Adventures in Greece...

After stumping up the extra Euros for an 'aircraft style' seat on the ferry from Bari, I was shocked that it still took 15 hours to reach Greece. Once in Patras I found myself travelling in the opposite direction to every other backpacker. They were going to Athens, while I was headed for my cousin Dawn's place on the island of Zakynthos.

After being in Rome and Naples it was good to be on the island before the tourist season had really begun. Dawn and her husband, Lambi, were kind enough to host me for a few days and introduce me to some of the neighbours. They also took me on a tour of the island, including their famous shipwreck and a secluded beach where the turtles lay their eggs. I made full use of the beach next to their hotel (Basilikos Beach Hotel) and had my first dip in the sea, in March of all thinngs. Ahh the luxury! I was also treated to lots of lovely Greek food, often cooked with juice from the local lemons, which are huge but not very bitter.

I was grateful for my time on Zakynthos to have a rest and plan the next leg of my journey. It was also great to catch-up with Dawn and Lambi, and their sons Ross and Zak. Thanks for being such generous hosts and taking me to the cinema (Woman in Black – scary!).

All too soon I was back on the tourist trail and heading toward Sparta. The ancient Spartans believed that their soldiers were good enough that the city didn't need a wall, or in fact much stonework at all. As a consequence, there's pretty much nothing left of the ancient town except what's in the museum, although they have an imposing statue of Leonidas outside the football stadium.

The nearby ruins of Mystras are another matter. This Byzantine town winds up the hill, depositing small brick churches along the way, leading to a medieval fortress at the summit with spectacular views of the Lacedaemonian plain. That evening I was attracted to a local restaurant with the Maple Leaf flag in the window. It turned out that the proprietor had lived in Canada for 20 years before opening his place back home.

After supping with their old enemy, it was time to take the bus to Athens. I Arrived late in the day and went straight to the 'Athens Style' hostel. This place is in trendy Monastiraki and had a rooftop bar with a perfect night-time view of the Acropolis. From here I managed to Skype with Lisa. It was good to see her and to know we'd be together soon.

However, being trendy has its price. I proceeded to move out of the centre to the more modest (ie. coin operated showers) Pagration Hostel, in the Pagrati area. After staking claim to a bed, I immediately set out for a wander and got lost. Getting lost happened to me more regularly in Athens than anywhere else thus far. After some exercise, I found my way to the Acropolis Museum. This shiny new building holds a huge amount of lovely sculpture from classical and Roman Greece as well as the friezes from the Parthenon. These depict the Greek pantheon of gods and goddesses and mythical battles against Amazons and giants. Eventually they are looking to make restored copies of the friezes and place the copies in their original position on the Parthenon. That would be sight to see.

After the crowds of the museum I needed to escape to somewhere quieter. It was then I found the Hill of the Pnyx. Of old, this was the meeting place of the Athenian citizens in full assembly, to hear statesmen like Pericles and vote on their proposals. It also offers another good view of the city and Acropolis opposite.

Next day my goal was the Acropolis itself. A quick, steep climb and, according to the signs, no singing and I was there. Warm, slippery marble and an impressively sized Parthenon was what awaited me. It was huge but incomplete. It's being slowly renovated and restored at the moment so you may catch a huge crane in some photos! I also noticed the Caryatids; pillars in the shape of Greek women. These are quite unusual and I remembered seeing copies of them attached to the Marylebone Parish Church when I worked at Madame Tussaud's and wondering about these 'statuesque' women at the time!

Below the Acropolis hill, the Agora was just as impressive. It was the former centre of social life in the city and even by the ruins you could tell it was a large bustling space. One of the 'stoas' had been reconstructed so you could also see how large some of the buildings were (this stoa was comparable to the Parthenon, and there used to be several). It also contained the Hephaestion the largest surviving intact and roofed ancient Greek temple.

The next day I turned out to be the only participant in a free walking tour of Athens. My guide, Tassos, was a student and was kind enough to show me around the Roman Forum, Tower of the Winds, and a neighbourhood that I think was called 'Skiava', due to the occupants all coming from the island of Skiavos and brining their 'island' architecture with them. It had narrow, winding streets, sleepy cats and small houses with whitewashed walls. It was so peaceful yet so close to the city centre. After sharing a souvlaki lunch with my guide I made my way to the Keramikos, the old main gateway into Athens. It was also an area where potters used to live as well as a place where important families raised funeral monuments that could be seen along the side of the road leading to the Athens.

Over the next couple of days I made early morning trips out of the city. The first was to ancient Mycenae (because I missed the bus to Delphi. Who could have foreseen that?). I really liked Mycenae. The bus drops you off in the modern village of Mikine and I walked the three kilometres to the ruins. As you approach this hilltop town it is strange to think of it's link to the Illiad's Agamemnon and the Trojan War. The 'Lion gateway' into the town was still standing after 2000 years and the foundations of many houses and the royal palace could still be seen. There were also some large 'beehive-shaped' tombs that were really full of bees. To top it off, as I was coming out of the museum in my 'safari hat' I was treated to a rendition of the Indiana Jones theme music by a school group ;-)

The next day I was bound for Delphi (again after missing the first bus). High up in the mountains of central Greece, it's really atmospheric. There were many shrines or 'treasuries' built by particular city states that held each one's offerings to the oracle. I didn't get to see where the oracle herself used to reside as it all began closing a couple of hours after I got there (damn late bus). However, the modern town is very nice, despite being there solely to service tourists to Delphi.

My final day in Athens was spent at the National Archaeological Museum, as many museums are free on Sundays. I could easily have spent more time there. They had loads of sculptures and other artefacts from Greece and beyond. They also had the original golden 'death mask of Agamemnon' that was found at Mycenae.

Throughout my time in Athens I was staying at the Pagration Hostel and met some friendly and interesting people: Henry, the hostel administrator, Tary 'The Lion', Jessica and Stefan. Thanks for the chats and the film nights, although not for 'Alexander'. It was awful. I also appreciated the bakeries on every corner. Breakfast wouldn't have been the same without them.

On Monday it was time for an early start for the airport, Istanbul and shortly a reunion with Lisa!