Felt a bit shabby this morning after my undetermined shots so started slow! I am engrossed in a Greek Netflix series, Maestro in Blue, set on the Island of Paxos. It’s fantastic, full of mystery, intrigue & psychological secrets, all set amongst stunning scenery. I watched a couple of episodes with my bakery breakfast & a cup of tea before my friend came to fetch me & we took a drive down the coast.
It was a perfect day here, 27’ & sunny. No-one wears hats here & every single person has sneakers on?? When I was out the other morning I got a very filthy stare from a man who seemed offended by the site of my Birkenstock clad feet! I have good feet, clean, painted nails, no flaking skin or cracked heels. I have no idea why he appeared to be so insulted by the site of them, naked to the elements on a warm & sunny morning?! My friends at language school thought it was strange that I wore sandals with my puffa jacket last week, but as I explained my feet got hot in sneakers & I would be taking my puffa off as the day heated up. Anyway, the Europeans seem to cover up their feet & leave their heads exposed, makes no sense to me!
Back to the perfect day though…as we drove out of the city the traffic stayed with us. It was an unusually hot day for Athens & it seems all & sundry were out to enjoy the weather. Cafes & taverns were full, beaches were littered with people & many were in the crystal clear waters of the Aegean Sea 🩵 too cold for this little frog! It was lovely getting out of the city & breathing in the fresh air, despite all the people everywhere.
Our destination was the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion. Believed to have been built in around 700BC the Temple was dedicated to Poseidon, ‘Master of the sea’. Erected during the ascendancy of Pericles, who also rebuilt the Parthenon, it was built on the ruins of an older temple. Although it was a place of worship to the deity Poseidon it was also a strategic military point, acting as a lookout post in a highly trafficked area.
A perfect place to watch the sunset it is very popular with visitors & I head Greek, British, French & Polish/Russian being spoken whilst I was there.
The ocean seems to stretch forever & is so clear & blue/green/turquoise, it makes you want to just fling off your clothes & run naked into it! However, I reckon it would be freezing & the beaches are not like our endless, sandy shores, they look a bit pebbly or shelly, rather hazardous for those offensive soft bare feet 😆
Houses in clusters dot the shoreline & we passed some whoppers. There is some serious money in Greece, yachts, houses…it’s like the clips you see online where beautiful people are lying around on boats & dancing together against a backdrop of the sun setting over a blue ocean. There was none of that for me though, just a walk around a temple & chicken on a stick eaten off my lap in the car 🤣 but that’s a pretty fine reality if you ask me!
The heat of the afternoon saw me resting inside with my homework & Maestro. At 2100 I went down to the local bar the ‘Chelsea Hotel’ to meet my friend Anthi, the cool NY chick from the bakery. We sat outside in the local square drinking vodka & eating chargrilled peppers & fava & sorting out all the problems of the world. As I said before, one of the things I love about travelling the most is meeting people & making new connections. I really enjoyed sharing space with Anthi tonight & showing her my hood!
So, yet again, I find myself rolling in after midnight. Pangrati is still pumping & I will be sorry to leave tomorrow but I can hear rural life calling me. Visiting Sounio today reminded my of how much I love being near the sea. I have enjoyed this week in Athens but it’s time to move on to the next stage of my Greek odyssey in the beautiful island of Lesvos. Bring on tomorrow….technically today actually, April fools day!