Greek Sabbatical

September 2009

Planning a trip to Greece was quite a serendipitous occasion. The Greek islands and the romantic cruise options kept beckoning us in many ways and we had to succumb to temptation. Besides, our wedding anniversary was falling in the same week as Ramadan Eid. It was a perfect setting indeed in more than one way.

The day finally came. A quiet sunny Saturday in the month of Ramadan. The vacation spirit was in the city air, with everyone gearing up for the Eid holidays. Excitement boiling deep inside me. A long two hour drive to Sharjah city centre was followed by a snail paced taxi ride to the airport. Waiting now for the four hour flight to take us to the Eleftherios Venezelos airport of Athens. An old Greek man accidently sitting in my seat just refused to budge, confirming a typical Greek behaviour. I hope all Greek people are not like this one.

Athens

19 September

1.45 am

We have reached hotel Evripedes after an eventful journey. Relaxing  after a hot shower now.As decided, we took the last metro at 11.35 to reach Monastiraki station. The hotel was supposed to be a short walk from there. However to find 85 Evripedou street was a struggle, dragging the thankfully single piece of luggage on those tastefully paved sidewalks. We ended up taking a longer and slightly dangerous detour … encountered strange muscular men and prostitutes! A bit scared but charged up, we finally made it to the hotel. What an exciting beginning.

The first look of Athens at Monastiraki reminded me of the Istiklal street of Istanbul ,similarly bursting with hip youngsters even at that hour past midnight.All of Europe has got that – an impressive public realm. I decided to explore the streets in daylight the next morning.

A group of teenage German students had created havoc in the hotel with their giggling, screaming and balloon fights. The manager, in his rough mood told us that the hotel was full! But soon, he found out that we had booked the room in advance. Heaved a sigh of relief. Searching for a hotel at that hour would have been another adventure.The hotel seemed quite decent for the price we paid. Waiting to catch a glimpse of the Acropolis tomorrow.

20 September

7.45 am – 12.15 pm

Acropolis

Sitting at the terrace cafeteria to have breakfast. It’s a windy morning. Ah! I can see the Acropolis from here.  Guarding the ancientness of the city as though. Giving the city a sense of direction . Identity. Cannot wait to have a closer look.

 “Kali Mera “ (good morning) the Greek girl at the breakfast counter said. We had lots of cheese and grapes at breakfast. Fresh salads, fruit and cheese seem to be the preferred food items. The now sane German students accompanied us at the table.

We took a stroll from Monastiraki till Syntagma(‘Syntagma’ means Constitution) square to catch the hop on-hop off Panoramic city tour bus. Decided to have an overview first.

The city has an antique charm. Rather avant-garde. Because of the Olympics , I am guessing.The public spaces, squares, sidewalks, street furniture seem so contemporary. It flaunts a worn out look flamboyantly. The best part was that even paths as narrow as 2 metres had a tree easement on the side, creating this wonderfully shaded  avenue at all occasions.Various forms of transport – trams, electric busses, regular busses, cars, motorcycles and cycles – all were functioning smoothly in coexistence. The sidewalks were shared paths with bikeways and pedestrian paths combined alongside a neat line of maple trees.

Each intersection had a public plaza with seats, water fountains, public art, sculpture and countless pigeons! One could spend the whole day here.Our architectural and urban design tour had long started through the mesmerizing lanes . Very old but still so trend setting. As the bus passed around the Acropolis boulevard, a sweet citrus scent was in the air. The sloping paths were outlined with small orange and lemon shrubs. Could touch the tree tops sitting in the second level of the open bus. Flanked on both sides of the lanes were tall buildings with big balconies. Each one had the same type of yellow toned awning . Each one overflowing with green potted plants . Outdoor rooms of some sort. I so longed to be in one of those on a lazy Saturday morning, soaking up the warm light Sun…amidst the evergreen freshness of the foliage. Some spaces are just magical.

It was a Sunday. Luckily. There is always a ceremonial change of guards event at eleven every Sunday morning. We hopped off and ran towards the median to get a good view. Streets were thronged with tourists from all over the world. We knew we were going to bump into the same people often from now on. The guards marched in rhythm. They wore white pleated frocks( with exactly 140 pleats , to be straightened after every change of guard ceremony ) , stockings, red caps and black pumps with pom poms. Lovely attire.The Greeks are beautiful people. Literally. Even the police men and women were exceptionally good looking.

