Athens--The Final Stop on this Trip

Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016--Kastraki to Athens

There was another moment of panic this morning.  I went to the bus stop in Kastraki where I had been told the bus would pick me up at 8:45.  It would go from there to Kalabaka where it would depart at 9:00 for Trikala where I would transfer to another bus departing for Athens at 10:00.  Well, I had plenty of time.  I arrived at the bus stop in Kastraki at 8:27.  I watched people arriving for services at the Orthodox church and heard a man singing as a part of the service.  I watched a butcher and his helper cutting up a slab of beef into different kinds of pieces.  About 8:42, I asked the butcher if the bus was supposed to come at 8:45, and he replied positively.  I had seen the bus arrive twice before--always about 2 minutes before the time of departure from there.  At 8:47 I positioned myself so I could see down the road where the bus should have been coming, and I could see nothing.  I realized it wasn't going to come.

It was too late to try to walk to Kalabaka.  I asked the butcher about a taxi, and he called one.  I waited, and I waited, and I waited getting more panicy every moment that even a taxi couldn't get me there in time.  I started rushing down the road thinking maybe I could hitch a ride and have a chance of making it.  Two blocks down, I saw the taxi coming and waived him down.    It was then 8:50.  I explained that the bus didn't come and I had to be in Kalabaka to catch it leaving there at 9:00.  His reply was, "No problem.  Kalabaka only 3-4 minutes away."  And, surprisingly, he was right.  It sure is a lot faster to take a taxi than to walk that distance!!  He got me there with several minutes to spare.

The man working in the station told me that the bus starts in Kastraki only Monday through Friday--not on weekends.  Why didn't they tell me that when I got my ticket?  What another stressful travel experience. And I had been up early enough that I had plenty of time that I could have walked to the station which wouldn't be too bad due to it being downhill almost all the way.

The trip after that was uneventful and long.  We arrived in Athens at 14:30.  I was watching on my phone where we are, and the driver stopped at a metro station just before the bus station.  It was on the same metro line I planned to take which would have required me walking several blocks to reach a station, so I got off to save the walk.  It just meant I would go three stops instead of 2 on the line.

The metro train was very full.  I was uncomfortable trying to be aware of everyone near me and all my things.  When I got off, I was supposed to transfer to a bus to bring me within two blocks of the apartment.  I could see that the buses were crowded, too.  I was only about 12 blocks from the apartment, so I decided I would just walk, since I still had 30 minutes to the time when they expected me.

Unfortunately, it was uphill all the way!!  I didn't know that until I had gone too far to return to try to catch the bus.  And the temperature was about 89 degrees F (32 degrees C).  By the time I reached the apartment, I was very tired and very hot.  But then things improved greatly.

I am staying at Dream apartment @ heart of athens!  Anna met me and showed me the apartment telling me that her husband speaks English and will be home soon.  They own both apartments on this floor and live in one and rent this one. As a part of the tour, she showed me a bottle of wine they had for me as a welcome gift.  Then she showed me items for me to use for my breakfasts--bread, toast, butter, cheese, jam, yogurt, eggs, milk, juice, coffee, and tea. She then asked if I would like a frappe.  I had read that it is a popular drink with the Greeks.  It sounded so good being as hot as I was from the walk here that I quickly accepted and sat out on the joint balcony of the two apartments.  Soon she arrived with a large glass of frappe (coffee, milk, and sugar blended with just a little ice).  And she brought a bowl of thick Greek yogurt topped with her homemade strawberry jam.  UMMMM!

When her husband Petras arrived a few minutes later, we sat on the balcony visiting.  We talked about his work (waste management equipment sales), my travels, immigration here in Europe and in the US, the repair work he is doing today at another apartment they have which had a kitchen fire recently, etc.  It was an interesting conversation that lasted an hour.

Before leaving, he and Anna asked if I would join them for dinner Tuesday night, my last night in town.  Of course I accepted.  What a great opportunity it will be to have a home cooked meal!!  (Surely it won't be like the home cooked meal in Georgia where I was expected to eat at least part of an eyeball a few years ago!)

After resting for a while, I went out to explore the neighborhood.  I found supermarkets, shops, a very nice small square where locals gather each evening, etc.  It's an interesting area--not touristy at all.  It just a local Athenian neighborhood.  Being tired from the long, hot day, though, I returned to the room for the night.