The action comes thick and fast and emotions soar and plummet like a yo-yo. When I arrived at the campsite, the lady in reception told me all about the bus services to get to the main tourist attractions. She could see that I had a bike but commented that the roads are very dangerous.Well, she was right! But I’m always up for a challenge. Carolyn gave me a map of Athens which seemed good enough, so off I went on the bike. And this is where the fun begins!
Big cities like London have a lot of traffic on the roads. In Paris there are a lot of scooters weaving in and out as they make their way to the front of queues. In Rome, the phrase “pedestrianised area” doesn’t mean much (especially to scooters and motorbikes), and one-way streets can be two-way if you feel so inclined. In Athens, there is all of that together... and more!
If the traffic isn’t moving, scooters may just pop onto the pavement to get past cars. When roads are 2, 3 or 4 lanes wide (in each direction) with a raised curb and grass down the middle, sometimes scooters or motorbikes will just hop over it to get where they want to go. A “no right turn” sign (or “no left turn”) is optional if what you’re after is down there, and even the subways get used by scooters or motorbikes! It’s as if the road rules only apply to cars or large vehicles.I’m on a bicycle... already I’ve gotten used to establishing myself on the roads: “This is my space, I know what I’m doing and you will respect that!” I don’t try to stay out of the traffic, cycling in the gutter as so many do in the UK; I’m firmly in one of the lanes and I’ll overtake cars if they’re going too slow. Yes, it’s a little dangerous, but it’s either that or be forced in the gutter and getting stuck in potholes, parked cars and pedestrians. As for getting to where I want to go, well, when in Greece...
You see, riding a bike (as with any vehicle really, and to some extent even walking) is all about confidence. It’s about saying, “I’m in charge of this, the vehicle does not control me and I will make it do what I want it to.” Going slower than the rest of the traffic, not having the courage to poke your nose out of a side road and always waiting for a gap that’s “just a little bigger” are all signs of nervousness and timidity. It just won’t do. Especially in Athens. Even if I’m unsure of where I’m going, I still act like I know what I’m doing until I can find a quiet place to check the map.It’s not long before I get to the Acropolis. There’s a distinct lack of tourists and a short walk later I find out why: “The Acropolis is closed on 15/6/2011 due to a strike.” Marvellous.
I’ve cycled all this way and I can’t even see the major attraction of Athens. I check at a little kiosk to make sure the strike is off tomorrow and I’m in luck.I head over to the Ancient Agora which has a very impressive temple still standing. The lady at the ticket office says, “You have 20 minutes before we close. I don’t think you have time. Maybe come back tomorrow.”
It’s not even 3pm and yet all the archaeological sites seem to close at 3pm. This is turning out to be a rather naff day.
Well, I had a bit of a walk up one of the local hills, seen a monument and some good views. There’s a place called the Zappeion which is meant to be fairly good, so I cruise on over. Along the way I come across Handrian’s Arch and a good view of the Temple of the Olympian Zeus. Clickety-click and I move on.
The Zappeion is rather impressive as a building, even though I’m not entirely sure what it is. Up the road a bit is the Parliament building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Off I go!The large road seems surprisingly devoid of traffic and there seems to be a lot of pedestrians. In Rome they had blocked off one of the roads and made it pedestrianised, so I assumed they’d done the same thing here.
As I get nearer, the number of people makes cycling incredibly difficult. Many people are walking in the opposite direction and are covering their mouths and noses. I then notice an odd smell and a tingling sensation in my nose. Cycling is too difficult with all the people so I turn back and try to find somewhere cheap for a bite to eat.
I find a little place called the “Smiling Café” and a chirpy Greek guy with a good American accent rushes around trying to serve everyone.
“Hey buddy! Take a seat – if you can find one – and I’ll be right with you!”
It’s certainly a busy place and no wonder: the food is far cheaper than most places. The “Hamburg Special” (Hamburger, chips and a drink) for €4.50 will do me fine, and it turns out to be one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten!
Just as I finish off, I hear a loud sound; a cross between a thunderclap and a gunshot. As I walked the hills earlier, I heard thunder as it tried to rain, but this was different... and there it was again... and again! It’s too frequent to be thunder... what could it be, I wonder?
