We gathered up our belongings and took the metro into town. The train was full all the way to Syntagma Square, so we got off at the next stop and changed lines. Everyone was out and about (almost New Year’s Eve!), so each station was relatively full. After getting lost up top, we made our way to our hotel and checked ourselves into our room. Princess was instantly happy with our situation. We were eight floors up, overlooking a beautiful alleyway, full of crack heads. My eyesight was permanently scarred by a full scale plumber, except he wasn't under a sink. He had pulled his pants down to allow him to inject his holy liquid into his thigh. Ewww!
From the hotel we headed off to buy our boat tickets to Crete, which set us back a nasty 19 Euros each. Then, we took the metro a couple of stops down the line, getting off at the Acropolis. You can see the Acropolis (the hill) from almost anywhere in the city, and with all of its history, going to see it is a must. It was about five in the afternoon by the time we got up to the entrance gates, only to find out that the doors close at 3:30pm. We asked about getting in and found out that the fee was quite steep at 12 Euros. Granted, that did allow entrance into four other areas, but if you're only going to see the Parthenon, it really can hurt the wallet. We took as many touristic shots as possible, and then skedaddled off down the cobbled steps.
We continued along, passing through Syntagma Square and its lovely Xmas decorations. There was a sound stage and a giant tree, all in preparation for the following night's extravaganza (to be seen live on TV!). We took a look around, and then headed across the street to see some Greek soldiers. Unbeknownst to us, the hour of guard change arrived, so we were able to look on as the old guards kicked themselves out and the new guards marched into position.
They were guarding the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, so of course there had to be a "celebration." There's a lot more foot movement in it and a lot less pomp and circumstance, but it is still nice to see the variety.While being entertained by the guards we noticed a few large dogs roaming about, some of them wrestling each other to the ground. We went over to sit on a step looking down at Syntagma and were promptly surrounded by three mangy mutts. There was the obvious top dog and the obvious submissive and another one that seemed to ignore the other two. Princess had her "deer in the headlights" look on and I was all giddy.
We headed north, hoping to get somewhere close to home, but ended back in the square after a few misguided turns. We found a corridor full of Disney characters, including the lovely Mary Poppins and starting snapping pictures. Within seconds we had been joined by a dozen other photographers, but we were too shy to try and compete.
Eventually we escaped the madness, stopping only to watch a street performer eat fire and burn off more of his arm hair. While walking down an empty street, we saw a sign for Authentic Greek food (are we tourists, or what?) We darted off down a dark alley in search of a prize, but only found an empty restaurant. Sometimes this is good...no other crazy tourists, but in this instance, the restaurant had nearly closed down and the only things left were cold dishes. The owner was a kind man and pointed us to some real old school Greek food with low prices and lots of history.We entered the tavern with a bit of shock, as this place only had two customers and nary a sign of life. We walked up to the counter to marvel at the wide variety of dishes available and soon found out how to get it done. Apparently, the traditional Greek restaurant makes lots of meats and veggies and soups and whatnot, places them in hotel pans in the display window, and then the guest picks their choice main course and side and takes a seat. No buffet, no price checks, no repeat orders. We took a seat, sipped our Mythos and waited for the fun. It started with soup for Princess and a big ol' plate of mixed meat for yours truly. We added on a plate of steamed broccoli and cauliflower and were given an extra bonus of protein, though we passed. Earwigs aren't really our thing. We pointed this out to our server, and after publicly flogging himself, he brought us more cauliflower and a second round of beer. We couldn't have been happier. We tipped on our way out (abnormal for Hollywood) and walked home to snooze off the tummy rumblings.
The next day started quite late, though we were able to make breakfast by 8:3O or so. We headed out with full day passes for the metro, stopping off at the market for lunchables (not name brand). We took the direct line to Piraeus, the departure point for our mega boat down south. There were quite a few boats in the harbor, but we found out where our boat would depart from and walked around to find the dock. Our boat wasn't there yet (too early), so we headed off towards the shipyard. We watched a few local fishermen try their hand with homemade fishing contraptions, and then settled down to lunch. A few Gypsies came by later, dropping their trash and being nosy. A boy made his way over to me, asking me if I had any binoculars (no English, of course). I didn't have any, but wouldn't have given them to him if I had. I'm not sure if I was confused or what, but I brought out my sunglasses, as if that might have been what he was looking for? He tried them on, looked out at the sea and became a very happy individual. He asked if he could have them and I said no. He asked again, and I asked what he had to trade. "No money." "No, I don't want money. What do you have to trade.”?”No money." And then, for some other strange reason, I let him have them, free of charge. What the heck, I had another pair...do I really need two?
Princess and I finished our late lunch and continued on. We walked back around past all the docks, gazing at the big boats. We paused to watch a giant cruise ship, the Costa Pacifica, go by. I waved at the passengers standing outside, and they waved back, though there was no real emotion involved. I took some pictures of Princess on her birthday, in front of one of the most beautiful backdrops available. Have we not mentioned this before? The last day of the year is Miss Princess' birthday, and lucky for her, everyone else in the world (except maybe China) celebrates it alongside her. There was some other party going on in Syntagma Square, but we skipped it and stayed in for a quiet night together.
From Piraeus, we headed back into town, both of us napping on the way. We got off at Omaneia Square as usual, but decided to ask the local police for directions to the nearest internet cafe. They were stumped. Dumbfounded, literally. They pointed us off where they thought we could find something, so away we went. We talked about ten blocks away from our comfort zone and then turned back, hoping to find some warmth instead. While traversing the crazy streets (no joke) Princess caught an open internet shop out of the corner of her eye. We searched the net for an hour and then continued on. We watched movies on our computer and listened to the gala out in the streets. There was a small fireworks show celebrating the end of Princess' special day, but we were dozing soon after.
The next morning was a late one for us, and a busy one for the breakfast people. There was a waiting line out the door and couples were sharing tables (as it should be). Unfortunately, most of the couples didn't want to share tables and decided to wait in line instead. We finished our meal, packed our bags and then dropped them off at the front desk. Check out time was 11am, but our departure time was 22:45 from the port, so the hotel took care of our bags for a dozen hours. We grabbed our last set of day passes and then headed to the Acropolis.
We had been expecting an awesome day of sightseeing, as most people wouldn't be out. However, nothing was open, so there would have been nowhere for them to go to. We found this out at the Acropolis, took some more pictures and then walked down the hill into Plaka, the neighborhood surrounding the Acropolis and the Parthenon. There were many people out, though most of them were sitting at cafes in the sun. 2010 had blessed our first day with 77F temperatures - I took advantage with shorts and a t-shirt. From Plaka we walked around a bit, taking in the scenery. Then we left the scenery and got lost. No, really. I think we walked a hundred miles before we knew where we were. OK, maybe it was 3, but where was a cafe when you needed one?
We finally found a metro station and then went for a ride. We first went up to the Olympic Stadium from the 2004 Olympics Games, taking a gander at all the different pavilions and then jumping ship. We went to the end of the green line, which turned out to be a wealthy enclave, though not named so on the map. We walked around there, looking at everything and being ogled by everyone - it had to be the shorts. We eventually got bored and headed back to the hotel, but only to do some internet research. We grabbed dinner at a cafe near the hotel, chil-laxing until 8:30 rolled around. We then picked up our bags and went back down to the port to catch our overnight ferry to Crete.
The ride was smooth, with plenty of space for lying out. Princess hit the hay right after touring the boat, whilst I stayed up to see the boat leave port. A quarter hour later, once the lights of Athens merged into the horizon, the views turned dark and I turned in. We were met in Heraklion by our car rental person and were soon off beginning the Hellenic Adventure.
