Once settled into suitable accommodations, the sightseeing began in earnest around Athens and with a first bus-ride for a day trip to the Temple of Poseidon.  As happened countless times later I also started striking up friendships with my fellow travelers along the way. 

Wednesday, 16 May 1984, 9:50PM, Athens, Clare’s House

A lot has happened since the last entry. Kathy, Michael and I went to the Acropolis later that day. I think I’ll go back tomorrow, so I’ll withhold comment for now.

When we got back, I met the guy who was sharing my room. Thomas it was, a very tall English fellow. He was my size, but built along the same lines as Marc Gartenberg– and dressed like Marc too, on his more bohemian dress days.

Thomas hadn’t eaten so I asked him if he wanted to go out with us. He also suggested a restaurant to go to. So all four of us (Thomas, Michael, Kathy and I) made the treacherous journey through unmarked, dark, twisting and uneven streets, and then a marathon bus ride across town to our destination. So there we were in a predominantly Greek neighborhood, whizzing by the locals.

Finally we found the place, and assisted by Thomas’s knowledge of basic Greek, we ordered. I got moussaka, which was very good (and I had it again tonight) and beer, which turned out to be Amstel later, which is very good. Thomas also ordered the infamous retsina wine for the table. After such a rough day, I was plastered with two beers (they were pints).  Getting back to Clare’s House was equally exciting. The traffic here never stops– stops being traffic that is.

When I went to bed, I died. Enough to sleep through my watch alarm. I made it to breakfast downstairs just before it ended, and enjoyed my bread, jam and coffee. After breakfast, Kathy and Michael invited me to go down the coast to the Temple of Poseidon. So we hopped across town to catch the bus to Sounion to begin the trip.

When we were on the streetcar, after a sudden jolt, some guy ran into Michael and tried the old “bump and stall” pickpocket trick. Michael had a money belt down his shirt so this guy lost. Oddly enough, this petty felon was later on our bus on the way to Sounion as well. Obviously finished with a day’s worth of pickpocketing, carrying a big handbag (and accoring to the Philadelphia lady sitting next to me) a woman’s gold bracelet on his wrist.

The Temple of Poseidon was heavily touristed and I really didn’t know too much about it to appreciate it. The location was beautiful though, with an incredible view of the Aegean. Turned out good for our picnic lunch. The water was so clear, we decided it was time to climb down to the small rocky beach to have a swim. The water was nice, but cold.

The best part of the day was the trip back to Athens. We were a bit worried when the bus didn’t head back the way we came. Instead, it skirted the other side of the cape. Fortunately, some old codger reassured us, yes, we were going to “Athine”. It turned out that it would just be a matter of time. The area was rural and also quite green for how I pictured Greece– little plots of land, gardens, old houses, chickens, goats and donkeys and small villages. I would swear I was in Mexico.

As we went through the towns, all the old men were sitting outside the tavernas at tables, just drinking, talking and watching things go by. Occasionally people got on and off the bus when the driver saw somebody flagging him down in the middle of nowhere. An old woman dressed in the Greek old woman uniform (black) sat next to me with a bunch of old flowers wrapped in newspaper. I wish I spoke Greek. I would have liked to talk to her. She seemed a very interesting individual.

The other striking thing I surmised today was the reason all the new houses, as well as office buildings in town, are made out of concrete. Not once on my whole trip today did I see one tree straight enough, long enough or thick enough to cut into lumber– so cement and brick it is! The beginnings of these places puzzled me at first. A concrete first and second floor is poured, with a number of supporting pillars. A staircase is included, and many  were cement spiral staircases. I imagine that’s some engineering feat. Then whatever spaces are left between the pillars are bricked up and plastered over. Some put in fancy arches, but most just have doors and windows. Yet another variation was to leave the bottom open on all sides, build an upstairs portion and have a garage below. It was an interesting trip.