Athens Here we go

Day and Night

Lekavittos

Flea Market

Ancient Library

Changing of the Guard

Hard Candy Gig

Finding a way home

When you're stuck for somewhere to go, just head for the Plaka. You can walk around the streets for hours or head towards the Acropolis and the surrounding gardens.  There are treasures around every corner, and if you're not into the sights, meandering the ancient aura of this city,  then find yourself the perfect little taverna or café for a drink or snack.  People watching seems to be the past time of this area, so sit yourself down and join in the important and satisfying modern Greek tradition of sitting back for hours over a coffee.

The textures of Athens can be very interesting, for instance the bathroom fixtures left in place after the building was torn down, or the artistic graffiti around the Plaka, adding, rather than detracting from the old section of this city. The temps of around 20C made for the feel of Spring in the air.  Almond blossoms everywhere, warm sunshine and blue, blue skies. Winter sales were coming to an end and Ermou Street, the cobbled walk that is lined by buskers and illegal traders and policed by young, but stern-faced guys in vigilante style uniforms, .was slowly returning to normal trading - expensive.

The ferry strike continues so it's off to the Small Musical Theater in  Goukaki  for a Jefferson Airplane Tribute. The small Club is run by Anastasios, an Ithacan living in Athens.  Talk to anyone on Ithaki and they'll all call him a friend.

Above Left  - Anastasios, owner of the Small Musical Theatre, and Right - George Kolyvas, music organizer at the club and journalist. Below - Grace Slick

Athens had been fun, but stuck in the city for days wasn't part of the plan for Dimos Kostopoulos, Stavros Delas or Rien Post, who were set to return to Ithaki on the Sunday after the Hard Candy gig. Islands were running low on supplies and frustrations were running high on the docks.  Each day a new hope for resolution of the ferry strike, but instead another 48 hours would be announced. Fishing boats ran rogue by ferrying stranded people from the mainland to their islands and then on the 5th day, the union agreed that some boats were allowed to return to their routes from ports other than Patras or Piraeus.