Let's start roughly 4600 years ago. That's when we start seeing Greek history. Or the early version, like the Mycenaeans and the Minoans. 2000 BC is roughly the start of what we think of as ancient Greece. Around 800 BC, we start to see the rise of city-states. The two biggies, of course, are Sparta and Athens. 499 marks the start of the Greco-Persian Wars. The whole movie 300 times. They last roughly 20 years, and in 479 the Greeks finally crushed Persia, and we hit the golden age of ancient Greece. Here, you get what most people are thinking of: Pericles, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the Parthenon is built. Good times, right? 48 years is all they actually are. 431, they go to war again, the Peloponnesian Wars. Athens vs. Sparta, the big showdown, and yes, Sparta wins by 404; nearly 30 more years they were at war. Greece just loves to fight, but then Greece is in decline, still a power after this, but not a giant. In 336 BC, they took one more big swing. Alex the Great became a Greek king and possibly the greatest military leader in history. 323 he dies, and for roughly 200 years we have the Hellenistic age. Greek math, science, philosophy, and architecture spread. 146 BC, we see the rise of Rome, and from there, what people consider the mighty ancient Greeks are gone. However, their influence never dies. To this day, we see it in Democracy, Philosophy, theatre, the Olympic Games, math, and geometry. A great quote would be "Rome conquered Greece, but Greece educated Rome." Now you are roughly up to speed on the 2,000 years that people might refer to as ancient Greece... and now back to the story.
The next morning was a frosty morning; anyone in a relationship knows what I mean. You have a fight, you're both kind of wrong, and you're both kind of right, but neither really wants to give. We ate our breakfast and hopped on the bus. Then I think we talked, I said sorry for being a dick and arguing. I should have let her use the screen so we could sleep a little cooler. I sleep fine in anything, but even in the cold Canadian climate, she has a window open or doesn't sleep. So we were a bit better. The bus went down a "mountain" highway. To me, it was a hill, maybe a foothill, but not a mountain. Not the Rockies for sure! Either way, we hit a small town, Arachova. This blew my mind, actually. It was a picturesque ski town. We were high enough up that they do get snow, and the Greeks come here to ski, right on the side of the mountain. So in Greece, where you picture the hot, sunny, island-studded ocean, they do have a ski town. Now it looks like an alpine town, something you might find in the Swiss Alps. It has the European-looking buildings, nothing sleek and new, but quaint. We stopped at a roadside turnout for this, and everyone took pics. Then we were on our way back to Athens. I don't know if the drive was actually all that long, but it felt like it. I, for the most part, read, and my wife did actually sleep. It was the last "real" day of the tour. They count the next day as a day, but that is BS. It's breakfast and a ride to the airport. SO this was it, my first European adventure was drawing to a close. It had been fun, I had seen so much, but this was where it hit, 2 more nights and I would be back in Canada. It was about then that I started thinking about writing this, and I started wanting more time on holidays! We rolled into Athens late in the morning, close to the afternoon.
Athens is pre-Rome, Rome. It is the actual heart of the Western world. Yes, it was overshadowed by Rome, but without Athens, there would be no Rome. Supposedly, Athens has been continuously inhabited for 5000 years. When you sit and actually think about how long ago that was, it should blow your mind. The truth is, it looks like it has stood that long. When you get high above the city and look, it just doesn't seem to end. Now Google tells me it isn't all that big compared to, say, Paris, and who knows, maybe it is the layout of the city, but I swear it was larger. It is like Paris or Edmonton, though, in the fact that it does kind of look like a dirty, grey, modern city when you are on the main freeways. I guess this trip did dispel that fantasy. As magical as the "old world" is, it is still modern. So our first stop was the Parthenon. We parked at the base, and our tour guide showed up. The truth is, I don't remember a damn word she said that day. It was hot out, by far the hottest day we had, that isn't the reason I don't remember, I just cannot recall anything she said. You reach a gate where you hand over your tickets, then slowly walk up the hill to the actual site. We saw a theatre, from above, a great view looking down on it. Then the rest of the way up to the actual site.
Even more than Delphi, this site is in great shape. The tour guide told us about the different ruins all located here, again, no idea why, but I draw a blank as to what I learned, or I guess what I didn't learn. The actual Parthenon is beautiful. It is massive, and the carvings in it still look amazing. You can't actually venture into it, which is sad. I am not sure if it is for safety or just to preserve the site. Now I guess we are actually at what is called the Acropolis of Athena. There is more than the Parthenon here. So we wandered and took pictures of the other structures as well. The Propylaea, massive columns again that you can't go in, that look like a falling-down temple. The Erechtheion, which really caught my eye. Another temple-looking thing, but one corner has the porch of Madiens. These are massive statues of women used to hold up the roof. Again, amazing the detail on them for how old they are. Last is the temple of Athena Nike; truth be told, I don't really remember seeing this one. Also, another secret I had to Google the names for all these things. Which showed me there is an Acropolis Museum that we did not see, which would have been amazing!! Am I willing to go back to Greece for it? I don't know. Maybe if I can have lunch in Meteroa again.
