Greece
COUNTRY: Greece
LOCATIONs: Athena, Vasiliki beach in Lefkada, Delphi
DATE: 2016
This was an unusual travel for me. Ever since I studied Philosophy I wanted to see Greece, where all these science from. Back at the time of the Greek empire, probably the Greeks were the most smart and sophisticated people on earth. The Romans could hide in the back way behind the Greeks once its comes to intelligence, sport and culture. Also human being. Greeks had everything on higher level what Romans got. It was experience to visit this country. I loved every minutes what I spent here although it wasn’t every minutes pleasant. So here my story in the land of Paton and Socrates…
I arrived to Athena with my son and dad on the hot summer of 2016. We were happy and we didn’t know what will waiting for us. Never visited Greece before, but I hope, really hope, I will return one day.
I did check in the hotel, which was in the city center just walking distance from the Acropolis. So we walked here o see that ancient citadel which is the highest point in the city, at least the ancient city. From the top of this rocky hill you see other ancient buildings and you can imagine the layout of this old city, and imagine the life of the Greeks. Like a paradise. The clothing they use, the culture they had and they were walking u and down and discuss hows the world was working, and discussed all those philosophical questions they had. I can imagine old poor Aristotle running after the king’s son and explaining the math and physics.
I can imagine Socrates proudly walking at the Parthenon fallowed by Plato and other students after they take their respect at goddess Athena.
Of cores we checked the Agora what was the central public space in ancient Greek city-state and many times the philosophers and scientist are met here.
Athena, was the cradle, the bassinet of the democracy what all nations willing to live it today.
We checked out the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. It was really taking back in time. I loved to hear those bugs giving that loud noises on the olives trees. It was such a nice, calming weekend. I will remember this till the rest of my life.
So we decided we will see one of the great beach of Greece Lefkada at Vasiliki beach. We rented a hotel room, and left early morning. To leaving Athena wasn’t a big problem. It was easy to get away from here. Its suppose to be a 5-6 hours drive, more like 6 hrs or so. The problem just started on the highway, because we didn’t have GPS or map and everything is signed with Greek letters. So somehow we ended up in Sparta, then we tried to manage back to the right direction with my wife on map in the US. Of cores it didn’t work. After about 10 hours on the road, we ended up somewhere, (I still don’t know where) there was abridge and the very last gas station that just closed about 30 minutes ago. And the people who worked there they hanged out in the parking lot and they just opened the gas station just for us, so we could continued to drive. It was dark already. They explained something I didn’t get but was enough to go in the right direction (probably). About an hour or two later we ended up in Lefkada. This was an island for the rich people. Yachts on the beach and fancy restaurants. SO I asked someone who was around and spoke some English, and he said: – oh Vasiliki point? I’m going home the same direction, just follow me! If you can! – and he smiled. I knew something is up, but I followed him. He was going crazy on those mountain roads, he wanted to leave me, but I’m a really good driver and he couldn’t. Until he stopped. We got out from the car and he said: – just follow the road and it will take you there straight, I just broke my car. Well we continued the trip and we got to the hotel around 2 pm, 13,5 hours later. Our room was taken so we got a spear room with a spear bed.
In the morning we woke up my father told me something bit him over night. Looked like a mosquito bite but two little point right etc to each others., So we got a free breakfast beacuse ewe lost our room it was the owners treat. Even though we said it’s not necessary, he insist. The ocean floor was very rocky couldn’t enjoy a lot. But the view was beautiful and at the end of the hotel was a nice walkway from the beginning from the beach to the end and it’s connects all the hotels together and each hotel had a restaurant or a bar there. Its was so great very European thing. Loved it. My father kept complaining about that bite but nothing really seemed serious except a red dot started to be around the bite.
Early afternoon we left to Delphi. It was a 5 hrs drive and this time we made it on time. We had to go on hillside, over the mountains it was gorgeous, Then just before Delphi we had to go though an olives tree farm, where my son threw up. But it didn’t stop us, we continued. The road to Delphi was spectacular. Delphi is on very high on the mountain, and the street are narrow and curvy. Our hotel was on the edge of the mountain and our view was the olives tree farm down in the valley. It was so beautiful I spent some good time in the balcony. When it got dark I walked around Delphi. They had some good restaurants and some good winery. Absolutely loved it. Next morning I checked out on the top of the mountain the ancient Greek sport complex. It was so beautiful scenery to the valley and the arena was in pretty good shape as well. Those Greeks knew where are the best area to build their homes. But my father started to feel pain in hos arm. So we had to go back to Athena to catch our plain ride to Rome, since from Greece you cant rental car to drive to Hungary. We were driving as fast as we could to reach the Athena airport. When we arrived here and returned the car it we realized at the check in we don’t have ticket. We purchased our tickets on a website that was a fake site. So we had to buy new tickets really expensive, but we got to Rome… but that’s another story…
