We got showered and ready to go by 10. We met 3 girls staying there as well: Nicole, Amy and Gina (NAG) and went to Fun Pub for a few beers, watch pool and play a stressful game of Jenga.
Laura and I split a chicken gyro for 2.50 (holler!) so we were feeling full and then went to Stella's for a millasec then went to Flames. It sucked but they were playing American music and we were greeted with shots (tequila...yuck) que asco. Laura and Jackie dipped and I should've too because of O'Clarkie (Charlie, Dingle Prick...) club promoter actually undid my bra right in the middle of the freakin' bar! I ran out of there completely freaked out and found my way safely back to the hostel.
Foggy...got up ready to start the day around 10. Ben was chatting away and met a Cali guy working on cruise ships, Phillip. We talked about crazy nights in Ios and the people that came to visit and Ben was especially fond of his "feral" stories too disgusting to mention.
Completely over the conversation we set off for one last day on the beach and took many, many shortcuts and followed a dog (appropriately named Andy...courtesy of Jackie) who led us astray and then dying of dehydration stopped at a little restaurant.
Completely over the conversation we set off for one last day on the beach and took many, many shortcuts and followed a dog (appropriately named Andy...courtesy of Jackie) who led us astray and then dying of dehydration stopped at a little restaurant.
Its not cool at all to sing, "I'm on a boat" because being on a boat makes me want to vomit. Its only cool if its your boat, and your boat is a yacht and T-Pain is on your boat. Then you know you've made it.
After our meals we left for the beach and FINALLY found the "shortcut" (never take anything "short" in Europe) and took a steep hill to the bottom. We literally laid out for 20 minutes because the wind was throwing around weird sea wood and we decided to throw in the proverbial towel. The walk back was a little horrifying seeing as my legs were still on fire from the climb back to Fira and the volcano trek and now now I was hungover. So slow and steady wins the race and we began our trek back up to Ios. Once we got in we noticed that like the Spaniards they like their siestas so it was a ghost town except for the one restaurant in the center.
We decided to go back to the hostel to enjoy the view once more, relax a little and read up on Athens. Ben started chatting us up again about feral stories and we met a couple more backpackers. Ben tried to convince us to stay one more night but we were eager to experience Athens (oops, our bad). Ugh.
So we got on a bigger version of the Flying Cat and as soon as I decided to change out of beach wear of course were shifting around the ocean and I think I may pass out...standing up in the bathroom changing.
I like that the Greeks respect films in their original language and we got to see a bit of Erin Brokovich on the way into Piraeus. Around 10:30 we landed and we had directions how to get to the hostel. Easy. Or so we though. Tightly gripping our bags on the street we set ouf for the metro. Quite interesting there. You either pay the 1 euro or risk getting caught not paying and being charged 60 times the ticket. Its so easy to sneak through because at some stops you don't need to scan your ticket for entry.
It turned out that random stops on our line were closed so we got herded around like sheep from one bus to another to another metro until we finally arrived at Victoria Station. Laura and I wanted to make sure we were at someplace cheap but not by prostitutes and drugs. At midnight its unavoidable in Athens or broad daylight for that matter really.
The Victoria Square had great restaurants still open (lucky us because it was feeding time) and then an open square of the creepiest immigrants you have ever laid your eyes on..hissing at you saying shit in their foreign creepy voices. Hold on, let me drop my pants right now for you.
We ran to the hostel, dropped off our stuff and booked it back to a restaurant for dinner (we truly are on Spanish time) and then returned around 1 AM and passed out.
At 8 we welcomed the day, hopped on the metro to the Acropolis and instead of paying for anything historic we used our NIE's to get us in for free (I will be milking the student discounts for as long as I can pull it off). The Acropolis was cool and every historic site had some story but most were just a pile of rubble where something great once stood. The Greeks had no idea that their great civilization would ever come to an end, be filled with transients selling table cloths, plastic tomatoes that if you throw on the ground give a smashed effect or Japanese parasols (we need to get those guys better inventory, or they will never sell anything!) or dogs looking dead just lying in random parts of the city (and I mean...EVERYWHERE). Everything historic closed by 2:30 so we got a quick bite then went through the Athens Flea Market which housed a lot of camo and gun stuff (are Athenians packing a lot of heat?!)
Walking away in search of an H&M or Zara we clearly walked the forbidden route. There was the meat district which was 1.5 miles long filled with very dead animals and their completely gutted with their parts getting butchered after already being butchered. Laura and I ran out..the smell and scenery was....... feral. Next door was the fish market and well, you can forget about that...then we rounded the corner and people were selling random crap like bathroom mats, neon workers jackets, batteries, more rubber tomatoes and Jackie all of a sudden had a stage 2 emergency so we ran into Goody's. Baddy for us.
Never in my life would I have expected such a disgusting restroom. Men and women were sharing the bathroom and a shim was smoking a cigarette and then stood with her feet facing the toilet and then I decided I would wait outside.
We checked out a pet store - all the cases were open...pigeons were for sale. walked down the street a bit more - witnessed a drug deal, got hissed at a bit more and then we all agreed Athens sucked. We didn't stay out much longer and by 6 we were back in our hostel praying we'd be back in Spain soon. At 9 we wandered out to our same spot in the cutre square, got dinner and the waiters literally blocked off the guys that come to your table interrupting your meal to sell you crap.
These guys had better inventory than the ones with the rubber balls and parasols - Mr. Bean lighters, bootleg movies and cologne. We were reserving our last change for ice cream for the walk back.
The next morning we hauled ourselves to the Larissa train station and got on the train bound for the airport, or so we thought I think if you don't speak English you are screwed. Jackie pointed out an airport sign in the other direction and started to panic when multiple people were now saying that we were going the other way and that at the next stop the train only comes every hour. We jumped out and the train luckily came within 15 minutes and then jumped on the train bound for the airport (OK...the guy we purchased our tickets from neglected to tell us you have to go backward to only go forward. That makes so much sense!) and by 12:30 we were at the busy airport. I paid 6 euros for a pizza (slice) with no cheese on it at Sbarro (outrageous). Can't wait to be back in Spain. I realize that after every trip I can't wait to be back in Spain because of how cheap everything is.
I'm also glad I got the Ave train back to Cordoba because I'm sure I would've wanted to kill myself if we had to take the 1 AM bus in.
Home sweet home.
What an adventure!
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