Sightseeing in Athens - surprisingly limited. And the Acropolis museum is one long moan at us Brits for keeping the Elgin marbles.
Punting in Athens - I can see the positives in punting here. It’s cheap and there is a lot of provision in a very small geographical area. But the studio/walk up scene is a bit too down market for me. Back home, I like sharking around Warwick Avenue, Pimlico, Islington etc, tracking down my next punt. Here it’s hot, and the streets are decrepit and full of rubbish and drug addicts. I do like the ritual of a London punt – pre and post punt refreshments, for example – whereas Athens does feel distinctly third world. Greece is clearly still reeling from the financial crisis, and the bits of Athens where the punting action happens are at the bottom of a pretty crappy pile. Addicts injecting on every corner doesn’t exactly fill this punter with confidence. And I have learnt that queuing behind a Greek soldier to fuck a prostitute is not really my bag. This meant I did less budget shagging than I had planned.
Putting that to one side, these are my thoughts to add to the other recent UKP threads about this:
For sure, embrace the idea of walking away if you don’t like what is on offer. Consequently, you must be ready to physically pound the streets. I can imagine punting would be hellish in full summer sun – I was lucky that it rained on and off for my two days. The metro and bus system are pretty good, and very cheap, when you get the hang of them.
And be prepared for it to be busy. Several times I went to duck into a Studio, and someone got in directly in front of me. I even tried early morning, which was no better, tbh. Greek blokes clearly love PFP.
I didn't find it easy to pre-book at the budget end. I’m into slim, young girls, anything bigger or older just doesn’t do it for me, so pre-booking is helpful. A few websites will indicate very efficiently who is working in the studios at any one time, but you can’t seem to pre-book if you don’t speak Greek.
Everyone seemed very friendly. All the old dears and old blokes who seem to run the ‘front of house’. Very little English spoken.
Fylis street is quite an experience in the evening. The walk ups are very well lit, in pinky/blue light. Lots of blokes walking in and out of the rooms. Some police presence. You can see in some of them and can even catch a glimpse of the girls from the road. The way to do it is just walk in, assess what is on offer, and be ready to make a quick decision.
The Studios seem actually very similar to the walk ups, although I thought they were geared up for the longer punts. They have a web presence, I guess. I tried calling a couple on landlines to check who was working - no response to a Greek salutation and then a simple question in English, or just no response. No mobile numbers for WhatsApp that I could find.
I didn’t try Metaxourgeio walk ups as my reading prior suggested this is proper budget punting.
As for actual punts:
I decided to see this girl:
External Link/Members Only. I had to go back to the Studio a couple of times until she was free. I was buzzed into a big dark waiting area with sofas. Not a soul in it for what seemed like an age. Odd. Then two girls came out to meet me – the very busty Eva and a thinner Spanish/EE girl, who I ended up choosing. I was showed by the madam to another very dark room, where again I waited for an age. There was a shower but it was broken/taped closed. I regret not choosing Eva, as the Spanish girl was a bit of a dud. The punt cost me 30 euros – I was expecting to pay 50. With hindsight, I should have gone for both girls, which I was offered.
I did crack at one-point late evening after a lot of wandering about, and paid 120 euros to fuck this dirty old man’s dream:
External Link/Members Only She had those classic Ukrainian sex worker skills, and the body and looks to go with them. In a hotel south of the Acropolis. All arranged via Whatsap at very short notice with the agency – super helpful. I told her if she came to work in London, she would make a fortune.
Finally, I fucked a pretty young EE girl in Fylis 65 for 20 euros. Not a great experience – but at least I’ve done it.
I stayed near Omonia - good for Studios, and getting into the Metaxourgeio and Fylis walk up areas.
