The end of Italy the begining of crazy Greece

Ancona was not super exciting.  I did a lot of walking.  Luckily I had booked a hostel before I got on the train, and it was very close to the train station.  Now this area was not very safe at night, or maybe more like I did not feel safe.  I came in during the day, so I found a grocery store and then got some delicious pork bread and headed back to the hostel to have a light dinner and do internet.  Later that night I went out of the hostel to find a beer and went right back in, not much was open in my area anyway. 

In the morning I went to book my ticket on the ferry.  Finding the terminal was an interesting trip.  It really is only accessible to cars and buses.  I walked on some roads without sidewalks around and around, seeing the terminal but having no idea how to get inside.  It didn’t help that my map didn’t indicate where it was on my phone, and no one knew what I was talking about when I asked for directions.  I should learn Italian; I bet it would be easy after already knowing Spanish.  Eventually I found my way in and booked my ticket.  With my EU Rail Pass it was only 22 Euros.  Those passes are amazing.  The lady said I could upgrade to a room after I got on the Ferry, right now I was in the “air seats”.  I had four hours to kill before the ferry arrived, so I went for a nice walk.  Looking at the port was not the most beautiful thing in the world, but I saw some interesting things on the south side of town, so I walked that way.  I found a castle and old church and numerous ruins.

Ancona

Once on the ferry I just relaxed and read a book until I could upgrade my room.  This cost about 90 Euros, but the ferry ride was 22 hours, or something similar to that so a room was on my to do list.  I just can’t sleep in chairs.  I’m sure some of you have seen me delirious after my 28-36 hour trip between Korea and the US.  This is because I am incapable of sleeping on planes, which I suspect is because I am in a seated position.  Some of the other passengers had brought blankets and made a bed for themselves on the floor in the air seat room, or even in the lounge on the couches there.  Smart people, but I didn’t have a blanket. 

from Italy to Greece

After I got myself situated I went to the bar on the deck to watch the sunset, read a book and had a glass of wine.  On the deck I met Ralf and Mike, German truck drivers.  Ralf’s English was great, and he wanted to know what book I was reading.  We chatted for a little while about different books and what he did.  He said it was pleasant to talk to someone in English; he hadn’t done it in years.  Mike listened and talked a little bit, but his English was not so good.  When he spoke it was interrupted by quite a few swear words, while he was thinking of the English word.  Later that night I just started speaking to him in Spanish and he spoke in Italian, we understood more of each other that way than in English.  Mike and Ralf were nice enough to let me use their discount card for breakfast and at the bar.  Because they are truck drivers they get 50% off of most things on the ferry.  This was good, because the ferry was quite expensive.  The next day I had lunch without the boys, they were sleeping, and lunch cost 18 Euros.  That was for over cooked chicken and potatoes and a glass of wine.  But they do have a captive audience.  Where are you going to get your food if you don’t eat there?

I got into Patras and had a taxi driver drop me off at an affordable hotel.  Unfortunately the buses only run every once in a while, so a taxi into town is the best options and pretty cheap too.  We found a nice one right near town. I settled in and then took a walk.  There was a walking street just behind the hotel and it was full!  Full of people, coffee shops, bars and random stores.  It was nice to see everyone having a good time and socializing.  While I was the walking street I had this interesting food.  It was like a gyro, but it had French fries, felafel, spicy yogurt sauce…. It was a bit too heavy for me.  I think it might have been a type of Kebab.  I don't rememeber them being like that in the states.  But this is Greece, it must be authentic!  I had a Greek beer too and people watched for a little while before heading back to my hotel. 

At the hotel I was getting all my stuff together for Athens when I heard chanting outside my hotel.  I looked online to see if there was any holiday today and sure enough it was Remembrance Day for the 1973 anti-dictatorship uprising.  I thought it might be an interesting cultural experience so I headed outside.  

 That was a bad idea.  

 People were marching with banners and chanting.  This seemed harmless, but when you got to the tail end of the parade more and more people were wearing bananas over their mouths and carrying rocks and boards.  Some people even were wearing motorcycle helmets and gas masks.  I tried to take a picture, but I was told not to.   Behind the parade a police line was following them.  They were in full uniform, gas masks, helmets, armor, riot shields.  It was quite scary.  When I saw the police I headed back to the hotel as fast as possible.  I went online to do some more research on Remembrance Day and found that often there are violent riots every year.  

The next day everyone had calmed down, and the news said everything went well this year.  No injuries and no major problems through out the country.  I went for a walk before heading out to Athens and found some beautiful churches.  I just can’t believe how golden and colorful they are here.  I also found a castle, but it was closed for maintenance.  Just my luck.  One of the main churches in Patras was very busy that morning and was having a service.  It looked like many of the college kids that had been out and about during the riots were now attending service.  I stayed inside for a few minutes before ducking back outside.

Patras

Then I headed to Athens, a two and half hour bus ride.  I had the front seat, so a view and less motion sickness than usual.  In Athens the bus terminal is outside the city.  So I had to take another bus inside and get off.  I found a nice hotel next to the best western.  This hotel was owned by an elderly gentleman, who took good care of me.   He was so sweet.  He only knew about three English words, but wanted to make sure I was comfortable.   The hotel was obviously old.  It had a spiral staircase, high ceilings and original doors and windows.  Just beautiful.  I really like staying in places that have a bit of history. 

Acropolis, everyone goes here when visiting Athens.  I was in awe.  I still can’t wrap my head around how old everything is.  I saw the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the temple of Athena and the Erechtheion.  There is also the view to consider, and because I visited during the off season there were not many people.  There was one group of school students and maybe ten tourists.  Of course there are many other things attached to Acropolis.  Nearby is the Temple of Zeus, I believe it was the largest temple ever made.  Also there were tons of ruins  of the old structures of the city everywhere. This site is so old, it is said that people were living on it in the Neolithic Era, and then the Greeks started building temples in the 6^th century BC.  I still can’t wrap my head around it.

 After hours of walking I went to the market.  This is open air, and they sell everything.  It seemed like there were a lot of antiques and touristy stuff.  Thats where I bought my handmade shoes.  I spent way too much money, but I justified it by telling myself I only ever buy things when I’m in love with them.  And let me tell you, I was in love. 

That night I knew I had to get up early so I stayed in close and found a nice restaurant that also served gyros.  When I was ordering the owner started chatting with me.  He spoke fluent English and had been to New York City often.  He had family there and even knew where Syracuse was.  It was nice to talk to him about everything under the sun.  He was very knowledgeable about politics and history, but I think we talked mostly about his kids and what they were doing.  He was sad he didn’t get to see them all that often, because he has a restaurant in Athens and they lived out in the country.  I got his contact information, so when I come back I can shoot him a message and see if he still has that lovely restaurant. 

I can’t wait to go back and visit more of Greece.  Just having two days was not enough.  I want to see the coastal towns and explore some more.