Athens

From Lefkada we drive across Greece, which is much bigger than I had imagined.

Highway

We drive all the way to Athens in one day, which is no problem, because the Greek highways are incredibly pleasant. Hardly any traffic and in top condition. On the way we make a quick stop at the Corinth Canal, which is truly spectacular. Someday we have to sail through here.

Public transport

In Greece, the car seems to come before everything else. A fact that really gets on my nerves in Athens. Especially with the dog, it’s incredibly tiring, there is zero consideration and everything is parked up, so at times you have to use the road. Even the Athenians hate it. To be fair, they have been trying for years to correct the mistakes of the past. A problem in many cities, where out of pure ideology the wrong mode of transport was chosen. Of course I have to test the new public transport. Charly is less thrilled than I am, because muzzle use is mandatory.

Alexandros

The real reason we are in Athens is Alexandros, a.k.a. the epic navigator. I know Alexandros from YouTube, where he has a channel and gives sailing tips. He also runs a sailing school in Athens and offers a 2-day catamaran course. By chance we saw that he still had one spot left, and we booked it right away for Alexandra. Alexandra was then very happy with the course, and Alexandros was able to teach her a lot. He seems to approach things much more pragmatically than our German colleagues, and that seems to work better for Alexandra.

The thinker

While Alex takes part in her sailing course, Charly and I go look at old stones. We take the tram to the Acropolis, where Charly is כמובן not allowed in. Dog pee and 3000-year-old sandstone are not a good mix. We climb the hill opposite, where you can admire old stones for free and without the tourist crowds. It is already impressive to walk along streets where, 2500 years ago, Socrates, one of the greatest thinkers of humanity, probably also took his evening walks.

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