Yassass, Athens!

Sunday morning we were still undecided about whether to stay another night to the tune of about $200 between us plus another $100 or so for food and transportation, or to move on. I went downstairs to ask if it would be alright for us to leave early by one day and got quite an earful from the manager. He came around, however, and was quite nice by the time we left again. But it rather clinched our decision to leave.

So Grandma stayed home and packed up her things, we got ours quickly packed and downstairs and headed off to Liturgy. Christopher and Emma left first and went across the street to St. Irene’s with the fabulous psaltis (chanter). When I was ready to go down with Basil I also went there, weaving through 3 parked cars (on the “sidewalk”) and several beggars to squeeze into a very full church. We venerated the icons, listened to the fluid, lovely chant, and searched around a little for Christopher and Emma, to no avail. There were probably 300-400 people there. And was it ever hot!! We went outside on the steps for a breather and noticed a number of girls dressed to the hilt and flowers on the cars parked in front of the church steps with proud young men prancing about like peacocks and younger children frolicking inside and outside. Obviously, something special was going on.

I had wanted very much to go to the small old church “Kapnikarea” for either Vespers or Liturgy, and I figured, “Why not?” So we walked 2 blocks over, Basil and I, and entered a very different world. This was a small, intimate parish, fully decorated with old, traditional icons that were a feast for the eyes of my soul. The chanting here was beautiful, too, if not as grand as at St. Irene’s. Within about 20 minutes we were having communion, and then it was over. We spent some time looking further at the frescoes. I was trying to wait and ask the priest if I could take photos, but he was busy and we finally left. It had been very profound, to be in such an old place hallowed by so many centuries of prayer.

I figured Christopher and Emma would be meeting us soon. I went up to the room and got the last few things downstairs, we paid the manager, and Mom and I went to sit down at the little café for some breakfast. Still, they didn’t come. It happened that it was a wedding, not a baptism, as I’d thought. I think church for them was probably about 3 hours.

After considering a lot of options, we had decided to rent a car. As I said to a German woman trying desperately to make a phone call to Germany, and unable to understand how the country code worked, it is the small things that get you on a trip like this. We’d found a good rental car agency and after figuring we’d spend about the same amount on all the transportation costs of going everywhere by bus/train/taxi we gave them a call to rent a car for 10 days. The guy said he would come pick us up. I asked if we needed to take the metro anywhere to meet him and he asked if I knew where the McDonald’s was. Sure, we’d been there the night before as we strolled through the crazy Monastiraki stalls. It was a 3 block walk with all our luggage, but sounded much better to me than trying to do the metro. We decided on 15 minutes.

We quickly got all our luggage from the hotel and set off down the street. After going around major construction full of dust and working men to reach the McDonald’s, we parked ourselves on the street corner and began to look for someone looking for someone. We waited, and we waited. After awhile the guy from Peru playing traditional pipes karaoke-style with some electronic new age background became pretty tedious. I went to try to call the car guy after about 25 minutes and could find no phone anywhere. Grandma got the kids ice cream. It was about 2PM, the absolute hottest time of day. We were in the shade, but you wouldn’t really know it the way we felt. I went in the opposite direction to look for the phone. I finally found one. Of couse, my phone card was dead. Tried 2 others I had. All dead. I am so hot and thirsty now it’s crazy. I go to the kiosk to buy another card for 4E. When I get back to the phone, someone else is on it. And someone ELSE is on the 2nd phone. For 10 minutes. Honestly, I had sweat running down my leg. I could picture Grandma: hair wet, Basil: sticky from ice cream and rolling on the filthy sidewalk wailing, Emma: worried that Basil got one spoonful more ice cream than she did, and Christopher: fit to be tied.

When I finally got through to a person, she said he had been waiting for us 20 minutes at the Syntagma Square McDonald’s, not the Monastiraki McDonald’s, and he could no longer come get us, but it was so easy to take the metro. Yeah, right. Maybe for you, without the stroller, luggage and kids!

The adult powwow ended in a firm decision to take a taxi. However, we could not hail one. After 5 minutes of trying and being firmly ignored, we decided to brave the subway after all. Just then one more taxi came by and he actually looked me in the eye and nodded. I asked him how much to the address. The car guy had told me “no more than 3E”. I figured they would charge me 10E. I secretly decided that 7E would be fair. He offered me 6E. I smiled and told him I’d pay him 7, and we were off.

The rental car lady felt so sorry for us that she gave us the car for 36E/day instead of 45E, unlimited miles and insurance included. Yes! We were pretty ecstatic to see that A/C button. She opened the trunk and threw in our bags, well, most of them. Unfortunately, the few left over were about the same size as what was allotted for people in the backseat. There's a reason the car is called the "Micra". Sitting alongside the storefront trying to fit in Basil’s blasted stroller caused probably the only universal meltdown we’ve had the whole trip. I was ready to toss it out the window and be gone. But Christopher eventually found an ingenious way to sling it up between two seats by using my shoulder bag.

We headed down the road along a clear, solid highway with lines down the road and again tasted that freedom…..!