Day 3 Kalamata

Of course the night before I had to checkout I had bad insomnia.  I woke up at 3am in a panic and I couldn't fall back asleep til 7am!  My mind wouldn't let me rest.  I started to get nervous because I was going to take a bus out to Kalamata.  A million thoughts rushed to my head.  Luckily I got up in time to catch my free breakfast at the restaurant.  I drank my coffee so I could be focused on packing my things.  I seriously need to stop shopping.  I'm having a hard time closing my luggage!  Regardless, I got my 2nd wind once I got out of the shower.  Time to be on full alert because I was going in unknown territory.

Don't get me wrong.  So far Athens was great to me and that's what I think my problem is.  Because of how my mind works, I worried that I was going to have a bad experience at the bus station.  Since I was messaging my friend from Italy and Simon at the same time, I calmed down a bit.  Simon assured me that the bus station had free wifi, and thank god he was right.  The hotel ordered a cab for me and off I went.  Of course, the cab driver didn't speak a lick of English.  It's terrifying trusting someone you can't speak to drive you somewhere.  We tried to exchange some words, and that's when I got a good vibe from him.  I assumed he was asking me where was I going, and I answered Kalamata.  His eyes lit up.  He was the 2nd person who did that to me so far.  The 1st guy was a man working at a souvenir shop.  He told me most tourists would not head that way but he also reassured me that it was beautiful.  So far so good.

I walked into the station and found the ticket booth for Kalamata.  I walked up to the guy and paid for a return ticket fee.  That ticket was good for 3 months.  Not bad for 40 €.  The ticket man circled the station where my bus was going to pull into.  Station 30-31 was where I was suppose to go.  Luckily a priest walked up behind me and asked for a ticket to Kalamata also.  I knew to follow him since he was going to where I was heading.  

Our bus was not there yet and we both sat by our stations.  There were gypsies everywhere trying to sell us pens(?) and wouldn't leave people alone.  I was very nervous.  The bus station did have wifi and I kept messaging my friend in Italy.  She warned me that gypsies usually work in packs and to watch my belongings.  I never saw any staff walking around.  No assistants anywhere.  Again I'm assuming most tourists don't travel via bus and usually head to the port to visit the islands. 

I asked a mother and daughter if this was the bus to Kalamata and the girl replied back yes.  She seemed young, like a teenager.  Her English was broken but at least she understood me.  

A man helped me find my seat on the bus and off we went.  Luckily no one sat next to me but there was a shady character that did managed to get on the bus.  He had no luggage and was very skinny and dirty.  I think he was homeless.  He wouldn't leave these two guys alone.  Even though they spoke Greek, I think he kept asking them where this bus was heading to.  He had some screws loose.  In the end it turned out to be more of a joke with people laughing at him.  I just continued watching the show.  The bus driver intervened when he started coming up to him and disrupting the ride.  This bus was an express and was not stopping anywhere but Kalamata.   

I did managed to knock out during the 3 hour bus ride.  As we pulled in I saw my friend waiting for me.  I was relieved.  I made it to Kalamata!

I use to work for Simon.  I've known him since I was 16 years old.  We worked together at a parking company and he was my boss.  He eventually moved back to Kalamata back in 2009.  He drove me around and was excited to show me his city.  But first, let's eat!

Kalamata!

He took me to the coastal side of town and we went to a friend's restaurant to have lunch.  Again, since I was arriving late in the afternoon, it wasn't the ideal time to eat.  We had the restaurant to ourselves.  Staff were in the midst of changing shifts.  It was a good time for us to catch up to where we were in our lives.  The last time I ran into Simon was back in Chicago at the Iguana Café with my ex.  So much has happened since then.  I ordered lamb for lunch and it came with a side order of fries.  I wasn't aware that Greeks love fries.



Catching up at lunch...

I was craving meat so I ordered lamb. 

Afterwards, we took another drive around the city before we settled back at his place.  There was a big soccer game in the evening and we decided to sneak in a siesta.  I finally took a shower as well.  That bus ride had no air conditioning!
Kalamata is very humid because of the sea, more so than Athens!  Although my friend Simon does not smoke, smoking among Greeks is everywhere.  I suspect that 70% of Greeks smoke. 
We made our way to a café along the beach to watch the game.  I was still pretty full from lunch so I passed on dinner.  The café was packed of men, and I was the only woman present.  It threw me off but Simon reassured me that most women just aren't into soccer.  Women do socialize but would rather be at another type of bar that would cater to their needs.

I have to admit, I was a little intimidated being in a room full of men who looked so serious, but this soccer game was a BIG deal!

