An alarming day

Success.  Tired bodies meant lots of sleep all round, and something of a lie in this morning - only a 7.30am start.  As we breakfasted in the roof top restaurant here in the hotel, the patio doors were swung open, the cool breeze gently fluttered across rooftop terrace, and if we craned our necks we could just see the Parthenon in the morning sunlight.  As the teachers said, it doesn't get much better than this.

Meeting up with our Greek tour guide this morning, Anna (not to be confused with Anne, who met us at the airport), we boarded our coach for a quick tour of the city, taking in all the major attractions.  Quite how many of the 3657 photographs that were taken out of the bus windows will a) come out properly and b) be remembered remains to be seen.  We had a brief stop at the Panathenaic Stadium, commissioned for the first modern Olympics in 1896 (more of this later), before moving on to the new Acropolis Museum. 

The top floor of the museum is designed to be the exact size of the Parthenon up on the Acropolis, and displayed around its walls are the frescoes from the temple.  Well, some of them.  If you've been to London, you may have been to the British Museum and seen the Elgin Marbles, the collection of the better preserved pieces from the Parthenon.  The official line from the British Museum is that Lord Elgin ‘acquired’ them in Athens between 1801 and 1805, and then later sold them to the British Government, who donated them to the museum.  Under the auspices of its Turkish rulers at the time, Lord Elgin was told he could remove anything from the Parthenon that did not interfere with the ancient citadel's walls.  So he was a bit of a naughty boy really, as he had the frescoes removed without the walls falling down.  Some would argue that given subsequent damage to those that remained, mainly due to Greek air pollution, he did save them.  Saviour or thief?  Make your own mind up. 

We mentioned the Panathenaic Stadium earlier.  At that very first Olympic Games in 1896, the marathon race was won by a Greek called Spyros Louis.  His prize?  Not a gold medal (medals weren’t introduced until 1904) but a silver chalice called Breal’s Cup.  It is solid silver, and is proudly displayed in the Acropolis Museum.  Quite valuable, as you can imagine.  Consequently, housed in a high security case.  The alarm, as we discovered, is very loud.  If you set it off, which we did, security guards come running from all directions, as we noticed.  Oops!  We won’t mention the culprit, will we Jamal?

From the museum, we climbed up to the Acropolis itself.  It’s a beautiful sunny day in Athens, and it was a pleasant stroll along the highly polished marble pathways up to the top.  Nadine E delayed us slightly with a nose bleed, but she was more concerned about the spot of blood that spilled on her shirt than the actual bleed itself.  The big challenge for our students was to count the number of columns around the outside of the Parthenon.  Greeks had a simple formula when it came to temples and columns: the number of columns along the front was doubled along the side, plus one.  However, a bit of logic has to be applied to this question.  17 at each side, 8 at each end.  Parents, we’ll be looking for your answers in the replies section of the blog.

We descended into the Plaka for lunch, which was a selection from cheese and spinach pastries, Greek salad, stuffed eggplant, oven roast chicken and potatoes, and calvos (spelled incorrectly but essentially honey cakes) for dessert.  As we ended the meal, the children became more animated as… shopping time approached.  If you know the Plaka, the selection of shops and souvenirs available is huge.  We had an hour, we thought we manage a long stroll along the narrow meandering streets and… we managed one shop!  Like an Amazonian feeding frenzy as piranhas devour an animal that has strayed into river, so our children ransacked the shop, loading baskets, filling carrier bags, unloading wallets.  The checkout lady twice ran out for change.  It was carnage!  And never have you seen happier children!

If our four course lunch wasn't enough to sustain us today, we came back to the hotel for dinner.  Bursting at the seams, we had some quiet time, and then lights out at 9.30pm – not too bad after a long hot day.  Tomorrow, we’re off to the Archaeological Museum in the morning (Mr. Suter is already salivating) before heading off to the Peloponnese and Tolon.  We can’t wait!  

Full of beans

Julia set the scene for the day this morning when standing on the top deck of our ferry: “Isn’t this beautiful?”  The sun was just beginning to rise over the mountains surrounding Athens, the ship’s resident saxophonist was playing at the gantry, and the water of Pireaus, Athens’ harbour, was gently rippling in the early morning sun.  We were set perfectly for our island cruise.

We did have an early start this morning.  With our coach leaving from the hotel at 6.45am, the children were gently roused from their peaceful slumbers so we could breakfast before departure.  Not too long a sleep from last night, but enough to recharge the batteries for the children.  Not quite as early as Jamal indignantly thought: “Mr. Suter woke me up at 4 o’clock.”  After a scrumptious breakfast bonanza (this sentence added by Ridaa and Sara E), we boarded our coach.  Anne, our guide from yesterday, certainly looked and sounded fresher than the staff looked and felt!   

