers) that the catch-all phrase is "10 minutes". Kind of like with Mexican's it's "k". In retrospect, all he had to say was "last stop", as we learned once we arrived and were wandering around.
Sadly, due to the overcast day, the beach wasn't as perfect as Ray had hoped. There was no bright blue, Aegean sky. Only a slightly aqua sea, but it was still very, very nice. You could see small islands out in the distance. Once we found a beach access to we could get into, Ray and I decided to change for a swim. Ray had led me to believe that the water was warmer than the normal temperature, being in the Mediterranean region and all that. So I threw on some work-out pants and rolled them up with an easily cleaned and dried shirt. I had forgotten my swimsuit, but packed Ray's. So Jim set up camp with a chair and Ray and I started to head into the water. OMG FREEZING!!! Just like ice on your feet. Lake Michigan in December was all I could think! Ray, though, was determined for a swim and kept making his way in the water. He really sucked it up and went under and everything. Right after he went under, a guy in a speedo also entered the water and went over to Ray and joked about the cold water being good for your heart and that right now, the water is the absolute coldest, because it retained all the cold from winter. Good for Ray, though. I have my Eiffel Tower and Ray has his Mediterranean/Aegean swim... so I asked Jim what will be his big personal event in Rome. "Drink from a fountain"! haha! We'll see.
We relaxed a bit after the swim, but it started to get chilly. So we packed up and headed to the bus stop, catching the bus back to the Domitrios metro. Because we were the first ones on the bus, we got to actually sit down for the bus ride, which was nice, except Ray was sleeping next to me and his head kept lolling about. And old lady was commenting on men and how they sleep, but it was all in Greek and I could only discern it from hand gestures. Smiles and nods get you a long way in a country where some words don't even resemble English. Another interesting thing happened on the bus. This older man and a very old lady got on the bus and the old lady had kind of stood by the door for a while. Like she intended to stand. The older man offered to help her to a seat, but she declined over and over again. She was moving around just fine, but refused to sit down, expecting the next stop to be soon. When another stop didn't show up quickly and then when a stop did there was no reason to stop (no passengers and no one ringing to get off the bus), the old lady and the older man started yelling at the bus driver. They were both very pissed off. Finally the bus stopped and the old lady got into the seat she was standing next to the whole time. Ray asked what was going on and I explained to him that the old lady and man were very upset with the bus driver for not waiting for the old lady to take her seat before starting to the drive the bus. This yelling between the three of them was loud and long. I would have been incredibly sympathetic if, as the bus went along, the old lady was constantly getting in and out of her seat while the bus was moving, even walking around to do the door when it was her stop. I think she was just being a grumpy old woman.
Prior, Ray, Jim and I had agreed to go to a lunch cafe that we had looked at in one of our travel books. So we got off at the Acropoli stop and walked through the neighborhood looking for Tripod. Not finding it, we settled on Diogeneses for lunch (a very late lunch). We decided to sit outside, like we had been, and ordered some water. Then Ray and I settled on this feta bake with veggies for an appetizer, and then I ordered the stuffed tomatoes and bell peppers from the specials. Ray got the ham and cheese stuffed burger and Jim got rabbit. As we waited for the food and nibbled on bread, a dog came up to the table. A very nice dog. We didn't have anything for him, but a waiter showed up and gave the dog a small plate of food in the garden away from the customers. That was really nice! There was also a cat that mingled around us and seemed to really like Ray (as stray cats do). Ray shared some of his burger with the cat and he was hooked. I saw the cat go around and solicited other tables, but no one seemed to pay attention. Only us silly tourists, I suppose. None of the "stray" animals look underfed in any capacity, so I think wherever they linger it is because whoever is there takes it upon themselves to take care of them.
Finally the bus came from around the corner and we hopped on. Ray went and asked the driver when we would get to Varkiza. He said "10 minutes". After 10 minutes, we were NOT at Varkiza, so we waited a little longer, just in case bad traffic had been a factor and Ray asked again. The bus driver said "10 minutes". We have come to believe that when they don't know what to say to Americans (or other English speakers) that the catch-all phrase is "10 minutes". Kind of like with Mexican's it's "k". In retrospect, all he had to say was "last stop", as we learned once we arrived and were wandering around.
