EUROPE WEEK 1: STUCK IN ATHENS

Reporting live from Greece...After relaxing in India for a month, we have embarked on our next adventure - "backpacking" through Europe for two months. I use the term loosely because our idea of roughing it is staying in a less expensive hotel, not rooming with four Aussies in a hostel. Our first stop is Greece. We arrived in Athens on Sunday, planning to spend only one night there and then visit one of the most romantic Greek islands, Santorini, by ferry boat. When we got to the port after dragging our luggage all over town, it was completely empty.  We realized our timing couldn't be more impeccable as ferry employees have just announced a 48-hour strike from Monday 6am to Wednesday 6am. Disappointed, we went back to our hotel, the Novotel near the Omonia station, and stayed a couple more nights, hoping to catch the next ferry on Wednesday. Luckily we were able to visit the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, the National Archeological Museum, the Agora, and some other ancient sites on Monday and Tuesday.  Then by Wednesday, a general strike was called for all employees in both the public and private sectors to not work for two days in a protest against the Greek government so we were stuck in Athens until Friday. They even shut down the Acropolis! In case you have been living under a rock, you would know that the Greek Parliament was set to vote on a set of austerity measures to cut wages and pensions while increasing taxes and laying off employees in order to secure a huge loan from the IMF. Some 70,000 protestors turned up all over Athens, crippling the capital. Garbage has been piling up for 20 days as they have not been picked up. We couldn't walk down the street without tripping over trash on every corner or tasting the pungent smell it in the air.

As soon as we left our hotel to meander to the Plaka (major tourist trap), there were hundreds of demonstrators holding up signs and walking from the Parliament to Syntagma. The energy was tense but there was no violence from our standpoint. What you have been seeing on the news was the worst bit that only happened in a few isolated places. Most of the businesses were closed except for various small shops who couldn't afford to. But quite a few cafes and restaurants remained open and were packed with protestors grabbing a bite and having coffee. We watched so many protestors walk by as we were having lunch and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. I wanted to join the protest and meet the locals, but Justin, the ever prudent husband, kept me walking in the opposite direction and out of harm's way. It was not until we got back to our hotel and turned on the news that the protest became violent, with flaming balls thrown at the police and tear gas unleashed at the crowd. After resting for a bit and flipping the TV channels for anything in English (who the hell watches "Legend of the Seeker"?), we ventured out for some dinner. As we were walking around in the aftermath of the protest, only a few cops were patrolling the streets but the tear gas was still thick in the air stinging our eyes. We quickly walked back to our hotel passing by all the hookers and heroine addicts shooting up right in front of us (not the greatest neighborhood but the Novotel is really nice for the cheap rate and offers free American buffet breakfast through Trip Advisor).

By Thursday, we couldn't take it anymore as it was already four more days than we wanted to spend in Athens. We went to a travel agency to see if we could book our ferry tickets for Friday. Unfortunately, the ferry union called for a third 48-hour strike! We are for the masses but come on! If only the ferry employees would just stay open for one goddamn day for us to leave town! So we decided to book a last minute flight to Santorini rather than wait until Sunday for the small chance that ferries will run. Even though it costs 100 euros more per person, it was so worth it. We were able to leave Athens Friday morning (thank god the airport was open) and have happily arrived in Santorini. It really is so beautiful, just like the postcards! Unfortunately for the Greek citizens, the Parliament just approved the unpopular austerity measures despite the violent protest.