Tricia’s point of view.
Couple of days ago we were told that the water was going to be shut off to “clean” the system. I didn’t realise how bad the water quality had become until one new arrival, Martin, said “This stuff tastes bloody awful!”
Were told about “El Talle’s”, mountain streams, which turned out to be faucets set into a wall in the mountains. But the taste, or lack of it, was great and the views w
ere magnificent. They are all in the “Desert of Palms”, which is the region we tried to walk up/around in the first week, leaving me not walking properly for two days afterwards. Last night “la tormenta electrica” with the accompanied cats and dogs. Then all sorts of vehicles, planes, helicopters began buzzing around the mountains; one of the helicopters was emptying a large container of water on a particular area. It appeared that either they had been a crash or the lightening had set a fire.
Our Spanish is coming along, I/we can count, pronounce most of the words and vowels correctly, there is a lot of “th’s” and important this like “it is not possible for me to get this rig in that space”, which I feel I will need a lot.
Rained all last night and pretty cool this morning which is a relief. I’m getting pratty fed up with constant hot sultry days, fantastic Spanish salads for lunch, BBQ’s in the evening and all the bear and wine Lidl can supply, what a waste of a life.
I was looking through some of the old files on my computer back up and found my write ups from previous trips/events worth recording. So for the next few blog entries I will end with one of them. Some of you will already have heard these re-told on many occasion, for others read on. Since they are all actually true I have used real names with one or two obvious exception. To come:- “The Venetian Boys Choir”, “Rugby Rome”, “Italy, the blind leading the blind”, “Tricia’s 50th” and some more if I can find them..
The Athens Trip
(This takes place before the € and pre-posty, when I was still in computer sales)
OK, here's a thing, you get a call from your brother at 10 o'clock at night "John, how do you and Tricia think about going to Athens?
“When?”
“Tomorrow?”
Been planned for a while, Ruth, Alan's wife, was really looking forward to it but work had dictated a no go situation.
We were planning a "booze trip" to France on the Friday of that week; this call was Wednesday therefore logic tells you Athens was Thursday. Flight from good old Luton airport. We live 15 miles from Gatwick so train, tube, train (and bus, but that was as yet an un-thought of event) was on the cards. Car (of three) was out of the question as my son needed one, the 3 week old 3,000 mile Toyota Yaris (Y reg, first time I had ever bought a new car) for college, the Porsche was sick with negative wiper action and my beloved Mini Cooper was non operational mode due to a knackered radiator. So can we do all this in time, can I get the time off work and was there anything "on" for the coming four days that could not wait, be put off, lied about etc?
All the above went through my brain in a nanosecond, so I thought "better check this out with Tricia". Hold it! Back with brother "is this actually going to cost me anything"? No. Good. Back to wife. "Tricia, how do you fancy.............etc" the whole 9 yards. Her reaction; "What am I going to wear"?
Back to Brother Alan. "OK we are up for it"
What followed was a marvel to the powers of the Internet. E-mails were sent to EasyJet (not so easy to change) and the Athens hotel, to change all bookings from Mr A & Mrs R Swinhoe to Mr J & Mrs P Swinhoe, confusion abounded, but true to that electronic ether, all was accomplished by about 1 in the morning.
During all this, felt it wise to check all documentation was at hand. Would have checked the next day due to the France trip but thought it prudent to do now. Wife's passport, yep, my passport, yep..., I mean it’s a 10 year passport, of coarse it’s OK, er…………. Expiry date 6th February 2001, today is 28th March 2001. Quick do the math, do the math! SHIT!
Good advice coming up.
Go check your 10-year passport NOW!
Back to brother "er...got a problem etc.", answer "oh well just use mine then".
It was late at night (early in the morning!), and had a couple of wines but no, not a particular good idea. Athenian police? I think not, we look vaguely similar, i.e. two eyes either side of a nose, mouth below, you know that sort of thing, but that’s where it ends.
Switch scene. Next morning, you can make up your own script for what went on with wife after passport thing was explained (explained?).
Son drops us off at Gatwick to get the Gatwick Express to Victoria, Tube strike! Walk to Petty France Passport Office, with bags etc. Walk in PO, look at queue and take ticket. Look at ticket number 89, look at board, 12, look at approximate time expected 147 minutes, look dejected.