Sadly, due to the overcast day, the beach wasn't as perfect as Ray had hoped. There was no bright blue, Aegean sky. Only a slightly aqua sea, but it was still very, very nice. You could see small islands out in the distance. Once we found a beach access to we could get into, Ray and I decided to change for a swim. Ray had led me to believe that the water was warmer than the normal temperature, being in the Mediterranean region and all that. So I threw on some work-out pants and rolled them up with an easily cleaned and dried shirt. I had forgotten my swimsuit, but packed Ray's. So Jim set up camp with a chair and Ray and I started to head into the water. OMG FREEZING!!! Just like ice on your feet. Lake Michigan in December was all I could think! Ray, though, was determined for a swim and kept making his way in the water. He really sucked it up and went under and everything. Right after he went under, a guy in a speedo also entered the water and went over to Ray and joked about the cold water being good for your heart and that right now, the water is the absolute coldest, because it retained all the cold from winter. Good for Ray, though. I have my Eiffel Tower and Ray has his Mediterranean/Aegean swim... so I asked Jim what will be his big personal event in Rome. "Drink from a fountain"! haha! We'll see.
We relaxed a bit after the swim, but it started to get chilly. So we packed up and headed to the bus stop, catching the bus back to the Domitrios metro. Because we were the first ones on the bus, we got to actually sit down for the bus ride, which was nice, except Ray was sleeping next to me and his head kept lolling about. And old lady was commenting on men and how they sleep, but it was all in Greek and I could only discern it from hand gestures. Smiles and nods get you a long way in a country where some words don't even resemble English. Another interesting thing happened on the bus. This older man and a very old lady got on the bus and the old lady had kind of stood by the door for a while. Like she intended to stand. The older man offered to help her to a seat, but she declined over and over again. She was moving around just fine, but refused to sit down, expecting the next stop to be soon. When another stop didn't show up quickly and then when a stop did there was no reason to stop (no passengers and no one ringing to get off the bus), the old lady and the older man started yelling at the bus driver. They were both very pissed off. Finally the bus stopped and the old lady got into the seat she was standing next to the whole time. Ray asked what was going on and I explained to him that the old lady and man were very upset with the bus driver for not waiting for the old lady to take her seat before starting to the drive the bus. This yelling between the three of them was loud and long. I would have been incredibly sympathetic if, as the bus went along, the old lady was constantly getting in and out of her seat while the bus was moving, even walking around to do the door when it was her stop. I think she was just being a grumpy old woman.
Prior, Ray, Jim and I had agreed to go to a lunch cafe that we had looked at in one of our travel books. So we got off at the Acropoli stop and walked through the neighborhood looking for Tripod. Not finding it, we settled on Diogeneses for lunch (a very late lunch). We decided to sit outside, like we had been, and ordered some water. Then Ray and I settled on this feta bake with veggies for an appetizer, and then I ordered the stuffed tomatoes and bell peppers from the specials. Ray got the ham and cheese stuffed burger and Jim got rabbit. As we waited for the food and nibbled on bread, a dog came up to the table. A very nice dog. We didn't have anything for him, but a waiter showed up and gave the dog a small plate of food in the garden away from the customers. That was really nice! There was also a cat that mingled around us and seemed to really like Ray (as stray cats do). Ray shared some of his burger with the cat and he was hooked. I saw the cat go around and solicited other tables, but no one seemed to pay attention. Only us silly tourists, I suppose. None of the "stray" animals look underfed in any capacity, so I think wherever they linger it is because whoever is there takes it upon themselves to take care of them.
I was in total heaven, not having really eaten for the bulk of the day. My stuffed pepper and stuffed tomato were to die for. The tomato was the perfect flavor and the rice was seasoned so that it wasn't too overpowering! Even our appetizer was delicious, which I was dubious about. It was baked feta with onions and peppers on it. Really delicious. Ray's stuffed burger was also interesting and quite tasty. Jim allowed me to try one of his onions from his plate, which I thought was pretty alright. They were white pearl onions and had been cooked in the sauce with the rabbit. I'm sure the dish as a whole was better than just the one part. But none of us were complaining, or at least out loud. Apparently my happiness over the food just radiated off of me.
Our meal rounded out with a dessert. Jim had previously ordered a chocolate soufflé and I asked Ray if we could order something small. Nothing seemed to appeal to him, so I said, "would you like to share some baklava?" He agreed, which made me happy because it wasn't too expensive. This baklava was incredible! Ray was shocked that it was the cheaper dessert, but it was truly a fitting end to one of our official final meals in Athens. After lingering and relaxing for a bit after the meal, we headed back to Omonia Square to go to the grocery store, the bakery and then home. When we arrived in Omonia Square, we immediately went to the grocery store where we all knew exactly what we wanted: halloumi cheese, pita chips, and soda. I went to wait outside after I picked my cheese and as I walked out, I had one of those moments where you and another person are walking at each other and you have a little dance figuring out who is going in which direction. But this time it wasn't a little laugh and smile, it was an 8-10 year old boy who turned around and called me a "fat fucking whore" and his face was just full of raw anger. Bewilderment was written all over my face and his sister, who was behind him, apologized for him and ran to keep up with him. As I turned around, I saw her reprimand him and he looked back at me with so much hatred in his face. This is the kind of kid who will cause problems in this already crumbling society, which just made me really sad. And all of this in front of a cop! I really liked the people here, but not the ones in Omonia Square and surrounding.
