For much of that time, I shared a very small apartment with a shipmate (Hack, I'm lookin' at you, buddy) in the local town, called Elefsina by the locals. It's listed on maps as either Eleusis or Elefsis, depending on the mapmaker.
So on this little block of Koufoumzoglou Street ("Odós Koufoúzoglou"), there was this little two-story building. There were two ground-floor units, and the landlady lived above it. The apartment had an entry hall, with a small front room, a smaller kitchen, and a bath at the rear. The principal material was marble: floors, baseboards, counters, and the entire bathtub were made of the stuff.
It was mined locally, of course, and didn't cost much. We paid very little rent, as the U.S. dollar was quite strong then.
It was about a 10-or 15-minute walk from the waterfront, where the destroyer squadron was tied up at a concrete pier.
We lived simply, on the cheap, on our enlisted men's salaries (about $240/month, if memory serves). But it was fun. And there were no P.A. announcements, lights flashing on and off, or roving patrols with flashlights in our eyes.
The landlady occasionally baked baklava and would bring a small dish of it to us on a summer evening. There was a farmer's market on the far side of the open field across the street, and a small market, perhaps 15' x 20', on the corner. We bought eggs, bread, milk, and Pepsi there. A two-liter bottle of Pepsi was $.18, American. Like I said, the dollar was strong.
It was a good place to escape the noise and bustle of the pier and its nearest neighbor, a cement factory.
Did it have any downsides? Yes, of course. It had electricity and running water, but no heat. We used a 1500-watt space heater in the front room, and had a lot of blankets.
I wouldn't mind seeing prices like that, again.
10 comments:
Aw, the gold ole days. When I started driving in Texas gasoline was $0.25 a gallon.
Living on the economy is far preferable to barracks life.
Sue, I recall paying $.25/gallon ... once, in southwest Missouri, during a price war.
Ed, our choice was on the ship, or the apartment. Didn't have barracks.
We Combat Engineers spent about 50% of our time in the field. Home was a 40 man tent with two diesel fueled stoves about 30" in diameter and about 36" high. German winters got cold enough we had to mix some gasoline in the diesel to keep the diesel from gelling. I don't look back at those days with fondness.
Understood, sir. We were a tad farther south.
I remember $.25 a gallon when I was growing up.
Sounds like fun times, even in the cold, Reverend. :)
It wasn’t often cold, Linda but even cool weather was amplified by all the marble. On the bright side, that marble kept the place cooler in the summer, too. This IS the Mediterranean we’re talking about. 😉
Ahhhh....Navy Daze! Kinda sounds like my first little apartment. One big room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
Cheapest I remember gas being was .35/gallon. I always bought premium, so I imagine regular was a dime cheaper.
Reverend, it honestly sounds like heaven (Except for the lack of heat. That, I need).
I have had home made baklava at Greek Food Festivals. So delicious!
Drjim, your place does sound like ours. Life was a lot simpler, then.
TB, there’s a reason why the Med is such a popular destination. :)
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