Getting lost

Whenever I visit somewhere new, it takes about two days for me to ketch mi bearings. 

After that, I venture out using public transportation.

Syntagma Square is the urban center of Athens and it is very near to our VRBO apartment. 

So we learnt how to just walk through the National Gardens to get there.

So all's well. (We thought).

Honestly expected!

The first thing we learnt on the trek to town, is how some people expect everyone to be honest! For we ran into a bunch of souvenir magnets on a board hanging on a tree with a sign bearing the price and inviting buyers to  leave the money on the stool beside the display!

Next, we discovered that the straight street leading to the Marble Stadium, had been transformed into a market overnight. 

It closed at 3 pm sharp, everything was  removed and the place cleaned up and cleared for the next day. 

This I hear happened every Friday.

Most of the fresh food and vegetables are grown on the adjoining Greek islands.

 The metro (subway) where we buy bus tickets, is beautiful, clean and spotless! (It is obvious not too many new Yorkers visit or live in Athens, as theirs is so disgusting.😫)

 Seriously though, American subway  operators need to learn a thing or two about cleanliness!

Some artwork displayed in subway station 

Everywhere at the subway station is spotless

We found our way to and from the Archeological Stadium, no problem. 

The problem arose when we entered the National Gardens through a different entrance, having no idea the place was  huge and had so many different paths.

That's how come we got lost, for we were .just browsing, not recognizing that night was fast approaching. Sonja and I even got separated and she was the one who had a working GPS😡.

I got separated when Sonja who was overwhelmed by the plants and me, the animals.

Lots of people speak English though, thank heavens.

 Interestingly, everyone who hears the Jamaican accent is shocked to learn  that we know about Greece, its Gods and its enthralling mythologies! However while they know of, and love Jamaica, they don't know where it is. 

The closest one came was guessing 'it's near to America'😊.

Anyway all were helpful in directing me towards the stadium.

It was on the way there, that I passed what turned out to be the official residence of the President, where I was just in time to get a glimpse of this intriguing scene.

Ever since we arrived in Athens and passed the Parliament building, we had seen hosts of tourists hanging around outside to witness the 'changing of the guards'.

 This ritual is done every hour.

People waiting outside to witness the changing of the guards.

Well if I didn't get lost, I wouldn't have seen the spectacle. 

Happy I did😁.

Athens is beautiful, warm and laid back

I had often heard that the Greek were in general nice people, but in my book, they are not only nice, but the warmest Europeans I have ever interacted with.

Anyway, according to Gabby, myj Jamaican friend who is doing her master's there, they prefer to be considered Balkans, not Europeans, despite, Greece being member of European Union.

Off to Greece we go

 So maybe that's why they are the least racist too!

As I am a cat lover, I was delighted to learn, that in most of Greece, there are no decrepit stray cats around. For the culture is, the people adopt them all and each one is provided with beds on the streets and are fed and looked after daily.

 So they love all humans too.❤️.

A 'stray' cat sleeps peacefully in his bed on the street.

Athens,  (population 4 million) is the graffiti capital of Europe and I hear they wear that badge proudly.  Moving around the city, you soon discover that very few walls around escape the graffiti artists' brushes😊!

Incidentally, as you probably know, Greece is the birthplace of the Olympics, and yesterday the Olympic torch relay that starts off the 2024 Summer Olympics, was lit  in Olympia.

 It will travel throughout Greece, arrive in Athens then sail across the Mediterranean to Marseille on May 9, to resume the trek through France.

The French leg will end  at the Opening Ceremony when the Olympic cauldron will be lit. 

As we Jamaicans dominate so much of the Olympics games, we spent a lot of time touring the marble stadium which was built in 330 BC and can accommodate 50,000 people.

We Jamaicans are at the marble stadium.

I am no Bolt but can pose like him😁

A nude athlete's rear view

Original athletes competed nude and their balls and penises are prominently displayed on the statues.

In the royal 'boxes.'

I can't run but can still pose on the gold medalist's stand.

(Incidentally, the great Lenny Kravetz will be performing there in August this year. He is being highly anticipated.)

Acropolis at night

 After leaving the ruins, it was off to the Acropolis museum which is just as enchanting.

 The museum is actually built atop other ruins and you can see them through the glass floors.

The ruins beneath our feet at the museum.

Replicas of the Greek gods inside the museum 

Thankfully, as there was a national strike of taxi drivers today so the lines in the museum were not too long!

You have to take the cable car to get to this beautiful Greek Orthodox church.

As you know, Greece is the birthplace of democracy (6th century BC). Tourists gather a outside the new  parliament building to observe the changing of the guards. This ritual takes place every hour. The old parliament building is now used as a conference cente

Incidentally, another thing I love about Athens is that it's streets are undulating like San Francisco, so you are forced to be fit😊.

 No stress. 

Also, there are no unsightly high rises. Nothing over around 20 stories, it appears 

Misc.

With Maddy from Afghanistan. ( He lives in Italy)

And Harris from Greece.

Random videos.