Eat, Sleep, Drink, and Be Merry in Athens

Our travel agency, Concierge Travel, not only set up this trip, but also arranged pre and post cruise packages for the 150+ travelers on this trip. Upon arriving at the Athens airport, we were all greeted by an enthusiastic tour guide, who wrangled us and our luggage onto a bus for the ride into Athens. I was desperate for a bed and a long nap after last night’s seemingly endless series of tortures that seem to be only experienced in economy class seating. 

Coincidentally, the hotel in which we were staying, was the same as the one we were in 16 years ago – The Electra Palace. The hotel has an old world charm, complete with pool and rooftop restaurant. All I really cared about was assuming a horizontal position and closing my eyes for a few hours. Before bed, however, my new friend John B from Wilmington and I had a quick brunch at a café up the street from the hotel. 

John and Jay were scheduled to arrive in Athens around 4:00 PM. That gave me five hours of slumber and an hour to clean up before meeting them for cocktails. Everyone was on schedule and after a few vodka on the rocks beneath the garden gazebo, we headed up to prepare for dinner. Part of our package included a five course dinner, paired with wine, served on the hotel rooftop in sight of the Parthenon. The view was exquisite. 

Roof top welcome dinner: Acropolis to the right

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I was unable to sit with John and Jay for dinner due to a mix up in communication. So, I joined another table of shipmates, settled in with a glass of wine, and began to get to know some new people. Our table consisted of John B. from Wilmington along with several guys from Toronto, and Gary from Concierge Travel. I put my technical writer skills to work and began interviewing everyone, trying to get some conversations started. My table was a bit stubborn when it came to making small talk, but eventually everyone settled in and warmed up to the challenge of making new friends. 

 

Acropolis at sunset

After introductions, the food began arriving and I was in heaven. It was quite exquisite for hotel food. Although, I am not a big fan of cantaloupe or honey dew melons, the chilled melon soup with pancetta was rather refreshing, the salad was crisp and perfectly dressed, the seafood course was rich and yummy. Although the beef was a bit overcooked, it was still tender. An exquisite chocolate torte topped off an evening in which new acquaintances were made and old ones resumed.

 

After a few pictures by the pool, John suggested we head into the city and hit a bar or two. Since he and Jay had been in Europe for a week already, they were much more acclimated to the time change than I was, but after my nap, I was up for it. After all, when will I have a chance to experience bar culture in Athens again? We had a quick costume change and headed out into the streets in search of a taxi.

Our first destination, Big, was in the Gazi district near the university. This area is full of cafes, bars and restaurants. The locals were enjoying the relative coolness of the evening with some alfresco dining. There was lots of energy and laughter in the streets. This is my type of place.

Follow the magic iPhone app

After a bit of searching and with the aid of an iPhone, we finally reached our destination. Mind you, It was 11:00 PM when we walked in the door to discover that we were the only patrons, giving the term “first whores in the door” a new meaning. However, the bartender was super pleasant and hooked us up with a few shots of tequila and some Greek Mythos beer. After a brief chat, we learned that the bar doesn’t really get busy until after midnight and that many Athenians vacation in August due to the high temperatures – so it could be a really slow night. We were also treated to a few shots of Mastika, a Greek liqueur that has a slight taste of Ouzo but with a caramel finish. 

Big Bar - This is how it looked to us, minus the bartender

A few more early birds showed up including a guy named Phil from the UK and a few Americans. We all sat around the bar chatting and laughing it up until around 2:00 AM. As we were leaving, we realized the bar had really picked up, but we had a long day ahead of us. So we resisted the urge to linger over another beer, and went out into the streets in search of a taxi. Fortunately, we found one rather quickly. Unfortunately, the driver’s English consisted of “Hello, Where you go? and Yes!”. He had never heard of the Electra Palace Hotel. Fortunately, I had thought to tear off a page from the note pad in my room that included the address. So after a few minutes, the address was put into the GPS and we were on our way back to the hotel.

Fancy Athens McDonalds

Everyone knows that a fun night out can’t just end by going to bed. Upon arriving at the hotel, we realized that we were a bit peckish after all that drinking. We asked the desk clerk for directions to a souvlaki stand or sandwich shop that would still be open. What we got instead, was directions to McDonalds – late night food of the gods. And the Greek Mac (two all beef patties, lettuce, tomato, tzatziki sauce on a pita) hit the spot, along with some onion rings and soft drinks.

When we finally returned to the hotel, I slipped between the covers, and slept like a baby. Happiness!