Athens

As I am shortly about to head off on my travels, I thought I would share some memories of our visit to Greece over the last two years and some highlights and recollections that Carmel and I experienced on our time there. In May 2022, we bought a one way ticket to Athens and from there began our journey around the islands.

The gleaming lights of the city spread out below us like welcoming beacons getting ever closer as our plane commenced its slow descent from the clear starlit sky. As we landed on the runway, I began to remember the last time I had visited this beautiful and ancient city all those years ago. The glowing residues of memory that had once faded are often revived as familiar vistas greet us on our journey through once familiar places. It is as if the ghosts of the past have mingled with the present illuminating a whole kaleidoscope of thoughts and memories. The tug on my sleeve of recollection and recall that visited me brought so many happy emotions. And so it was that after almost 45 years since either of us had last visited Athens we revisited those familiar places although back then, on separate journeys, because this was a few years before we had met.

I had been busking in Paris over the previous three months and had managed to save enough money for the bus ticket and to pay for food and accommodation. It was my love of music and the willingness to play in public that enabled me all those years ago to end up busking in the Paris metros, with their great labyrinth of tunnels and echo filled corridors. There I had been singing off and on over the previous years. My sojourn began there when I had a summer break after the completion of my second year at Manchester University. There I had met a girl from Paris, who invited me out for the summer. Both of us had been singing together over the previous year in various folk clubs around Manchester. She suggested coming out to join her in Paris for the summer to busk together in the metros by day and in the restaurants of Montparnasse in the evening. Later that summer she found a job in the city and I ended busking on my own. I enjoyed it so much that I returned from time to time over the next few years.

It was on my third trip to Paris that I decided to go further afield and travel to Athens. To this day I’m not sure why I decided to go there. Many decisions I have made throughout my life have been on a whim. Just go for it and see where I end up. I have had very few regrets.

I recalled the sense of adventure and excitement as a 23 year old travelling light with my guitar by my side. I ventured out from Paris via the “Magic Bus.” For those who are not familiar with this exotic sounding mode of transport, the bus travelled overland from Paris via various destinations such as Milan, Belgrade, Thessaloniki and eventually ending in Athens, approximately a 3 day journey. It was cheap and cheerful but it was a great way of meeting like- minded travellers. Having a guitar with me was a good excuse to initiate a series of singsongs. As we say in Ireland “The craic was mighty!” as the bus grinded its way on the open roads of a wintry Europe. Music has always been a way of making friends with strangers and that journey all those years ago was no exception. In later life it often enabled me to introduce myself to local people in other far off lands. Singing an Irish ballad, Mary from Dungloe with a salsa band in middle of Havana Square in Cuba particularly comes to mind.

Before we embarked on our journey we managed to book our accomodation in the centre of Athens in a district called Eschilou in the heart of the old district of the city. Our host, Sophie, was the very model of welcoming hospitality. From the moment we arrived at Gatwick Airport in London, she was in touch.

“Hello Jim. Good morning/Kalimera. This is Sophie, your contact for your upcoming stay in Athens!

I will be sending you here below all needed information for a seamless self check-in for your arrival and will remain at your disposal for anything you may need!

We can arrange you an airport shuttle to take you from the airport to the apartments. The fixed price is 45 euro.

There will be a driver holding a sign with your name. Could you please tell me the flight number and what time the airplane lands?”

Sure enough as we went through the arrivals gates, there was someone there holding a sign with my name. A seamless start to our visit.

Our driver was extremely friendly and had a good command of English.

“I come from the North of the country and I moved to Athens 20 years ago. I have been working as a taxi driver since then.”

We discussed some of the islands that we hoped to visit – Naxos, Paros, Ios, and he agreed that they were all worth a visit.

“I also suggest that you visit Iraklia as the island is small and friendly to visitors. I was there many years ago.”

The taxi left us off at our destination and after leaving our luggage in our apartment we set off to explore our new surroundings. Our first night in the city was both exhilarating and fascinating as we took in the sights and sounds of The Eschilou district and the heady aroma of Greek cuisine wafting in the night air. We had only walked a few hundred yards when we came upon a bustling set of streets with throngs of people milling about the bars and restaurants. There was a lively atmosphere with lights hanging from the various buildings which added to the bohemian sense of the place. Outside a few restaurants a range of musicians were playing traditional Greek music, their lively sounds mingling with the steady murmur of the crowds toing and froing in the Athens night. The night seemed to come alive amid the clamour of humanity that invaded the pavements and streets of the square. Each restaurant had someone standing outside to lure passers- by within its inner sanctum. In some establishments the sound of music could be heard within or outside which provided a joyous rhythm and atmosphere. We were greeted rapturously with,

“Hello my friends. We have very good delicacies inside. Do you like Greek food? Come in and try some. We have very good prices!”

We eventually chose a restaurant which was buzzing with the sound of traditional Greek music from two musicians, one playing the traditional bouzouki, the other playing the guitar. On our first night in Greece what better than ordering Greek meatballs (known as keftedes) for myself and moussaka for Carmel. We are both very fond of Greek cuisine and this was the beginning of a series of culinary delights that would entice us in the month ahead.

