Among the Olympian Gods - the Treasures of Athens

Without knowing it Athens enters your consciousness at a very early age. Whether it be pictures of the mighty Acropolis, tales of Greek mythology or Hellenic inspired statues in your own city - you are aware of Athens and its ancient culture almost from childhood. So how does coming face to face with those world famous treasures compare in the flesh? Well, to me - Athens surpassed expectation. It has problems, yes, but what do you expect from a 5000 year old city? To me its pro's outweighed the cons. And it seems a European city on a human scale where "old Greece" has not been homogenised by the 21st century.

And the sheer range of attractions here is staggering. Some of the smaller sights work just as well as the big ones such as the ancient agora, theatre of Herodicus Atticus and Hadrians library. Athens is one of those cities in the world like Rome, Istanbul, and Jerusalem where you can almost breathe the air of the ancients. Their places of worship are still there, as are their markets and streets. And the feel of ancient Greece can be traced as well. The theatres where Sophocles first performed his tragedies are still on the hill of the Acropolis. And the sound of the cicadas, the burn of hot sun and the resiny smell of the pines would have been as familiar to someone in 520 BC as they would to a visitor in 2006. The soul of Greece is still there.

But not all Athens is romantic. This is a big tough city which expanded without pause from the fifties to the seventies throwing up a jungle of white ferro-concrete streets which stretch on forever. This must have been a shock to the tour groups used to the prissiness of Zurich, Brussels, and Vienna as they made their way to the islands. It does fray at the edges and there is a sense of pressure here. Money was poured in before the Olympics and the city is cleaner, more pedestrian friendly and open then ever before

This may be "the big smoke" of Greece - but it is still the largest village in Hellas.

Quick Tips:

Of all the cities in the world, Athens is perhaps one of the easiest to navigate around. After all, you have a pretty big landmark in the centre called the Acropolis. Athens spreads itself out from this colossal mound. This city of four million people covers a bowl between two mountain ranges and the Aegean sea. The towering 'high city' can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. An island soaring above the white concrete of modern Athens.

As it descends, on its north side is Plaka, the oldest remaining part of Athens and rather charming with its tavernas, orthodox churches and markets. Great avenues spread out from here taking in the national square (Syntagma) and the fulcrum that Athens revolves around the memorable Omonia. The great museums, universities and libraries of Athens are found down the boulevards radiating out from these two focal points.

Of course the great reawakening of recent years has been the 2004 Olympics. The area around the Acropolis once a byword for traffic congestion has been renovated to create a pedestrian park where you can circumnavigate the famous mound without encountering traffic. The METRO has been extended and the new Olympic stadium at Faliro has some of the best sporting architecture in the world. But I don't believe Athens can be entirely gentrified. Cars park up against the railings of thousand year old ruins and cats pad across fallen Doric columns just as they did in the time of Plato and Socrates. You must fit in with Athens, not it with you.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Olympics were the shot in the arm that Athens needed.

The METRO, though consisting of only three lines, is cheap, clean, and efficient. A journey from Eleftherios Venezelos Airport takes 40 minutes and costs about 6 euros. Direct lines take you to Monastiraki, Syntagma, and Omonia. While twenty minutes on the green line will take you to the port of Piraeus where the ferries to the islands depart.

If you are heading for the islands then remember there are two rush hours. One early in the morning (6.30am to 8.30am) when the ferries depart and another (about 5.30-7.00pm) when the ferries come in. There are plenty of ticket agents in Piraeus itself but to buy peace of mind I would buy the ticket the day before. There are agencies in Plaka and Omonia which deal with onward travel arrangements. Athenian buses are not advisable unless your Greek is exemplary as the destination at the front of the bus will be in Cryllic lettering.

Athens, being in a gigantic bowl, used to have a terrible reputation for traffic pollution. You aren't as exposed to it as you once were due to a pedestrianisation programme and large chunks of Plaka and Thissio are exempt from the motor car. This has created a villagey feel at the foot of the Acropolis where it is now possible to sit outside the taverna and enjoy a retsina without interference.

