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Loretta: Today we have taken on Nikos' (travel agent) advice and decide to explore the back of Piraeus opening our eyes to the beauty of this area. It is around 15 degrees today and with the sun on our faces, we soon need to take off our coats. We walk the steep streets of Piraeus and notice an elderly man feeding raw meat to the local cats, who warmly greet him. We reach Kastella, a hilltop area that provides a fantastic vantage point for the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean .
We descend from Kastella and make our way to the beach, enjoying a coffee while watching the many older Greeks swim in the not too cold water. We both wish we had brought our bathers so we too could take a dip! An older Greek lady walks up from the water to dry off and without a care in the world, proceeds to change in front of us.
We continue and walk along the water past Votsalakia and Zeas Port and are astonished to see how many massively large yachts/cruisers are moored at the marinas. It is so obvious that there are many wealthy Greeks who are doing extremely well despite the austerity measures that have negatively impacted on the majority of the low to middle class population. We were told by Many local sources that wealthy Greeks, mostly shipping magnates and bankers, keep their money in foreign banks and avoid taxation. When John questions why the government doesn't pursue tax reform rather than austerity measures so that excess wealth can be shared amongst the general population, most suggest that it is because politicians have their pockets lined by the rich.
There are very few people out at this time of day as it is siesta time and we get to enjoy this majestic coastline (dotted with Australian gumtrees) passing only a handful of people as they too, stroll along the scenic coastline.
We reach Afroditis Bay and decide to have lunch at a beautiful open air restaurant along with one other older patron. In the middle of the floor stands an olive tree decorated in Christmas decorations - I wouldn't have expected anything else! There is a slight language problem as the waiter doesn't understand English and after fear of receiving a plate of anchovies (John's trauma food), our order arrives without the fried fish I tried to order. Nevertheless we enjoy our delicious Greek salad, meatballs, bread and wine overlooking the sparkling sea. We are in heaven!!!!
Tummies full and feeling very relaxed we make our way back to Pireas and our accommodation where we are warmly greeted (as always) by the staff who enquire about our day with genuine interest. We have never experienced such customer service warmth.
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