Thus far, I haven't even left Greece, but sleepless in Athens, due to the row created by people foraging through the litter bins outside my hotel window; I thought that I would begin this blog a little previously.
Things went reasonably well yesterday. Having warily entrusted my person to Olympic Air, I was whisked down to Athens in a turboprop Dash 8/400. I even got an upgrade to Premium Economy, in effect, green instead of blue seats and first dibs at the compo soft drinks. Flying at 23,000 feet gave a great view of the Greek coastline, but noise levels are high and the passenger cabin designed with Kalahari Bushmen in mind, size-wise.
Athens is in the grip of strikes for a change. Because of protests, many of the central metro stations were closed, allegedly on safety grounds. Walking through the city in 28c with a backpack is never going to feature high on my list of golden memories.
Picking my way gingerly through discarded protest placards and the odd expended tear-gas canister, I finally reached destination. One quick shower and a short walk later, I was ensconced in the excellent Kati Allo restaurant, just a javelin throw from the original 1896 Modern Olympic Stadium.
Now, as dawn breaks, I shall go off in search of a cheese pie to sustain me, before plodding hopefully off to the metro which may be working properly today. Next stop Athens airport and then Cairo.