We walked upto the Hadrians Arch next. The sky was a blameless blue. Paths were dotted with wooden benches and red berry bushes. The Hadrians arch was separating two worlds. As though preventing modern influence from entering inside.Remnants of the old fluted greek columns with Corinthian capitals juxtaposed against the sky fabric. Perfect balance. Far beyond we could see the Acropolis framed within the columns, calling us for more.

We started walking upslope. Roads leading to the Acropolis were those pretty orange scented ones. Generous paved paths . Interesting patterns . More shade and a comfortable sunshine.There were villas with paintings on facades and street musicians at the door steps.It’s a great pedestrian experience.

We first saw the threatre of Dionysos. The stones reflecting so many memories hidden within. Further up was the Parthenon ,with an overwhelming sense of scale and proportion.

I recalled the lesson on Greek optical illusions and the Greek Order – Doric , Ionic and Corinthian. Must admit, I was a bit disappointed to see the Parthenon all hidden under scaffolding . But it needs to be conserved.

To the side was the old temple of Athena with Erechtheum and its delicate Caryatid porch. This has been my favourite in the ‘History of Architecture’ sketches. What a beautiful form for columns.

From the top, we could see Athens city sprawled around the Acropolis in an irregular fashion. One huge structure that immediately attracted attention was the new Acropolis museum. An asymmetrical ensemble with masses jutting out strongly forming a huge pergola in the front.  We went to have a detailed look with a different mind frame to accept irregularity in form and minimalist approach, quite contradictory to what we had seen just before. The only subtle thread of connection was its orientation with the Parthenon.The spill over terraces had glass floors to see the archaeological excavations below. It was an interesting detail.

We stopped at Plaka on the way to have some snacks. Plaka had colourful street cafes on a fully pedestrianised zone , sheltered with street trees and bollards. Reminded me of a similar street in Edinburgh. We had baguette with feta cheese and chicken alongwith Greek coffee ( similar to Turkish coffee)Hopping into the bus again, we completed the panoramic tour. Saw the massive Olympic stadium , some intricate public buildings such as the library , the college and the  museum with  sculptures , entablature and the columns.

I noticed a variety of small cars in Athens. Left hand driving was followed like most countries and almost all cars were manual, not automatic.

By evening we were at Monastiraki square full of people. There was a flea market with sandal shops, olive soaps shops, silver jewellery shops and countless cafes. The Greeks love for food is the reason for this café culture all over the country. We embraced this open free culture very soon.After long discussions, we decided on one café. All of them were inviting with live music and bars. I tried ‘Ouzo’ the local drink and instantly confirmed its similarity to the Turkish ‘ raki’. Very strong.  Didn’t like it.

I switched to retsina wine instead, with cheese pie . Kris settled for Hellenic beer ‘Mythos’ and his favourite spaghetti in tomato sauce. Ended a great day with a mango sorbet - one for the way.

We figured out a better path to reach the hotel this time. They were charging extra 5 Euro for the air conditioning. Well, we didn’t require any here. Also, the drinking water was straight from the tap. Similar to India in a lot of aspects(wink)

21 September

8.00 am – 12.30pm

Mycenae, Corinth, Nauplius, Epidaurus

We had an early morning pick up for the day trip of the Arkolis region from Omonea Square, about 15 minutes from our hotel. That place was supposedly a bad area, and we soon understood why.It was dominated by whore houses and druggies. We spotted lots of shady people loafing around even early in the morning! But there were a plenty of Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants around. Some people of African origin sold artefacts on the streets. I felt touched. The place was infamous because of all this. Just like some parts of Dubai,where underprivileged people come all the way in search of a job…away from home…surviving some how.

The bus was filled with tourists of varied nationalities. A long drive accompanied with the guide’s commentary, took us through the city outskirts. 80 % of Greece is dominated by mountains, covered with olive trees. Hence olives form a main ingredient of all Greek dishes. ‘Hellas’ – Greece comes from Hellias – olives. An olive tree can grow upto 800 years of age and still bear fruit.The city of Megaira is well known for olives. Athena gave the country the olive tree. There was a competition between Athena and Poseidon in which Athena won, and that’s how the city of Athens got its name. Another main fruit of Greece is the pistachio.Greeks followed the pagan religion before Constantine changed the religion of the country to Christianity. All the ancient temples were converted to churches .

