Piraeus
– the port for Athens – is an old port which has served the whole area of
Athens and inland Greece for many centuries, through many traders from
different countries and cultures. I’m
afraid the cumulative impact of country after country in only a few days has
left me reeling. And then there’s Istanbul to come so soon after.
In
Piraeus we saw the many churches , the ferries from the islands, the many
privately owned yachts, simple fishing vessels, and dwellings of today and
yesteryear. There were soccer stadiums of today, and then the old Olympic
Stadium with foundations dating back to the 4th Century and which hosted the first modern Olympic
Games in 1896, and the Olympics of 2004 in Athens.
In
Athens the Ancient and the Modern sit side by side, and the graffiti artists
respect neither. I find it quite impossible how there’s a modern city with its
own shopping areas, office blocks and apartments with ancient columns and other
bits and pieces just there in the midst.
On
the skyline between the modern buildings are the ruins of the Acropolis, the
Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus, and Mount Olympus – the dwelling place of the
Gods. It is the “Then” atop the “Now” of a modern city – clean, with modern
amenities like the trolley buses, the
rail lines, and the highways with lanes of up to date cars whizzing by. The
graffiti is the only evidence suggesting the critical economic state of Greece as a
country. The Greek Flag atop many buildings is always accompanied by the flag
of the European Community and Euro is the currency.
The
ancient ruins are postcard scenes in real life, and it’s hard to believe I am
here in the midst of the ‘postcards’. I am a tourist from the twenty first
century viewing the remnants from the Third, Fourth and Fifth Centuries Before
Christ, when Ancient Greece was at the peak of its civilization.
The
last stop on our City Sights Tour was at a welcoming modern restaurant/coffee
shop for cold water, coffee and biscuits.
The
next day port of Mytilene, on the island of Lesvos (not Lesbos, as I mistakenly
thought) was an insight into a much more traditional countryside of Greece. The
ship anchored off shore and the ship’s tenders ran a shuttle service to the
town. Tenders are a bit risky for people with bad legs. The crew always help
you get on board at the ship’s side, but you just don’t know if there’s a wharf
with manageable steps at the other end. So I stayed on board and made an
appointment at the Lotus Spa and Salon for a manicure as it’s six weeks or so
since my nails had any attention. It was a very satisfactory visit which cost
me $50 Australian.
Bruce
caught the tender, walked fifteen minutes through the town to find a bank with
a Cash Machine outside. This walk was past many coffee shops he said, and
it was a successful quest for Euros as we will be in Euro territory for much of
the next few weeks.
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