the joys of travel (and a bit about athens)
On reflection of our recent trips, I'm reminded of a few things I've realised about travelling over the years.
Firstly, you just have to accept that you are going to spend a lot of time in airports. My anxiousness usually starts when I head towards security and realise I've forgotten to remove a bottle of 120ml deodorant from my bag. Do I try and sneak it through? Do I declare it and watch some airport official on a power trip shake their head and give me a "you know better than that" look? Or do I avoid the whole debacle altogether and just dispose of it myself and make no attempt to take a stand against the "terrorists" who I am cursing all the way for causing me all this undue stress. It's inevitable too that an item of my jewellery will then set off the metal detector and I will be violated by another official who wishes it were them going on holiday and take it out on me. So I endure the aforementioned torment with gritted teeth and then locate the nearest Starbucks, order a latte and allow myself to relax. Airports and flights take up so much of my holiday that I now ensure I use the time as productively as possible. So, on our last stint, I blogged and read and willed my blood pressure not to rise when the flight was delayed by an hour.
I've also learned to find comfort in crowds of tourists. For all of my wanting to explore places that are "off the beaten track" I realised, on our recent trip to Athens, that when there are no other tourists around I begin to feel a bit vulnerable. If there are others who are talking to the waiter in English while he responds (slightly aggravated) in his native tongue, you don't feel as out of place doing it yourself. When other hoards are heading towards the same historical monument, you know you're on the right track. Yes, they might be annoyingly taking photos of everything and speaking unnecessarily loudly and flashing maps in the middle of the street (pickpocket target right there!) but deep down, we're all the same. We're all strangers in a foreign land trying to savour the experience in our own little way.
All of that said, the things that I will remember most from our trip to Athens are not typically touristy. If I close my eyes, I see the dogs that roam the streets so freely, in particular, the two who guard the crossing at Syntagma Square by night. Some are pets, some are former pets and some have never been pets at all. Has Athens gone to the dogs?
I will remember fondly the night at Bairaktaris restaurant, when the owner came running with a bowl of Greek yoghurt and honey, shouting for us not to leave. Because we had already stood up, he chased a prospective customer from our seats so that we could enjoy dessert, on the house. A cherished moment of Greek hospitality.
On a material note, I can recall the excitement I felt as we stepped inside the Intercontinental Hotel with it's lush lobby and swanky restaurants. Dimly lit and minimally, yet elaborately decorated, there was a sense that unless you were parading Prada or Gucci, you didn't belong. But for three days and nights we did belong and it felt great.
The city itself is covered in graffiti and I felt a bit short-changed by climbing to the Acropolis and finding it covered in scaffolding but it's all part of the experience and there's great value in knowing just how to angle your camera lens.
And when all was said and done and we had checked out of the hotel with a few hours to spare before we had to head to the airport, where did we find ourselves? In the most familiar surroundings in all of Athens. Starbucks, of course.
Firstly, you just have to accept that you are going to spend a lot of time in airports. My anxiousness usually starts when I head towards security and realise I've forgotten to remove a bottle of 120ml deodorant from my bag. Do I try and sneak it through? Do I declare it and watch some airport official on a power trip shake their head and give me a "you know better than that" look? Or do I avoid the whole debacle altogether and just dispose of it myself and make no attempt to take a stand against the "terrorists" who I am cursing all the way for causing me all this undue stress. It's inevitable too that an item of my jewellery will then set off the metal detector and I will be violated by another official who wishes it were them going on holiday and take it out on me. So I endure the aforementioned torment with gritted teeth and then locate the nearest Starbucks, order a latte and allow myself to relax. Airports and flights take up so much of my holiday that I now ensure I use the time as productively as possible. So, on our last stint, I blogged and read and willed my blood pressure not to rise when the flight was delayed by an hour.
I've also learned to find comfort in crowds of tourists. For all of my wanting to explore places that are "off the beaten track" I realised, on our recent trip to Athens, that when there are no other tourists around I begin to feel a bit vulnerable. If there are others who are talking to the waiter in English while he responds (slightly aggravated) in his native tongue, you don't feel as out of place doing it yourself. When other hoards are heading towards the same historical monument, you know you're on the right track. Yes, they might be annoyingly taking photos of everything and speaking unnecessarily loudly and flashing maps in the middle of the street (pickpocket target right there!) but deep down, we're all the same. We're all strangers in a foreign land trying to savour the experience in our own little way.
All of that said, the things that I will remember most from our trip to Athens are not typically touristy. If I close my eyes, I see the dogs that roam the streets so freely, in particular, the two who guard the crossing at Syntagma Square by night. Some are pets, some are former pets and some have never been pets at all. Has Athens gone to the dogs?
I will remember fondly the night at Bairaktaris restaurant, when the owner came running with a bowl of Greek yoghurt and honey, shouting for us not to leave. Because we had already stood up, he chased a prospective customer from our seats so that we could enjoy dessert, on the house. A cherished moment of Greek hospitality.
On a material note, I can recall the excitement I felt as we stepped inside the Intercontinental Hotel with it's lush lobby and swanky restaurants. Dimly lit and minimally, yet elaborately decorated, there was a sense that unless you were parading Prada or Gucci, you didn't belong. But for three days and nights we did belong and it felt great.
The city itself is covered in graffiti and I felt a bit short-changed by climbing to the Acropolis and finding it covered in scaffolding but it's all part of the experience and there's great value in knowing just how to angle your camera lens.
And when all was said and done and we had checked out of the hotel with a few hours to spare before we had to head to the airport, where did we find ourselves? In the most familiar surroundings in all of Athens. Starbucks, of course.
Labels: travel
posted by foxy_roxtar at 9:48 AM
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