Trip to Greece 1
In December of 2017, I traveled to Greece. After checking the weather three days before the start of my vacation from work, I decided to go to Greece where the weather would be nice. I took Emirates because the tickets were cheap, and there was enough time of transfer in Dubai to be able to take the second flight even if the first one ended up being delayed.
December 10
I flew out of Haneda Airport, Tokyo. There was turbulence around dinnertime, so my tea spilled and my cup became empty. After arriving at Dubai Airport, we had to wait on the plane for a minute, so I went to the toilet, but the floor was covered in urine. On the flight to Athens, a child had fun screaming intentionally, bothering others. After a while, his mother scolded him and he started crying loudly, which bothered me even much more.
I took the subway from the airport to the center of Athens. The subway system was modern and I only had to tap my ticket to the sensor of the machine at the entrance before it recognized the ticket automatically. Nearly ten different beggars came to ask for money. One beggar was limping and crying, and another was using a child who played the flute.
I arrived at Syntagma Square, in the center of the city. My hotel was just a stone’s throw away from there, but I got lost because the GPS on my cellphone was somehow not accurate at that time, and I lacked a sense of direction. I finally managed to reach the hotel and checked in.
By that time, it was already evening. I looked for restaurants that served Greek dishes. However, I wasn’t courageous enough and finally ate at McDonald’s. After dinner, I took a walk through the streets at random. Then I tried to go back to my hotel, but for the longest time I couldn’t see any sign of my hotel. I checked the location with GPS and found that I was near Omonia Square. My guidebook said that this area is dangerous even during the day. I felt horrified and barely escaped with my life and managed to get to my hotel. (As a side note, I visited this area later again and it wasn’t dangerous at all.)
December 11
The following morning, I had breakfast in the restaurant of my hotel. I was able to enjoy a panoramic view of the city with the Acropolis. It was a buffet, and I helped myself again and again to more servings, and waited to see the Acropolis lit up by the sunshine, but it was too early and I wasn’t successful after wasting a lot of time.
I visited the Acropolis, the symbol of Athens. I bought a combined ticket with which I could visit other ruins. The ticket was simple and looked like the receipt of a store, but the barcode was printed on it and the machine recognized it automatically. The Parthenon was still under restoration and there was a crane next to it, but personally, I liked the combination as a cool design. The movement of the crane seemed slow to me. I wondered if they really intended to finish it.
I also visited the Roman Agora and Hadrian’s Library. They were being destroyed, so it was difficult to imagine the original form. In Hadrian’s Library, I didn’t read the explanation and mistook the ruins of a church for the center of the library. As a result, I missed the important part.
I visited a travel agency in Athens, which is run by Japanese people. I had checked the weather the night before and decided on a place called Meteora by taking a two-day tour. The staff member of the agency called another travel agency and made a reservation for me. It was like a restaurant serving a dish from another restaurant. However, I felt comfortable because they spoke Japanese.
I saw the Arch of Hadrian and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Then I saw two guards at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the parliament building. They were marching back and forth at a snail’s pace. I wondered if they could actually protect the tomb. I have seen similar guards in many countries, though.
I visited the National Garden of Athens, but I got lost inside and only barely managed to get out. I visited the stadium where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. It was shaped like a horseshoe, which I found interesting. I borrowed an audio guide in Japanese, but I could not understand some parts because of the literal translation.
I had dinner at a Greek restaurant. I tried a dish called musaka. It consisted of layers of eggplant, potatoes, and minced meat. Personally, it was a little bland. Maybe if I had eaten it with alcohol, I would have enjoyed it more. I also ate Greek salad. There was feta cheese on top of the vegetables. I liked this salad. It contained olive berries with pits inside, but I didn’t know that and ended up biting into them, which was horrible.
December 12
The following day, I visited the Ancient Agora. It was a large area and most buildings were already destroyed, but it was interesting to imagine the original form. Then I visited the ruins of Keramikos, which is an ancient cemetery and the origin of the word ceramic. I couldn’t find the entrance and walked around this vast area.
I visited the central market. I wanted to have taken some pictures, but I didn’t dare to do it because nobody was doing it and the employees seemed unkind. I took the metro from Omonia Station. The ticket vending machines were out of order, so I had to wait in line. A foreigner at the head of the line had difficulties in buying a ticket, so the line became longer and longer and people seemed irritated. Just before my turn, A Greek woman slipped in front of me.
(To be continued)
※この文章はアメリカ人の先生の添削を受けて修正済みです。
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