We didn't have to return the rental car until 14:00 so we were able to take our time and not rush back. Had breakfast at hotel and were on the road by 8:50. The drive out of the mountains for was very scenic again, but it wasn't long before we were back onto freeways and heading towards Athens. We were able to find our way to the airport car rental return area quite easily, found our way to the Metro station, hopped on a train at 13:32 and alighted at Syntagma station, right in the heart of Athens. It was a 10 minute walk to our accommodation which we found quite easily and was marvelling at what a great position it was, right near the Acropolis and other ruins, and right in the Plaka district. How good !
When we book an apartment, as oppossed to a hotel, the hosts normally send us directions of how to enter the apartment (key box code etc.) Standing on the door step of our accommodation I still hadn't heard anything so I ring the contact number to see if we could get in. Well - that's when the fun started ! I was informed I had booked an aparment here for 23rd September 2024 !!!!!! We were only a year too early !! I had booked this about 2 weeks ago -- or thought I had ! Anyway, our next task, let's find accommodation in Athens on a Saturday afternoon that won't break the bank and is reasonably close by. Ha !
All the hotels in the immediate area were booked out or cost $700 plus per night (Tania went door knocking while I was on my phone on booking.com). Graeme, totally pissed with himself that he had stuffed up the booking, eventually found a place near Omonia, about 3.5 kilometers from where we were sitting - looked ok on the photos, was close to a metro station and was about the right price ! So he booked it and off we set, walking through the beautiful Plaka area with restaurants and shops nestled in the shadow of the Acropolis. That district ended and we started walking through streets that were getting more salubrious, with homeless people going through garbage bins. The further we went the worse it got, until we arrived at the address and felt totally threatened, in fact we turned around and decided we would just find somewhere else. Outside the apartment there were water sprinklers set up continously dripping water down on the footpath and verandah so the homeless wouldn't gather there.
Graeme then looked at the booking.com instructions that said pick up keys from a hotel address around the corner from where the aprtment was located. The hotel was on a main road, and did not have the homeless and druggies that were just around the corner. We walked into the hotel and said we are not staying here, but the receptionist insisted on showiing us the room ... which was accessed through a back door out of the hotel, and it turned out to be freshly refurbished. So we relented and stayed the night ! It turned out to be the largest and the best shower we have had so far on our journey !! Sorry didn't take photos of the street, if we had our phones out they may have been stolen ! Didn't take phots of the internal of our room either .. but it was nice !
In the meantime, our aim was to find accommodation for the next 5 nights and luckily it is just a 10 minute walk from the original 2024 Plaka booking site. Photos show the shower no where near as nice but we will feel so much safer!
With the new booking now in place, we dropped our bags and were given directions from the security guy when leaving the hotel that it was safer to turn left immediately if we were walking back into town. We headed back to the area we SHOULD have been staying in and then walked onto the base of the Acropolis and got our first view of it... very impressive. The afternoon and nightlife of the Plaka district is very engaging and nice.
After the previous night with doors firmly locked and an early exit from the hotel, we caught the Metro to our next accommodation booking. We had arranged to meet and leave our bags there prior to being able to get access to the apartment. The host Despina was marvellous and very helpful in accommodating our requests. She was shocked to hear we had stayed the night in Omonia, an area clearly mentioned on line that it should be avoided due to safety issues and likelihood of petty theft. Leaving our bags, we had a coffee at the nearby bar and then headed back to explore more of the Plaka area of Athens. It was a leisurely day and Despina had moved our luggage into our apartment - very kind! We didn't want to cover too much on the first day, so we were back by 17:00.
Holy dramatic adventures Batman.
And there it is in all its Glory!!!! Acropolis