It's all Greek to me

• Beth's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Athens

Trip Start May 31, 2005 Previous
Entry Trip End Dec 25, 2005 Next
Entry

  Athens, Greece
Thursday, July 14, 2005

I finally left Sicily (thanks again Christina and Marco for a time that was just fabulous) and made the long journey to Greece. I left Sicily at 10am and arrived in Athens the next day at 6pm. It was quite a long trip. The ferry from Bari, Italy on the eastern side of Italy to Patra, Greece was 15 and a half hours. I didn't even have a real seat, just a 'deck' chair which literally just gave me a place on the boat, not even a seat. There were tons of other kids with backpacks, but strangely enough they were all in groups. I didn't see a single other person traveling alone. I did manage to get a seat inside that sort of reclined so I did manage to get some sleep. Once I docked in Patras I took a bus to Athens (it was faster than a train) but the bus station is outside the city center so I had to take a local bus into the city then walk about 15 minutes to my hostel. It was funny to look around and see groups of backpackers completely confused as to how to get where they wanted. I wonder what it was like before the Olympics when they supposedly made the city easier for tourists to get around. I teamed up with a couple who took a year off work a couple years ago to travel the world and they were full of stories. Once I found my hostel the reception person yelled at me for some misunderstanding, so finally there was a 'problem' on my trip. Although later that night in my room talking to other people I found out she yells at everyone.

I must have been in a daze for a little bit though, because I looked at a bunch of Greek signs and thought there was no way I was going to figure out Greek.

Parthenon

It was a good three hours before I remembered the Greek societies in college and soon I was 'reading' greek pretty well. I've been eating $1.50 gyros which are delicious but I do miss all the pasta I was eating in Sicily.

This morning I got up early, checked out of my hostel, and threw my bag into a locker at the metro. I went up to the Acropolis and saw the Partheon, Nike Temple, and Caryatids. It was amazing to realize how old the building were. There was a bunch of restoration going on, but you could still see the buildings. Also from the top you got a great view of the city. I had no idea Athens was so huge. All around the Acropolis for almost as far as you can see in all directions you see building and houses. I have one piece of advice for those who come to Athens - go to the Acropolis early. I got there 15 minutes after it opened and it was like Beth and the Acropolis. By the time I left, every since tour group in Athens must have been up there. Also it was nice and cool in the morning.

I also went to the National Archaeological Museum in the city. It had lots of artifacts from excavations thousands and thousands of years ago. The whole time in there I was thinking about 'Antiques Roadshow' and how the stuff on there is so new compared to the stuff in the museum.

I must not have minded the overnight ferry too much because I'm going on another one tonight to the island of Santorini to see what all the fuss is about the Greek Islands. Sun, sand, volcanoes, beaches .... I think I have a hunch.

Things are still going great. I feel like traveling is my job now, and I never look at the clock to see when I can go home!

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Sunset over the city	Temole of Zeus	The Acropolis	The picture on most postcards

Slideshow Print this entry Share Athens hotels

Previous Entry Next Entry