22nd May
It was a relaxed start to the day at Maison Grecque due to the comfort of the room and the darkness of the room - I was happy to stay in bed. I enjoyed the breakfast selection at a leisurely pace while checking emails etc on the iPad.
Once finished with breakfast I hopped on the bike and headed off to BMW. After meeting Nikos, the Service Manger, who Giannis had contacted in advance, I soon had a new front brake lever. I have decided I will save until it is absolutely necessary to replace the broken one. The broken one works fine and only needs a file down to smooth out the sharp points. While I was there I enquired about getting my 20,000km service done on my way back through, which was not a problem.
After the brief visit to Motorrad Patra I returned to Motoraid to discuss things to see in Albania and the route(s) to take with Giannis. Giannis and a couple of his mates had recently done the trip and the route and ideas were still very fresh in his memory. It was really interesting to talk to him about what he saw, where he went and what he recommended. Their trip was a quick one over a weekend from Patras so they packed a lot into the short time. It seems Albania should be a rather 'different' experience once I get there…..
Giannis mentioned a friend, Marios, who has a restaurant/cafe/bar (Mariba - Brahneika Beach) on the coast who wanted to meet me since he had heard about me from Giannis and he also works part of the year in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and wanted to know more about my motorbike travels.
I rode in the general direction of Mariba and before arriving I was intercepted along the road by Marios on his GS Adventure. I suppose I was easy to pick out wearing a helmet, jacket, gloves, jeans, boots unlike most other riders in Greece, oh, and of course the Abu Dhabi plates.
Marios and I outside his place with our bikes.
It was great to meet Marios and talk about bikes, travels, Abu Dhabi/Dubai and enjoy his hospitality - I think we would both still be there now trying to finish the massive plate of food.
I headed back to the hotel in the afternoon to get out of my excessive motorcycle gear and see what was around to be seen on the streets of Patras.
I found some interesting graffiti…
Of more significant interest is the Basilica of St. Andrew where St. Andrew's relics are said to be housed over the location of his martyrdom. St.Andrew's in Patras is the largest church in Greece and it certainly is impressive from outside (I chose not to enter since I was probably underdressed in thongs and shorts).
Basilica of St. Andrew
As I wandered further around the church to see the other side I realised I couldn't go any further since it was fenced off - the dogs also made it clear by barking and chasing me away...
Just before the dogs realised I was there and it was time to leave.
As I ventured through more streets of Patras and from the lower town (Kato Poli) to the upper town (Ano Poli) it was apparent that there had been some thought go in to laying out the city and its' streets. The town plan prepared and presented by Stamatis Voulgaris in 1829 had, and has resulted in (with and update in 1858), many significant squares and axial streets terminating in significant vistas.
I continued walking through the upper city where Psilalonia Square is located. Psilalonia Square is one of the major squares in Patras and is skirted by a large number and variety of bars, cafes, restaurants. Within the square are statues, play equipment and gardens. It is a very popular place to be in the evenings.
Psilalonia Square
I headed back to the hotel via the Roman Odeon, by that time the afternoon was drawing to a close and the Roman Odeon had been closed for a while, so a quick photo or two from outside the fence will suffice for the time being.
The Roman Odeon (from outside the fence)
After my recent muscle tension in Delphi the wonderful staff at Maison Grecque had arranged a massage for the end of the day. They didn't know too much about the place and didn't have any specific recommendations. The massage was relaxing and not quite the 'sports' massage I usually have. It was a good alternative.
The staff at Maison Grecque had also been very helpful with recommendations for places to eat and had recommended several at Psilalonia Square. I headed for the first suggestion and it seems that for some reason they were no longer serving meals - so I settled for a drink before I moved on for food.
On the way for food I snapped an axial sunset.
I found the next suggestion, Orient Express, which was a good spot to stop with good food, beers and people watching. I enjoyed dinner, researched on the iPad and occasionally talked to the staff when they weren't too busy.
There a lot of similarities across Greece with young people working hard in cafes/restaurants/bars from when they are old enough to start, throughout university studies and then after they have graduated. Many feel so helpless that there is no opportunities for them in their chosen professions in Greece so they must decide if they will stay in Greece to be close to family or move overseas to pursue their careers.
23rd May
Another relaxed start to the day in Patras - this could become a habit.
After sorting a few things in the hotel and getting myself organised I went out into Patras to see some more sights. It seems that on a Wednesday everything closes down early afternoon……so the place was very, very quiet.
Georgiou I Square - very, very, quiet
Since the streets were almost completely devoid of anyone else, including scooters and cars it was peaceful slowly walking around.
Georgiou I Square (slightly off axis)
With my slow pace and the quiet streets I noticed some interesting narrow buildings….
They are narrow buildings!
Around the corner from the narrow buildings I was soon upon the view of the magnificent Agios Nikolaos stairs linking the Kato Poli with the Ano Poli.
Agios Nikolaos Stairs
I walked up the stairs wondering how some of the buildings to the side gained access…..perhaps there is another street or lane tucked in behind there somewhere.
The stairs of Agios Nikolaos are a well known and recognised symbol of Patras and clearly demonstrate the definition of an an axial street.
The termination of the axis is the Varasova Mountains
From the top of the steps I was close to the base of the walls of the Patras Castle. I walked around the small neighbourhood streets at the base of the wall noticing their meticulously maintained and amazingly small capacity motor-scooters….
After the resprayed paint-job this 20cc beast must fly……?
After I rounded the top of the hill I managed to find the gate of Patras still open. I ventured inside and for a brief moment I though it was still open and possibly free too. From behind the small ticket office a couple of ladies appeared and dashed both hopes. It was closed and it would cost to enter when open - another day perhaps.
A view up to the Patras Castle.
After returning to Maison Grecque I set myself the task of making some progress updating this website. I worked while chatting to the staff and ultimately ended up with a few days of blog updates uploaded to the website and also added a RSS feed option (still don't know if the RSS works yet….?)
The staff were once again very helpful and recommended a small restaurant nearby the hotel and close to the Roman Odeon. Apenanti apo to Odeio served me a wonderful 'home-cooked' restaurant meal with perfectly acceptable house wine.
The meal was a good end to my stay in Patras.
During the day I noticed another ancestor.