March 3, 2024

Yasos from the passenger lounge aboard SuperFast I, crown jewel of the SuperFast Ferries fleet. This is my first real sea based travel and I must say I am loving it. We have yet to depart as I begin typing this on Sunday afternoon. I’ll back up to the end of my last post. 

This past week has mostly been dominated by work which is totally fine! I’m still learning a lot every day. On Tuesday I boarded my bus to Athens and soaked in the views of Greek countryside all day. Arriving pretty pooped after a string of late nights in Thessaloniki, I took it easy my first few days in the ancient city. It’s a very interesting place– There are pockets of the ancient city dotted all around, surrounded by a sea of very modern city. I couldn’t help comparing Athens to Rome. In Rome, there is a sort of architectural fossil record, through which you can apprieciate so many time periods (with the right guidebook or knowledge). In Athens, there’s really just the modern, gritty city with only the truly ancient ruins splashed here and there. Don’t get me wrong, it was so thrilling to look down a cross street and get a glimpse of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis.

The city of Athens is very cool. It’s got a real gritty grungy feel, along with a really charming old-town-turned-tourist-trap market, just a few minutes of walking down the street from the real market which sells fresh fish and halva by the kilo. I checked out the cool Exharicha neighborhood at the suggestion of a couple friends who co-oped in Athens last year. It’s certainly the cool, young center of the city, with gorgeous trees lining the streets, cute restaurants, fun clubs, and gorgeous plants spilling off of every balcony. Awesome. 

When I wasn’t working, I met a really nice crew of other people travelling and we had a bit of a boys’ night on Friday, finding a pool club and hitting a little underground spot in the wee hours. I think a couple of them might come and visit Belgrade which would be so awesome. The next morning I bought a ticket to the Acropolis and toured the Parthenon in true Ancient Greek style: wickedly hungover from too much wine. Can’t complain! The sheer age of those structures in baffling. almost 2500 years old, and still standing, supporting thousands of tourists visiting every day. 

I’ve been re-reading the Precy Jackson series (free online pdf, sorry Rick) to get in the Greek Mythic mood and it’s been working rather swimmingly I must say. I have been feeling the age and wisdom everywhere I look in Greece. It’s electric and relaxing at the same time. At the same time, Greece has also been by far the most tourist and holiday-maker filled place I’ve been so far. It makes total sense, the weather almost as gorgeous as the scenery. However, it has also made me appreciate the completely captivating essence of traveling around the rest of the Balkans. 

Yesterday morning I caught a bus from Athens to Patras. While I have to admit that I mostly napped, I was able to catch a few views of awesome mountains rising out of the Ionian gulf (check this geography). I arrived, finding a good deal on a budget hotel, and setting out for a chill walk into the countryside, eyeing the large mountain that looms over Patras, a port city on the edge of the Mediterranean. After a few wrong turns, dead ends, and changes in my plan, I found myself strolling through a ridiculously beautiful olive orchard, full of emerald green grass and trees that felt as if they’d met Theseus and Heracles. The tiny dirt road wove through the trees, up a hill, and straight into a fence. I grinned pretty big. This stroll had turned into a proper mini-adventure. After hopping the fence I delved into the brush, seeking my path. I waded through some thorny bushes, plowed through some tall grass, and scaled a small muddy cliff, clinging to the trunk of a sapling. I was treated, after a tough of hiking) to a gorgeous view of Patras, the ocean, and the sunset over the Mediterranean sea. Gorgeous. 

This ferry is about to depart and I’d like to go sit on the deck for a while, so I’ll leave it here. Not my most delicious descriptions, particularly of Athens, but alas. In 17 hours I’ll be disembarking in Bari, Italia. Ciao!