Flight leaves 1:30 pm, time now 8:30 am, no problem? Told by reception that there is a quicker "renewals queue, but no one is manning it yet".
Dateline: 9:23 am, renewals is manned! Semi-queue that was, now forms into true British queue i.e. I'm here, your there, don't even think of going to the toilet! Two hours idle by, brother turns up with his passport and original plan, er no. Need to catch 11:30 am Thames link train from Blackfriars to be able to make Luton Airport Parkway by say 12'ish to allow check in and some eats!
Two hours trickle by. Get to front of renewals queue, look over shoulder at board and guess what number is showing? Hand over bits to a very nice man. "Were these photos done on a computer"? I had used my digital camera and computer, with the right photo paper to generate these the previous night in between e-mails. "Er... yes". "Well, they're no good you see, bubble up they do, for your long term benefit, you will thank me for it, go to the back of the queue after you have got proper ones from that machine over there"
Feeling at that quintessential moment in time? Don’t ask.
"But please! I've got this plane to catch". "Proof of flight"? "Well yes, but it hasn't actually got the right name on it", que for story so far. "OK then, you've got a honest face" (I'm in sales!) "Use yonder machine and come straight back to me when you’ve got the pictures". Suddenly out of nowhere 2 people decide the need the photo booth! In the previous wait no one has gone near it!
Wait, wait and wait again. Into booth, what expression? Right! Everybody always looks like a convict, therefore simple logic and try and REALLY look like a convict. Put money in, do the biz. Where are the bloody photos? Machine busted! Photos jammed! Reach up into "dispenser" NOT and pull out bedraggled photos. Manage to smooth the requisite 2 into acceptable format and yes I look like someone who's just done a 6 stretch at Lewis jail. Out of booth, front of queue (sound of teeth grinding from rest of queue members) and fill in paperwork with attendant "going to cost you an extra 12 quid doing it like this mate". Yes, yes, yes at this point money actually becomes worthless.
OK all done, here’s the money, where's my passport? "Oh, just pay the cashier over there and you passport will be ready by 4 pm. WHAT! “But what about my flight?”. "Sorry, I forgot, we will "fast track" you, it will be about an hour”. Another hour! What! Who! When! Where! Why!
I had scheduled a business meeting on Monday and also a squash match at the same time we arrived in Athens but I did not want to postpone either until I was checked in on the flight, so I just put a hold on both.
Wait, wait, wait, wait and wait.
Now since no Tube, on strike for safety reasons, cabs about as plentiful as rocking horse shit, it was a 2-mile walk, with bags, to Blackfriars. Alan leaps to rescue and orders a Cab via his firm "we have an account you know".
Exactly 1-hour later cab turns up and passport is ready, cab waits all of 3 seconds and vacates. Out of Passport office, along Petty France and Alan manages to stop a cab by lying on the bonnet after he lets his last fare out.
In cab, bye Al, hello cabby. "Blackfriars please, trying to get to Luton airport asap", "All the trains are running slow on account of Tube strike. I'll take you up there myself for £70 if you like". "er...no thanks".
Dateline 11.45 am, Thames Link Blackfriars, standing outside station. Hear a distant, muffled "The train standing at platform 4 is the Thames Link to blah, blah, blah, LUTON AIRPORT, blah!” Run like hell, just make it as train pulls out. No ticket, so worry that we might get done for fare avoidance like Cherrie Blair. Phone various people, including office, 'cos it looks like we are going to make it. Arrive at the airport to find that it is a shuttle bus (see, I told you there was a bus) ride and we have to buy a ticket after all so we can get out of the station. Bus waits forever but finally pulls out and we arrive at the mile long EasyJet queue at 12:40 pm. At the front of the queue and I am now worried about the last minute name changes. Hand over one absolutely brand new passport and a once used one and we're on!
EasyJet does not use boarding cards and seat assignment is on the basis of whoever checks in first gets on the plane first and picks whatever seat they want, except for the front 2 of course, unless you are of Arabic decent. So you get handed a plastic card with a number on it, we were 78 and 79.
Rush of to ATM get money, change money. What's the rate? "Er...£200 of er... er Athens money please". Get about 100,000 drachmas, therefore 500 D to GBP? Who knows / cares, just get on the bloody plane!
Plane boards at 1:40 pm and we choose to sit at the back. The plane fills up but we end with a spare seat between us, great!
