Seems we are the only guests in the hotel. We started with a breakfast that seemed to be served on a child’s toy dinner set. Everything in miniature. Very cute.  Somehow I managed to get my cheese to vault  into my coffee and it was a good job I managed to fish it out quick, or I would have had coffee fondue.

We headed straight to the tourist info, where the very charming woman gave us great guidebooks and on asking what to do in Athens in the rain, said museums would be a good bet. What she didn’t mention was the fact that all the museums and sites shut at 3pm. Had we known, we would not have ambled around, but headed straight to the National Archeological museum, which was on my must-do list. The amble around took us to the Temple of the Olympian Zeus, when it started to rain a bit more heavily. On leaving the site it abated a bit, so we walked through the national gardens and came across an army unit practicing marching. They have a very strange march here, more ministry of funny walks than German goose stepping. They were a bit uncoordinated as a group too. I would have loved to have seen someone turn on a ghetto blaster and play Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I will survive’ alongside them and see what happened.

On the way to the metro station, we actually managed to walk up to the parliament (the line of riot police has gone) and see the traditionally dressed guards, complete with bobble shoes, tights and tassle hat. Like the British palace guards, they have to stand completely still, not smile and certainly not talk to anyone. I’m sure they recruit them straight off the Ramblas in Barcelona, and if not, that’s where they probably go to when they retire from the army, to become living statues. We got on the metro and changed after one stop (as recommended by the lovely tourist info woman), only to find that the line we were trying to use (and the station we needed to get off at) has been closed for improvements since last August. She forgot to mention that. Once above ground, the buses were being delayed by some sort of street party, so we gave up and decided to go to the party and just forget the museum.

There was a band playing, people dancing in the street and another group of people joining a long queue onto a raised area above the square. We had a look around the market (lots of skinned sheep’s heads, pigs feet and fish) and then found a place to have gyros (a type of kebab). We were lucky, just as we sat down the rain intensified and after 10 minutes even the band had to make a run for it. Above us the queue steadily got longer, despite people getting drenched, but marshals were letting a few people at a time progress. Once a  TV crew arrived we couldn’t contain our nosiness any longer and went to see what was going on. To our surprise and shock, it was a soup kitchen, giving out hot meals and wine. But it wasn’t just homeless people in the queue, it was just ordinary citizens. I hope that if it becomes the norm that countries in Europe need soup kitchens to feed their people, that these are set up in financial districts so that the w/bankers can see what they have done to people. Not that I think they give a shit – they’re too busy counting this year’s bonuses.

By this time it was 1pm, and we decided that if we’re going to see most of what we want to before 3pm each day, we need actually go into some archaeological sites. The Library of Hadrian was the first, followed by the site of the Agora, which was the public meeting place in both ancient Greek and Roman times. The site contains the Temple of Hephaestus, claimed to be the best preserved temple in the Greek world. The whole site is fascinating. Once it started raining heavily again we went into the on-site museum which was organised chronologically from 700 BC to the Roman era and beyond. Most of the exhibits are from burial chambers, so intact. We saw not only jars, vases and jewellery, but every day items like a child’s potty from 350 BC, mobile cooking devices and a grill. Clever people the ancient Greeks and Romans. Unfortunately, we were turfed out of the museum at 2.40pm, so they could clear the site and close up at 3pm.

The area we were in contained the Athens flea market, which is actually mostly a funky shopping area, quite like the  Brighton Lanes. We ended up in what seemed like the biggest bead shop ever. It had every kind of jewellery accessory imaginable and the most amazing collection of carabiners – shaped as cars, hearts, candles – you name it. I wouldn’t have risked my life hanging off any one of them though. They also had the biggest collection of hair grips, key rings and bracelets. The other shop we ended up in was a carnival/fancy dress shop, where we amused each other trying out crazy sunglasses. A bit more ambling and but it started pouring in earnest and we headed back to the hotel before dinner. Having looked at a forecast, this might turn out to be our worst weather holiday ever. Oh dear…

See photos of today.

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