Day 2 Piraeus to Syros

August 31, 2023

We were up early for our ferry ride to the island of Syros. It was smooth sailing on the Blue Star Paros which holds 1,474 passengers and 240 vehicles. All ferries operate on a tight schedule to the minute. We sat outside at the back to enjoy the breeze and views. Arrival is always exciting as the large door is lowered exposing our destination - the town of Hermoupolis, which was once the capital of Greece before it was relocated to Athens.

We rolled our bags to our Airbnb a few blocks to away. We were early and it was just being cleaned so we found a cool spot for a beer. It has a 4.98 * rating with Super Host status at a mere $350 CDN for four days three nights. It’s located on the second floor with stunning 16 foot ceilings and a Juliette balcony. The fridge was stocked with two small bottles of wine and one small champagne, a large basket of fruit, Nespresso coffee pods, chocolates and a ton of snacks. After settling in, we headed out for a late lunch and found a nice restaurant by the water where large yachts were mooring. The portions were huge and reasonably priced. We were stuffed and still took home a large container of leftovers.

Tonight we have tickets for a musical event at The Apollon Municipal Theatre. It has 300 seats. Jill secured free tickets a few weeks ago.  The theatre is 159 years old and based on the designs of Italian architect Pietro Sambo and follows the standards of La Scala in Milan. 

We made our way on cobble stone streets to the theatre through the main square which was abuzz with children playing, people young and old enjoying the evening air. The theatre was beautiful and comfortable. The band played light rock, were tight and the lyrics were all in Greek. A lovely first evening in Syros.

 

Day 1 Toronto to Piraeus

August 30, 2023

This is our holiday to celebrate 50 years of marriage.

 

We arrived in Athens on a huge Boeing 777-300ER which held 450 passengers. We splurged on premium economy seats which were so comfortable. I couldn’t resist taking pictures from the plane as we approached Athens airport, with one of a quarry. The air was clear with no smoke from the recent fires north of Athens. We cleared customs quickly, despite the number of people on our flight. We caught the bone shaker X96 bus (hard seats) for an hour and a half ride to the port of Piraeus. It’s the cheapest way, at 5.5 Euros each to get to the port where we have reserved seats on a Blue Star ferry tomorrow taking us to the island of Syros, a 3 hour 45 minute ride.

We checked into the Triton Boutique Hotel across from the ferry docks. It was a hot day. We stopped to have a late lunch at a nearby restaurant where we had our favourites. I love to see the fish markets with the plethora of fish on offer. The picture only shows 10% of the market. All prices are per kilogram. I’d eat fresh fish almost every day if I had a market like this near me.

When we checked out the port, we were impressed with the size of a SEAJETS catamaran. It was massive. As we walked by the crew were hosing it down. I took a picture of Jill beside it for scale. It can accommodate 1,350 passengers and 222 vehicles at a top speed of 50 knots, a Guinness world record. I added a picture showing where we were staying near the port - we had a nice sunset from our balcony to boot.

Jill has something fabulous planned for tomorrow night. It will be awesome.