May 6, 2008
After the spoilings of a first class lifestyle... it's not easy to return to the severly cramped spaces of economy... especially with a hearty number of greeks and turks... whew. Good thing my severe exhaustion was enough to knock me out, no matter the position, for the hour long flight from Instanbul to Athens.. hehehe....
I changed my few dollars, into what added up to be much less euros... ouch. But luckily, the man took my passport without question and let me pass... (I don't know why this always makes me nervous? Too many movies, I guess)... surprisingly, my back pack was among the first out. I throw it on my back and with a facade of "I know what I'm doing"... follow the other greeks out the exit. Now what? Hmmmm, I'm about 30 miles from the center of Athens... maybe I'll take a taxi? Sure. Oh, about 100 people waiting in line. That's a sign... it's just not adventurous enough. Ok. I know a metro line starts from the airport and goes into Athens... Ok, Dez, that's sounds exciting and confusing enough to suit you. ... follow signs with the little train on it... The entrance is in the building across from the airport exit. I enter a little shop and buy a Lonely Planet guide to Athens (gotta have something, I'm blind here!!!)... I buy my little ticket at the counter for 8 euro and validate it at the little machine that stares at me in the entrance...I go down the stairs and board the train. It was nice, reminded me of the regional trains in Tuscany, Italy. .... It leaves at 1930... the sun is setting, and the surrounding area is beautiful, rolling hills, the slight view of ocean in the distance, tall green trees... yet soon, we reach Athens. The nice train is now a full blown metro, and I'm cramped with local grecians trying to get home... I feel awkward, trying to quickly learn the Greek alphabet so I don't miss my stop. I throw my heavy pack on my back, almost knocking out a few people, and push my way out. Omonia. That's the name of the area I'm staying in... reminds me of ammonia... and fitting, since it's not the best of areas, and a bit shady... but not dangerous. I make it in at 2100.
Good thing in Greece, they start eating dinner at 10pm. Perfect. I'll take a shower, nap, and go get some food. The nice gentlemen at the counter expect my return for suggestions... but I never come. I passed out for 10 hours, all my clothes on, no shower, and the light on. This morning it hit me, It'd been 5 days since I'd truly slept, and months since I'd been alone in a clean room, with it's OWN BATHROOM , and not a single soul in the world to bother me. MONTHS! Yep, I ate breakfast downstairs, and returned to that nice clean bed... where I remained until late afternoon, when I finally decided to step outside onto the streets of Athens and begin exploring her. It was a beautiful thing.
>>>Dez