Trip to Greece and Athens

---

I had so much fun meeting people on the trip from Bari to Athens. The first people I meet were two art teachers from university of Oregon. They were looking for the bus to the port just like me from the Bari train station. Then a Greek Canadian came and joined us, he was an out of work computer programer traveling for 9 months. They were all real nice and we all hung out once we got to the port and on the boat. When we were waiting for the boat I was a little nervous because I got a deck ticket while they had seats. I had heard horror stories about the deck and how it can be a hard night (the ferry was from 8pm to noon). The plan was to get on and lay out on the resturant benches and sleep there. So I was goin to get on early an claim my territory. It worked out even better than that though. It was the off season so there was not that many people so I snuck into the seating area and claimed a whole asle. This was what the paying customers were doing and I was early enough to look like one, some of them got stuck sitting and some deck people I saw doing my out dated plan. I was glad I had this spot, they dimmed the lights an I had a good rest, the deck was not dimmed haha. The ride was fun too I saw lots of water and coast of Greece. The ferry looked more like a cruse ship though, it was very fancy. He only difference was that the whole back and under decks were filled with trucks. There was alot more car space than I expected, but it was a big boat so you did not nottice. I also meet an old Mexican couple. She was only a meter tall she said and he could not be more than a centemeter or so more, so together they did not make my height of 2.04 meters. Both of them and I (and some others walking by) found this very funny. In the morning I saw the sunrise over the Greek cliffs and waited to go ashore. It was a long trip and was ready to get off now. This was still eairly though and I still had to wait untill noon. Once off my Canadian friend pointed me to the train station and I said goodbye to the ducks and cunucs. At the station I ran into the mexicans and some Argentinans they meet. We all sat and chattered in Spanish for a bit, mine not Bering the best but I could pick up a fair bit and learned some too. Only the wife from Mexico and the son of the argentinans (it was father and aon) spoke enough to explain thing to me when I was mixed up. They looked after my bag as I took a look about the city, not alot to see in the third largest city in Greece, I learn this later from Mehmet. On the train we are a little confused since they make us get a free reservation with the railpass then there is no reserved seats on the train so I sit and the Mexican couple join me once we figure out the rules of the road. The three of us end up sitting by Mehmet, a Greek guy that is really cool. He is the first Greek that I have had a real conversation with and he made a good impression for his country. He had just finished med school and worked as a doctor but was still in school. He was studying computer engineering. Odd I thought until he told ke he wants to be one of the doctors that does surgery via the Internet by computer controls. He said there was only five of these in all of Greece and that he would reach his goal when he was fourty! And he was only 26! He would finsh school at 30 (free in Greece) then had to be a do for in a small village for a few years then finaly get to the training of the computer surgery. We talked about tons of stuff on the four hour ride that included a bus in the middle since the rail was broken or so ething there. He gave me his info and told me that next time I came to Greece I needed to stay with him and his family and that they would show me the real Greek style. One thing I thought was only him but found later other greeks do it too is they will give you a huge wink that includes the whole face, I find it very funny and nice in a way I guess. I get off the train and my espanol practice partners and I end up going to the same hostel.  They are in adifferent room though. In the morning I go to the acropolis and see all the surrounding ruiens. This took me all day and I found myself very tired. The ruins were nice and it was good to see the acropolis but it was under construction as many thing seem to be here. It did make me apriceate how big they were and how hard it would be for them to make back then, seeing the construction with huge cranes looked hard for modern man. I meet a Pomi and a Aussie hiking up to it though that were nice they worked on a cruise ship in town and were still hung over from the party they had for their friend leaving the ship. We looked about for a little but they had to go back to work. I guess they were doing the Jerusalem cruise and were jaded from all the ruins they have been seeing. Later on my way home I walked through the best market area that I have seen yet. It was actualy stuff that I could aford and would wear, much of Europe is too rich for me. I did not buy anything but was very very tempted. Back at the hostel there was a problem that another group wanted to stay longer too and they did not have a bed for me. The told me of one right around the bend. They were real nice and sorry so I had no problem with it. I woke this morning to catch the ferry to Santorini, 6am! I am real excited to see some of greece that is not a dirty city like the rest of Europe. 

---