I guess because the fares are cheap you get to buy all your food and drink, so a few G&T's and a sandwich later Tricia's asleep and I'm writing this.
Arrive at newly opened airport, like 15 hours newly opened, I'm glade the pilot knew 'cos nobody told us. It became apparent that something was not quite right when we got out of the terminal to try to find the taxi stand. Most of the passengers, officials, taxi and bus drivers were yelling at each other a lot higher up the scale than was normal for a European airport. We only found out after getting in the taxi and having the guy complain that the old airport (there was actually two, domestic and international) had closed at midnight and the new one opened 30 seconds later.
Problem was the old one was north and 10 kms out of the city, the new one being south and about 50 kms out, so it took nearly 2 hours to get to the hotel!
The traffic was really, really bad. So bad that our cabby explained that he had been on all day and had only made 3 trips. As he lived next to the old airport, it was his final fare and his drive home was now longer. Strange thing though, his wife now complained that she could not sleep because there were no plans flying over their house anymore?
You should always have ingrained into your mind the exchange rate especially when paying taxi drivers. Friendly as they all are, especially toward the end of a long journey. So I'm sitting there thinking "nearly 2 hours and his meter says 5900 D, what is he going to charge extra for the luggage, the night sky, the air that we breathe etc." So he managers to get the total to 6800 D, the smallest I've got is a 10,000 D so I'm now thinking 6,800 D is about £13 and give him the 10k and "keep the change". That's a £7 tip for a £13 fare! What am I doing? Of course by the time this has dawned on me, about 2 seconds, he is in his cab and history.
Anyway, into the hotel and again, was there going to be some confusion with the name change? "Do you have a voucher?". “er…voucher?”, Hand over recently e-mailed copy of voucher in wrong name. No problemo! and in room 2 minutes later. Tip chap with 1,000 D and flop on bed, we actually, really made it!
Check out room, scrape off socks and underpants and phone brother Alan to tell him we are there but I did not like the shower unit 'cos it's got a curtain and not a glass panel.
The relief was good but the night was, as yet, relatively young! Wash and brush up and out to get something to eat. Outside every restaurant there is always some guy dressed in a shabby mohair coat trying to drag you into his place speaking passable English and telling you the food is the best in Athens. In we get dragged, to Fridas's place just round the corner from the hotel. Pretty good meal and wine, bill comes 36,500 D. Divide by 2? Multiply by 6 and a half, add a few cattle and sheep, who knows? Pay bill with tip, 41,000 D inc. tip.
Next day discover that math was not too good and have been ripped off to the tune of £80 for one meal. Spend whole day grinding teeth and then go round, against wife's wishes for confrontation with sleazy waiter. He most upset (NOT) and points to wine list and most expensive wine on bill i.e. £36. Never ask a waiter to recommend a wine on your first night in a foreign city, which, of course is what I did. Leave restaurant by leaving a number of expletives and recommending he spends the rest of his life somewhere very hot.
This hotel had a safe, simple to use, you put in your chosen 4 digit code, pressed enter and then close. To open, 4 digit code then enter and sesame! We chose our standard ATM pin code, used it for years, all the family used it. So there am I sitting on the throne, reading as usual. In the bedroom I hear "beep, beep etc." for quite a while. Leave throne, after completing necessary paperwork to find Tricia sitting in front of the safe punching in various, but wrong, combinations. Every time you use a wrong number you have to wait an increasing amount of seconds until you can try again.
After a while it kicks you off for 5 minutes. Twenty minutes later no dice or rather no passports, money etc. I knew, but she did not, that the reception always has an "override" code, but I knew it would break her little heart if I told her. So I guess I exacerbated the situation slightly informing her that we would be stuck in rain sodden Athens forever with no money and they would have to use a thermic-lance to force open the safe. "I put the right numbers in, honest, but the numbers it flashed back before closing were not the ones I put in". Yeh right.
Anyroadup, reception had to be called, I was F'd at by wife for the wind up. The number she initially put in bore no relationship to any combination we had ever used. But guess what? It was all my fault 'cos we should have used four 9's, "'cos it would be easier to remember!" What a fool I am.
It is a little known fact, to me that is, that it rains in Athens from January to March. This was the end of March and it was raining, we saw the sun only once during our stay.
Due to the overcast weather, sorry rain, decide against any day trips, so.....
Friday, visit most sites including the Acropolis, must admit it's all pretty interesting.