Whether here to see the sights or on your way to the islands Athens is worth a stop. After all Greek civilization has been around for 5000 years. They must be doing something right?

Its often the people running the hotels who make your stay.

Some put themselves out for you, so fall over themselves for you but some are just genuinely interested in you. And that is what I got from the vibes from those running Hotel Filoxenia in central Athens. The three multilingual guys on the desk had one hell of a job running a budget hotel during peak season but they always stopped what they were doing to talk to me - Are you OK? What did you see today? Are you enjoying Athens?

And Filoxenia is a budget hotel housing the thousands of tourists who descend on Athens each summer before heading for the islands. Its main attraction is that is midway between Omonia Square and Larisa Station in a prime spot. Both destinations are a ten minute walk away. The hotel itself is a eight story building with 51 rooms that looks like it was built in the fifties. It makes an effort with its foyer sprinkled with couches, a TV and a small gurgling fountain. It has eight floors of rooms including double rooms with ensuite bathrooms for £20 and single ensuites for about £25. The rooms are fine and feel secure, they contain clean linen, walk-in shower, a small writing desk and very important in Athens - a strong air-conditioning unit.

Breakfast is included in the price and a small buffet is put on in the restaurant from about 7.30am. And the views of the surrounding cityscape is quite impressive from the top floor. It does seem to be in a genuine Athenian neighbourhood and a Muslim cafe is next door where backgammon goes on into the night. Its prime attraction is that it is in walking distance from Omonia Square and the National Archaeological Museum. Omonia Square will be your main focus as that's where the nearest restaurants, bureau de changes and transport links are. Filoxenia has a sister hotel, La Mirage, which fills much the same purpose and is actually on Omonia Square and a few steps from the METRO entrance.

To get there from Omonia METRO take the escalator to the 3 September exit. Five minutes down 3 September then a third left down a narrow street until you hit a junction. This is Vathis Square, a confusing jumble of roads so make sure you get the right one heading north called Aharnon. The hotel is another five minutes along a bumpy pavement on the right. The journey can be a little unnerving at night so try to arrive during the daytime.

For the price its a nice central hotel whose workers, harassed though they are, try to bend over backwards for you. And you can't ask better then that?

The 'high city' of the Acropolis resembles the surface of an alien planet.

When I was there, the ages old monument was being whipped by winds. Those same winds whipped the white gravel into swirling clouds that covered the camera wielding tourists. Doric columns lie around along with flagstones over 3500 years old, tripping up the tourists who are coming to grips with finally coming face to face with a world wonder. There's almost too much to take in - a spectacular setting, an unbelievable history, fantastic views of Athens and architecture which is copied around the world. I sometimes think the Acropolis is planet earth's year zero.

According to Greek mythology Poseidon and Athena battled over the site that was to become Athens. Both offered the populace gifts if they would deem to worship them. Poseidon, god of the ocean, struck his trident into the earth and water gushed forth. While Athena offered them the humble olive - the food of life. And from then on she was worshipped on the Acropolis and the greatest temple was dedicated to her. But that is legend, in reality the Acropolis on its craggy rock has been occupied since neolithic times. The great walls come from Mycenean times about 1500 BC including the royal palaces and the start of the cult of Athena. It took the famous Pericles to build what we see today. It seemed to survive unscathed until the Turkish occupation when the Ottomans stored gunpowder in the sacred environment of the Parthenon (they even turned it into a mosque). It was inevitable that a spare spark would ignite it sooner or later. To add insult to injury some of the most precious pieces were spirited off to London by Lord Elgin to spend time in his garden. Under the guise of "protection" you understand.