Our first halt was at the Corinth canal. It was a long deep blue strip of blue water, huge walls tapering from both sides…looked beautiful. It was carved out as a shorter way for trading ships to reach far away destinations. We stood on the bridge and tried capturing it in pictures- the pale ultra marine blue fluid against the rough beige  of the walls.Far beyond, we saw the remains of the Acropolis of Corinth. It supposedly had 1000 prostitutes – Aphrodites – who came down to the agoras in search of rich men!

The next stop was at the Lion’s gate, Mycenae. It’s the oldest sculpture in Europe, the lions heads now missing were actually of gold. Kris and I immediately recalled sketching it out in our ‘History of Architecture’ journals! It feels nice to actually get to see some of the structures we sketched out in those days as students.The acropolis of Mycenae had huge masonry rocks , similar to those of the pyramids. We could see the shadow of the clouds on the green sprayed mountains and valleys of Greece. It was indeed nice and cool for a day trip.Next, we went to the famous Epidavros – huge, symmetrical…perfect. There is no bad seat in this outdoor theatre. With the help of porous rocks, great acoustical design is achieved. Unlike Roman theatres, the greek Epidavros has a circular stage and not a semi circular one. The capacity is of 14000 and a match lit or paper torn can be heard in each and every corner!People took turns on the stage and tried singing , shouting and various dramatics. It was impossible to fit the whole theatre in the camera confinements…We took our own sweet time trying out different poses at different seats of the Epidavros.

At lunch we befriended an Aussie couple. They were going to Turkey after Greece. So we grabbed the opportunity of telling them about our Turkey trip and what all to see. The lunch comprised of chicken souvlaki (kababs) , Mousaka ( egg plant and meat pie) and Greek salad. Greek salad is the safest bet. Loved that and the Souvlaki. Didn’t like Mousaka so much though.

After that we saw the Treasury of Atreus - a conical tomb from the Mycaenean period, with construction technology similar to that of the pyramids. Quite impressive.

Some tourists from the bus had to be dropped off at the town of Nauplius. Hence our next halt was there. It was a quaint little cozy town by the sea, with lots of tree lined lanes and courtyards and cafes. There were old stone buildings converted into lodges having pergolas with bright pink bougainvilleas. It was awesome. We wished to have a stay over at Nauplius. However our not so ambitious itinerary this time said that we had to go to Santorini tomorrow…looking forward to that.

The day trip ended by evening and we were dropped off at Monastiraki square again. After a nice dinner at one of the street cafes and lots of retsina wine, we were roaming around again along those shopping streets till late night. Bought a nice mask of Dionysos to add to our mask collection, alongwith some olive oil soaps and small bottles of Ouzo as souvenirs. I really wanted to buy a pair of those locally made greek sandals… maybe at Santorini or Mykonos.

22  September

5.30 am – 12.30pm

Santorini - Oia

We got up at 5.00 am so as to reach the Piraeus port to catch the ferry to Santorini.Luckily since it was Europe day or something, we did not have to buy metro tickets from Monastiraki to Piraeus!We reached hurriedly, just in time at dawn and confirmed our air seat lounge tickets of the Hellenic Seaways. The city looked as though made of gold at that wee hour of dawn. The waters had a shimmering edge as the sun rose and the port woke up to activity. The wind was crazy and the sea hummed a lullaby… all I wanted to do was to cuddle up in those seats with a cup of coffee. It was too cold on the deck.We changed into comfortable clothes as the journey was going to continue for about 5 hours! From Piraeus to Paros , Naxos and then to Santorini by late noon.

Kris was busy exploring every corner of the vessel…striking conversations with people from different countries…and most importantly feasting his eyes on the group of young skimpily clad babes sun bathing on the deck;) I found that out soon and came to the deck myself to chill with some beer in the sun.

