To Athens or Not to Athens

La Plaka

Debarkation day dawned, as it always does.  We overstuffed out backpacks and added a couple of plastic bags and were ready to leave the ship.  Among other things, deciding to take the second cruise had cut back on my trip-planning time.  I had read an article about the pleasures of Piraeus and its fishing/yacht port and had booked a hotel a block and a half from the port.  My thinking at the time was that we would rent a car and explore the outer regions of Attica without fighting the noise and dust and non-accessibility of Athens.  Hindsight:  bad idea, and I should stop thinking.  The hotel was only a block and a half from the port, true, but it was on a 60 degree incline and there was no way Dwight would ever get from there to the port.  On top of that, the taxi driver was rude and overcharged because he only got a short fare and was not taking someone into Athens. Dwight set up his computer in the room while I reconnoitered the area and came to the definite conclusion that we would have to change hotels; there was nowhere in the area he could even get to for lunch.  

I thought about calling my travel agent to fire her but was too busy trying to find us another hotel, this time in Athens.  The poor hotel owner in Piraeus was having a bad day (broken hot water pipe) and our leaving just added to his distress, adding to my guilt.  Unlike the ship, at least we had a decent internet connection.  All the usual travel sites had information and recommendations ad naseum.  I called the hotel we stayed in last year which we’d liked; they had rooms but wanted twice what we paid last year.  I turned them down on principle:  just another mistake in a long line of mistakes.  The next property I called had good reviews on Trip Advisor, but I didn’t read the reviews carefully enough.  The 4 ½ stars looked great, but it’s a budget property and it does budget stuff in a 4 ½ star manner.  When our taxi pulled up in front of the new hotel. the Aristoteles,  in Athens, I knew I had made a mistake, but, what the hey, it’s cheap.  What could we do…stand on the sidewalk with our luggage; find another taxi and say, “Take me to another hotel”; go to the airport and get on a flight. We walked in and booked a room.  We’ve both agreed that this hotel would be a real find were we young students once again—clean, cheap, adequate accommodations.  I have to add--an internet with blazing speed, which is a joy.

We were basically relieved to find a port in a storm and Dwight and I have become pretty resilient through years of travelling.  Weve' settled in to make the best of our days in Athens.  I did, however, call our travel agent and leave a nasty message; she hasn’t returned my call.    

After a shower and a nap everything looked brighter.  We took a taxi to the Plaka area, had a lovely stroll on a beautiful evening, a light dinner at an outdoor café, and back to the hotel.  At least the taxis are running now, a big difference from last year when we had trouble getting around.  The taxis now are plentiful and relatively inexpensive.  We’re looking forward to a Greek experience, but next time I’m booking everything through Paula at Fantasy Travel.