1 May 2018, Tuesday
On 1 May 2018 at 2:35am, together with my parents, I took my one flight out of Singapore to Greece. My uncle, aunt and cousin, as well as two of my friends LW and AW, had gone to the airport to send us off. Earlier, my other cousin FL had also fetched us from home to the airport. Really touched by all of them for their thoughtfulness and kind gestures.
The Scoot flight TR 712 was a direct one to Athens and the duration was a long 11 hours and 10 minutes. I was hoping that the air-conditioning on the flight would not be too cold and I would be able to catch some sleep on board. I remember that I almost froze during my Scoot flight to Melbourne earlier this year, and I was practically kept awake throughout the overnight flight. Thankfully, the air-con temperature was just right this time and I managed to catch some intermittent sleep, which was good enough.
As it was a long flight, I pre-purchased the Long Haul Meal Bundle, which consisted of two meals – a Light Meal Combo and a Premium Meal Combo. At S$50, it was rather expensive but I bit the bullet and ordered it because I was afraid that I would be cold and hungry like the last Melbourne flight and end up being super miserable. The total cost of the one-way flight was S$530, including the meal bundle and seat selection.
The Light Meal Combo was served around 3:40am (Singapore time), about an hour into the flight. It consisted of a teriyaki chicken wrap, a sunflower seed cookie, a packet of cashew nuts and a cup of apple juice. The wrap was actually quite nice, surprisingly. However, we were not remotely hungry yet so we only finished one half of the wrap, and then went to sleep. In fact, we could have skipped this Light Meal Combo. Most of the other passengers also did not order it.
The Premium Meal Combo was served at around 6:30am (Greece time). I chose the beef set and I must say that it is really good. So soft and tender! Besides the main dish, it also came with a serving of potato salad, crackers with cheese, yoghurt, a cup of plain water, and a choice of Vittel bottled mineral water or a can of Coca-Cola. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the meals onboard. Well, we paid S$50 for it, so it better be good.
(Exchange rate: 1 Euro = S$1.625)
Our flight touched down at Athens at about 8:58am local time. Greece is 5 hours behind Singapore. Clearing customs was quite a breeze because it seemed like they weren’t very strict about it, unlike other countries such as the US or UK. Here, they just chop your passport and move on. No need for taking photographs or scanning your fingerprints. The luggage took a while to come out though.
After collecting our luggage, I walked around the airport to search for a shop that sells data SIM cards so that we would have data connection during our stay. However, I didn’t manage to find any. I asked a shop staff and she confirmed that I wouldn’t be able to buy it at the airport. So strange! I would have thought that all airports had at least a shop that sells data SIM cards because that’s the number 1 thing that most travellers look for the moment they arrive. But no, it is not available.
To get to the city, you could either take a taxi for 35 Euros (S$57), take the Metro for 10 Euros (S$16.25) or take the airport express bus for 6 Euros (S$9.75). As I was trying to keep my budget as low as possible, I opted to take public transport. However, one day before our departure, our Airbnb host had already informed me that there would be a public transport workers’ strike on 1 May, which is the Labour Day holiday, and he advised me to take the taxi or the express bus. Thanks to his head’s up notice, we were prepared to take the express bus upon arrival.
The ticket booth for the airport express bus is located outside Exit 5 of the Arrival hall. You can also buy it from the automated ticket machine. However, I bought the tickets from the booth because there are Reduced Price tickets available for seniors aged above 65, regardless of nationality. So dad’s half-priced ticket costs only 3 Euros. Note that you can only buy the Reduced Price ticket at the booth and not at the machine, because the staff is supposed to check your passport to make sure you are really above 65 years old. However, the staff just looked at my dad’s face in person and he did not even ask for any identification to confirm his age. Things are much more relaxed here in Greece.
The X95 airport express bus goes from the airport to Syntagma, which is the heart of Athens city, and close to where our Airbnb apartment is located at. The ride takes about one hour ordinarily, but it could be slightly longer depending on the traffic. The Metro train is just a little faster, taking about 40 minutes for the journey.
I think in normal times, most people would take the Metro train, but because the Metro train from the airport was not working today due to the strike, everyone took the express bus instead. There was no proper queue system in place so everyone just gathered around the bus stand. We were one of the first few to arrive actually but we ended up being the last to board because we were not positioned close to the bus doors. It was a mad squeeze and I was standing right at the door. And people didn’t even offer their seats to my dad, so he had to stand throughout the trip. He is 76 years old by the way.
In any case, we didn’t have to stand for one hour because about 35 minutes into the journey, the bus driver suddenly stopped at Ethniki Amyna and asked us all to alight and take the Metro train to Syntagma. We were caught off guard because we thought the bus would take us directly to Syntagma. Strangely, this part of the Metro train network was not on strike. So we trudged out of the bus with our suitcases and made our way to the Metro station. The bus driver said we could use the same Ath.ena Ticket for the Metro but we scanned it at the fare gates and it didn’t open. We then saw an open fare gate and just walked through it.
