May 2007

The whirring and sputtering of motor bikes and honking of horns heralded the new day. I awoke refreshed and switched on the television to see if Athens had burned during the night while I slept. I switched through all of the channels including CNN and learned that although Milan had been victorious hitting the net twice (once more than Liverpool) in what was touted to be a very competitive match up, the riot Stamatis had feared did not follow. There were some problems even before the game started due to a few Liverpool fans trying to enter the stadium with counterfeit tickets. Based on the condition I saw a number of the fans in I have no doubt some enterprising less than honorable person through the magic of Photo Shop who was willing to give them a reasonable looking hope for a very unreasonable price. To bad they weren’t a bit more sober because then they could probably have used the real tickets belonging to their comrades who were deemed by the police to drunk to enter the stadium. My theory about the lack of a riot by these very rabid fans is that they were so drunk by the time the game ended that they could barely walk let alone riot. I’m glad there was no real trouble as there are quite a lot ruins in Athens as it is and I doubt we can see them all in the time we have anyway.

Disaster averted Phyllis and I had our coffee and tea, dressed and went for a 45-minute walk run through the neighborhood around the hotel. Upon returning I tried unsuccessfully to upload the blog update I’d written last night and some of the pictures we had taken our first day before. As I’ve yet to explain, the hotel’s wireless internet access has decidedly put the emphasis on “less”. All of you that know me well know that I’m not brimming with patience, but in this case I have had to yield to my situation. So, this morning I was still unsuccessful, but later this afternoon I did get some pictures to upload and I almost got Phyllis’s update from yesterday loaded. Maybe tomorrow I can find an internet café or something.

An early morning call at 8:00am found us not quite ready to relinquish the night, but alas, our tour guide Stamatis had grand plans to spend the day in Athens soaking in the sights and the history.
As we left the hotel, it was clear from the overcast sky that the weather for out of doors sightseeing might be dicey at best. Rising up from the bowels of the metro under the main city we heard a low rolling thunder which we thought was the forbearance of pending storms. As the light of day from above grew stronger so did the thunderous noise rising and falling in crescendos. I thought that it might be the welcoming of the Gods for their wandering son, Herby (as Pete is known to Stamatis) who had at long last returned from his Odyssey. Alas, it was only the throngs of thousands of Liverpool football fans chanting their pre-game rallying songs while spraying their robust red clad bellies with beer, Heineken only, if you please.

Later the real storms did come forcing us to dash for any cover we could find sharing the shelter of doorways and awnings among swaggering beer swilling, Liverpool fans who were speaking completely incoherent English and uttering strings of obscenities such as a sailor’s daughter has never heard before. Apparently in Liverpool all sentences both begin and end with F**k or F**ken. Determined to reach the Acropolis we forged ahead crossing against rain gorged gutter rapids and the rapidly moving pedestrian and motorized traffic, all of which seemed to flow incessantly. The later ignoring all signals and attempts by the police to control or direct them. Atop the Acropolis the sun finally broke through and sanity seemed to reign as even the sulliest of fans stood in awe of the Parthenon, the Temples, and the incredible views of the surrounding city.

After hours of hiking, climbing, and gawking we finally found respite at a café where we dined on Moussaka and lamb. Struggling to find our legs we once again headed back to the city stopping along the way for Haagen Das to fortify us as we dove into the belly of the beast (aka the metro) as the football fans were all trying to get through the same area enroute to the stadium.

Thankfully, once we maneuvered the throngs at the metro station we headed off in the opposite direction of the cheering, beer swilling crowds to our peaceful hotel and blissful sleep.
By Phyllis

Our first day in Greece has ended. Stamatis dropped us back off at our hotel about 30 minutes ago at about 12:30 AM (May 23rd). Here is a brief recap.

At 4:45 PM last evening, we took off from the Atlanta airport aboard the Delta jumbo jet. I must tell you, Business Class, which is actually 1st class when you are on a transatlantic flight, is quite the bomb. We enjoyed wonderful spacious seats, gourmet style meals and quite a lot of attention from the well-trained attendants. Our seats reclined almost fully and the leg supports came up so they were nearly bed like (pretty nice on a 10 hour flight). We each had our own TV monitor allowing us to view current on demand movies, documentaries, and TV shows. We could also listen to a variety of music or even play some video games. On another Monitor on the cabin bulkhead displayed a constant update showing our planes location altitude, distance, ground speed, etc. I really cannot say enough about how terrific our experience was. Oh yeah, poor Phyllis lost the last 7 hours of her birthday. At 5:05 PM, the pilot advised us all to reset our watches for Athens time, 12:05 AM, May 22.

