Matt doesn’t get mentioned often on the blog as he is always traveling for work - and about the only thing he gets to see is his office, hotel room, or restaurant for the evening – so we thought he should write a little more about one of those experiences.
Before my European stint ended, I had the opportunity to visit the last remaining country where First Data has major operations in Europe…Athens, Greece. Our actual offices are on the outskirts of Athens, but our hotel was in Athens. I had been reluctant to want to go to Greece for work or pleasure, but was pleasantly surprised on both fronts after being there. Our hotel wasn’t directly in the city centre, but was quite close so we were able to go in each night for dinner. Our first night, we arrived late from London, and ventured out to find a Greek diner that was still serving dinner. I had always heard that Greeks eat quite late, but evidently not on Sundays (other days it was true). We found a lovely diner tucked back off one of the streets, and took the Chefs’ recommendation for a mixed grill platter. Even by American standards, it was a lot to eat, so we ended up wobbling back to the hotel after eating some chicken, sausage, pork chops, hot dogs, and salad. Oh yeah, and the Alpha beer wasn’t too bad either. I had not previously liked Greek salads (b/c of the Feta cheese), but really enjoyed them in Athens as it is pretty typical at dinner. Later during the week, I had the opportunity to eat at two different restaurants overlooking the ‘lit up’ Acropolis. At one of the restaurants (The Filistron in Thissio), we were sharing the main room with a birthday party group and they had a small live singing band, so we got a taste of live Greek music. I got some good pictures at the other restaurant which had better views of the Acropolis, but unfortunately, they didn’t turn out. I just have to say that each night we had something wonderful for dinner; it was very tasty food, well prepared, and lots to eat. And the scenery was excellent!
Before my European stint ended, I had the opportunity to visit the last remaining country where First Data has major operations in Europe…Athens, Greece. Our actual offices are on the outskirts of Athens, but our hotel was in Athens. I had been reluctant to want to go to Greece for work or pleasure, but was pleasantly surprised on both fronts after being there. Our hotel wasn’t directly in the city centre, but was quite close so we were able to go in each night for dinner. Our first night, we arrived late from London, and ventured out to find a Greek diner that was still serving dinner. I had always heard that Greeks eat quite late, but evidently not on Sundays (other days it was true). We found a lovely diner tucked back off one of the streets, and took the Chefs’ recommendation for a mixed grill platter. Even by American standards, it was a lot to eat, so we ended up wobbling back to the hotel after eating some chicken, sausage, pork chops, hot dogs, and salad. Oh yeah, and the Alpha beer wasn’t too bad either. I had not previously liked Greek salads (b/c of the Feta cheese), but really enjoyed them in Athens as it is pretty typical at dinner. Later during the week, I had the opportunity to eat at two different restaurants overlooking the ‘lit up’ Acropolis. At one of the restaurants (The Filistron in Thissio), we were sharing the main room with a birthday party group and they had a small live singing band, so we got a taste of live Greek music. I got some good pictures at the other restaurant which had better views of the Acropolis, but unfortunately, they didn’t turn out. I just have to say that each night we had something wonderful for dinner; it was very tasty food, well prepared, and lots to eat. And the scenery was excellent!
The Filistron
Acropolis at nightOn the business front, our offices in Greece do a lot of printing for various clients. They print anything from credit card statements to electricity statements to gambling tickets. Yes, gambling tickets!!! I think that is the only place in Europe (and the US probably) that we print gambling tickets. It was neat to see. We also got to see some of the up and coming custom credit card statements they were printing where you have targeted advertisements on each statement based on user aspects. Being in accounting, you don’t typically get to see the operational areas, so it was a unique experience getting to see it up close and personal. Thanks to Errikos for the time he took to take us on the tour! And thanks to everyone in the office there for the wonderful hospitality!!
Also, for some of you that don’t know, I used to cook in a Greek/Italian restaurant when I was in high school. The restaurant was partially owned by a Greek family and so I had been exposed to Greek customs a long time ago. It was really interesting to see the resemblance of various things that I saw in them during my visit to Athens. I will just say this - a Greek is a Greek is a Greek. It’s all good though!!!
Oh, and in case it sounds like all I did was eat, that is correct. We were working long days getting a project done, so we didn’t have time for anything else. I had a wonderful time in Greece and hope to go back and take Amber with me. I hear the islands are also wonderful to visit, so something additional to go back for.
Matt
