Athens Adventure, Part Three

Saturday, March 25

Today was a holiday in Greece and as such, we spent the day commenting on how it was so good we'd done some of our touring around earlier in the weekend. Many monuments and destinations were closed. Turns out the Acropolis Museum was free to enter today, but it would've been packed so it's okay that we paid to go in on Friday night.

We ate breakfast and then went up to pack. Checkout wasn't until Noon, but we asked them to store our bags and we were out the door shortly after 10. We walked over to Syntagma Square again thinking we'd get a spot to watch the parade we heard was happening today. Only when we got close, there was a heavily manned police perimeter around the square and the parliament building. We had to walk a few blocks up and stand on the wall of a planter to see just a tiny bit of the street. We could've probably gotten closer, but given all the warnings about staying away from large gatherings of people, and given this was a military parade and could therefore get a little politically charged, we stayed on the fringes of the crowd and kept an opening at our backs. I was nervous. I didn't like the fact that the police were in full riot gear and that there were more and more people pushing in from every direction. We made a plan that if something did kick off, we would find a corner and huddle together until it was all over. Seemed like a better idea than being pushed along in a a mass of people and end up getting tear gassed or something.

Buses and police keeping people from entering the metro station and parliament area.

Maybe this should've been a sign to stay away?

But, it was all just fine. When the parade finally started and we could see the tops of the heads of all the marching regiments, we both relaxed a bit. There was chanting and yelling and much cheering for all the soldiers. And the soldiers themselves would chant as they marched past too. I commented to Brandon that no on must be guarding the country because the shear number of bodies in each contingent was huge. We didn't stay too long watching. We couldn't see much and our feet were sore so we moved on.

We strolled down Ermou Street into Plaka and stopped on the way at a bakery. Brandon had a massive doughnut and a latte with so much sugar it was almost too sweet for him. I had a huge cheese and spinach pie and it was soooo good.

From Monastiraki Square, where we'd been to buy our sandals and where the flea market was, we went a different route through the market and found the entrance to the Ancient Agora that we couldn't find on Friday. It was closed which was too bad because it would've been the perfect time to go see it today and our tickets from the Acropolis included entry here as well. Oh well, we took pictures through the gate!

Part of the Ancient Agora

Cafes lining the street

We continued along a long row of cafes and came to a street full of people selling - well - everything. There were some with tables but most had their wares spread out on blankets and there was much noise and bartering going on. And this continued around the corner and up another street. Here, absolutely anything could be found. There was a man fixing a DVD player outside on the sidewalk, you could buy silverware, car parts, kitchen knives, decor items, and enough porn to take the internet out of business. I tried to keep an open mind through this jaunt but had a hard time with that while being pushed around by so many people. It was mostly men here and without Brandon my discomfort would've bordered on fear. I'm sure this is a very normal Sunday activity, but it all seemed so poor and slum-like and dirty.

We found our way back into the flea market street we'd been to before and bought some bits and pieces to bring home. We found that the touristy shops are just like here in Edinburgh - everything's the same and the claims of best quality and best price are made from every doorway. Much like the restaurants, most shops have someone at the door and as soon as you hesitate to look at something or make eye contact, you're set upon. And oh it's hard to get away or say no. One jewellery shop guy shook Brandon's hand and said, "oh yes, I know Canada very well! And oh yes, Scotland is very beautiful! By the way, you come see my jewellery?" They're funny, but really annoying sometimes!

This reminds me of our first night. One of the restaurateurs slapped Brandon on the shoulder and while pointing out "the very best food in Athens" on his menu, he proceeded to tell us that the reason his salads were so good was because they use The Olive Oil. Huh. Who'd have thought? The best part though was when Brandon started asking him questions about the quality of the oil and the guy suddenly had to backtrack a bit and he quickly changed the subject.

We found a small painted pottery pitcher, small bottles of olive oil and ouzo, and a little silver owl to bring home. Along with the postcards we bought at the Acropolis Museum, Athens should be well represented in our flat.

We took a bit of a rest in the shade of a big church before making our way back to Syntagma Square. We discussed whether Athens has always been like this or if the financial crisis is to blame for the beggars, disuse, decay ad abuse of the buildings. The sandal maker told us that the best thing the government has done is to do away with so many civil service jobs. He said that years ago the government basically bribed people away from farming and production jobs with the promise of good wages. He said this was intended to create a massive pool of grateful and loyal voters. Now that there's no money left all those people will have to return to traditional jobs and businesses. He thinks this is best for Greece. Time will tell I guess. But I'd like to see Athens in ten years and see if there really is a difference.

We got on the city sightseeing bus again since we didn't get much of a tour yesterday morning. Good thing they're two day tickets! We spent nearly two hours seeing a lot of the city centre. The university and library buildings were highlights and so was the prime minister's residence with its surrounding park. We were very fortunate to see a changing of the guard here, similar to what we saw last night at the parliament. But the commentary told us more about the soldiers. Their uniforms are very important and traditional. They wear a type of kilt with 400 pleats - one for each year of Ottoman Occupation. The soldiers are responsible for keeping the uniforms immaculate and in their residence dorms, there are professional steam presses they use to keep them perfect.

The Prime Minister's residence

Traffic stopped and we waited to watch the changing of the guard

This is where we learned about the 400 pleats

The Panathenaic Stadium

Athens University

Decoration on top of the National Library

When we'd seen everything on the tour we stayed on the bus and got back to our hotel area. i had a bowl of yogurt with quince preserves and sliced almonds and oh man, my mouth was in heaven. We also had our last gyros and then ventured into one last souvenir shop to buy a couple of magnets. The guy tried so hard to sell us more and followed us around pointing out all his best bits. We almost felt bad only spending 1 Euro on our two magnets!

We walked slowly back to the hotel, picked up our bags, checked email and Facebook, cleaned up in the lobby bathrooms, repacked and went to the metro. One train to Syntagma, another train that we thought would get us all the way to the airport but actually ended about half way there, and one more train to take us the rest of the way, and about an hour later we were at the airport.

Tomorrow's final instalment will be a bit of a debrief of the trip, including details of how in spite of all my best efforts, I still get stressed out in airports!