The scary thing was that during the guided tour, another member noticed that his wife was missing. She has a hearing issue and must have wandered off. We all kind of started wandering, looking for her, and yes, she was found. Just happily taking in all the sights, but it was frightening. I guess you do grow to care about people in two weeks. We got a few great pics and then noticed the time. We should have been headed down to the bus. I have said, " Don't be a douche and be late on a tour. My wife is much more worried about things like that, even in everyday life. So we ran to the exit lines and tried heading down. There were a couple of other people from our tour as well. This did not go well; the line to leave may be even slower than the entry. So, in fashion very unlike us, we were climbing down anyway we could, criss-crossing from coming and going lines. Dropping off areas you probably aren't supposed to, and of course, that does not help a sore back. We did it, though, arrived just as everyone did, and hopped on the bus.
Then came another bus ride. Like in Paris, when I said my greed to see it all kind of sucked, so did this. We got to drive by some interesting shit and got a very brief explanation of each. It is not the same as a hop-on, hop-off tour, though. So while you see so much, you also kind of see nothing. The one place we did get to stop was Panathenaic Stadium. So it was a race track in the ancient world. Then supposedly fell into ruin, was later rebuilt, and is now used for sports and other events. I guess it is the only stadium in the world made completely of marble. We were left wandering here for a couple of minutes, and they did have a tiny little souvenir stand. I bought a replica of an ancient Greek coin. It's kind of lame, but I like it, and it sits in my office on a stand it came with. Then we got back on the bus and went to the hotel to check in. It was the same one as our first night in Athens. We had a couple of hours to kill.
I liked this hotel; the room was large, clean, and comfy. A group of us planned to head up to the rooftop pool with a bar. More time, and both my wife and I would have hit up the massage studio to loosen up our muscles, but we did not want to risk it, so we went to the bar. I wore my trunks, I love going in pools. I had hoped to swim in some on our trip, but had not gotten in one, and we only had 2 nights left. I had hoped someone else might, but nope, no one wanted to jump in. Anyways, we got a table by the pool and the four of us, Earl, Jill, my wife, and I ordered a round of drinks. I was starting to really enjoy ouzo. I think there were snacks; we didn't have lunch, but wanted something in our bellies. After two, I had to jump in the pool. NO way was I traveling half the world and not having a dip. First, though, there are no towels, so you have to go to the spa to get some. When you get there, they push HARD for you to buy a massage. Again, more time, and I may have gotten my wife one. Offered at half price, get in right now! Said no and went back to the pool. I dove in, and damn, that shit was cold! Now it was a hot day, so I am sure that affected how it felt, but I swear it was chillier than any pool I have dived into here. I swam to the far side, where a young couple was sitting; they had been the only other ones in the pool. So we started chatting, and they were from Pittsburgh. Just married or getting married soon, I don't remember, but they picked Greece as a place to see. Honestly, it would not have been my first choice, but I assume one had to be part Greek. Stanley Cup playoffs were on, and they brought up the Oilers. No one else jumped in, so after cooling off, I got out. We needed to get going soon, and I knew my wife wanted to "freshen up"; it was our last night, and a fancy dinner, I wanted to shower off, so we headed to the room to get ready. I will tell you this: the view from this rooftop bar was amazing. A 360-degree view could see every direction. This is where I got the idea that Athens was so massive, because in every direction it looks endless.
So, after getting ready, we all headed down to the bus; everyone dressed a bit nicer. I guess people did want to look good for our last fancy dinner. So we were taken to a neighborhood called the Plaka. It is definitely the most touristy area. All it is, or all we saw was tons of bars, restaurants, and shops. It is very clean and feels very safe. We finished our shopping here. My dad and both my nephews got Spartan shirts. My wife bought some small jewelry for her nieces. Most people just seemed to find a nice patio and have a drink; we walked by a lot of our group doing that. There is still a small site of Roman pillars. Again, it looks like it was buried, and then excavated later; you look down on it from street level. We all met at a square, and Scott led us down a bunch of turning alleyways to our last dinner of the tour.
