Spontaneous trip to Athens

 

I am not spontaneous.  I am a planner.  For me, part of a vacation experience is the planning process - reading about sites to see, possible hotels, ways to get from here to there.  So, what I did recently was so unlike me that I now feel it was a fantasy.  I went to Athens, Greece during a Covid lockdown.

With coronavirus numbers rising, the Turkish government began a full lockdown in April.  My daughter, Maggie, and son-in-law, Ross, were coming the week of Ramadan when I knew I had 3 days off.  After full lockdown was announced, we decided to postpone their visit.  Jim had flown in April 20 to visit and be here for their trip in May.   He and I managed to see Turkish tulips in bloom at Emirgan Park and take an excursion on the Bosporus the afternoon before full lockdown went into effect.  Both great experiences!  Then Jim busied himself around the apartment and grounds of the “sitesi,” while I continued teaching online.

The Ministry of Education in Turkey is full of surprises.  For a planner like myself, this can be a frustration, but this time was different.  On Thursday, May 6 an official announcement came that students and teachers would have the entire week of Bayram – the end of Ramadan – off.  That was May 10 – 14.  I immediately thought how much extra work I’d get done and I could spend more time with Jim. 

Then, I talked with Nurcan, my English head of department.  She pointed out we could not travel in country, but we could travel out !  Hummm.  She was going to Dubai…other teachers were going to Egypt.  I began wondering… Greece?  I had seen on the news that Greece was opening.  Could Jim and I arrange a trip to Greece?

In my planning for future excursions in Turkey I have connected with a travel agency – Sojourn Tours.  I am not confident to book hotels, tours, transportation on my own in a country where I do not speak the language.  Sojourn has been my perfect solution.  Elif, a Sojourn tour agent, found and booked our Bosporus excursion and set up a trip to Ephesus – postponed because of lockdown.  Could she help me with a spontaneous trip to Greece?   Yes.  Yes she could! 

First hurdle – no direct flights allowed into Greece from Turkey.  So, Elif booked us through Belgrade, Serbia. Done.  We had to complete a “Locator Form” to present at Passport Control in Athens.  Done. We needed a Covid test.  Elif arranged someone from a Lab in Istanbul to come to my apartment. Done.  Hotel booked.  Transportation arranged.  Tour guide procured.  Right.  A private tour guide.  I waited for sticker shock and it did not come.  The cost was reasonable!

When Jim and I came out of the baggage claim area in Athens, there was a smiling, blonde-haired, petite lady holding a Sojourn Travel sign with our names.  Anna.  She was our tour guide for the next 4 days.  She took us to our car where we met our driver, Panos.   Easy.  So easy.  And exciting!

Anna has been a tour guide in Greece for 20 years.  We were her first tour since the pandemic!  She took us first to see the Temple of Poseidon which sits atop a hill beside the Aegean Sea.  How had some storm not knocked these majestic columns into the sea over the course of thousands of years?  Anna walked with us on the grounds of the Acropolis of Athens, where we stood beside the Parthenon and the Theater of Dionysus.  Anna marveled at there being so few tourists.  There may have been 20 other people at the Acropolis.  She told us of an unforgettable day when 7 cruise ships descended on the Acropolis and how people stood for hours just to get through the main gate.  Jim and I knew then, how fortunate we were.

Our boutique hotel, was located in view of the Acropolis – Coco-Mat Athens BC. (Coco-Mat is a brand name for a line of bedding products.  We got to experience the bedding and could purchase it right in the hotel lobby.  Interesting concept.)  The hotel was also located feet away from the start of the shopping and restaurant area in the historic district of Athens – called Plaka.  It had a rooftop restaurant and bar with a view of the Acropolis, which is lit at night.

Let me just say.  Greek salads I’ve had in the USA are an insult to a true Greek salad.  Scrumptious. Greek restaurants we visited were a highlight.   Lunch on the quaint porch of Scholarchio in Plaka.  Dinner at  a romantic rooftop Athenian restaurant called Strofi.  Lunch at a street café in Nafplio.  And seafood by the sea at a restaurant in Marathon.  At our invitation, Anna joined us for two of our lunches and conversation with her was fascinating!  

The sights we saw on our day excursions to Ancient Corinth, Nafplio, and Marathon were breathtaking.  But the ambiance, the friendly people, the food, and the overall atmosphere will bring me back to Greece.  Maybe spontaneously!