ITINERARY
May 18
Route E84 Istanbul to Ipsala 4 hrs.
E75 / E90 / A1 Kipoi to Athens 9 hrs.
May 18-21, 25 Athens
Accommodation: Esperia Hotel on Stadiou Street
Greece: We had decided to have a holiday! We would spend a couple of days exploring Athens and then take a ferry to one of the islands from Piraeus. We checked into the original Esperia hotel on Stadiou Street where I had stayed a year before and where we were able to garage the car. We spent two days in Athens as tourists, visiting the Acropolis, the Temple of Athena Nike, through the Propylaea gateway, and climbing to the top of the hill where the Parthenon, the Erechtheion and other monuments were. In 1975 a Committee for the Conservation of the Monuments on the Acropolis had been set up with the aim to plan and undertake large-scale conservation and restoration of the Acropolis, but in 1978 it was still relatively unsophisticated with tourists clambering over fallen pediments and columns. It wasn’t until 1987 that it was added to the list of World Heritage sites.
On the way down we walked past the amazing Herodes Atticus Odeon, a theatre I was to return to in 2004 when my future employer the Royal Academy of Dance staged its annual Genee International Ballet Competition (now renamed the Margot Fonteyn) as part of the Cultural Olympics which were running alongside the Olympic and Paralympic Games that year.
We strolled past the Hellenic Parliament taking photos of the guards, known as Evzones, wearing their traditional uniform of a kilt or Fustanella, a jerkin, woollen stockings, and pointed-toe shoes with bobbles. We walked around the Olympian amphitheatre and the National Archaeological Museum. Like all tourists, we ate on the Plaka, known as the neighbourhood of the Gods as it lies beneath the northeastern slope of the Acropolis and stretches all the way down to Syntagma Square.
ITINERARY
May 21, 25 Ferry Piraeus to Mykonos, 5 hrs. both ways
May 21 - 24 Mykonos
Accommodation: Guest house in Chora
We had chosen to visit Mykonos, which had become famous in the 60s and 70s for those seeking an unconventional, bohemian, hippy or gay life. From Piraeus, the ferry took about 5 hours stopping at Tinos and Siros on the way.
Locals met us off the ferry enticing us to stay at their guest houses. Then Mykonos was still relatively uncrowded, and the main town Chora was typical of the Cyclades, known for its narrow backstreets, whitewashed houses, blue-coloured window frames, and the small wooden balconies, as well as the pelicans, three windmills and sandy beaches. Today it is known for having a cosmopolitan vibe, a party scene, and internationally acclaimed restaurants and clubs, attracting celebrity DJs.
We would take a bus out to Plati Yalos, on the southern side of the island, with a great beach in a sheltered bay, and we befriended a couple of American girls Debbie and Lorraine. Then pretty quiet, you could get boats from there to the more secluded beaches then called - Paradise, Paradise Gained and Paradise Lost. Today these beaches are called Paradise, Super Paradise and Elia and Plati Yalos is one of the most expensive resorts on the island.
ITINERARY
May 26 Route E75 / A1 Athens to Evzonoi border crossing 6 hrs.
I think we stayed 4-5 days returning to Athens to pick up the car and continue our journey. We could have driven north through Greece and Albania and into former Yugoslavia, but it was difficult to enter Albania, so we followed our route back towards Thessaloniki and then turned west towards the border at Evzonoi and Bogorodica.
Up Next - the former Yugoslavia
The Travellers
Richard, Stan, Graham
© Words Richard Thom
Credits: Stan Peters and Graham Edgson
Images:
© Richard Thom
*Original article edited for cultural and geopolitical sensitivities.
About the Author
Richard Thom grew up in Ahmadi, Kuwait 1954 – 1969 where his dad was Chief Health Officer for the Kuwait Oil Co. He worked in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia between 1976 and 1980 for Aramco’s Internal Audit and Contract Cost Compliance departments. He undertook this journey halfway between two contracts.
When not working, playing rugby, squash or trying his hand at amateur dramatics, he used his organising skills on the Aramco Employees Association and was Treasurer 1976/77 - 1978/79 and Chairman 1979/80 for the Dhahran Rugby Union Football Club (DRUFC).
He continued with a varied finance career in shipping (Japan) automobiles (Guam) and dance education (UK), before finally retiring in 2015.
Richard has contributed a number of articles to AramcoExpats including a review of Not the May Ball 3 in September 2022; a 10-part serialization of the unofficial history of the Dhahran Rugby Union Football Club; a look back on life after Aramco “Dance in the Desert” and “Jimmy Abdul McGregor, and Other Stories: Tales from the Yemen”.
Richard published his book Dance into Business in 2018 a how-to guide for dance students, teachers and professionals wishing to start up a dance studio or go freelance. It contains helpful tips, practical examples, and points to consider whether just starting out or already in business. It is available from Amazon websites as a printed book, or an e-book priced locally.
