Every Mile a Memory ( Part 13 ) Our final destination Athens

KALIMERA !!!!

This is the last destination of our Adriatic Cruise aboard MS Noordam. We will be docked overnight and tomorrow -- Lulu and I will go on our separate destinations once more.. Lulu will fly back to the States and I will fly back home to the Philippines.

We docked at the Port of Piraeus at 8:00am. The Port of Piraeus is the main port of Athens and one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean sea. We did not have any shore excursion today because we are going on a Hop On Hop Off  ( HoHo ) tour on our own.  This port is 7 miles from Athens. Being a very busy port and hosting a couple of cruise ships in the same day, our ship docked at TERMINAL A –  This terminal is right by the main cruise terminal building where you will find a duty free shop ( where you can shop before you return back to the ship ), a cafe with wi-fi internet service and a couple of small souvenir shops. The temperature today was 26 degrees. So before we left the ship for the day, We made sure we had our shades, hat and a bottle of water to keep us hydrated on a hot day.

As we walked outside the terminal building, we were swarmed with taxi drivers. Since Greece was celebrating their Easter, a public holiday in Greece -- most of the places were closed. Most of the famous landmarks were closed too but according to our cruise director there were some shops and restaurants that will be opened. After getting confusing directions on how to get the Hop on Hop off bus from the port to Athens --- we were able to find the Hop on Hop off parking area. There was a lady waiting at a booth that will check on your voucher where you can ask any question about the schedules and  a map with the different routes.  She will give you also a pair of small earphones that you will plug on the side of the bus. The commentary is available in 11 languages explaining the history from ancient times until today.

How to get to the Hop on Hop off station from the Terminal: 

As soon as you get out of the Terminal building--  you have to walk along the water which is a 20 minutes walk from the Terminal  --- you would see the big Metro station. One landmark is an overpass with escalators and elevators if you are on the other side of the street.

As soon as the bus arrived, Lulu and I jumped in and proceeded to the top of the double decker bus. The stops are written in English and you will have no problem following the maps. The Hop on Hop off buses have 2 routes--( blue and red ) that are all color coded which makes it easy to follow signs when transferred between lines. The Athens Tour ( Red Route ) takes approximately 90 minutes and traces the history and culture of Athens. The Piraeus Tour ( Blue Route ) meets the Athens Tour (Red Route) after 30 minutes at the Acropolis bus stop. You can jump from the one line to the other, as many times as you like, and visit every little corner of this amazing city.

( courtesy of google images )

Here are the places where we went on the Hop on Hop off bus :

The main attraction in Athens is the ACROPOLIS. It's marred by scaffolding as they slowly repair the huge temple, but it's still an amazing man made structure. So tall and over powering, it stands over Athens and you get a great view of just how huge Athens is with buildings sprawling in all directions as far as the eye can see.

THEATER OF DIONYSOS -  is an outdoor theater which is located on the edge of the acropolis.

TEMPLE OF ZEUS - The few columns which remain standing give a sense of the majesty of the original building. The Temple of Zeus is more like ruins, but well preserved despite the columns having toppled to the ground. We weren't able to go in the gates because they close around 3:30 during the winter, but we could see perfectly and get great pictures through the gate without getting right up next to it. This Temple was created for Zeus who was the chief god of Greek mythology, so this structure holds strong historical and cultural significance.

HADRIAN'S ARCH - Built in 132 A.D. in honor of Roman Emperor Hadrian by the citizens of Athens, the arch or the gate was supposed to have divided the ancient Athens from the new one. The new town, the part of Athens was also known as Hadrianopolis. This is worth seeing and is a great photo opportunity. first built in 131 AD, the arch leads to the largest temple in Greece, the Temple of Olympian Zeus. 

PLAKA - just down from the Acropolis is the Plaka District. This area is made up of pedestrian streets that wander this way and that and offer excellent shopping and dining opportunities. A visit to the Plaka is almost a given after a visit to the Acropolis. Relaxing in one of the sidewalk cafes enjoying a local dish is a great way to spend the lunch hour.

