Hellas on Rails

The last time that I was in Greece (not counting airport stop-overs) was the summer of 1994. Two weeks of a high school senior trip were spent there – one week seeing sights on the mainland, and one week on Patmos, the home island of our AP World History teacher and chaperone, Mr. V. Of course, some of us behaved like complete hellions and Mr. V swore he would never take another trip. He ended up skipping one year, then taking it again. Big softy.

Those memories in mind, I took the public bus in town from the airport. I arrived at my hotel around midnight and decided that I really needed a drink. The desk guy said that there were some bars near the Hilton, so I walked in that direction. I settled into a small bar one block down from the Hilton and ordered a beer. The bartender gave me Bud in a bottle – it was 6 Euros. Drinking ain’t cheap in these parts. Next I ordered a gin and tonic, and after watching the way she poured it (heavy), I knew I had found my poison for the night. So, I sat there and continued for a couple of hours. The DJ was playing Latin music that I had not heard since living in Central America.

I woke up late, which was fine, as the fair did not begin until 2pm. I saw the sights of Athens back in 1994 and didn’t feel like fighting traffic and pollution to see them again. Besides, the Parthenon is in pieces right now. It was recently discovered that the last time it was put together they did it wrong. Oops. Next war, don’t use it as an arsenal. Accidents with large quantities of gunpowder tend to spread pieces far and wide (ok, it wasn't the Greeks fault - It was the Ottomans and Venetians fighting).



Above is the view that I shared with a few other reps after the fair, at the rooftop bar of the Hilton. That's all we had - the view. Drinks were way past our budget so we skedaddled after drinking some free water. We walked to an outdoor cafe area where prices were more in line with the salary of people in higher education. We actually ended up picking a place that had just opened, and they threw us some free ones as well.

I had to run at about 10:30pm. I had a midnight train to catch, along with a rep I shall call G.Ru, whom I convinced should accompany me to Thessaloniki for some school visits. A little adventure. We bought tickets on the spot. We dragged our luggage on with us. It looked like we might not even get a seat, then we found a couple in a nearby compartment. Then the ticket guy came by. Half the people in our compartment got thrown out. We paid to stay. I might have gotten a couple hours of sleep. Hard to tell. It was all very hazy. At 7am we reached Thessaloniki and took a cab to the Astoria Hotel. We were due at the school at 10am. I got another 1.5 hours of sleep. Not sure how G.Ru did. The kids at the school might have thought we were brain dead. We felt like it. The school counsellor told us that we missed some amazing scenery, having taken the night train. Wonderful. After the visit we crashed again. Apparently the train also passed through Thermopylae. One of the most incredible events of world history occurred here. Read about it here. See the kick-ass trailer for the movie based on the graphic novel "300" by Frank Miller here.



Above is the waterfront of Thessaloniki


Aristotle Square


A restaurant called "Kitchen" where we had dinner.


An old tower viewed from Starbucks, where I did some internet.



The waterfront pedestrian area runs from the vicinity of the port to the tower - about a mile. There are bars, restaurants, and cafes lined up one after another. Often, and establishment serves as all three. Below are some examples.







I definitely need to come back and spend more time in Thessaloniki. G.Ru and I were too tired to enjoy the nightlife after dinner. We just crashed. She had an early flight, I got to enjoy the town 'til about noon before heading to the airport and Munich.

Turkey Two

Above is a mosque that I kept seeing as I went over the bridge from continent to continent (E=right,A=left). My favorite. Small and elegant. This is as close as I got to it. In the far back, on the right, you can see the two big daddies overlapping - Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.

So Muge took a look at the blog and asked me what “infamous” means. I was sorely tempted to quote Three Amigos – “In-famous is when you're MORE than famous.”

So on Sunday Muge helped me out with the university fair. I was very grateful to have a native speaker at my booth. Whenever I decided that someone was too crazy for me to continue talking to, which was fairly often since many were fasting for Ramadam and not at their mental best, I just handed them off to Muge. It was great. She loved it.

Over the next three days I had a personal driver and zipped all over the dual peninsulas doing school visits. A little tiring. Muge tried to help me find some cool new clothes. Everything was either too small, too expensive, or just too European. Oh well. Had some more good meals, including more cooking from Muge’s mom, and I also hit McDonald’s a couple of times. Why do I do this, you may ask? Well, I’ve been on the road a month now. I’m getting a little tired of it. Why is it that a rowdy dog, who has been kept in the house too long, the first thing he does upon being let out is go and roll in something, then come back smiling (yes, they smile, I have seen it many times)? Same reason. Sometimes you just gotta do something bad for you – shake off all that goodness, rebel. Yes, I eat McDonald’s in foreign countries as a form of rebellion and asserting my American-ness.

On my last day I finished up school visits around 3pm, so I had my driver take me to the Hagia Sophia on the way to the airport. I also visited the underground Basilica Cistern, which was surprisingly cool. Feast your eyes…


At one point there is a wishing pool. I threw in two coins on the same wish. I found out yesterday that it did not come true. Do I get a second chance on the other coin? Anyone know wishing rules...?



No one knows why these bases shaped like Medusa heads were placed here, especially is such deliberate positions (upside-down and sideways). Remember, they would have visible only to those with access to the cistern, and even then been underwater. Sounds like a Dan Brown novel to me...
And here is the Hagia Sophia. Fifteen HUNDRED years old...


A geologist could make a career just studying the stone here.




Mmmm – so sublime. Now I was in the mood to confront the airport assholes. First, I actually tried to do it the proper way. I went to the info desk and asked if there was an office for the tourist police at the airport. Nope. Not only that, but the info guy told me that I could leave a complaint with him, but it would do nothing but be for “my own conscience.” Those guys are all mafia, he said. I wouldn’t get any money back. This, of course, just got me ready for the big show. So, I put on my "I'm pissed off and not messing around" face and went down to their office with my receipt.

“I would like a refund.”
“Yes, what is problem?”
“You ripped me off, that’s the problem. I would like my money back.”
“Sir, one moment. Please have seat.”
“S’okay – I’ll stand.”
Manager comes in – I recognize him.
“Yes?”
“My money, give it back. Now.”
All the other employees have found convenient excuses to leave the office and smoke outside, though they keep glancing in.
“You, you agreed to pay this…”
“You told me it was cheaper than a taxi.”
“I never said that. I said maybe…”
“Okay, your other guy said it. You’re operation is still full of shit. Give me back my money.”
“I can not do that – it would be out of my pocket…”
“Wonderful. Where do you think my money came from? Give it to me.”
“I can give you thirty US dollars.”
“Great.”

That's an abbreviated version of how it went. There was actually a lot more of me repeating, "Give me my money" over his excuses, and maybe an f-bomb or two. It all had the right effect. I actually got my money very quickly. I got about half back, which is what I was shooting for, even though I asked for all of it first. Kids, always ask for more than you are willing to take. That way, the guy was able to bargain a little and save some face. After all, I did come in there and kinda bully him in front of all his employees. Perhaps they should be more discerning in who they seek to screw over.