We reached Santorini by 2 o clock . All hotels had a pick up service from the port,since the buildings were nestled in quiet lanes amidst the hills of Santorini island. The car took us through the winding hilly roads to sloping lanes where large villas were converted into resorts. Ours was the Golden Star hotel, a modest looking lodge, overlooking the sea at a distance. A young sexy girl of 16 -17 – Katrina – lead us to our room. She was the receptionist and the hotel owners daughter. Their entire family was in the hotel management business. Katrina’s younger brother was still getting trained by his father, while his mother took care of all the house keeping and food. Katrina seemed to be the only one who knew how to operate the computer, so she took care of the accounts and “public relations” – she was perfect for that ;)

Santorini was quite similar to Auroville. Such a cute town. I instantly fell in love with those lanes taking you down to the sea…those small cozy cafes , the same bright pink bougainvilleas on pergolas, the sun kissed white villas…and a nice fat greek omlette for lunch!  We also tried this cucumber and garlic salad or dip called Tsatsiki along with Alpla beer and my favourite, chicken souvlaki.

By evening we were ready to explore the best parts of the island.  A bus took us through the hills and valleys to Oia – the paradise of Santorini. The island gets its identity at Oia where all white rounded ,sculpted architectural forms on terraces step down in a romantic rhythm to meet the sea. The blue domed  orthodox churches and the famous windmills beckoned us to stay till the night merged with the most dramatic sunset  at Oia. The sky showed a coppery mauve glaze that reflected on each sea facing façade now slowly getting lit one by one… we got immersed in this unusual beauty . The place itself gave us a ‘high’ …you don’t need anything else in life! No wonder many artists swear by Santorini… this place just wants you to be romantic and indulge in its beauty. Theres art all around in small shops that sell jewellery, artefacts and pottery. No photo can do justice to the exquisite ensemble…no camera can arrest the drama…only our wide open dreamy eyes collected it all… forever.

23  September

8.30 am – 12.00pm

Santorini – Fira, Perissa

We started slightly late than usual, by 8.30 in the morning, after a nice breakfast buffet of chocolate chip muffins and scrambled eggs. It is a laid back place. We had decided to keep this anniversary trip slow paced and romantic .We rented a brick red Nissan Micra – I had my eyes on that car ever since we came. Santorini island can be easily explored on your own in a day or two. We followed the map and drove southwards to the red beach. It was formed by the remnants of the red volcanic ash from the red mountains to the south of the island.It was quiet and relaxing to spend a whole day picnicking. We met a chubby Malaysian guy who told us of being robbed at Athens!

There was a slight chill in the wind as we climbed down the red mountain.  Next we went towards the Light house on a cliff. It was a spectacular sea view from that height. A group of geology students from England had come on an excursion to that site to study the rock textures. A study trip to Greece ! wow. We went at the most to Tamilnadu on our architectural tours…

Later that noon we went to the Perissa beach with black sand. It was a typical public beach with beach beds and cocktails. Some parts were reserved for nude beaches too. I had decided to take a chance at wearing my skimpiest clothes ever, in Greece. Even then we were quite over dressed for the place!

Nonetheless, we fitted perfectly well in the blue and white surroundings with our strictly blue and white wardrobe. I had convinced Kris to do that .

On our way back we visited the Gavala winery. There are numerous small wineries all along the curvy country roads of Fira town. We randomly selected this one . It was an old house with wine cellars in the basement. We sat in the sun filled courtyard with an old woman and her cat, in the shade of the pergolas and tasted some of the amazing wines they had. Purchased a bottle for rememberance.

We stepped into a pottery workshop – ‘Earth and Water’ by late noon. It had a nice display of assymetrical pots. The old potter Andreas gave us a live demonstration. Everything in this town of Fira is in one way or the other related to art.At sunset, we went back to the enchanting, mesmerising Oia. We couldn’t get enough of that place yesterday. Huge crowds had gathered to catch a glimpse of the sunset. We loitered around till the impatient sun finally set and reignited the golden lined drama of the architectural facades. Soon after, the half moon hung over the starry sky and cast a silvery spell over the whole of Oia.  Each curved step leading to each personal swimming pool  on the terrace of each luxury suite at Oia , was highlighted in shimmer. Perfect architectural design. Each white wall and each brick in it had a story to tell.

With eyes overflowing , we went back to the town centre for a nice romantic Anniversary dinner. It was 12.00 0o clock . We sat at a terrace overlooking  the humble night life of Fira . Music , good food, wine, a small town festive atmosphere and lots of youngsters… it was a night to remember!