Lets face it, this is everyone's first stop in Athens. Even the most dedicated sun worshipper hits here before heading for the islands. The thing about the Acropolis is that it dominates everywhere in Athens. Wherever you turn, south of Omonia, you will see the mount looming above the buildings so there is no real hardship in finding it. It is, however, a tough monument to walk around so you might want to conserve your energy by getting to it the easiest way. I believe that is from Acropolis METRO station which deposits you southeast of the monument is a quiet neighbourhood. Head west and the beginnings of a park start to appear and the great crag starts to reach into the sky. The Acropolis' original intention as a fortress is obvious from below with its stone buttresses holding up the walls as they have done for millennia. The whole thing looks like it was built by giants from below - no wonder it never fell to an invader.

The path up to the Acropolis has made concessions to those who are walking impaired with paths being smoothed down but there are a couple of sheer drops as you ascend. The tour group crush increases as you reach the Propylaia. Gigantic Doric columns lead you through a gate and up a steep path. The Propylaia itself is the only time on the Acropolis that you enter an ancient building. You pass through a forest of Doric columns before catching your first sight of the Parthenon.

It is 'catch your breath' moment. The surface of the Acropolis near the Parthenon is immensely rocky and this and the crowds generally prevent you from getting too close. But the giant Doric facade of battered white marble is pretty impressive. Supporting columns stretch for seventy feet holding up a roof which once housed a pediment frieze which was the most famous in the classical world. Running around the roof were friezes of centaurs, amazons and giants. But its the size of the Parthenon which impresses and the fact that you are viewing a building that exemplifies Western civilisation.

With far less people is the Erechtheion - the remains of the Athena temple. Its caryatids - statues of beautiful Greek maidens - are its prime attraction and they are in place of columns so appear to hold up the temple. The Erechtheion was a temple to both Poseidon and Athena and contained a trough of seawater in its precincts. It also held the sacred olive tree of Athens. The whole building was a lovely sight - bright white marble contrasting with the bright blue Athens sky.

But one of the best things about visiting the Acropolis are the views across Athens. Perhaps those from the north and east are the best. It spreads for tens of miles, broken only by the green rocks of Lycabettus hill, poking out like an island from the white concrete that stretches away to the mountains. The view from the southwest is just as impressive. The mountains surrounding Athens are striking but way, way away is the Aegean and the port of Piraeus.

The Acropolis is the heart and soul of Greece. And although crowded, hot and touristy it is still very impressive.

You would have to have a heart of marble not to be moved by it all.

Wandering back one evening down Athinas I chanced upon Platia Katzia. Opposite the 18th century Town Hall was a full square of people watching traditional Greek dancing. The sound of bazooki music floated through the air and none of the dancers were under sixty. They hardly moved out of first gear, but you got the impression they were enjoying their own culture and the crowd was lapping it up.

And that is the thing about this part of Athens it is so utterly "Greek". The stretch between Omonia Square and the start of Plaka is the Greece that you travelled hundreds of miles to see. And its smack bang in the centre of the city - a rare slice of neighbourhood life in one of the most frenetic of European capitals. For there is a sense of life going on here. It reminded me of what European cities used to be like before they were taken over by chain stores and corporate hotels. You see people stop and talk to each other down Athinas - fresh food is very important and the shops are quirky and individual. Despite its traffic and concrete architecture - Athens can still be a very human city.

All roads lead to Omonia Square. This is about half a mile from the base of the northern side of the Acropolis. From here you can head north down 3 Oktober street to the excellent National Archaeological Museum, or southeast down Panepestimou to the department stores and Syntagma Square, or southwest down Pireous, a massive street which eventually connects with, well, the port of Piraeus. But most people are interested in Athinas as it heads directly south to Plaka. The great sandy bulk of the Acropolis can be seen looming at the end of the street giving the city an epic feel.