At 10:30 AM, we arrived about 15 minutes early to the gate in the Athens Airport. By about 11:15 AM we had passed through customs, immigration and picked up our bags. As we walked out of the containment area, my old friend Stamatis immediately greeted us. We followed up with warm hugs and introductions. Helping us with our bags, Stamatis took us to his car and carried us to the hotel he had arranged for us, Park Hotel.

We checked in, carried our bags to our room, and hurried off to a nearby square Eeyeea Paraskavie (Saint Paraskavie, we’ll worry about spelling later). There we had had some delicious fruit smoothies and lunch. We spent about three hours chatting and catching up. About 3:00 PM Stamatis dropped us off at the hotel and we each caught a catnap. At 7:30 PM Stamatis picked us back up and we headed down town to central Athens and an area called Plaka. To get there we took the new Metro, which is excellent. Tomorrow Athens is the host for a big football (soccer) championship between Liverpool England and Italy. We walked through a huge crowd of Liverpool fans who were well into the party mood. We managed to make it through there just before they began pouring beer on each other. During our walk through this very charming area we could see wonderful glimpses of the Acropolis high above us. Since they do a very good job of lighting it I attempted a picture or two. About 9:45 PM, we sat down at taverna Stamatis recommended and had a very nice dinner. Dinner was very pleasant in spite of about eight thoroughly drunk and obnoxious Liverpool fans sitting next to us for about the first 45 minutes. After dinner we made our way back to the square we visited for lunch and had some delicious deserts. For the next part it’s important to mention that we dined outside at each of these places, because at 12:00 AM they turned out the lights and closed. About 10 Minutes later our waiter brought us some water and collected for the deserts. It was time to get some sleep. Back at the Plaka I can assure you the night life was in full swing. Greeks and apparently obnoxious Liverpool football fans love to party! Well that’s about it got to catch some shut-eye.

Preparing for this trip I have been in touch and arranging some long over due reunions. They involve old family friends that I haven't seen since my childhood. It has been 44 years since I last saw Stamatis. He was a very good friend to my parents, and my brother Michael and me, while we lived in Greece from 1960 until 1963. When I met him he was our night time hotel clerk and was still in University, but by 1963 he had finished University and was serving his mandatory stint as an officer in the Greek Armed services. Coincidentally Greek television was in its fledgling infancy 1963. I doubt even Stamatis could have known that his destiny was to become a well known television director. Also among his accomplishments, he is also a best selling author. Despite all of this he is making time to greet Phyllis and me at the airport when we arrive in Athens and when return from our cruise he is going to take us to his family home in Kimi on the island of Evia. So I can see his mother and another sister whom I have also not seen since leaving Greece so long ago. Fortunately is was Nafsika, Stamatis’s sister who has lived in the States for many years who has helped me facilitate this reunion. I first met Nafsika in about 1961 when my family accompanied Stamatis to his families home in Kimi. Nafsika lives near DC and I had not seen her since I was about 13 or 14 so it was definitely time I paid her a visit. Phyllis came of course and we had a wonderful afternoon and evening together. The boys joined us later for diner. It was terrific to see her again and I am glad we have renewed our friendship.

Well it is finally Monday morning. It's Phyllis's birthday and in about three hours we leave for Greece. Until then Adio

Another small adventure Phyllis and I have been participating in is ballroom dance lessons. Some say that learning to dance is a great confidence booster.

Okay..., when?

This morning while getting my just before my trip trim. Deana, the wonderful lady who cuts my hair, asked me if Phyllis and I expect to have any opportunities to do some ballroom dancing while on vacation.

I tried to form an answer for her. Racing through my mind were the thoughts, "I am just barely to the point where I don't step on my own toes, let alone Phyllis’s. Next, I thought about my ongoing fear of public humiliation; which, if you ask anyone that knows me, I should be completely at ease with by now! Mentally, I pictured myself stumbling head long into a crowd and hurling Phyllis into another. At that point my throat constricted and my mouth dried out but I smiled and said with all the confidence I could muster, "Wouldn't that be great". So be on the look out for a possible ballroom dancing update.