24  September

8.30 am – 12.00pm

Mykonos

After another good laid back breakfast, Katrina’s father dropped us to the Santorini port from where we took a ferry to Mykonos, via Ios and Paros.It was a fast ferry through the sparkling waters splashing across the glass windows. I guess everyones itinerary was the same. We came across the same people over and over again.By noon, we reached Mykonos. Nikos, an oldish guy with curly grey hair and a muscular built, took us to ‘Mykonos Bay’hotel. Since it was our anniversary day Kris had booked a better hotel in Mykonos. ‘Crystella’, a young pretty greek girl lead us to our room .It was a luxury setting – pretty much like a honeymoon suite that began to seduce us with its silvery white furnishings and silk curtains…

Mykonos bay overlooked the most amazing beach. Far beyond, we could see the windmills. The hotel interiors were only white with a slight sprinkle of blue. The fluid curtains danced to the wild winds coming from the terrace – just for two! Everything was so romantic …it was meant for honeymooning…

There was a chic pool bar with tasteful décor. Everything was as though out of an architectural magazine!

It was a five minute walk from the hotel to the windmills. We went to a place called ‘Little Venice’and had a silent celebration. In fact , visiting the greek islands was a celebration in itself – celebration of life … of the blue waters and the clear turquoise sky…celebration of freedom!We walked along the mysterious white outlined pavements . Both sides of the lanes had small art shops selling artefacts, handmade greek sandals, silk scarves, jewellery and more. We saw an old church in white painted stone, hidden behind a framework of autumn trees. What a pretty picture. Each one unique. Beauty incomparable. Pure, pristine, paradise.

We purchased a bottle of wine from the super market  and some  chicken Gyros for a quiet dinner on the terrace of our suite, lying on the relaxing chairs. The starlit sky above and the sound of the sea below! It was indeed the perfect setting. Time as though stood still as the waves continued to hum a romantic song for us… and we finished the whole bottle of wine! Life is made up of experiences like these. I will never forget this one. So subtle, yet so overwhelming. Happy third Anniversary to us! Hope to have many more – celebrated differently!

Beautiful places drown me in their stories.
Time is flying, so am I.
Like the sea I merge with you,
oh clear blue sky!

25 September

10.00 am – 10.00pm

Mykonos

We woke up really late the next morning with a sweet hangover. We asked Crystella about the places to visit. She had a good sense of humour and kept joking about how she would introduce me to handsome greek men and keep Kris for herself!After breakfast we rented a bike and decided to tour the whole island and its interesting little beaches scattered at every corner. The Mykonos countryside was fairytale like. Mountains full of soft grass, cattle grazing, broken stone walls and narrow winding roads. Renting a bike was the best idea.

We saw the Psarou beach, Ornos beach and finally the Paradise beach by late noon , where there was a beach party. There were dancers , beach beds, food, cocktails, great music and the most outstanding décor for the restaurants – neat boardwalks, fancy shade structures and chic furniture. Greece is known for such retro beach parties. We loved the spirit. Just relax , enjoy and drink. “Paragalo! ” (welcome) , the hip waiters kept saying…

However we ended the night a bit early. Too tired of partying...rather too sad to be leaving the place tomorrow.

Our flight was by noon the next day. We spent time at the trademark Mykonos lanes and the windmills once again in the morning. Finally bought those greek sandals and said a last goodbye to Zorba, the fat Greek kitty, my little companion! Mykonos airport was small and sweet, with cats roaming freely all around! 
The flight was from Mykonos to Athens and to Sharjah after that. I had to change back to my fully covered clothes for UAE ;(

The dream trip had come to an end.It was the most relaxing, most romantic, most laid back, luxury vacation – very different from our other trips so far. I had a strange feeling that this was it. Something was going to change after this trip. Something new was going to happen… as though life was taking a detour – as though it was the ‘last time’...

“Ef karisto “( thankyou ) Life! I am ready for change.

Some fun things you can try ::

• Carry only white and blue clothes to merge into the beautiful surroundings.
• Grab a pair of locally made sandals and wear them on the trip to get that greek look.
• Explore the winding island roads and beaches on a bike.
• Just sit back , relax and find beauty in every white brick.