From Ethniki Amyna to Syntagma, it was six stops away. It wasn’t that far but it was just an inconvenience to us, especially since we had just come off a long flight and the weather was very hot as it was close to noon time. If I had known about this, I would probably have chosen to take the taxi to bring us directly from the airport to our Airbnb apartment. We saved about 20 Euros by taking the bus, but maybe it wasn’t worth the hassle.
After alighting at Syntagma station, it took me a while to figure out my bearings and find our way to our Airbnb apartment. I did not have mobile data but luckily, I had downloaded the Google Map of Athens beforehand so I could still use it offline to get general directions. That was a big lifesaver.
At Syntagma, we saw people/protestors marching on the road in an orderly manner. Several of the roads around Syntagma Square were closed to traffic. That was probably why the bus couldn’t stop us at Syntagma. There were many police officers keeping watch so it felt safe. However, the whole area felt quiet and deserted because almost all of the shops were closed due to the Labour Day public holiday.
We took about 20 minutes to get to our Airbnb apartment and I was so relieved when the host opened the door and welcomed us in. Finally, we had arrived safely!
Airbnb apartment
Address: Kodrou 5 Apt 1, Athina, 105 58, Greece
Host: Tasos
Price: S$251.98 for 2 nights
Airbnb link: https://www.airbnb.com.sg/rooms/18929605
Tasos was very nice and he patiently showed us around the apartment. He apologised for not being able to replace two of the light bulbs because the shops were all closed today. He spoke very good English and it was a breeze communicating with him.
The apartment was on the ground floor and it was large and cosy at the same time. It was very homely and comfortable. The master bedroom had a double bed, which was actually slightly smaller than a Queen-sized bed. I took the other bedroom with two single beds. I liked the layout of the apartment, where my room had two doors, one opening to the entrance area and the other opening to the living/dining room. The shower area was a little small and it lacked a holder to position the shower head higher up. Besides that, everything else was great.
We took our time to settle down, made coffee and ate our leftover food from the Scoot flight. We then headed out to explore Athens. Our apartment was located in the historical district of Plaka, at the foothills of the Acropolis. It was in the perfect location because it was super near Plaka, yet it was on a very quiet pedestrian street so we were away from the noise and bustle.
We spent the afternoon walking through the maze of shops in Plaka before heading to the Monastiraki area and flea market. As these are the main tourist areas, all the shops and restaurants here were open. Along the way, we had a glimpse of the Parthenon perched atop the hill overlooking Athens. We then walked through the shopping street or Ermou, where the international brands like Zara, H&M and Pull & Bear were located. However, all the shops here at Ermou were closed and the place felt like a ghost town.
As it was only the first day, we took it easy and just recce-ed the area without making many real purchases. We then retreated back to our apartment for a shower and rest before heading out for dinner. I was a bit wary of eating in Plaka because it screams “tourist trap”, but we walked past a restaurant called Byzantino along the main pedestrian street, where the cluster of restaurants are at. We decided to give it a try.
I ordered a chicken souvlaki, which is chicken chunks on a skewer, and a popular Greek dish. My parents each ordered a serving of pork chop. There was Happy Hour promotion and a glass of red wine costs only 1.50 Euros and a mug of beer 1.70 Euros. So cheap!
The chicken souvlaki and pork chop were very good. The pork chop was so thick and huge. So yummy. The total bill came up to 33.60 Euros (S$54.60), which is good value for money compared to a similar meal in Singapore. You can’t get such a thick piece of pork chop in Singapore for sure.
Besides the good food, we were very impressed by the service standards. The waiter who served us was called Nikos and he was very speedy and attentive. When he saw me looking at a sign displaying the Wifi password and trying to key it in to my phone, he automatically handed me a piece of paper containing the password. He was very friendly and his service is top notch.
Mum observed that most, if not all, of the waiters in Athens are male. Quite different from Singapore, where female service staff are more common at restaurants.
After our meal, we strolled around the Plaka area once again. The sky got dark at about 8pm and Plaka was even nicer at night, with the lights on and temperatures cooler than in the day. The place reminded me a little of Venice and Florence, but Plaka is more orderly and the general vibe feels nicer.
From our short time there, we also observed that the shop staff in Athens seem to be much nicer and more genuine than those at say, Italy or Paris. Here, the people are not pushy and they don’t get offended if you tell them that you don’t wish to buy. They won’t harass you or give you a black face when you walk away. They seem more sincere with their words and smiles. They also speak good English so it was easier to communicate with them.
We called it a night at about 9:30pm because the shops were about to close, and we were finally feeling a bit tired after the long flight. First day in Athens, and so far so good!