The game was intense.  The Olympiacos defeated Portugal's Arouca 2-1.  I enjoyed watching the crowd's reaction to the game.  I felt I had witnessed a huge passion of theirs.  Afterwards we took a ride up to a Kastraki, a castle-built restaurant and lounge that overlooks the city and sea.  The view is amazing!  We continued to have drinks but then I was tempted to try the infamous Greek yogurt.  Since I skipped out on dinner I decided to indulge.  They served it in a big bowl (of course) with shaved almonds and a side jar of honey.  It was delish!  It was whipped thoroughly and very cold.  We stayed for a while.  So far Kalamata was gorgeous!

Our seats for the evening!  This view was breathtaking!!

My friend Simon mentioned that certain places in Greece will not kick people out even if it's after hours.  They consider it rude...

 

GREEK YOGURT!!

Day 2 Athens

The next day I woke up tired because the couple next to my room made so much noise checking out.   The walls of my hotel room are thin and I could hear them slamming their suitcases around, trying to get out of there.  Awe!  The joys of traveling!  I couldn't fall back asleep so I was up since 5:30am.  I decided around 7:30am to head down and have my complimentary breakfast.  That's when I found out about the earthquake that happened in Italy on the morning news.  How scary!!  I contacted my friend immediately to see if she was ok and if anything occurred in her town.  Luckily my friend is way south so it didn't affect her.  I notified my friends and family that I was safe and decided to head to the Acropolis museum early.

As I hiked back up again, I ran into a couple from North Carolina who were walking my way.  They came in from Santorini and told me their stories on how much they enjoyed their time on the island.  They also gave me some insight of the airport there.  I'm glad I asked because their information would become useful later on.  Once I found the museum we separated ways.  

Since I arrived early there were not many people inside.  I found the Acropolis Museum very interesting and even watched a movie on the history of the Parthenon.  I stayed for a couple of hours before I headed out and that's when I came across a flood of people walking in.  Whew!  Right in the nick of time!  It is known that in Europe, most tourists start their day late.  I was pleased I got this out of the way so I could continue to enjoy my day.

Inside the brand new Acropolis Museum

From there I headed towards finding Syntagma Square.  I ended up finding the Zappeion which reassured me that I was on the right track.  I walked through the National Garden and enjoyed the scenery.  I liked that everything was nearby.  It was hot again in Athens but I took my time walking to each location. 

The entrance to the National Garden!! 

The layout of the National Garden...



Gotta love the selfie stick!

Once I walked out of the garden I found the square and noticed a crowd gathering by.  I knew what was happening so I rushed over.  Sure enough, the changing of the guards was taking place.  The military guard announced we were now allowed to take pictures with them after he prepped them up for us.   





That military guard is too intimidating.  I took my picture from afar.

Syntagma Square

Afterwards I was growing tired again. so I slowly made my way back to the hotel.  I had to take a nap.  I was exhausted being up so early and doing so much sightseeing.  

Once I woke up (2 hours later) I knew I had to stay up.  I sat outside a cafe sipping on coffee to wake up since I slept too long.  My stomache started acting up and that's when I knew I had to have some food in my system.  I asked a shop owner where would he eat in the neighborhood and he recommended a restaurant for me.  I didn't want anything heavy like the night before.  I settled for a Greek salad but it was huge.  Again a block of feta cheese sat on top of my plate.  I sat and played with my food if anything.  I was pretty amused people watching during lunch and I didn't want to leave just yet.

The infamous feta cheese topped over my Greek Salad.  It was delish!

After I ate as much as I could I decided to walk it off since I was too full.  I walked back up to Acropolis on a different path and came around a less glamorous view. Graffiti trains zooming by as well as some homelessness.  I still felt safe since I was surrounded by a lot of people.  I continued walking around and eventually headed back down once it started to get a little dark.  I was concerned about the lack of lighting up there.  I quickly made my way back to the same restaurant and went up to their rooftop for a glass of wine.  I enjoyed my evening messaging my friend in Italy and taking advantage of the free wifi. 



Walking further down Plaka...

Grittier side of Acropolis...

Afterwards I went back to my hotel room to freshen up.  My tiredness was catching up to me again. I rested but was still hoping to go out.  I wanted to enjoy some nightlife but was pushing through my exhaustion.  I showered and got ready.  I knew I wanted to take a photo up on the rooftop of my hotel since I knew I'll be checking out the next day.  I went up and there was a group of 8 that had been drinking and were kind of loud.  I didn't want to disturb them.  I took some selfie shots and made my way to the other side of the bar.  There was a family of 4 sitting and drinking.  The lighting was much better so I tried to take a selfie there.  Someone offered to take my picture and from there we striked up a conversation.

They were from New York and were staying in Athens for 2 weeks.  We exchanged stories until they closed the bar down.  I was still tired.  I went for a short walk and then decided to head back to my room.  It was midnight and I knew I couldn't go out even if I wanted to because I was crashing hard.  So much for that...  

