No problem. I had a backup plan in place. A couple of phone calls and all would be fine.
Except that those calls and emails went unanswered. Backup plans A and B failed.
I found myself in an interesting situation - while I always encourage everyone to travel with a spirit of adventure I also encourage them to have the first night in any town or island already booked - especially during the Olympics. Should I play it safe and delay my flight losing out on my Olympic tickets and hope to get others once ýn Greece? Not a chance.
Still, it was a bit of an embarassment to be standing at the counter of Amphitrion Travel at the airport whispering that I need a room.
Yes, for tonight. Yes, I know the Olympics are on.
The clerk looked at me as if I had gone mad. But then he made a couple of phone calls. Fortunately there was a room available in Piraeus which was convenient to public transportation since I did not want to rent a car for this trip.
So, breathing thanks to Zeus Philoxenia (lover of foreigners) I went upstairs and crossed the street to the entrance to the new Metro station. For 8 Euro I obtained a ticket to Piraeus on the Metro Line 3, which included the transfer to Line 1 at Syntagma. Although the first few days of the new Metro line were plagued with delays, the train arrived at once and in about 50 minutes I was in Piraeus.
Piraeus is the bustling port of Athens. The general infrastructure could use some repairs - watch your step on the broken and uneven sidewalks - but the energy is lively and more like a Greek island than a city.
My destination was the Hotel Ionion on Kapodistriou just a block away from the Metro station and the port itself. The dilapidated street is not an encouraging sght but once inside I was embraced by the Saxionis family whose warmth more than made up for anything lacking in the view. I glanced at the room, stumbled into the shower and collapsed on the bed.
Next - I wander through Monastiraki and spend an afternoon at the Kayaking Slalom finals.
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Some of The Best Greek Islands
Temple-crowned Aegina - Natural Alonissos - Traditional Carpathos - Chewy Chios - Cos, The Doctors' Island - Queenly Crete - Dignified Delos - Do it all on Donoussa - Hydra, Artist's Island - Odysseus' Ithaca - Kalokairi "Mamma Mia" Island - Spongy Kalymnos - Aphrodite's Kythira - Lesvos, More than Sappho - Lovely Leros - Mighty Mykonos - Paros Paradise - Pirate Islands - Pastoral Patmos - Volcanic Santorini - Sexy Skopelos - The Dreamy Small Cyclades - Easy Spetses - Symi Summers - Very Greek Syros - Honeyed Thassos - Tilos, Island of Elephants
Reader Reviews: Tell Me About Your Favorite Greek Island