One thing I like about these warm European countries is the open windows for dinner. Not for sleeping, but to have fresh air come in while you sit is nice. Our table was exactly the same as the first good supper in Rome, people-wise, I mean. We sat with the same group, a neat coincidence. It was traditional Greek, or at least what they show you in movies. Our waiter might have been the manager as well, plus he sang and danced. Hell, he stood on a turned-over glass and spun and danced. He got the ladies from the group up dancing together, my wife went with them and smiled and laughed the whole time. I liked that, a happy ending to our holidays. There was live music, with a couple of guys playing instruments. From our window seat, we could see the tour guide at the bar down the way; he seemed happy to be there by himself on a patio. The fact was that it was a good dinner; the food wasn't great, but the entertainment and company were. The wine flowed freely, and I think everyone indulged. Sadly, it ended, and we had to walk back through those windy alleys to the main road. It was dark out, but it was awesome! The Plaka was lit up, and stores were still open, people were still sitting in the bars getting noisier. It very much made me wish most nights we had been able to walk around the cities we were in. I get it, the tour company does not want to be responsible if something bad were to happen, but it is a shame not to see these places all lit up! The tour guide, Scott, had a system, basically on each corner; he had someone stand to direct everyone to get out of the maze of alleys. It was a perfect end to an awesome night.
The bus ride back to the hotel was entertaining. So here we are, a bunch of people, mostly in their 50s and up. My wife and I are a bit younger than most on the tour, and everyone is feeling good from the wine. Earl can't see something properly, so he asks my friend Jake to have a look, being as he is in his early twenties. As I said, Jake isn't much of a drinker, and he is passed out. So it becomes a song, somehow about Jacob's young eyes. When we get back to the hotel, everyone poses for a picture in the lobby.
Two weeks, 30 random people spent together, and the fact was that everyone enjoyed it. Our tour was pretty much over. Some people headed to the rooftop for a last drink, but we didn't. I should have, some people had a nice farewell. I assumed Jake wasn't since he was asleep on the bus. At first, he didn't, but later, he headed up, according to his mom, and was sad that he and I didn't get a last drink. Honestly, I was tired. I mean, yes, I should have had a drink, but this had been a long day. Even looking back at it, waking up in Delphi and going to bed in Athens, seeing as much as we did in Greece all in one day was a long day. First-world problem, for sure, but being honest.
So that was it for our tour. I am a bit miffed at our travel agent. There was an additional 3-night cruise through the Greek islands that was offered, and some people, including Jake and Mary, did it. We were told it wasn't available, so we didn't. Now I heard it was rushed and not exactly what people wanted. That they didn't get to sit and enjoy any of those pretty beaches people see when they Google Greece. SO maybe it was nice we saved some money not doing that, but we did arrive home with a week of nothing to do, so maybe filling that week with a few more nights would have been nice. Either way, we woke up and headed down to the buffet for breakfast early, and then brought our stuff down to the lobby. The tour ends with them arranging different cabs for you to the airport so you're on time for your flight home. We were going to Paris, one more night, just so we could get a direct flight home. Pastor Ed and his wife were in the car with us. They were also headed to Paris for a few more nights' holiday. Most of the people, it seemed, who weren't doing the additional cruise had a night or two still planned somewhere else. Earl and Jill were seeing more of Italy. It was a sad goodbye!
Athens airport is nothing amazing. It is large and international, but the selection for eating is pretty minimal. Ended up buying headphones in a store and paid way too much. As our plane loaded, they started using a metal box to size up carry-on. If the bag didn't fit in the box, they were making people get rid of shit or repack. We went into panic mode; without a doubt, we are not going to fit. So out comes clothes, books go in pockets. I don't even remember all the shit we moved, and then, just before us, they put the box away. I am not sure if it was for cheaper seats or what the hell it was, but we didn't have to use it. SO refilled our packs. I think it was here we bought a bottle of lemoncello. It is still sitting in my cabinet, unopened, but one day, one day, we will open it!
I don't remember which airline it was, but the plane was nothing special. It wasn't like our flight to Rome, where I spent the time playing some game; I read a book. The flight is about 3.5 hours. We landed in De Gaulle, and I enjoyed my night in Paris Hilton. Yes, I had to say it, and now I am over that joke. What really happened is we got off the plane and went looking for our bags with Pastor Ed and his wife. We all got our stuff and split up; that really was the end of the tour. Saying goodbye to the last people as they took a train to Paris, and we took the small train around De Gaulle to the airport Hilton. Literally the Paris Hilton…. They must have other hotels in the city to make this joke at. We were early; our room wasn't ready, but the concierge took our bags, and we went to the lounge for a drink.
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