On the way back to our apartment we looked up and saw a variety of colourful vestments hanging between the buildings on each side of the road. We thought at the time that they must be washing of local residents hanging out to dry. The next morning we were to discover their true purpose.

We rose early and had a desire to explore the city as much as possible. Entering a café, a few yards down from our apartment, we had a hearty breakfast of crepes and coffee. Suddenly we heard the sound of a megaphone with what seemed like instructions being shouted out in Greek. Curious, we went outside to investigate what was happening and were confronted by a cacophony of cameras and arc lights. Making enquiries we were informed that a music video was being made for the English band Take That. We were greeted by the sight of five young women dressed in colourful clothes being filmed on manual scooters travelling together down the street. Then it suddenly occurred to us the purpose of the clothes that were hanging across the street. They were a film prop!

We have always found that the best way to get to know a foreign city is to take the red bus which gives us a guided tour and thus helps us to get our bearings. It is also possible to hop off and on at various stops along the way. It is a cheap and effective way of getting to know our surroundings. We found it invaluable in the past when we visited Cape Town in South Africa as it gave us a good grounding in the city’s attractions and similarly we did the same in Havana in Cuba.

Given that it was almost 50 years since either of us had visited Athens, taking the red bus was a good option as it enabled us to revisit familiar places that over the years had faded from our memories.

We made our way to Santagma Square to catch the bus. The Square has literally been the very heart of Athens ever since the city became the capital of the modern Greek state. Its name in Greek means “Constitution Square,” a name granted by Greece’s first modern royal, King Otto, on September 3^rd 1843. It is the one place where all public protests and demonstrations have taken place. Something that struck me as we walked to the Square was my lack of confidence in finding my bearings and being able to retrace my steps. I found myself taking out my notebook at every corner we turned to ensure that we were familiar with what direction to take on the way back. Perhaps I was being over cautious even though I remember the last time being here in my early 20’s such qualms of directional observation never occurred to me. I had wandered around the city in those days with no concerns of getting lost.

We ventured past countless shops selling all sorts of wares. The aroma of various spices and foodstuffs wafted in the air amid the constant crowds of people busily making their way through the narrow pavements. The heat was pleasant but not intense. As we were there in the month of May, the temperature was reasonably tolerable, although the dust and the heat of the urban streets was slightly overwhelming. We passed the famous Monastaraki Market. Literally meaning “Little Monastery,” this is a flea market area in the old town of Athens, full of tourist shops selling souvenirs and Greek delicacies. The imposing ruins of the Acropolis lay gazing serenely down upon us in the distance. Its magnificent presence stood ghostlike through the haze of the morning sunshine We soon reached our destination and patiently waited to catch the next bus which passed by every 30 minutes.

Places that re-emerged into our memories included the ancient Olympic Stadium, the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. The stadium was excavated in 1869 and, after being refurbished, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896. In fact there is a connection with Ireland in relation to the those first Olympics. James Brendan Connolly established world fame through his achievements at that event when he won the gold medal for the USA in the Triple Jump which was the first contest in the itinerary of events. His parents came from the Aran Islands who left Inis Mor to seek a new life in Boston where James was born. And of course the Acropolis which particularly stood out once again. Located on a rocky outcrop above the city and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. I have memories, all those years ago, of losing myself within the ancient monuments of those ruins with a sense of wonder and awe looking out from its hill top position over the city.

We had only one full day in Athens which in retrospect was probably a wrong decision as we would have needed more time to really get to know the city once more. However it was worth spending that brief period of time soaking in the sounds and senses of this bustling and awe-inspiring city. We promised each other that we would return again in the not too distant future and spend more time in seeking out its beauty and wonders.

However the island of Naxos beckoned and we were anxious to discover new backdrops and panoramas. Our journey almost resulted in disaster before it had even started as I had mixed up the time of the ferry’s departure from the port of Piraeus by 30 minutes which gave more urgency to our arrival there and have the time to buy the ferry tickets. Unfortunately our taxi driver didn’t help by arriving 20 minutes late and proceeded to casually load our luggage into the boot of the car oblivious to our panic and sense of urgency.

Piraeus is the main port of Athens and is one of the biggest in Europe. Many years ago it was an island. Travellers were ferried across to the mainland. Everywhere as far as the eye could see, huge ships were moored at the docks including ferries, cruise ships and cargo vessels. People were milling about on their way to new destinations or returning from completed journeys. The senses take in the sights, smells and tastes of a busy sea harbour that touch on the memories of growing up beside the busy docklands from home in the sixties. In the sky above seagulls voice their peacock sounding wails resting on currents of air on the hunt for any opportunistic morsels of food.  

Luckily we arrived with ten minutes to spare despite the interminable traffic jams and red lights (and to be fair our taxi driver put his foot down on the accelerator and was able to drop us at the right terminal). I immediately spied the ticket booth. Time was ticking on. The ferry would not wait for us. Somehow the customer in front of me was taking an interminable time to get his journey sorted. Then he was gone. With panic in my voice I ordered two tickets for Naxos. Luckily the ferry was right beside the booth. Breathlessly we ran to our ship just as the crew were about to raise the gangplank. We were on our way.