Back in England - looking back at Greece

I arrived back in England on 3 August.  Some impressions of Greece.

I have never before been to Greece in July or August.  Most of my recent visits have been between February and May, and between September and November.  As Greece nearer midsummer became busier, I arranged my visits more and more out of season.  I like Greece when it is quieter.  I had been avoiding Greece in midsummer.  This year I had an opportuinity for a longer than usual break, but only in July  / August. 

I had heard and read about accommodation being fully booked in peak season, and people sleeping in the streets and on beaches (or was it that some visitors were not prepared to pay mid-season prices for accommodation?).  And about people queuing for a table at a taverna.

I visited Athens and one larger island (Naxos), but spent most of the time on Amorgos. 

Generally there were fewer people on Amorgos than I expected, fewer than I have seen in May.  But when I was in port when ferries were due, I was amazed at the number of people around.  At ferry time the harbour seemed as busy as at ferry times around Easter.  So perhaps many people were staying with friends and family, and did not often venture out.  One Saturday afternoon, when the Big Blue Star 1 or 2 was heading back to Piraeus, there were 100s of people arriving and departing.  The Superjet came in at the same time, adding to the crowds.  On one side of the ferry cars were parked five deep waiting to depart, and there were more cars parked on the other side of the ferry.

Some ferries were full - filling up at Naxos or Paros.  And the Superjet, that called in at Katapola every day, was full on the date I wanted a ticket for.  So even though tourist numbers may be down, you cannot rely on getting a place on the vessel you want.

In Chora on Amorgos, I expected to see Chora congested with tourists, but I saw far fewer tourists than I expected.  Perhaps many more people head for the beaches in midsummer, leaving the villages emptier of tourists than they are in the spring and autumn.

But apart from ferry times there were fewer visitors to be seen than I expected.  There were more room "touts" lined up to meet ferries than I had seen before, so there was plenty of accommodation available.  In the evenings some tavernas were busier than others, but there were always tables available.  In Katapola the road by the port was closed to traffic in the evenings, so taverna tables were spread out into the roadway when needed.

Calling in at Koufonissi on the way to Naxos, I noticed large numbers of people getting on and off the Artemis.

I only spent two nights in Naxos, but there were fewer tourists in the town than I have seen in May.  There was usually a free table on the balcony of my favourite taverna.  In May it is usually much harder to get a balcony table.

I booked a hotel in Athens using Booking.com.  There were rooms available in all my favourite hotels - sometimes in low season there are no free rooms.  I stayed in Athens last Tuesday night.  The taxi strike was then on.  The taxi strike ended on Thursday - I checked Booking.com then - far fewer rooms were avaiable.  So I guess the lack of taxis was deterring people from goint to Athens.

In recent years I had been lazy and got a taxi from the hotel to the airport.  the taxi strike gave me an opportunity to see how good the Athens bus service is.  There were buses every 8-10 minutes from Synatagma Square to the airport, And the journey took about an hour, perhaps a bit less.  As soon as one bus pulled away at Synatgma, there was another waiting to take its place.

The protestors left` Synagma befroe I arrived.  The only "trouble" I noticed in Athens was from the bus to the airport.  The taxi strike was still on, but the ofdd taxi driver had gone back to work.  Near Syntagma I saw a chap carrying a large cardboard poster standing in the road waving the poster.  He was waving at a taxi, the first taxi I had seen.  No violence, just a placard being waved.  I saw a few more distinctive yellow taxis cars on the way to the airport.  One had "Radio Car" written on the rear windscreen.  None of the others yellow cars had the roof top "taxi" sign.