[GG] Yay! A for Athens

Greece

What happens when you don't pay your bills? For one thing, people refuse to work without pay. International trains refuse to come into your country because they may not be able to leave. Services are drastically cut. This explains our flight from Istanbul to Thessaloniki rather than a train ride.

Our goal was Meteora, about 3 hours by car, 4 hours by bus from Thessaloniki. Fortunately and unbeknownst to us, Thessaloniki has its own charm & call for tourism. It is right on the Med. Our hotel, aptly named the Tourist Hotel, was located in the center of shopping, spas, hotels and restaurants and only 2 blocks from the sea.

The girls enjoyed a Turkish Hammam with a Grecian touch (imagine lots of water, suds, big sponge, & massage all occurring simultaneously on a marble slab in the presence of Greek statues). We walked around the beach, listened to music, ate doner-kebab, then to bed early for an early morning departure for Meteora to climb the pinnacles to the monasteries perched on top. Or so we thought. The bus ride was 4 hours each way. On the ride out I concerned myself with thoughts that it may be too steep for me, too hot for me or both. If I saw it was a significant potential problem, I would content myself with letting the girls climb as I waited below. I had seen pictures of the monasteries and although I lacked knowledge of the details, I was aware that they were perched on the top of very tall pinnacles of rock. When we arrived in Kalampaka, however, we were transferred to another bus that drove us to the top, along with numerous tour buses. When I saw folks older than I getting out of the tour buses, I knew I would be able to negotiate any climb that was offered. So steps rather than shallow foot holds and narrow paths was what I encountered. A bit of disappointment, especially for the girls who were really looking forward to something more adventurous, and dare I say it, relief for me. The 15th century monasteries themselves were interesting and the frescoes were very beautiful, but perhaps we expected a little more for our 8 hour bus ride.

The following day it was bye bye Bailey who was headed to Ireland & hello train for CeeCee & I, headed to Athens.

Six hours on the train brought us to Athens and a quick metro ride brought us to the Plaka, with the Acropolis perched above. Our hotel, A for Athens, is a fairly new, boutique hotel. It is tiny and narrow but very close to the metro, so convenient. Our room was defined by its magnificent view of the Acropolis from our bed and modern, delightful décor, in hues of brown and beige. Breakfast and the bar were on the terrace and from there we had sweeping, unobstructed views of the Plaka, the Acropolis and the surrounding areas. It was definitely a lively and romantic spot

We had both been to Athens before, so no need nor time to explore in depth on this trip. Just a walk through the Plaka, up to the back door of the Acropolis, doner-kebab on the street, and drinks on the terrace and we were good to go.