As I waited outside for the boys to finish up inside, I noticed an unusually large amount of cops hanging around. Then, a bunch of cops on motorcycles rode down the street! I was really curious about what was going on. Seriously interested, but Jim wanted nothing to do with it and wanted to get away for fear of bombs. I'd like to think he was joking, but he just kept going on and on about the danger and all that. I thought maybe a dignitary was leaving the parliament or something, which was right down the road from the grocery store. It was so cool, I thought. So as the boys picked out their items in the bakery, I kept looking out the door wanting to see more of what was going on! Cops were literally everywhere! I actually never felt so safe on that side of town. But once again, none of this was cool to Jim and he spoiled my excitement with crazy talk, so we hustled back to the hotel where we relaxed. I had fallen asleep and I guess Ray had too when Jim yelled to us from his room that I should look outside. I did and I saw a huge group of protesters with signs and banners and everything! It was really neat! I've never seen a protest that big. Then Jim claimed he saw "military" following the group. I said I didn't know who the people could be. Once again, Jim went nuts claiming there would be riots and this and that and started looking up on the internet to try to find out what was going on and if we should plan an escape route. I told him there's nothing to worry about. It was probably a civil, pre-registered protest, which is why the cops were so prepared, etc etc. He said that's how its starts and riots will follow. After looking at pictures from the previous riots, he said that the "military" people were the riot police.
The rest of the night was spent relaxing and trying to watch the weird television. I packed and Ray and I played Fluxx, joined later by Jim. I went to bed shortly after so that we could all get ready to head out the next day.
Our meal rounded out with a dessert. Jim had previously ordered a chocolate soufflé and I asked Ray if we could order something small. Nothing seemed to appeal to him, so I said, "would you like to share some baklava?" He agreed, which made me happy because it wasn't too expensive. This baklava was incredible! Ray was shocked that it was the cheaper dessert, but it was truly a fitting end to one of our official final meals in Athens. After lingering and relaxing for a bit after the meal, we headed back to Omonia Square to go to the grocery store, the bakery and then home. When we arrived in Omonia Square, we immediately went to the grocery store where we all knew exactly what we wanted: halloumi cheese, pita chips, and soda. I went to wait outside after I picked my cheese and as I walked out, I had one of those moments where you and another person are walking at each other and you have a little dance figuring out who is going in which direction. But this time it wasn't a little laugh and smile, it was an 8-10 year old boy who turned around and called me a "fat fucking whore" and his face was just full of raw anger. Bewilderment was written all over my face and his sister, who was behind him, apologized for him and ran to keep up with him. As I turned around, I saw her reprimand him and he looked back at me with so much hatred in his face. This is the kind of kid who will cause problems in this already crumbling society, which just made me really sad. And all of this in front of a cop! I really liked the people here, but not the ones in Omonia Square and surrounding.
As I waited outside for the boys to finish up inside, I noticed an unusually large amount of cops hanging around. Then, a bunch of cops on motorcycles rode down the street! I was really curious about what was going on. Seriously interested, but Jim wanted nothing to do with it and wanted to get away for fear of bombs. I'd like to think he was joking, but he just kept going on and on about the danger and all that. I thought maybe a dignitary was leaving the parliament or something, which was right down the road from the grocery store. It was so cool, I thought. So as the boys picked out their items in the bakery, I kept looking out the door wanting to see more of what was going on! Cops were literally everywhere! I actually never felt so safe on that side of town. But once again, none of this was cool to Jim and he spoiled my excitement with crazy talk, so we hustled back to the hotel where we relaxed. I had fallen asleep and I guess Ray had too when Jim yelled to us from his room that I should look outside. I did and I saw a huge group of protesters with signs and banners and everything! It was really neat! I've never seen a protest that big. Then Jim claimed he saw "military" following the group. I said I didn't know who the people could be. Once again, Jim went nuts claiming there would be riots and this and that and started looking up on the internet to try to find out what was going on and if we should plan an escape route. I told him there's nothing to worry about. It was probably a civil, pre-registered protest, which is why the cops were so prepared, etc etc. He said that's how its starts and riots will follow. After looking at pictures from the previous riots, he said that the "military" people were the riot police.
The rest of the night was spent relaxing and trying to watch the weird television. I packed and Ray and I played Fluxx, joined later by Jim. I went to bed shortly after so that we could all get ready to head out the next day.
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