Our original 5 month travel plan was to backpack through Africa, then hop a flight to Turkey and backpack south from Turkey, overland through Syria, into Israel and Jordan, and on to Cairo where our departure flight was booked, but like any trip, our plans were subject to change. Egypt’s Revolution threatened to change our departure city, and Syria’s protests and the government’s reaction to those protests (killing their own citizens) was enough to make me nervous about visiting, but ultimately it was Syria’s visa policy that changed our plans. In reaction to an increase in U.S. visa prices for its citizens, Syria raised its visa fees to $131 USD and required advance approval from the embassy in America. This was impossible for us as we were already moving southeast through Turkey when we discovered this bit of information. Thankfully, Uncle Sam was good to us this year, so we forked over the extra cash to backtrack by bus to Istanbul, then hopped two flights, one from Istanbul to Athens, and the other from Athens to Cairo.
When we arrived in Istanbul, we were fried from the long bus ride, so it was the last straw when our taxi driver deliberately attempted to swerve toward a detour. Mark and I firmly yelled in unison “No!” The driver failed to arrive at our destination (Evrim’s apartment) so we told him to let us out and we walked the remainder of the hills alone. We arrived at Evrim’s with our bags and during the reunion, we discovered that she had other guests from Bodrum and they were out on the town for the night with no plans to sleep. We dumped our bags and joined them in Taxim Square where we bar hopped until past 4am.
The following night, we flew to Athens, Greece. At immigration, we paid nothing and were asked no questions as they swiped our passports and welcomed us to Greece. We boarded a bus to the historical district, about an hour away. The Greek bus felt strange, like being back in the States on a subway where everyone picks seats that are as far away from each other as possible and no one looks at anyone else or dares strike up a conversation. All body language says, “Don’t talk to me. Don’t look at me. Mind your own business.” It was such a dramatic change from Turkey where people were bubbly, smiley, chatty, and struck up conversations with complete strangers as a regular occurrence. When we arrived at the historical district, an Aussie who works in London but has a flat in Athens asked where we were going and told us he was heading that direction and could show us a few hostels if we wanted. We were grateful for the help and dragged our bags and chattered along the 20 minute walk through winding cobblestone streets. Around corners we occasionally caught glimpses of the lit Acropolis atop the hillside. It was strikingly beautiful.
The prices were surprising, 15 euros each per night for a no-frills dorm at the Student Travelers Inn, which meant that Mark and I would be forking out $45 per night for bunk bed accommodations. Suddenly, we were relieved that we would only be in town 3 nights. Over the next 3 days, we continued being shocked by the prices, like $30 breakfasts (some of the cheapest we could find). Our backpacker budget was between $55-65 per day, so to spend $500 over the course of just 3 days was distressing, but we were in Greece, so we determined that we were going to enjoy ourselves, and we did.
We used our student ID cards to get ½ price tickets to the Parthanon and Museum. With the help of the front desk attendant, we mapped out a walking tour that included Greek ruins throughout the city. We spent a full day walking from ancient libraries to Olympic stadiums. We climbed the steps to the Acropolis and sat on rocks while marveling at the smooth marble structures. Women were dressed in their 80’s best (pink flowery short skirts and leggings with gladiator heels and decorative scarfs). Just as I had in Istanbul, I felt out of place in my functional, quick-dry Colorado camping clothes, but who cares, I was in Athens, man.
We spent an afternoon at the Old Museum which was full of tiny historical knick knacks and expertly crafted life-size human sculptures and gravestones. The placards describing each white statue were intriguing. From the way the sculptures were positioned, dates of construction and influence of gods/goddesses could be determined. Family members were sometimes pictured together, and the importance of sports and youth were evident in the postures.
In addition to the high prices, I was not prepared for the Athinean rudeness. We’ve since been informed that Athens is considered one of the rudest cities in Europe, and we now understand. Here are a few examples of the rudeness we encountered.
1) 1) While buying t-shirts, Mark asked me if I cared for the blue one he was wearing. I said the neckline looked too tight. The saleswoman turned to me and said to Mark with a serious face, “It’s because your wife, she is difficult woman.”
2) 2) In a separate t-shirt shop, Mark said he wasn’t in the habit of spending $22 on a t-shirt. The salesman replied, “It’s good quality, not like the shirt you’re wearing.”
3) 3) We purchased schwermas (chicken pitas) at an outdoor restaurant and seated ourselves to eat them. A couple seated nearby saw what we were enjoying and told the waiter they wanted what we were having. The waiter told them they couldn’t have what we were having because it was only available on the take away menu. He promptly told us to leave the restaurant.
All this to say, we were glad to visit Athens, but it is a city that can be seen in a day. Many people suggested visiting the islands from Athens, but we didn’t have enough time to do so. If you go, just know that the prices are high, the people are a little rude, and the historical elements are totally worth it.
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