Yesterday, while on the Metro from the airport to Athens city center, I found out from our friend’s Facebook comment that all the ruins and attractions in Greece had been closed. We checked online. Indeed, while we were on the plane the Greek government had ordered shops, bars, restaurants, and tourist attractions to close until the end of March due to Coronavirus. That’s fine by us because we planned to avoid crowded places anyway. Supermarkets and pharmacies remain open. There were quite a few people wearing masks, and observing social distancing on the trains and on the quiet streets.
This shows only a small part of Athens which is a big city.
Quiet streets.
We were only going to stay in Athens for one night before catching an early train to visit Meteora for a week. Just hours before we boarded the plane, our Airbnb host informed us that shops and restaurants in the Meteora area were closing one by one. That was before the government’s order. We made the reservation about a year ago in April 2019, and have now rescheduled it for seven months out. The huge rock pillars of Meteora were formed about 60 million years ago, and the monasteries were built in the 1300s, so we’re quite confident that they will still be there whenever we get a chance to visit.
At the very end of the street, you can see the Acropolis up on the hill, if you squint.
View from the hotel room balcony. The streets are quiet.
In April 2019, we also made a month-long reservation for an apartment in Athens. We were hoping to move in right away when Meteora was canceled but it isn’t available. So, we’ll stay at a hotel for the first three nights.
Cut the red ribbon
The Brown Acropol Hotel has just been renovated for a grand reopening this month. I’m sure Coronavirus is horrible news for the owners. The young lady at the front desk is extremely lovely and pleasant. Kenric asked if there are many other guests. She said we are the first. The first guests ever. The only other people staying here are a few managers. I told her I feel like we should cut some red ribbons. Her laugh was beautiful.
That’s our lovely front desk young lady giving a big smile.
Hotel Brown Acropol
Hotel Brown Acropol
The nearby grocery store was well stocked with no sign of panic. We bought water, wine, and bread, and later some apples from a roadside vendor. We bought pastries from small cafe that normally only does takeout. Actually, regular restaurants are still allowed to open for takeouts although we didn’t see any of that in this neighborhood.
Feels special that we are the first people to use this bathroom.
Hotel minibar.
Tonight, we got takeout from a souvlaki place across the street from the hotel. The food was delicious. The people were very happy to see us. This neighborhood has a lot of refugees, so we are glad there are still food places open for them (and us) to get food.
The guy in the white T-shirt recommended the Mixed Plate for Two. It was delicious.
Mixed Plate for Two from the souvlaki place.
Map of Places Visited
Hotel Brown Acropol
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Hotel Brown Acropol37.983631, 23.727292Hotel Brown Acropol
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