All aboard!  It was only a short hop to the port from the hotel.  When we arrived, some of us weren’t totally sure whether we were to board the ex-British World War II warship tied up or the ancient Greek trireme being reconstructed there.  We were actually welcomed aboard the ferry Platytera by a traditional Greek couple for photographs, and then off we sailed.

As the sun rose in the sky, the temperature got warmer and jumpers and long sleeves were quickly shelved for t-shirts.  Of huge popularity was the discovery that the café on board sells slurpees – or used to; our children bought so many we think the machine dried up!  Aymaan caused a little confusion among the staff when she reported back that there were “naked giraffes” on the top deck.  On closer investigation, it turns out she was talking about “naked cherubs”, one of which is painted on the ship’s prow.

We had some good entertainment on the ship this morning.  The resident organist, beginning with the classic standard Zorba the Greek, led us through a range of tunes and dancing lessons were offered.  Mr. Piddock of all people led the BISAK charge, and there were more children on the dance floor than off as they tested their Greek steps.  The competition against an Italian group was declared a draw, although it was clearly evident to anyone impartial watching that our group were by far the better one!

Hydra – the carless one – was our first port of call, and we berthed long enough for the traditional BISAK stroll from end to end of the harbour.  At the water’s edge, fishermen were selling the fish caught that morning from the back of their boats.  Given the piles of fish and fishing nets, and a whole row of fishing vessles, Megan was very observant: “It smells very fishy.”  Perhaps she thought the fishermen were overcharging?  Given Mr. Suter’s fondness for shopping, he took his group into the back streets of the port, along narrow, lemon tree lined cobbled paths, stepping aside to allow old men pulling donkeys into the hinterland, watching small Greek children skipping home from school, mothers calling out of windows that lunches were ready, men chewing the fat in local coffee shops…  A real taste of Greek island life.  The response from the group?  “Mr. Suter, you’re mean, we want to go shopping!”  You just can’t win sometimes.

Floating again, we came straight back inside for lunch, a buffet with a selection from Greek salads to pizza, fish and chicken – something for everyone, and plenty especially for our male teachers who had the biggest heaped plates on board.  John got our star award for lunch.  He wasn’t feeling great this morning, and seemed only to want to each a plate of lettuce.  He was coerced into eating amongst other things, a plate of green beans – and we had a new child this afternoon.  Literally full of beans!  

As our plates were cleared away, we were pulling into Poros, our second port of call.  Mrs. Williams must have called ahead, as her favourite shop in Greece was open and fully stocked as we approached up the narrow stone staircase leading up to the shop.  Some could have sworn the owner danced a jig as we approached.  We only had 40 minutes on this island, and Mr. Suter’s planned climb to the deserted clock tower looked to be in jeopardy.  However, leaving the shoppers in the capable hands of Ms. Govender and Ms. Kinghorn, with an elite group of students – Karl, John, Aymaan, Ridaa and Sara E – Messrs. Piddock and Suter led their own rapid assault on the summit.  The views from the top were spectacular, far better than any shop displays.  “Mind blowing,” reported John.  “Amazingly stunning,” added Karl.  On the shopping they missed: “Time wasting,” said Karl.  “I would have been cheesed off to have missed the climb.”  Shopping was undertaken, but time margins to make it back to the boat on time were a bit too close to comfort for Ms. Kinghorn’s likeing, as the last purchasers were literally chased out of the shop with their goods.

And so to our last port of call for the day, the island of Aegina.  This is being typed as we wind up our cruise, about thirty minutes outside of port.  “Tell us about Aegina, what should we say on the blog?”  “We had ice cream” volunteered Leena.  We’re so glad all the cultural bits stuck in.  As we disembarked, we headed to an archaeological site a few hundred yards along the road.  Jamal thought we were going to an ‘Asian’ site, rather than an ancient one.  There, we diverted onto a rocky beach and the children of BISAK re-enacted an ancient Olympic sport of… stone skimming.  OK, so perhaps you shouldn’t always believe everything your teacher tells you!  After some Herculean skimming – Mr. Piddock finished with the most bounces, although Elian pushed him close – we continued along to the site.  Mr. Suter expounded on not only the quality of ancient Greek architecture but also on the sense of humour of the said architects, attested by the fact that the only column that remained standing had a marble seagull carved on to the top of it.  There were a few bemused faces but Mr. Suter seemed to be winning the cynics over – and then the seagull flew away!  We did have an impromptu lesson on Greek columns – genuine information this time – and then it was time for ice creams.  It always feels good to go in a shop and say, “Can I have 31 ice creams please?”  Guaranteed to get you good service.

After a brief visit to the island church, and another dash, we made it back to the boat on time.  Some of the children managed to get up to the bridge to have their photo taken with the captain, most enjoyed the Greek dancing below decks – we weren’t sure if Fayzullah genuinely had those fast moves or whether he still had ants in his pants after sitting on a nest on Hydra!  The final impression of the dance floor that most guests had was of our BISAK children dancing Gangnam Style!  Not quite Greek but full of energy nevertheless.