But Omonia Square is where its at and many tourists find themselves staying in its vicinity. It has been cleaned up immensely and is no longer the concrete 'junkie heaven' it was ten years ago. Athens, aware that the world was watching for the Olympics, put some effort and money into refurbishing it. The Albanian homeless it used to be so famous for have long gone. It still is full of monstrous sixties architecture with a Victorian effort occasionally poking through but it is most useful for restaurants, hotels, stalls, kiosks and a department store or two. It can entertaining at night as well - stalls are laid out giving it an amateur feel where you can pick up travel bags, sandals, mobile phone covers and knock-off DVD's for a few Euros.

On the eastern side is a bureau de change which deals with American Express and will change up travellers cheques. The surrounding streets are also a good place to pick up essentials. In fact the more you wander the more interesting Omonia becomes. There are a couple of distinctive little shops on the sidelines. I found a tiny little bookshop which obviously does good business and you can pick up English language paperbacks to read on the islands. And a very prominent weapons shop with crossbows, long distance rifles and a large display of swords including lightsabres (I kid you not!). But the surrounding sixties buildings hide little passageways and arcades which house authentic cobblers, keysmiths and coffee houses where Athenians get their fix before starting work.

Eventually you will spill out at Athinas which heads south to the old quarter of Plaka. Athinas is a terrific street. The crowds jostle and there are the prerequisite banks and hotels. But there are some very idiosyncratic shops including a pet shop where you see puppies in the window and a green parrot outside. But most people are interested in the Central Market. This is an agora in the old tradition with everything on display including meat/fish not for the squeamish. It is also very noisy - you can hear the bellowing of stallholders trying to get peoples attention from across the street The meat market is splattered with blood. If you look too closely a stallholder will shout a price at you while hacking away with a cleaver, often with dirty hands and a Greek cigarette dangling from his mouth. EU regulations be damned!

The fish market stinks to high heaven and is laden with tuna, mackerel, sardines, turbots, purple squid, giant prawns and glistening calamare lying on mounds of crushed ice. As the day wears on the ice melts making the floor wet and slippery - which can be fun with crowds of shouting jostling people. Outside the market hall are a number of stalls where you can delve into huge barrels of olives, or pistachio nuts for a tiny price.

All in all, I thought this market was terrific - noisy, bawdy, grimy and racuous. Just like the markets I remember as a child. Want to find the real Athens? Its right here in the Central Market...

Do you think you will get close to the Evones?

You remember the Evones? Those goosestepping soldiers that guard the Greek Parliament. Young men in tassled caps, kilts, and woolly leggings. They stride up and down with rifles over their shoulders wearing a costume taken from the mountains of Greece. When they stop the tourists jump in, grins on their faces, and try and get their pictures taken with these symbols of Athens.

I'm not a great fan of national guards being used as a tourist convenience. I've walked walked past Horseguards Parade too many times and seen tourists try and make London's own 'household cavalry' crack up and lose their composure. And I often see it as an exercise in humiliation for the amusement of the tourists. So I can't say I was a fan of the tourist scene in Syndtagma Square which really is Greece's premier central square. On one hand it's pretty impressive and surrounded by some aesthetically pleasing buildings with the eastern part is dominated by the pink sandstone Vouli (Greek Parliament). And just as impressive is the hotel Grande Bretagne where Winston Churchill came very close to being blown up on Christmas day 1944 by Greek saboteurs.

But Syntagma is a good place to venture into the Greek maze that is Plaka. It's the most attractive part of central Athens. A warren of narrow streets mainly of 19th century buildings. A lot of it is pedestrianised allowing no traffic through the wonderful narrow streets with their stone staircases, ancient churches, terracotta buildings and a liberal sprinkling of ancient ruins. For that is the thing with Athens - everytime you turn a corner there is another ancient site. And Plaka has some gems - the Roman Forum, Hadrians library, Mitropolis Cathedral, the Tower of the Winds and the Lykistratos Monument. There's almost too much to take in. It is touristy - no doubt about that - but despite the tavernas and tourist shops this was when Athens began to charm me. Easily, the most enjoyable part of the city.

