Athens

Athens is huge. It’s absolutely enormously huge. Okay, it’s probably not as big as Mexico City (land size) and it does only have a population of 3.7 million (Lonely Planet’s figure). From the plane it was gigantic. We flew over the city, passing it completely, then did a u-turn over the sea and spun back, landing 30 km away in the countryside. After getting off the plane, we took a bus into the center of the city and walked to our ho(s)tel. We booked the place online (on a hostel-booking website), but it’s nothing like the other hostels we’ve been staying at. When we arrived, the place was virtually deserted. We rang the bell and were buzzed in, but no one was in the common-room when we entered. Finally the people emerged. The owner is from Guam, and his English isn’t that great, but he laughs a lot. His “business partner” looks as though he hasn’t showered in year and tried to give us more change than he was supposed to. We corrected him and he put us in our own room for the night. It has two beds and a cot, so we might be getting a roommate for the evening. It’s got a kitchen (well fridge and hot plate), but no microwave, which is fine. We’re close enough to walk to the ruins and the airport bus, but we’re not in the super tourist section. The hostel is also on the 5^th floor of building and our window looks out to other apartments. Everyone has their windows wide open and laundry strung across the shutters (us included). It’s hot here. We have three fans in the room and no top-sheet or blankets. We don’t want them. As soon as we got here, we went to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner. On the way there we passed a Swedish family (mom, dad, two little kids – ages four and five maybe) who was just arriving. When we got back from the store a French couple (in their 20s) was cooking dinner. Everyone seemed kind of scared or had a look like, “where are we and what have we gotten ourselves into?” Thus far, the impression we have of our Greek neighbors is that they are loud. Music plays a lot and people have no qualms about screaming from one window to another across the airshaft in between the buildings. The hostel is fine. It’s clean enough and works for the price and location. We’re pretty pleased, and as Jess pointed out, “we HAD to stay somewhere like this in our travels.”….although I did just hear someone throw yet another plastic bottle out their window and onto the roof below us.

The rest of the trip will be written from Malta and posted starting 24 July (approx.).