The view is simply breathtaking! 

BACK FROM VACATION!!

I'm back from vacation!!  And boy did I make some memories!  Looking back I realized I jumped on 7 flights, two 3 hour bus rides, one 6 hour ferry ride, and one 6 hour train ride, all in a matter of 2 weeks!  Needless to say, this trip was the most challenging for me and my anxiety, but I wouldn't have changed a thing.  I'm still getting my feet wet on traveling in general, and sometimes you learn along the way what works for you and what doesn't.  For the most part, I knew going in that I was going to be planning along as I go and that was a first for me.  I like to have a set schedule on my vacations so I don't miss out on valuable time.  But traveling in Europe can have its drawbacks.  We get accustomed to how things work here in the States, especially with technology being available at our fingertips. We "assume" everywhere else in the world does it the same way, and that's just not the case.  Traveling to unknown territories gets you out of your comfort zone.  Sometimes the experiences can be rewarding, and sometimes it can be out right horrible.  But it does give you a glimpse of yourself that you may never have seen before, and that could be benefiting to you.  Maybe there's some truth to what you've heard about traveling without your essentials.  It ties us down where we might miss out on new opportunities.  I've had people tell me how they would never be able to travel somewhere where they couldn't speak the language.  Challenging yourself is the key to feeling confident about yourself.  If you stick to your routine, how would you be able to grow?  Traveling can also help you educate your knowledge on how the world works, plain and simple.    Learning to live within the basics of life, such as being kind to strangers, or respecting  new customs can make you become consciously aware of your surroundings.  Living in a peaceful environment is something I think we all agree we would like for ourselves, and in order to do that, we must understand one another.

Day One:
I was SUPER TIRED.    My flight to Montreal was at 12:15pm, and because of the issues concerning the lines at TSA being super long, I decided to be at the airport 3 hours before takeoff.  I woke up around 6am as I normally would if I was heading off to work.  I knew my main goal was to sleep as much as I could on the plane heading to Athens.  My layover had me land in Montreal around 3pm and take off again at 6:20pm.  This is the point where I needed to rest the most.  Since I'll be flying "into the future", I would land in Athens at 10:30am.  A 9 hour duration on flight plus the 8 hour time difference would have me starting my day in a brand new city.  I didn't want to run the mistake of sleeping half the day away in a hotel room like I did last year in Paris.  I had a plan!  And this time it would be flawless, (or so I thought).  Sleeping on planes are not necessarily the most comfortable setting you could be.  First of all, I had on my layers since the ac is usually on during flights:  leopard scarf, skinny jeans, converse sneakers to keep my warm as well as my thick cotton cardigan.  I was ready for takeoff!  Except my nerves had me on full blast.  I did my best to have my airline food and get more cozy for my deep sleep.  Luckily I did manage to doze off, but only to wake up to an older woman lifting the window shade to watch the sunrise.  Remember, we're flying towards daylight and this woman just blinded everyone on that flight because she wanted to capture this moment.  People were sleeping at the time.  I could see the sun rays through my blindfolds!!  What can you do right?  It is what it is...

Once I landed the train ride from the airport was smooth sailing.  Of course, getting off the train and looking for my hotel was another question.  I got lost looking for my hotel in 93 degree weather.  I was getting desperate because I knew it was nearby the train station.  I ended up finding another hotel and had to ask for directions.  Who knew the signs of the streets were on buildings and not on posts?  Regardless, I found my hotel and once I checked in, was determined to stay awake.  I went for a latte at Starbucks for a pick me up.  At that point, since I was staying in the Plaka neighborhood, I knew I wanted to checkout my surroundings.  It was unbearably hot in Athens, and once I finished my latte, off I went for my walk!
I immediately went straight for the souvenir shops in Plaka.  I wanted to see what I was in for.  With so many tourists doing the same, in the beginning I was just looking around.  But once I got comfortable, I decided to start making some purchases.  So many cute jewelry.  So many cute leather sandal shops.  So many postcards to decide from.  I was in heaven!



The infamous evil eye!  It's everywhere!!

Strolling through Plaka...

Yes I bought this top!  Made in Greece and perfect for hot summer days!

After a while, the sun wasn't so intense.  It was nearing 5pm in Athens and I started to get the itch to go hike up to Acropolis.  I grew curious to head up there since I was so close.  The view is very tempting indeed!  I  decided to go for it and up I went.  I walked up streets, climbed many stairs, and used my glutes as much as I could.  It was tiring and the heat didn't help either.  I found a family along the way and asked which way to head up.  They had a hunch we head up going right, and I followed them.  They were from Paris and had one day in Athens to do this.

