A not so quick trip to Athens

Farewell the felines... Farewell the staff... Two and a half stars for the accommodations.... Four and a half stars for the staff....

 

Join a vocal Greek taxi driver... Receive a commentary on the standard of other drivers in a hybrid language that included Greek.. English... Sighs... Yells... Descriptive hand gestures.. Laugh...laugh... Great fun...

Discuss the merits of our days on Naxos...

 

One last look at Greek history overlooking the port at Chora

 

This won't take long... 3 hour ferry ride... Lunch and head for the ferry at 1:00pm... Wait... Wait... Wait... The ferry late... 3:30... The ferry is yet to arrive... Listen to ferry passengers negotiate call centres to reschedule their connecting transits...

 

3:45... the ferry arrives... She, a little sports ferry, leads a giant into the wharf... She ties off... Down comes the little gang plank...it sits precariously on the shore... The first of the disembarking passengers negotiate the landing... The giant ship approaches it's mooring... The gang plank's tenuous hold on land is compromised... Mild panic sets in... Disembarkation ceases... Let the big fellow moor before we try again.... Ample application of the thrusters holds her in position... Passengers are unloaded and loaded.... Away at last... Passengers a little angry... The seas a little angry... Will stomachs also show their displeasure.....

Stomachs behave with impeccable manners... The seas more agreeable as Athens is approached....

The passengers scramble for the prize for first off the ferry... I am not sure what the prize is but it must be significant for the contestants approach the task with a single-minded determination that would do justice to any Olympic competitor... If there are rules to the competition then they are not obvious to the interested observer... If the prize is really a position at the front of the taxi line then it is a minor prize for waiting at the port are a cavalcade of taxis that are loaded with police supervision in a fraction of a minute... Each taxi is then dispatched into the chaos that is Athens road system... Progress of the taxi seems determined only by the aggression of the driver..

The ride to the Hotel Adrian is entertaining.... Past the seedy... Past the upmarket... Past the historic... Approach the hotel... Views of the Acropolis... Past Hadrians gate.... Into the Plaka.... The taxi driver doesn't actually know where the hotel is... We reach Adrianadou Street... A cute pedestrian way... We are dropped off... You walk along there... We walk... The cases clatter in complaint.... We walk... Walk.... We reach the far end of the street... No longer just a pedestrian way... There is hotel Adrian...

 

 

We are greeted with what has become for us typical Greek service... A smile... A welcome that makes us forget the walk... Even our cases are happy...

The location superb... Views of the Acropolis... Cafes... Shops...

Let the cases sulk in the room... Cross the street... More Greek customer service... Welcome.. Sit... Menu... Wine... Moussaka... Where have you been...nice..nice... Where are you from... You come again.....

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