Now on the road for a couple of days, with my trusty Berlitz phrasebook for reference, I eased into the travelers routine. It became increasingly obvious that as a 6’4″ redhead, towering above a sea of shorter, dark-haired people on the streets of Greece, I screamed of foreign-ness and was a natural magnet for hawkers. (Ok, wardrobe choices didn’t help me out in this regard.) Sticking out so much took getting used to, and only gradually did I learn to deal with this. As I left Athens I also had my first exposure to Romani (gypsies). That episode may read politically incorrect by today’s standards, but this was 1984 and I wrote it like I heard it. Heads up!
Thursday, 17 May 1984, 3:00PM, Clare’s House, Athens
Today is check out day at Clare’s House, provided that the proprietor got my ferry ticket as we discussed this morning. I should be on the 6:30PM boat to Crete. I’ll tell more of that and some Athens stories later.
8:17PM, en route to Crete, aboard the ferry Kantia
First, I’ll run down what I did before I left Athens and then I’ll start the ferry ride story.
Friday, 18 May 1984, 8:11AM, Iraklion, Crete, courtyard of Hotel Hania
So much to say, but first let’s get me caught up. Spent yesterday in Athens on my own. Went to the Theater of Dionysious, the Agoura, the Plaka and the National Archaeological Museum. I was surprised to find out I could make out the Greek inscriptions on the box seats in the ancient theater– well at least well enough to sound out the words.
I finally made it to the Acropolis.
Yesterday, I also came to the realization that I was very spottable as a tourist. It happened before when I was with Michael and Kathy. People always ask me whether I want to buy this, or do I want directions. Later, when I was walking alone through Syntagma Square, a rather pudgy guy saw my UCLA t-shirt and started a conversation that went like this:
“Hey, UCLA Bruins! You from the States?”
“Yes”.
“What part?”
“Los Angeles”.
“Oh, Los Angeles Lakers. How did they do?”
“I don’t know. The playoffs were still going on when I left.”
“How about hockey?” I began to get suspicious when a Greek sounds interested in hockey.
“You in Athens long?” he asked.
“No. I’m leaving tonight for the islands.”
“You need ticket? Come on, let’s go to travel agency right around the corner.”
“I already have a ticket. Thanks.”
“Well, I’ll buy you a beer and we can watch the entertainment.”
Fortunately, Uncle Dale warned me about the old “I”ll buy you a beer” trick where it ends up costing me a fortune.
“No, really, I have to do a lot of things before I leave tonight.”
“When you going?”
“Seven, but I have to go to the bank, the post office, my hotel, and my laundry is dirty too,” I lied.
“Oh, oh well.” So I went into the bank and when I passed through the square again, there was my buddy, searching the crowd for his next sucker. Then he saw me. “Hey, I’m insulted now!” he said.
“Sorry,” jeez I wasn’t born yesterday, you know.
I returned to the hotel, collected my laundry, paid my bills, packed up and caught the bus to the harbor, Piraeus. I didn’t know which stop to get off at and the bus took so many detours that I couldn’t keep up on my map (and the street names were only sporadically marked). An old man, noticing me fumbling with the map, tried to give me directions as best he could.
After I got off the bus, two boat owners and a policeman directed me to my ship that was to take off in 10 minutes. I hopped in through the car loading deck and walked up a few levels of stairs to the higher decks until I reached the top. All of the rooms were crowded with huge women and children and dirty looking men, with all their belongings scattered about their blankets on the floor of the cabin.
Looking for a crew member to tell me where to go (travelling 3rd class passage) I finally wandered outside and sat on a bench to cool off on deck. I was dripping sweat by this time.
The ship took off at 7:00PM sharp and I sat on deck wondering why I might want to go back inside where it was crowded and stuffy. A few folks came outside to watch us take off. Among them was an Australian/South African guy who noticed the American flag on my backpack and struck up a conversation.
“Bloody scum of the Earth, them gypsies.” (So that’s who they were!) “Can’t you just smell’m? Throw a bar of soap in there and they’d all jump overboard. Scum of the earth!”
Calvin (or maybe Kelvin, if you adjust for the accent) left his wife inside with them, but after it started getting cold on deck, we moved inside and joined her on a couch in the foyer area. On the floor near us were two stout women on two separate blankets. One woman snoring away, the other slapping away a dirty kid.
Mel, Calvin’s wife, said that some man came by one of the women, checked out the pile of clothes she was sleeping near, picked up a coat, went through the pockets, found nothing, tried it on, found it too large, dropped it and walked away. The menfolk kept coming by and checking us out. Calvin pointed out how you don’t take your eyes off your things with gypsies around. So I didn’t.
Mel broke out a bottle of wine, I came up with a loaf of bread (long roll actually) and Calvin supplied some salami. When the little gypsy kid saw it, she started calling for a piece. The man with her was telling me to cut off a piece. Calvin said “Oh awlright, but I hope she chokes.” So I gave the kid part of my slice. The man said, “No, cut a piece,” (rough translation). Calvin bleated out a couple of expletives. The kid didn’t get it.
So we sat there for a while, Calvin going on at length about the gypsies, who are about like the “coloreds” in South Africa who for some reason knock out their front teeth (?).
Then Calvin left for a walk while Mel and I watched the bags. Calvin found bunk accommodations in sort of a long corridor, about 14 to a room, so we moved there, where I spent a sleepless night– uncomfortable with by backpacks in my bunk, my shoes off, piled behind me and my watch stuffed in them. Gypsy-paranoid, I opened my eyes a number of times while I was dozing to see them checking us out as they passed by our bunks.
The trip took exactly 12 hours. When I got off the ferry in Iraklion, I took a cab to the tourist office for maps and info. Only 100 drachma and the driver was very nice. I found this place where I am now, and am waiting for it to open up to see if I can get a room.
12:37PM, Palace of Knossos, Crete
It turned out that the Hotel Hania had an irritable proprietor who does in fact get obnoxious with single males guests, just like the “Let’s Go” guidebook warned. All I asked was if I could see the room first. The proprietor threw my passport back at me, so I left.
Went down to the youth hostel and got a place for 180 drachs. It’s in a room of bunk beds for 10. I threw my bags on the mattress and took out my sleeping bag, hit the bathroom and brushed my teeth and went upstairs for breakfast (bread, jam and butter with coffee– a pretty standard meal here). As I ate, I sat on the balcony, looking around town and listening to the swallows darting around in the fresh morning air.
When I went back to the dorm room, my sleeping bag was gone, assumed stolen. Thank God I took my other backpack to breakfast. It’s got my next 13 weeks wellbeing in it– tickets, travelers checks, etc. So many expensive lessons to learn. I hope this is the last, but I doubt it.
The longer I stay in Greece, the more the negative things outnumber the positive ones. I did get on the wrong bus to Knossos through and the fare taker re-directed me to another bus and didn’t charge me. Nice guy.
Knossos is kind of a letdown, like an old Walt Disney attempted historical re-creation. I myself can point out a number of architectural suspicions I have about the restoration.
It just occurred to me that I’m starving. I must eat something besides bread and pastry and coffee. I bought a 1.5 liter water bottle that fits in my backpack– that will save me.
Knossos is swarming with tourists. Most plump, red-faced, middle-aged German couples. Hardly anyone speaks English– even me!
My first artistic rendering of an interesting place.
I think it stinks that they take these classical Greek monuments and cage them up and make the world pay to see them. I’m leaving!
