Athens Saturday 8th March

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Staying at the Athens Easy Hostel had enabled us to have a central position and not to move for four nights. That meant that our belongings needed a major re-pack before we could leave them at reception. The big packs are very heavy – mine about 15kg and Keith’s about 18 kg – so we couldn’t cart them around all day.

We set off through the centre of Athens, now familiar to us and easy walking, and headed for Lykavittos Hill. To get there you walk uphill along streets which eventually become a series of steps and landings. There is so much concrete everywhere and then, rising steeply out of it, the hill emerges.

Pine forests and rough tracks lead past a spring to a zigzagging stone path and finally to the Byzantine Chapel of Agios Georgios.

The view over Athens was incredible – a panorama of white buildings, the strong blue of the Mediterranean, small patches of terracotta, the Olympic Stadium and swathes of green forests. The name of the hill means the home of wolves but no self-respecting wolf could survive there now.

We could clearly see another small hill so we wound our way down, across town, and up streets of steps to reach it. Wilder and less cared for, it was predominantly grass, herbs and weeds with eucalyptus and conifer trees straggling around the lower two thirds. At the rocky summit a family was flying a kite. The scene was totally rural, yet wall to wall buildings surrounded it. These invigorating walks helped us to see new areas and to see the city stretched before us, making us realise how enormous it is.

After an early and delicious tea in a restaurant, we collected our packs and caught the train Piraeus. It is the port town for Athens, which we had been advised was just that and nothing more. To save money but to save me getting a migraine from lack of sleep, we opted for me going in a cabin with three other ladies and Keith sleeping on the floor inside on the carpet. The lady selling the tickets raised her eyebrows when we asked for this combination, no doubt imagining all sorts of marital conflict going on for us.

The ferries are enormous and very comfortable. I met a mother, Athena, and her three children, Nikos, Svengali and Irini. Although we did not have a common language, we managed to have a chat using gestures and the children and I played with our computer. I showed them photos of our family and home and the children helped me to count in Greek and enjoyed themselves typing parts of their names for me. Some Greek letters are different to ours so that was interesting too. Eventually I went off to sleep with the ladies and Keith settled down on the carpet on two sleeping bags. I hadn’t realised how deprived of the company of children I have been and this little encounter was a big highlight for me. Happily, we both got a satisfactory amount of sleep.

Athens has many things in common with Melbourne, including extensive graffiti on most available surfaces.