On Wednesday January 30th, we “loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly….hills that is”. Okay that might have been nice but what we did do was drive a Uhaul truck to Hawkestone Ontario with ‘stuff’ accumulated over 18 months in Saskatchewan. We also towed our vehicle behind so Marilyn and I could ride together. I’ve driven from coast to coast many times but never in the winter. All in all, it was a good trip but a lot slower on snow packed roads.
We spent five days with Ryan and Sally and Evan before flying to Greece. Evan stayed home from day care to be with us for three days and it was a great time to reconnect with him. He’s so much fun and daily influences our own language with what we call Evanisms. We just hope he didn’t fall too far behind on the days he missed at day care.
Our flight to Athens was incredibly smooth and actually arrived early. We met up at the airport with our friend Kelly who had just spent a few months in Cameroon. Kelly’s friend , Vicky, from England has also joined us in Greece.
Greece has been going through a lot of problems lately with 26% unemployment and numerous protests over austerity measures. This may explain why crime is also on the rise. On the metro train from the airport to city centre, I became a statistic when I was robbed by pickpockets. These guys were very smooth (I hate to use the word professional). They created a commotion, made like they were trying to get to the back of the crowd, jostled their way past me and got my wallet which was in a zipped pouch of my shoulder bag.
Temple of Athena Nike at the Acropolis
It has been more of an inconvenience than anything else. I didn’t have my money in my wallet so they missed out on 1400 Euros I had removed as a precaution. I did lose credit cards and my driver’s license which were quickly cancelled and reordered using Skype calls. Fortunately, Marilyn still has her cards so now this trip is on her I guess….ha ha.
Lots and lots of motorcycles in Athens
We originally planned to stay only one night in Athens so Kelly and Vicky could visit the Acropolis. However, we found out upon our arrival that the Ferry workers have been on strike for the past few days. Since I bought our tickets through my new Greek friend Dennis at a travel agency in Athens, he let me know and was able to cancel the tickets for me.
I am strong supporter of Unions so I can be supportive of the workers. New legislation allowing the Ferry Lines to decide how many they need as crew has resulted in over 2000 layoff notices. I never think it’s a good idea to have the fox in charge of the hen house. Also, some workers have not been paid for six months.
Being ‘stuck’ in Athens turned out to be a stroke of luck for us. We have spent the extra days in Athens exploring the sites of the city and have seen and done things we missed on our previous visits. I’ve attached some pictures below……each being worth exactly 1000 words.
The Parthenon
Signs at the Parthenon say reconstruction and preservation efforts would be complete in 2004. There are still lost of cranes and lots of scaffolding but it looks like the project may have come to a stand still. Still, it is certainly an impressive site.
Roman theatre restored
Anyway, the government ordered the Ferry workers back to work, the police are enforcing the back to work legislation and we have tickets for a boat first thing tomorrow morning (Thursday Feb 7). All is well in the cradle of civilization where they have some really old rocks and lots of statues missing heads and arms – worthless junk now I guess.
Marilyn, Kelly and Vicky also went through the new museum which was voted ‘Best Museum in the World” by those people who get to vote on such matters. They all agreed it was amazing and impressive but not necessarily the best ever.
How to squish a temple
How to topple a temple
Athens is a tourist city with tons of outdoor restaurants, shops, and sites. Throughout the city, it is like a never ending carnival. There are squares located everywhere with musicians playing, people dancing, and a variety of other activities.
Some drummers and dancers in the square
I watched a guy make some very big bubbles
I’m not sure why but the anti-smoking movement has not hit Greece. It reminds me of 30 years ago in Canada before everyone discovered that smoking was the most disgusting habit in the world. Smoking is everywhere in Greece and all the restaurants allow smoking inside and out.
Lots of retail waiting for the tourist season
There is not much actual begging and we’ve seen very few homeless people on the streets but there are still a few things to get used to. For example, every restaurant has people hired to convince you to eat at their establishment. This means it takes a lot of time to be polite but make your way past a restaurant. All the restaurants have the menu outside but they insist on telling you verbally the food they prepare. If you show some interest but not too much, they will quickly offer a free glass of wine or a dessert. 
There are also lots of people selling flowers…mainly roses. Whenever you are sitting in an outside cafe you get approached. I’ve been approached more often perhaps because I’m traveling with three women. They don’t persist if you say no thanks. It is also fairly common for kids to have a cheap little accordion which they play in your ear and then ask for money. There are lots of talented musicians and singers busking on the street corners as well.
Changing of the guards at the Parliament Buildings
I guess that’s enough for now. We’re looking forward to getting to Naxos Island tomorrow and seeing some old friends. I’ll leave you with this picture of a Jabba the Hut sort of animal I say slithering around one of the parks. I’m not sure if this is its mouth or the other end. 