To get there is easy. Athinas leads down from Omonia Square. But if you are coming by METRO the nearest stop is Monastiraki . Most people seem to hit Plaka when they descend from the Acropolis. The stone staircase riddled streets reach up the sides of the famous crag. For example, I blundered out onto the Roman Agora by just wandering down from the Acropolis. Around the ruined agoras sides were tourist shops where the shop owners would try and engage you in conversation to get you in (often asking you "where you from?). Then they will try and get you to buy their statues of the gods, calenders, and pictures of Greece.

Another way is from Syntagma Square. The street Ermou is pedestrianised and is lined with fashion boutiques and department stores. But it leads down to Monastiraki and the start of Plaka market. You can start the market either by heading west down Ifestou or east down narrow Pandressou both streets have something of the bazaar about them. Platia Agora is impressive as it is the antiques market. Furniture takes one side of the market while candelabra, chamberpots, and brassware is spread on the ground. Ifestou is also enjoyable and is crammed with shops and hundreds of Greek tavernas. The shops sell clothes, souvenirs, counterfeit DVD's, leatherware, silverware, marble statues etc. All enhanced by old men playing barrel organs and blaring Europop music.

But you may need a break and there are plenty of tavernas to choose from. So pull up a chair, order an ouzo and a plate of olives, rest those weary feet. Time to relax in the Greek sunshine.

One thing I did not expect from Athens was the number of dogs on the streets.

These were not the homeless canines I have seen in the cities of some countries. But genuine, acclimatised local dogs who spend their lives outside - sleeping wherever they can. Most seem to be of pensioner age and seem to be doing it for decades. I saw tubby labradors on Syndtagma Square, imagine labradors sleeping on the pavement of Piccadilly Circus and everyone stepping over them. There were a number of them inside the entrance of the Ancient agora and when you approached they raised their heads and their tails wagged weakly. But mainly they spent their time asleep in the sun. When the heat gets too much for them they follow their chums into the bushes for a good old howl...

They were one of the things lying around the superb Ancient Agora. This is your chance to get close to classical Greek ruins without the hordes that hit the Acropolis. The Temple of Hephaestus is the best example of a surviving Doric temple in the city. The whole area is littered with fallen columns, ancient statues, and the ruins of ancient buildings. This was where Athens did business 2500 years ago. When most of Europe was still lived in mud huts here Athenians discussed philosophy and mathematics. It was the centre of Athenian public life - the focal point of all art, politics, commerce, and religion. This was where Socrates and Aristotle moved amongst the spice and oil stalls trailed by followers who hung on every word. And now only ghosts, ruins and pensioner dogs inhabit this pine grove in the shadow of the Acropolis.

To get there is easy. It stands next to Thissio METRO station and is a short walk to the east along one of the pedestrianised streets to Adhrianou. You can also reach it through the bazaar in Plaka, you know you are on the right street as Adhrianou is a tourist restaurant street scattered with tavernas. Although the Agora is visible from the Acropolis, the entrance is on Adhrianou so you will have to walk down from the mound. Entrance is 4 euros but it can be combined with an Acropolis ticket for 12 euros which lets you into the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Karameikos cemetery. Take water and a hat in with you as there are no refreshments inside and take your time. Even in September only lizards can cope with the heat at midday.

First thing you notice that the stony yellow earth at the foot of the Acropolis is dotted with the bones of buildings some of them going back to 3000 BC. The Agora (market) has taken many forms over the millennia and at first glance can be very confusing. One building you can latch onto is the stoa (market hall) which has been recreated in stone. The stoa acted as a kind of shopping mall with about twenty shops and a long loggia of white marble is its main frontage. The loggia is dotted with classical statues some missing limbs and ravaged with age but you can still pick out the forms of goddesses and Greek heroes. Inside is a small museum which had a large scale map of the Greek empires trading links with the outside world as well as numerous recovered pottery and statuary. Incidentally, in the Agora, custom didn't allow women to participate in shopping - that was the realm of slaves.