And so to bed.  We’re back at the hotel, fed and watered (spinach pie, spaghetti bolognaise, mountains of salad, pasta) and after last night’s late night, lights off tonight are scheduled for 9.45pm.  Wish us luck with that!

 

Oi you, EU! You made us late!

If you read our earlier missive, you’ll have realised that we made it safely to Doha, and as the post was going up from Doha, we were at the gate boarding for the next leg to Athens.

We had an uneventful flight from Doha, until we made it to our final approach into Athens where, after dropping rapidly enough to cause a chorus of “Oohs” and “Aahs” from the children and Ms. Govender, we just as rapidly climbed again – the pilot belatedly came on to reassure Ms. Govender that in fact there was congestion at Athens airport and we had to go round again!  Second time around, we landed safely.  As we disembarked, Mr. Suter was checking under seats to make sure nothing had been left behind – as he left the plane, one of the stewardesses called him back to inform him that one of our children was in fact still in the toilets at the front of the plane.  Out emerged Fayzullah, none the worse for nearly being left behind!

Immigration proved easy, and everyone’s bags turned up, which was a plus.  Waiting to meet us outside the customs point was Anne, our tour rep who had last been with us four years ago.  We had a smooth passage along the Athens Riviera, as Anne called it.  Lots of children began fantasising as she told us of Coca Cola Island – a small outcrop just off the coast, far enough apparently to reach on a pedalo, where one enterprising individual managed to set up a small stall selling Coca Cola and subsequently made his fortune off thirsty holiday makers!   

Then we hit problems.  Apparently, the European Union politicians are in town, and in their endeavours to right the woes of the EU caused absolute chaos to central Athens’ traffic as all the main thoroughfares were closed to Joe Public.  Subsequently, what should have been a 45 to one hour trip from the airport to the hotel took us more than two hours.  Tired, hungry, bemused and confused (and that was just Mr. Piddock) our children were absolute stars as they were very uncomplaining for most of the time.  Not so our driver Georges, who at one stage deserted the bus and frog marched fifty metres down to the street to remonstrate with a somewhat lethargic Greek policeman who wasn’t doing much to alleviate the suffering of any of the drivers.  Georges’ protest obviously worked, as were soon moving again.

So we finally made it to the hotel.  We literally dumped our bags in reception, and made our way up to the eighth floor for our dinner: a selection from Greek salad, baked fish, pasta and roasted potatoes, with chocolate mousse to follow.

And so endeth our first day.  Karl is to be commended for his positive attitude: stuck in traffic, his attitude was “this is an adventure, enjoy it.”  Ridaa has shown early promise as a potential tour guide – her knowledge of Greek mythology has shown that our guide will be kept on her toes this week! 

The children are all sleeping, the staff are not far behind them, and it’s an early start tomorrow for our island cruise so we’re going to sign off.  Until tomorrow…

And they're off...

The months of planning have finally come to fruition, bags packed, hats donned and a very excited group of Year 5 children met up at Dammam airport for our early morning flight to Doha and then Athens.

Ms. Kinghorn gave very explicit packing instructions for the children, and most have manageable case sizes.  Jamal did give Ms. Kinghorn a close run when it came to suitcase sizes, with both competing for the largest.  Nothing seen this morning however is a patch on the 'Big Red' that Ms. Naidoo brought on her trips to Greece, so there has been some progress there.

So, to the packing list.  Very first thing.  Passport... Check.  Oh, hang on a minute, Leena seemed to think she could fly to Greece without her passport which gave her mum so nervous moments as the group waited for the passport to join her.  Eventually, said passport arrived and we all passed through immigration with little trouble.  All except Karishma, who had a slight 'moment' when her passport was put aside and she was told she had no visa to leave!  Again, Ms. Kinghorn's planning paid off as, together with the joint-biggest suitcase, she has by a country mile the biggest day sack and from the depths of that she pulled out a copy of Karishma's documents.

Once we encamped in the departure hall, the children were told to turn phones off, so if you were trying to ring them, parents, that was why you couldn't get through.  They'll be allowed to switch them on again this evening after our evening meal.

We were delayed leaving Dammam, but with plenty of time to our connecting flight we are currently waiting at Doha for our flight on to Athens.  As you can imagine, the duty free shops have already taken a big hit and all sorts of edibles are being stuffed into faces.  Aymaan was slightly perturbed: having made a variety of selections from the shelves, she came disconsolately to Mr. Suter having put them all back, with the complaint, "If I want them, I have to pay for them!"

So we're off again shortly.  Our next post will be much later this evening, after our evening meal and once the children have been settled into their rooms for the night.  Until then...

Bon Voyage

One more sleep until we go the airport....... and fly to Greece.......

See you all there at 7am.