On our way to the Plaka district we passed the statute of Melina Mercouri who was was a famous Greek actress, singer and politician.

Despite being a tourist hub and having a fair number of commercial establishments, Plaka still retains its traditional Greek soul. The food in the restaurants in Plaka is not standard tourist fare but good authentic Greek food.

If you’re fond of shopping then you can pick up antiques, wood carvings, jewelry, and traditional Greek items in Plaka’s shops. Motor vehicles are not allowed in Plaka. Tourists can spend many hours walking through the narrow winding labyrinthine streets of Plaka. We decided to have our lunch at one of the restaurants in Plaka.  Don't miss this on your visit to Athens!

( courtesy of Lulu Kamatoy )

SYNTAGMA SQUARE - Syntagma Square is the main square in Athens and is a good starting place to do your own walking tour. It is also referred to as Constitution Square and around here you’ll find the banks, airline offices, shopping centres and malls, restaurants and hotels.

The Parliament

This beautiful 11th century church of Kapnikarea sits in the middle of the bustling shopping district in downtown Athens.

MONASTIRAKI - This is within walking distance from the Plaka. It offers nice views of the acropolis, and is an entrance to the Athens flea market. If you stand in the middle of the square, you can see the Flea market on one side, Metro Station on another, Acropolis looming large over the square in the background

Monastiraki offers some shopping especially their open air market but most folks head to the Plaka District for excellent shopping opportunities. Most of the shops in Athens close for afternoon siesta around 1 to 2 pm and do not reopen until 5:30. They are also closed on Sundays, so be sure to plan your shopping.

Athens has something for everyone, whether it is for some food, drinks, shopping, souvenirs or just a casual walk around it is worth it especially if you are a tourist. Walking the Plaka is such an experience. We spent hours strolling and looking at the wares. The food was wonderful in the Plaka. Give yourself at least a day for wandering around Athens. It would have been nice to relax in this environment and not have to rush around to get back to the cruise ship.

First I must say I have never cruised before and didn't really know what to expect. This was my first cruise and it was Lulu who suggested to me that we would take a cruise with Holland America. Thank you Lulu for doing all the researches on our shore excursions. We loved the people we met aboard the ship, we loved the ports, and we will definitely be using Holland America again!  We had an amazing time.

I loved my adventure on the MS Noordam!!! Our cruise was perfect. Cheers to you MS Noordam and Holland America Lines!!!

Every Mile a Memory ( Part 11 ) Sailing Towards Ancient Greece

KALIMERA ( Good morning in Greek ) !!

Greece is one of the most beautiful country and one of the wonders of Europe. Historical name of greece is Hellas. Greece is known through its temple and theaters architecture. As part of the European Union, the official currency is the Euro (EUR). Credit cards and traveler's checks are also widely accepted. When shopping, remember there is a value-added tax tacked on to most purchases. 

(courtesy of google images )

In all the stores in Greece the " evil eye " amulet is very popular, from jewelry and key chains, to icons and paper products. They are often glass or plastic beads with two blue circles around a black center, one a darker blue. They are worn as protection from evil.

The air was sharp, crisp, warm, the deep-blue water was almost motionless as we docked at the port in Katakolon. We had booked an excursion today-- a walking tour to Ancient Olympia and Zorba dancing. We received our numbered stickers and boarded the coach to Ancient Olympia. Surprisingly, with only a population around 3,000 inhabitants, the Katakolon cruise port is the second busiest in Greece. The town first became a port in 1857 to handle the export of Corinth’s small raisins, actually currants. These days there are more than one million cruise passengers arrive from their floating hotels to its shores. To beat the midday heat, we left the ship early for the ancient city of Olympia, home to the Olympic games. 

