Athens, Greece

Piraeus, Greece

April 10,2011

Piraeus is the busy port for Athens, about 7 miles away. This was the last of the four escorted tours we were responsible for and it lasted more than 7 hours. Again, we had three busses and we decided to put the vision and mobility impaired guests on our bus to assist them without burdening the other guests. The tour was called the best of Athens, and if you have been here, you know about the difficult and slippery surfaces at the Acropolis. People could not stay on the bus, so Joe took a couple of them to a cafe and I went up to the Acropolis. It has been 10 years since we have been here.The view from the top is amazing. Even in early April it is very crowded. The city looks a lot cleaner and there is a new metro. This came about for the 2004 Olympics.

The rest of our tour was a stop at the new archaeologic museum, a lunch and a little panoramic city tour. The restaurant  waiters was like watching the three stooges in action. It was so understaffed and disorganized, some tables got service twice, while others got none. I got up twice to ask for the promised beer and wine with no luck, while Joe was enjoying his beer at a different table. Finally at my insistence Joe went into the kitchen to get more service. 

After our lunch, we needed to walk uphill for about 15 mins to get back to the bus. We knew this would take forever with these folks, so with no help from the guide, we took matters into our own hands and got a taxi to take them back to the bus. So, that my day in Athens.

I find the tours stressful when there is a lot of walking for the elderly, probably more so than Joe as I can see the potential for falls from all my years of being a nurse.

Gina Wagg