Walking my way up to Acropolis...

Almost there!

We made it to the entrance.  Luckily, the line to get inside was not long.  20€ entry and here we go.  My bucket list was waiting for me!
To my surprise it was super gusty up there.  So many people were taking their seflie shots.  I was giddy that I was doing the same.  I enjoyed my time up there overlooking the city.  I enjoyed listening to other people's conversations and trying to figure out what languages they were speaking.  I understood some Italian phrases.  I was pretty proud of myself and it finally dawned on me that I was up for a big treat in Greece.  I like what I see so far...

Odeum of Herodes Atticus Theatre

Temple of Athena Nike

Whoever invented the selfie stick is a genius!

The hiked down was obviously much easier.  lol.  I did some more shopping for souvenirs.  What I liked about Athens is the free wifi that was available throughout Plaka.  I was messaging my friend in Italy to see if she wanted anything.  My hotel had a rooftop that I wanted to checkout as well.  I  went up for a glass of white wine while I watched the view of Acropolis from afar.  At this point I grew incredibly tired so I went for a nap back in my room. 

My first of many cat sightings!

Heading back down...

The view of my rooftop...

I woke up an hour later and got ready for more shopping but the shops were closing at 10pm.  I decided to walk around the central again and look for a quick bite to eat.  Yeah right!  I sat outside at Karyatis restaurant and ordered a hot plate of eggplant, onions, roasted tomatoes topped with feta cheese.  That's when I knew I was in trouble!  The cheese was amazing!!  But since I am lactose intolerant I had to watch myself.  The host was incredibly sweet and brought over a Masticha shot.  It was a sweet liquor which is usually taken after dinner.  He claims it helps with indigestion.  Hmmm.  At that point, I knew it was time to  head back to hotel since the food was pretty heavy and it made me sleepy again.  Day One accomplished!



Din din



Feeling magical after dinner!  lol

Let's Play in the Park!

I've been getting my things ready for my big trip.  I opted not to get a haircut because apparently the weather right now in Athens is in the high 90s!  Yikes!  I probably will be wearing my hair up to be practical.  We didn't get that high up in the temperatures in Chicago, but last week was just as hot.  On Thursday I ended up meeting my friends in Millenium Park for a concert.  We were dripping in sweat while we heard the sounds of African rock.  We even decided to checkout Cindy's rooftop for a cocktail and it was still very humid up there as well!

Packed crowd at Millenium Park!

Last weekend I basically caught up on all of my laundry and chores around the apartment.  I went through my closet and pulled out some pieces for my trip.  I didn't want to get bombarded this weekend with those details.  My friend in Italy has given me a short list of things to get her when I meet her.  She loves her MAC products but in Italy it costs 3x as much.  Who knew?
I was invited to a birthday party in the evening and met up with my friends at Roka Akor.  They had been out on the boat all day but I opted not to go.  I knew I wouldn't get things done if I had joined them.  I also skipped out on dinner because I need to stay on my budget for my trip.  I knew they were planning on going out afterwards and figured I'll celebrate with the birthday boy there. 
We had a big group and things started to get a little hectic when we couldn't decide on what to do.  I ended up back at Cindy's rooftop with a group, only to find out the other half of the group stayed behind on Hubbard street.  One thing about me is, I'm pretty flexible when it comes down to partying with friends.  Some people are not.  Trust me, crazy things can go wrong but that's to be expect when there's alcohol involved.  lol.  I felt some tension because of the mix up, but the important thing was for us to start celebrating to get passed the frustration.  After all, we were out for the birthday boy!

I caught up with my friends at Roka Akor...

We came back to Hubbard and ended up in Hub51.  It was very crowded, but we made the most of it there.  Afterwards, we decided to walk down the street to see what else was happening.  That's when we stumbled upon Disco upstairs from Celeste.  I loved it!!  It has a very 70s Saturday Night Fever vibe to it, and the music was amazing!  We couldn't stop dancing! 
We closed out downstairs at Celeste and that was our evening.  I hope the birthday boy had fun because I sure did!

Me and the birthday boy at Disco! 

Checkout the names of those cocktails!

I'm glad I wore my gold sequined purse for Disco! 

As far as this past week goes, I've caught up with all of my work and feel good about it.  I saw my mom on Tuesday and went over the details on my trip with her.  I also met up with a friend on Wednesday and did the same drill.  I don't want anyone to worry about my whereabouts.
Today I've been messaging my friends in Italy and in Greece.  I'm getting very nervous again, but as long as I have everything ready this weekend, I should be fine.  I can't let my anxiety get the best of me!  I want to see the world and there's no way to do that but to get on a plane!  Until then, wish me luck and I'll be back in September!  ciao ciao...