A swarm of police motorbikes race past the café and suddenly I’m aware of a lot more people, some covering their mouths and noses. A Greek couple sit down and make polite (albeit struggled) conversation. I ask what’s going on.
“A protest.”
Oh.
Bang, bang, bang! Lots more people moving fast away from the noise. About 50 yards away I can see smoke. I think I know what’s going on, but I’m going to check it out anyway.
I carefully make my way up the street, past literally hundreds of people. A couple of streets away there’s some chanting going on. As I approach the corner, I hear something smash and lots of people turn and run. I take a few steps back and wait a moment.
I can see a pile of burning rubbish at the intersection of the road. One brave scooter goes past. A couple of people pick up some rocks which are littering the road and throw them, quickly taking a few steps back after. I poke my head around the corner to see what their target was. I knew it!
I see a line of police, clad in gas masks, fire resistant clothes and shields. This is a riot. And I’m in the middle of it!
More explosions come from behind the police line. Riots are clearly breaking out everywhere. The camera’s out – I’m not missing this! More objects get thrown and the police take ground as they march towards us. People move back, others start to run. A tear gas grenade is launched at the trouble makers. It’s my cue to leave. I love being in the middle of action but I’m not stupid: I value my life as well!I get back to the bike and make ready to go. The action seems to have died down so I go for it: instead of cycling away – the safe option – I head for the burning rubbish pile to get one last look at the police line. As I slow down to look, one protestor politely steps out of my way, waving me past before he throws his bit of rubble. I decide to pick up the pace and get out of the line of fire!
I get back to the main road where I was before and find a lot more people than earlier. I cycle as far as I can before the crowd is just too dense. I’m stopped by a couple of lads so I try to find out what’s going on.
“Our Government accepts help from the International Monetary Fund. We don’t want it! We end up in more debt. They betray us. They traitors.”
I ask how long it’s been going on for. Apparently this is Day 22 of the protests and they’ll keep going until the Government listens. Not everyday is rioting though.
I try to get to the other side of the protestors by cycling around. Really, I just want to see some more action. The police are blocking off many of the roads so I end up making a huge detour.
I find myself going up a steep hill and find that I’m at the base of the Lycabettus Hill. I decide to try to get to the top to see what’s there. The road is as steep as the Grand-St-Bernard pass (but thankfully nowhere near as long!) and I’m soon at a car park. I buy an ice cream to keep me going and head up the footpath that gets to the top.
There’s a church and a café. I see an open door and a sign that says, “Tickets.” I don’t really want to pay to see whatever is up here so I try to get as far as I can without paying.There is a path off to the right and it goes right to the top and to the church. Quite a few other people are up here as well... I think they’ve paid to be here, but no one’s asking any questions, so I carry on admiring the spectacular views of Athens.
A short while later I decide to have a sit down in the café and write some postcards. A lady hands me the menu and boy is it expensive! I end up going for the cheapest item: a 1 litre bottle of water for €3 and I take my time over it. I suppose they have to be expensive to make any money – it’s quite a trek to get up there!
Time is getting on and I enjoy the free-wheeling back down. I try to keep close to where the protest is, in the hope of seeing some more action. No such luck, although I do cycle through some of the aftermath. The streets are a mess and I go past some smouldering embers of a rubbish pile. A group of policemen are stood across the road, no riot shields though as it’s fairly calm now.
Two skateboarders are coming towards me fairly fast, the nearest one not looking where he’s going. The pedestrians in front of me move out of his way and I try to move the bike aside otherwise this is going to hurt.“Woah!” I yell at him but it’s too late. I feel his skateboard clip my foot and pedal – at least he didn’t hit me – and he goes tumbling down the road at quite some speed! I look back to see if he’s ok. He’s back on his feet and ignoring me... the police are laughing at him and he gets a little angry. I decide to take the opportunity to quietly pedal away as one policeman applauds my good work!
The only thing left is to traffic-dodge my way back to the campsite as dusk is just starting to set in. It’s been an eventful day!
Stats
Mileage = 21.30 miles
Riding time = 2 hours 38 minutes
Average speed = 8.0 mph
Top speed = 25.7 mph
Total mileage since start = 1066.0
