29th May 1984 Arrival in Athens

Tuesday 29^th May  Finally into Greece, about four hours behind schedule, but I tried to sleep it off. When I woke up we were passing through some mighty fine country where the light is so different, and there are shrubs along the side of the road with yellow and pink flowers, the pink ones being oleander.

We were skirting by Pagassitikós Kólpos (Bay) [Pagasetic Gulf on the Google map] – a wide flat valley extending westward with its mountains on the side, but we drove right across, then round past Lamia. That valley was like a grand scale version of how I remember the valley where Thermopylae is [which we had visited in 1970. And would you believe, it was the same valley. Thermopylae is just a few kilometres from Lamia; I missed seeing it from the bus.]

The memorial at Thermopylae (statue of Leonidas) which we saw in 1970 but I missed in 1984.

I read a couple of chapters of Mr Verdant Green and we arrived in Athens at about 10-10.30. I left my pack in a building in Filelinon St where the bus stops, and went off to find accommodation – seeking the YMCA, which turned out to be closed and under renovation. So I walked along Akadimias St, and Patission St to Kypselis St where the Youth Hostel No. 1 is. But it wasn’t open until one o’clock, so I wandered around, bought something to eat and returned. It costs 500 Dr. for two nights.

So I went back in the direction whence I had come, taking my time. I cashed $70 and bought a ticket to Hania in Crete for Thursday. I picked up my pack and had a strawberry milkshake in a street café. Then I caught the trolley bus no. 2 back to the hostel where I had a much needed shower and a sleep.

After lazing around for a while I went out up the street as far as a little square, from which led a plaza almost parallel to Kypselis Street. I went down this, eating some sweet pastries and a piece of pizza. The evening air was cool and there were many many people there; kids playing, adults sitting, drinking, talking, walking the dog. I think it used to be a vehicular street but was made into a pedestrian plaza with shrubbery and awninged chairs down the middle. It’s crossed by several one way streets and there are a few fancy shops along the side. [This was Negri Fokionis, if you ever go to Athens and want to see it.]

   I returned to the hostel, which is on a corner. The streets are noisy – there’s a lot of klaxon usage and noisy motorbikes.

Were they klaxons like this? Probably not.