“Travels to a Different Time” : 9August2000: Epidavros, Greece: On the Flying Dolphin: Partying Until 2 a.m.

Woke up early and left Hotel Stanley in Athens to Piraeus to catch the hydrofoil Flying Dolphin to Epidavros. A very raunchy and decrepit taxi driver ripped me off “accidentally” taking me to the wrong dock. Finally reached the right dock and cursed the crook just making the boat. The boat is more like a passenger train or airplane so different than the many boat trips I have taken in Greece. I thought the Flying Dolphin would skim over the waves but it was like a fast boat. You still feel the swells but far less than in a traditional ship. It is a quarter of the time a bus from Athens would have taken. The trip was about 90 minutes. Arrived and checked into a tiny room at the Hotel Christina with a great view of the harbour. The shower is extremely low pressure! Walked to the ancient amphitheatre with such fantastic acoustics no speakers are required. Epidavros is a small town of about 2,000 people with a good natural harbour surrounded by hills. For such a small town it has so many hotels and restaurants that cater to the many Athenians that come here to holiday or watch ancient Greek plays in the ancient outdoor theatre. The local beach pales in comparison to the beaches of Samos. But a swim is better than no swim. Ate at a local unpretentious restaurant at the edge of town far removed from the touristic centre of town. The grilled chicken was excellent and the wine served in tin cups was the best in Greece so far. In no time a group started sitting all around me to the point there were some 25 people with a few Greeks and mostly German tourists including a retired theology professor and a very soused German olive grower. Summer is a big socialization time for Greeks so they often stay out late drinking wine and eating mezze which are little plates of this and that including very popular fried eggplant. It was 2 a.m. and time to leave before you knew it. In fact the vast array of mezze is more like a cumulative dinner. Most Greeks will have a large lunch and a light supper.