On the bus we settled in for a 40 minute ride from Katakolon to Ancient Olympia we traveled through the fertile valleys of the Western Peloponnese region. Strawberries, watermelons, tomatoes, wheat and corn fill the fields-- behind them rose groves of olive trees. On the way, our guide lectured us on the demographics, political and economic history of modern day Greece. She also explained to us the legends of the past as well as the recorded history of the Olympic Games.  We learned the why’s and how’s of the ancient Greeks and I found it to be very fascinating and informative with a lot of facts I had never known.  She told us of many words incorporated into our own English language that came from Greek – like geometry, geography, democracy, etc. 

My first impression upon entering the Olympic site was how big the area was. More than 3 million people annually visit the site. Walking into the area, our guide showed us gymnasiums, temples and the spot where every four years the modern Olympic Game torch is first lit and sent on its journey to the site of the Games. You will see 3,000 year old columns still standing and other remains of structures that was quite overwhelming.   

The ancient site of the Olympics is now mostly in ruins, having been abandoned for many years and subjected to numerous earthquakes. Most were buried under silt, but have now be excavated. A few elements have been restored and reconstructed.

Things you don't want to miss:

PHILIPPEION 

One of the few structures onsite that retained enough of its features as to give us a glimpse of its former self. Dedicated to Philip, King of Macedonia and the father of Alexander the Great. This once-circular structure was decorated in gold and ivory.

TEMPLE OF ZEUS 

The most famous of all the buildings is the Temple of Zeus, which once held the gigantic statue of Zeus. It is believed that the site was buried under silt that resulted from tsunamis. The ruins of the Temple of Zeus, was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

TEMPLE OF HERA 

The Temple of Hera was one of the oldest buildings in the site of Olympia.  According to our guide, The Temple of Hera was made using local limestone, with upper parts of the walls made from unbaked brick. The columns of the Temple of Hera were originally made from wood. When these columns needed replacing because of war, earthquakes, or the wood started to rot, stone columns were used.

THE OLYMPIC STADIUM

When you enter the actual stadium, You will see an open field where 50,000 people sat on the grassy side areas to watch the athletes. The original stadium is remarkably modest. The highlight for us was seeing Hera’s Altar which the Olympic torch is lit using sunlight every two years in advance of the games.

The field is measured in 600 stadia with one stadia equal to the measure of a size 12 foot, legend being that was the size of the foot of Hercules who was the hero of the ancient games. The original stadium is a grass oval with upward sloping sides where the spectators sat on the grass similar to the Circus Maximus in Rome.  Originally, only foot races were the competitive sport with chariot racing and wrestling added later on.

Our guide provided some interesting information on how some of the early events were conducted.   The winner of the combined fighting ( combination of wrestling and boxing ) was not the guy that walked away, but rather the one that " gave his all " without giving in during the competition. Women were not allowed to watch or compete only men were allowed to compete in the tournaments. These competitors would rub themselves in olive oil! There was one area blocked off for the competitors to wait for their event and another small one opposite to it where the priestess oversees the events ( the only woman allowed inside the site ) would sit. 

Next stop was a taverna in Olympia where we were able to sample some of the local cuisine and see a demonstration of Zorba dancing. 

The best part about eating abroad is trying new things. With so many fresh, sun-soaked ingredients available in Greece, it's hard to go wrong with anything on the menu. Our lunch was a nice, large plate of homemade bread with a feta cheese spread mixed with peppers, lamb sausage, fresh tomato and basil bruschetta, kalamata olives, pickled zucchini and feta cheese. There were bottles of delicious red wine, more than enough for all of us to get in the mood…At the same time, some of the employees of the taverna started dancing in the center of the room.

Here is my video of the Zorba dancing which I took:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvQzZ8w6gd4

When they stopped dancing, the music continued and people were grabbed from the audience as a long line of dancers was formed, weaving in and out of the tables as well as in and out the doors of the taverna. It was so much fun!!!

The appeal of arriving here is like being transported back thousands of years of history. I recommend that you should see the sights of Katakolon.  Being in such an ancient, sacred place is really awe-inspiring!! Let your imagination wander and experience its tales but remember to carry water and take the sunscreen along.

 I hope you enjoyed taking the trip along with Lulu and me.


YIA SOU ( Goodbye in Greek ) !!!