Outside are the ruins of the Agora. Most are not above knee height and it takes a bit of imagination to recreate the bustling market in your minds eye. You can just about make out the great rectangle it was formed around with the stoa at the eastern end. Most of the ruins housed Athens' administration buildings and lines of shops - something like Athens' central market today. But once in a while there is a statuary base or a fully fledged statue of a Greek warrior .But none were as good condition as the The Temple of Hephaestus which sits on a hill lording it over the Agora. A small walk uphill through the pines takes you to the preserved temple. And although you are not allowed inside you can get very close and it is a wonderfully pristine state standing forty foot high with a about twenty Doric columns. This, although smaller, is probably what the Pantheon looked like in its prime. The friezes around its roof show the adventures of Theseus and Perseus in graphic detail.

Wandering around the ruins on a hot day can be hard work. If you can make your way to the National Gardens just south of Syndagma Square. One of the few green oases in central Athens this is a good place to buy an ice cream, find a seat under the shade of a palm, and take a break from the heat.

Just how good is your Greek mythology?

Do you know your Zeus from your Kronos? Do you know your Hera from your Thetis? Your Perseus from your Odysseus?

It helps to have some background knowledge when visiting the Athens Archaeological Museum. One marble bust begins to resemble another marble bust unless you recognise the name on the label. You enjoyment is a little more if you know how each god connects with the other. The Olympian family tree if you like? But there aren't just busts and statues of the Greek gods at the museum but also the Roman Emperors and the classical worlds ideal of beauty - Olympian athletes.

The museum stands on 28 Octovriou, a boulevard that heads north from Omonia Square and is about a ten minute walk from Larissa railway station. It certainly looks an impressive museum from outside. Extensive grounds dotted with planes and oak trees lead up to the marble portico. The whole building is made out of red stone and stretches for 500m in either direction. The museum costs 7 euros and although you don't need to be an Oxford classics scholar to get the most out of the collection - any knowledge you do have adds to your enjoyment. And it is a museum of the old school - echoing marble corridors, arched ceilings, and rows and rows of glass cases.

But yikes! What a hoard!

There are 10,000 years of history on display in this building. You almost don't know where to start. I suggest turning right as you enter and the start of the Mycenean galleries. The Myceneans were great Olympian worshippers and there were busts of Hera, Thetis and Athena dating from 335BC. Followed by a number of Kouros (basic torso statues of athletic men) dug from sites near Cape Sounion. Athletic youths were a constant theme and most showed off their prowess in Olympic poses.

Further on there was a fantastic bronze horse statue dug up in one piece. It stood six feet high and had a bronze cherub hanging on to its flowing mane. The goddess Aphrodite got a section all to herself and there were many statues taken from her temple at Daphne. Hercules was another favourite generally portrayed as a grizzled individual wrapped in a lionskin. Many statues came from the abandoned cemetery of Karameikos. One of my favourite gods was next - Pan! The goateed one was portrayed on the stele as gamboling with nymphs, satyrs and dryads. It was meant to look like gamboling - it looked more like sexual harassment to me..

Nearby was a section on what Rome had pilfered from Greece and remains of when Greece became the Roman province of Achaeon. A long line of Emporers busts including Caligula, Tiberius and Hadrian. By now you needed a breathe of fresh air and many of the biggest statues were in the middle courtyard. Most of them were very rusty as they had spent thousands of years on the Aegean seabed as the result of shipwrecks. One had to use ones imagination to envisage Athena with a trident or Zeus with a lightning bolt.

All in all, a world-class museum. And a complimentary match with your excursion to the Acropolis. And if you are a history/mythology buff you will be in seventh heaven.

Athens, for all its attractions, is also one of the biggest travel fulcrums in the world.

From here tourists head off in a dozen directions. The famous islands seem to be the most popular destination and many visitors roll off the airplane, spend a day gawping at the Acropolis, then head straight for the ferries. From Piraeus you can reach the Dodecanese, the Sporades, Rhodes, Crete and even Israel and Egypt. Every traveller in the world does the Greek ferries at one point. They are part of world mythology. For many people the sunshine and sand of the myriad of islands is a lure as strong as the 'song of Circe'. And most pass through the memorable port of Piraeus.