Saturday, ditto. Sunday, ditto. We only got lost once and now know Athens like a resident. We visited every museum or place of “interest” in Athens. I now know that the Byzantine period lasted from 454 AD until 1453 when the Ottoman Empire crushed and captured Constantinople. There is a fantastic painting in the Natural history museum that shows a courtroom packed with guys in formal, turn of the century, black, business type suits, except for one guy in the Greek national costume. You know, red hat, white top and tights and shoes with bobbles on them.
Tricia wanted to scrawl underneath the epitaph “I’m going to get the bastard who told me it was supposed to be fancy dress”, but I pressed her not to.
Exiting Athens.
Last day, Monday, and all we can do is pack, bag split, breakfast and stooge around in the gloom until it's late enough to go to the airport. Tricia is in eat mode so we end up in her favourite place on the edge of the flea market and she has lamb and potatoes again, me beer. Back to hotel, pick up bags and order taxi at 3:40 p.m. for the 8 o'clock flight. Taxi comes and I don't even want to put my bags in it! It is dirtier than my garage after I’ve done an oil change on the Mini!
Traffic is actually worst than when we arrived and our taxi gets lost "they keep moving the roads, honest gov”, or Athens equivalent. He also has the annoying habit of talking with his hands at 120 kph when we finally find the motorway. Airport, and our flights not on the board because it's full of "late departure" signs. Go to information after standing for about a hour, hoping to get numbers 1 & 2 boarding tickets for the flight. Our check in desk is the other side of the airport, we get 31 & 32.
Hurry up and wait, hurry up and wait, should be the motto as you enter any airport. Bought some stuff and went through "immigration" and radar etc. Found McCafe, an offshoot of Macdonald’s I had never heard of. Have you got......? No, er, no fresh out, the cat’s eaten it, the van does not come round on Mondays, etc..So we settled for 2 beers and a "four" cheeses pie? Which only tasted of one thing and that was not cheese. Then went through to gate, better cafe available on other side! No G&T however so settled for two very, not ordered but delivered that way, large Dimple whiskeys to use up some of the remaining D's. As we queued Tricia noticed a lady with a small baby, "anywhere but next to that!" We know all about kids on planes, we have suffered 2 of our own.
Numbers 31 & 32 were eventually called and we boarded what turned out to be a 75% full plane, therefore spare seat between us again, yippee! But the kid was behind us ALL the way.
Push back was supposed to be 8pm, it was now 8:30 p.m. and "sorry but the airbridge will not detach from the plane and we need the get an engineer". That would be a Greek engineer of course. No problem it seemed and took off at 9 o'clock and looking forward to Luton, London, Gatwick and then home!
Minor but important point, if you have D's left, EasyJet have their own exchange rate. Instead of the 545 D's to the £, they use 666 D's to the £. The 3 6’s set me on a train of thought about the Greek owner of EasyJet. A 25% reduction so pay with £'s and change at home. Also don't expect to pay any less, in fact more, on the plane for drinks, eats etc. two sandwiches, 1 beer, one G&T, water and crisps cost £16, go figure.
Plus point! Just remembered that Thames link goes from Bedford to Brighton calling at Gatwick and when we arrived at Luton proved to be true! Missed the 10:42 pm due to airbridge fault again, did we actually carry the bloody thing with us? Now on 11:42 pm train, getting in at 1:15 am. Called Adam and he said he would wait up, with friends, which of course means there is no food or drink left in the house.
Unfortunately Heather is back with old boyfriend again (on / off relationship for two years) and so had the Yaris, Mini buggered again, so he can not pick us up. Back to Taxi plan.
Was it all worth it? You betcha, will not be forgotten. This "free" holiday cost £800+!
But what is the vote on Athens then? It’s got a real sense of history, great markets and wonderful food. Many menus are similar but all are great eating. Try the Retsina, you will either love it or hate it. The people are honest and friendly, always haggle and just enjoy your stay.
the past week or so. They are both planning to retire in the next 2 years and from my point of view they don’t look bloody old enough to do it! Martin looks after some Rover garages and Cathy looks after most of the NHS.
see the pictures/videos to really appreciate it. I actually agreed that SWMBO
was in fact completely right this time and I was very definitely wrong. Great day! Tricia had always wanted to go on a safari in Africa, well this is about as close as she will get.
