ATHENS… 2024

I normally go on a Girlie Trip at least once a year and we started off with Thailand, Singapore, Bali and then we ventured East and went on a couple of cruises and our last trip was to Croatia and Slovenia. Our feet started getting itchy so we decided to plan a trip to Greece…. I had been to Athens with Vinay but hadn’t visited the islands so I was in. Ultimately a group of 4 intrepid friends namely myself, Sonia, Anu and Monisha formed the group ‘Greek Goddesses’ and after much discussions formed the itinerary and we were ready to go!!! Half the fun is in the planning… where to go…. how much money we needed…. names of restaurants etc etc etc. The beauty of going on a girls trip is that we all know each other so well that we can argue, fight and still end up laughing and hugging over drinks!!! We pull each other’s legs endlessly and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses… like I am always the treasurer on the trip… I always complain that I am the group munimji!!!

So.. the party started in the lounge at Kolkata airport and it is still continuing. We reached Athens deadbeat but as soon as we had unpacked and freshened up we were raring to go… we didn’t want to waste one minute. Our hotel was the Electra Palace Hotel and it was very near the Plaka area which is always buzzing. There are lots of lovely restaurants and cafés and a whole lot of shops selling very touristy souvenirs which we gave a wide berth to. We visited the Athens Parliament where we saw the famous changing of the guards which reminded me of the performance at our own Wagah Border but here it was much smaller with less fanfare. We also saw a couple of churches and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. By now we were flagging so had a lovely dinner at a Greek restaurant and hit the sack.

We woke up refreshed after sleeping for nearly ten hours and after a sumptuous breakfast in the hotel restaurant which has glass windows all round and a beautiful view of the Acropolis we were picked up by our tour guide for a private tour of the city.

We started off visiting the Olympic Stadium where the first modern Olympics were held.

We then visited several Neo classical buildings of the 19 th century. One was the Academy with the statue of Plato and Socrates sitting at the entrance and Athena depicted as a warrior and Apollo the God of music, harmony and light who were standing. Next to this is the

University which is now only used for graduation ceremonies and then the Library which at one time housed a copies of all the books in Greece.

We also passed the President’s House and the Prime Minister’s house. We were invited for a cup of tea but had to decline as we were on a tight schedule!!!!

Acropolis is the rock and the Parthenon is the temple of the rock. Acro… means the highest point and Polis… means the city…So Acropolis is the highest point of the city.

The next stop was the Acropolis Museum which was fascinating as we saw many original pieces from the Parthenon as well as replicas and we understood the details that went into constructing the monument. This museum covers 3 floors and is well worth a visit. We then went t to the rock and climbed up to the Parthenon… beware… there were thousands of people and it is quite a steep and slippery climb. Anu didn’t want you to take a chance and stayed in a cafe at the base and played bridge on her phone!!! We were lucky because although the sun was extremely bright there was a lovely breeze so it wasn’t too uncomfortable… a lot of screams could be heard where their hats flew off so we all held onto our hats with dear life!!! The view from the top was amazing… you could see the whole of the city. The Parthenon is magestic though somewhat spoilt by all the scaffolding and cranes dotted around for reconstruction and maintenance work. There are lots of side temples which our guide pointed out to us.

All in all it was a lovely day and we went back to our hotel with an immense feeling of satisfaction. The next day we are taking the ferry to Mykonos so let’s see whether that has in store!!!