And this is a port of the old school. Greece is all about experiences and in this age of the modern airplane it is one of the few places in the world where you can partake of a "voyage" such those which went on before the age of jet travel. You can experience the mooring rope being thrown off, the last passengers making a dash for the gangplank and that feeling of excitement in the pit of your stomach that an adventure has just started.Of course it is not all about the glamour of travelling by ship. Piraeus is a big grimy port handling millions of passengers. The peak rush hour happens very early in the morning (when the ships leave) and late in the afternoon (when the ships come in). In between it's a bustling suburb which still gets its living from the sea.

Practicalities

So you want to get to the islands?

There are ticket agents galore around the METRO station and along the quayside. But the last thing you want is to be stuck in the queue for a ticket while your ship gets ready to raise anchor. I recommend buying a ticket the day before. There are numerous travel agencies in central Athens especially around Omonia Square. But be careful - I bought one to Mykonos the day I arrived, and when I doublechecked the Polish ticket agent sold me a ship departing from Patras over 40 miles from Athens - so I had to go back and change it. Ticket prices start at about 20 euros to the Cyclades and up to 60 euros for as far away as Crete and Rhodes. Also, if you can, try and book a seat. The advantages of this will become obvious later in this journal.

OK, you are clutching your little ticket. How do I get to the boats from Central Athens. Athens' new spiffy METRO, polished in time for the 2004 Olympics, will whisk you there from Omonia, Akropolis or Syntagma. The journey takes about half an hour and the ticket is about 6 euros. There are two "rush hours" from Piraeus, early morning and late evening, and both create quite a crush in the METRO carriages. Taxis to Piraeus from Omonia/Syntagma only cost about 8 euros.

When you get there most of the crowds will be heading in the same direction as you. Head out the side entrance and to the south of here the great ships, hundreds of feet high, loom out of the darkness. Whatever you do - go by the ferry company name. If you are lucky you may have "Blue Star" or "Minoan" lit up in neon letters making things easier. The ships to the Cyclades are directly across from the METRO station. But the Argo-Saronic ships are further along the port and the direct ships to Crete are a five minute walk away. Separating the METRO station from the water is a busy road called Akti Kalimasioti - part of the refurbishment of Piraeus means there is an escalator/footbridge connecting with the other side.

The Ferries

So you have found your ship and patiently queue to be let on. Firstly, they make you stow your luggage in the hold. No one is allowed their luggage up on deck with them. Therefore your luggage will be put in a pile with hundreds of others, make sure you remember exactly where you stowed it so as to avoid any embarrassing panics when you disembark. I didn't - and I am still under the psychotherapist.

Up on deck there is no doubt the ferries have improved from the creaking rust buckets of yesteryear but these cash-cows still try to cram in as many people as possible. Every conceivable space will be full of people - families will grab tables, backgammon sets will be brought out and people set up camp in the passageways. That is why it is important to prebook seats. The reserved area has aircraft style seats with good views outside the windows. There are restaurants and coffee bars aboard the ferries but most serve snack food, not a sit down meal. Many passengers bring their own provisions.

But if you can spend as much time as you can on the upper deck. The views can be stupendous - we had the great white bulk of the 'Oriana' cruiseliner pass us by as we left Piraeus. And Piraeus itself looks impressive at night with all the buildings lit up in the darkness.. But best of all are the islands as you pass by. Before you reach your destination you are likely to stop at a minimum of two. And as amusing as the mad scramble of motorbikes and tourists up the gangplank is - nothing quite beats the sight of the islands themselves with their starkly barren brown cliffs, Mediterranean architecture, wheeling gulls, and medieval fishing villages -all washed in golden Aegean sunlight.

Truly a special part of the world.