Another point to touch on is the very inexpensive labour costs due to high unemployment and very low incomes. Reinhardt’s 4 x 4 needed its exhaust pipe fixed as it had a hole. We took it to the local garage in Scala where the guy spent 2 hours welding the pipe and fitting a metre long length of new chrome tail pipe to the end. Total cost 10 euros or AUD$17. In Germany it would have cost him between 300-400 euros. Needless to say he gets all his vehicle repairs done down in Greece.
Eventually we had to pack and head back to Athens for one more night before flying home.
We arrived back in Athens via the scrap yard terminus and found a cheap room at the Hotel Adams in The Plaka for 40 euros. It was nothing special but it was clean and warm with a share bathroom in the hall. I don’t think there was anyone else staying there as we didn’t see any other guests but this is the delight of travelling outside of the tourist season. After dining at a small taverna that Reinhardt had recommended, extremely inexpensive and tasty, and a Stella Artois beer at a local bar we retired to the hotel. The weather was starting to look ugly.
At about 11.30 pm a thunderstorm struck that was mind blowing. The lightning and thunder was so intense and continued amidst the deluge of rain till 4am. The streets were flooded to several feet deep in the places I could see from the balcony of our room. Mega flashes of lightning were illuminating the Acropolis, which was visible from the balcony also. The columns on top looked strangely sinister in the glaring flashes and I had no doubts that the god’s were not happy at their newest blood brother departing so soon. I made a solemn promise to return one day but only on the condition that I could play god for a while too. What a show of might from the heavens above. No doubt Zeus, with a crazed gleam in his eye, was flinging those lightning bolts down with gusto and wild abandon. The following morning, the streets were oddly clean and fresh having being sluiced with several inches of rain.
The journey to the airport the following day went off without a hitch and we found ourselves back in Frankfurt at 6pm arriving to a chilling 0 degrees. A very cold welcome home after so much sun and warmth. Thomas had thankfully come to collect us so we were back in Darmstadt within an hour of landing. The week after arriving home was a really sharp shock to the system. The temperature didn’t rise above –3 degrees for the first week and often sank as low as –10. Wow talk about true blue. Work has been a lot quieter and the last two weeks have seen most spare time taken up with pre-Christmas parties for work and friends.
I have no idea at this point what is happening for Christmas Day and New Years Eve but I am sure that we will find something as the time draws nigh. We are going to Bettina’s parents place for Boxing Day lunch, which should be nice. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and great New Year. Guten Rutsch as they say here or Good Skating meaning a smooth run in the year ahead.
I will try not to be so long in getting my next blog on the wire but I guess you will all be sick to death of them after this little epic. Ah well, time to go and get this processed for the wire. My special wishes for all of your dreams to come true in the year ahead.
No comments:
Post a Comment