What We Saw For A "Song"

I know that is a cliche, but we did get to see a lot of things most people have to pay a great deal for, just because they have to pay for a flight from wherever they are in America to get to the memorable destinations.  It helps to live, for a while, close to the area in which you want to see places. 

Evelyn managed to get a job with a Travel Agency, while we were in Berlin.  That turned out to be a God Send, because a lot of travel providers gave great deals to employees of travel agencies, because they know that is a good source of advertisement for travel agent's clients.  Just for paying taxes, we managed to get airline tickets and hotel stay in Athens, Greece, for a full week. 

The hotel we stayed at was in the heart of an older part of Athens.  It was reached by bus from the airport.  It was an older building, but the hotel room had all the necessary conveniences.  While it was not a presumptuous type of room there was one feature we were not accustomed to.  There was a kind of a rope in the shower that seemed to be hanging from the ceiling.  I tried pulling on it, only to find out it summoned a maid service person.  I thanked her for coming, but made it clear it was a mistake.  Fortunately I wasn't showering at the time.  I can only assume it was to have the maid wash one's back?

Lamb's heads on a Spit

The Marina access of the island Hydra

We walked to a plaza not too far away and found a place to have dinner.  We had met a couple young boys (in their upper teens) while on the airplane and they were at the restaurant plaza we found ourselves in.  We ordered a salad and some kind of meat (it was easier for us because the menu was in Greek and English).  The boys, at the table nearest us, on the other hand, wanted to order Greek food, lamb, and pointed to their mouth and made a sheep like sound, "Baa-aa-aa."  When all the food was brought to the tables, the boys were surprised the waiters actually put a plate with a sheep's head in front of them.  Not knowing exactly what they were to do with it, they used a knife and a fork to cut into the head.  Suddenly, they were looking at teeth.  That was all they could take.  They pushed the plates away and decided they were not hungry.  Our food, however, was great.

We took in all the sights we found interesting, which included seeing the changing of the skirt sporting guards in front of the Parliamentary building, seeing the Parthenon, swimming in the Mediterranean, and visiting some of the islands that were like garden outlying communities.  One of the more interesting islands was the island of Hydra.  We arrived by boat at the marina only to find there were no automobiles, at all.  There were a lot of fishing boats and tons of cats, but the only public transportation was by a donkey pulled
cart.

Evelyn at the Parthenon

The Parthenon

Our most profound experience there, though, was the visit to the Parthenon.  The feeling of antiquity and the scale of the structure was enough to subdue any chatter or rowdiness.  The marble pillars were without a doubt as impressive as anything we can construct today.

Today, they don't allow visitors to actually enter the Parthenon.  One has to view and appreciate it from the exterior.  Back when we saw it, we were allowed to walk amongst the pillars and what few walls were still standing.  The whole trip was for about seven days.  We were able to take a bus to the Mediterranean and spend time in the water.  It was pretty cold, but it was worth it just to say I swam in the Mediterranean.

On one of our outings, we walked some of the truly old, meandering, streets on the hills of Athens.  There was an old lady knitting a scarf of some soft white wool.  She had several examples displayed around her.  Evelyn could not resist.  She purchased one and eventually gave it to a relative as a gift.  Our hotel  was not too far from a large marble tiled plaza where we discovered a few outdoor patio restaurants.  From our vantage point we were able to await the changing of the guard at the Greek Parliament building.  It was interesting to watch the men in white kilts or skirts, pleated and bloused, as were the sleeves of their garment, and the tassle on the toe of their shoes.  The whole thing took a little less than five minutes and takes place every day at around eleven o'clock.

The trip was inexpensive, interesting, and educational.  It was one more event that shaped our desire to travel and experience the exotic and unique things of the world.