Wednesday 27 February 2008

Evening in Patras

After finding an Internet café and updating the blog, we settled for the easy option – no more walking – and went to the Station Restaurant, just across from where the liner was moored. We initially ordered a large plate of mixed snacks, but on the advice of the waiter, changed to a small one. He was right, the large one would have needed a fork-lift truck to bring it to the table!

During our marathon munchethon we chatted about how strange it was to go to sleep in idyllic Ithaca and wake up in boring Patras. A bit of an exaggeration perhaps, but Patras seemed like a poster town for modern conformity, with its Pizza Hut, TGI Friday and all the same dismal high-street stores as can be found in any European town. Such are the joys of cruising in and out of Ancient Greece, with EasyCruiseOne acting as some kind of interdimensional portal. (Karmanie)

2 comments:

David said...

St George’s Church in Patras was certainly worth seeing on our return from Olympia. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many Saints depicted in one building before! Unfortunately, we were not able to tour the city by day but explored as much as was practical after an early dinner. It certainly had a vibrant feel to it with packed cafes and bars and still something of a carnival atmosphere even though we’d missed the actual processions.

At this point, I should mention the ship’s Jacuzzi on deck 5. By now, several of us had got into the habit of an hour (or more!) soaking in this luxurious bath after a hard day’s sightseeing! The even more decadent finished off with a Sauna before eventually changing for dinner!

Ray Of Sunshine said...

Coming back to Patras from Olympia, there was some sort of adventure going on with people running around a building with police chasing them. We got a confusing explanation from the driver or guide. Had a nice time in Patras with two women from Pennsylvania, one who was the manager of the other at work. She also owned a farm out there which her husband took care of. Found a little bar and sampled a lot of ouzo during their happy hour.We walked all over and enjoyed the mix of old and new stores. Had dinner at a place that was roasting all kinds of meats, and we were all confirmed carnivores. It reminded me of Uncle George's in mostly Greek Astoria, NYC, where if you go the right day of the week and ask, you can even get roasted babies. That's what they look like, anyway. Yes, they'll skewer and barbecue anything to perfection. I was wise enough not to order the intestine rollups which the griller was suggesting for me. Must be some sort of joke that they pull on tourists. Lamb was EXCELLENT. Had some ice cream concoctions at another place which were great. We were there a week before Festival and the streets were decorated with lots of colored lights which cheered the night.