Leaving Greece: A twelve step program.

" I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world. "         Socrates

Step 1 –9:00 PREPARATION

Beth naps in the Athens apartment

Rob began the day by making a breakfast to use up most of the leftover food while Beth straightened up the apartment and packed their travel bag of snacks. After breakfast they finished packing their suitcases. As always they were amazed at how much ‘stuff’ can explode out of and be squeezed back into luggage.  After an apartment check they left the keys on 

Rob looks one last time out at Athens

the table and took their leave with their heavy bags.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/40149

Step 2– 11:00 WALKING TO THE METRO

They rolled their bags through the cobblestone streets for the ten minutes hike to the Syntagma Square metro stop then took an elevator down two floors to the ticket machine where they paid the 2.40€ for two tickets. Down an additional elevator flight to the metro platform they heaved their heavy bags over the gap into a roomy metro coach and stood for the four stops.

Step 3 – 11:30 TRAIN #1

They each carried their heavy bags up the 30 stairs to reach the street level just outside the Larissa train station wondering why there was neither an escalator nor an elevator present.  As this metro stop was connected to the train station where the likelihood of people carrying baggage was greatest, it seemed especially odd that stairs were the only option. 

Rob, with train tickets in hand and limited Greek, questioned the ticket agent, who had limited English, about how to navigate to Patra, the ferry port city. "Two stops.  Transfer at Ska." were the instructions which provided a quandary since Rob and Beth had been handed three different types of tickets.  Neither could see no ‘Ska’ on the posted train schedule so they continued to question three different pedestrians to verify the proper train route before both Canucks boarded the train that was the most consistently indicated. Once on the train Rob again asked a rider that spoke no English to verify that he was indeed on the correct train. He gestured with hand raise showing two fingers, which Rob interpreted to mean, "Two Stops".

Step 4 – 12:30 TRANSFERRING TO TRAIN #2

As instructed, they get off two stops later at Acharnai Station perplexed as to why everyone understood it to be "Ska" and still wondered about the additional ticket they each were given.  With bags in tow they followed the crowd and walked about 400 metres to a new train line platform with signs identifying it as Acharnai Station- Σιδηροδρομικό Κέντρο Αχαρνών (Σ.K.A.).  One mystery solved.

Train ride view outside of Athens

On the platform, Rob questioned a man wearing a suit in order to confirm that their train was due to arrive in one hour.  He informed Rob that their train (arriving in ten minutes!) would take riders to Kiato where they needed to transfer to a bus - thus the necessity for the third ticket.  Second mystery solved.

During the forty minute train ride, Beth napped while Rob snapped photos and was attentive to each train stop. At the end of the line, they once again heaved their heavy bags down from the platform through the station corridors.

Step 5 – 13:30 THE TRAIN-TO-BUS TRANSFER

At Kiato a bus was waiting for the train and they were able to load their bags into the cargo compartment immediately after arriving. Beth ran to use the station's WC while Rob watched the cargo for potential thieves lingering in the station. He witnessed thieves stealing bags from an unguarded cargo bay once in Spain and has ever since been on his guard.

As they settled into their seats on the bus, they marvelled at how smoothly the trip had been going.  Although they were still early in their journey, for each of the transfers thus far they needed to only wait a few minutes until the next stage began.  As they discussed their luck, Beth had a sinking feeling that they were somehow jinxing the next part of their journey...

Step 6 – 13:35 BUS RIDE #1

For an hour and a half the bus drove along 70 km of winding, cliffside highways. Throughout most of the trip Beth was anxious at the speed they were travelling especially around the curves and, as she gulped down the remaining half ounce of Ouzo straight from the bottle in order to calm her nerves, she begrudged Rob for drinking the rest the night before. While Beth was grasping a railing with white knuckles, Rob, peeled down to a white undershirt, bitched about his discomfort and the cramped seats, while all the other passengers suffered slightly in their parkas from the hot rising temperature inside the bus. 

One of many bus ride views

Although the highway only consisted of two lanes, Rob and Beth watched in nervous fascination how the traffic at times formed into three and one half lanes.  It wasn't uncommon for a slow moving transport truck driving half on the paved shoulder to be passed by their speeding bus while also being passed by a third vehicle moving outside of the bus, all the while as oncoming vehicles approached.  The fact that there was a double line between lanes and they were heading toward a curve didn’t intimidate any of the drivers.

The repeated sound of the hysterical baby laugh ring tone of the bus driver's cell only added to the tension as he carried on animated conversations with people on the phone whilst navigating the winding roads.

Step 7 – 15:30 BUS RIDE #2

Bridge near Patra

Both rejoiced that they arrival at Patra unharmed.  After relieving their bladders at the bus station's WC and marvelling at the mountain landscape backdrop of Patra, they sought out 

the city bus stop.  They were not sure why the first bus couldn't have taken passengers all the way to the new port, but so be it.  As they waited for bus "18" to arrive, numerous other busses passed. Rob and Beth wondered whether their luck had indeed run out and worried 

a bit that they were cutting their time close. The ferry websites encouraged passengers to arrive two hours before departure and there was no way they were going to make that guideline.  They reassured each other that although they didn't yet have their tickets it was low season and, from what they understood, ferries were often late.  

Finally their bus arrived and once again they were on their way.

Step 8- 18:30 THE FERRY

Port at Patra

After purchasing two tickets for a private compartment aboard the ferry to Brindisi, Italy, Beth and Rob were informed that the ferry would be arriving two or three hours late.  They were actually quite relieved to hear the news as the ferry was originally scheduled to arrive at 6 am the next day. Any delay would be appreciated as that would buy them time in the morning! When the ferry arrived, Beth and Rob walked across the expansive tarmac to board the vessel with heavy luggage.  Although the ferry could accommodate hundreds of passengers, there were no 

A gift of Santorini, enjoyed

 while leaving Greece

more than twenty-five on board, with a few more to be picked up en route later. After scouting out the ship they relaxed on their bunks with a bottle of wine and watched three episodes of 'Big Bang Theory’ before crashing for the night.

Step 9- 9:30  (The next day)  THE CAB RIDE

After a rough and rocky night’s sleep, Beth and Rob ate the food they packed for breakfast, took a luxurious, long hot shower then disembarked.  After walking 500m to the ferry terminal they discovered that the only way to get to the town of Brindisi was by taxi. They accepted the 20€ taxi ride from a friendly, older Italian gent who drove them directly to the train station and bade them a happy stay in Italy.

Lecce countyside view from train.

Step 10 -10:50 TRAIN #3

Rob and Beth carried their bags onto platform 3 where they boarded a train headed to the town of Lecce - their final destination. Beth, as is not atypical, napped on the 30 min trip while Rob watched for the correct stop.

Step 11 – 11:30 FINDING THE PENSION

Lecce: Florence of the South 

After reaching the town of Lecce, they off loaded their bags for the last time. It is here that Rob realized that he had not download the directions to their pension. Over the course of a 1 km hike through town, with bags in tow, they searched for WIFI. When they finally found a source, Rob downloaded the directions and contact details and they headed for their pension, which was thankfully close by.

Our latest residence.

Step 12  – 12:30 ACCESSING THE PENSION

After another five minutes of walking, they arrived at the locked doors of their pension.  Beth waited with the luggage while Rob walked across the lane to an open discount shoe retail store to locate a telephone and asked the Chinese clerk, in his best Italian, "Posso usare il suo telefono?"  At which point he passed the clerk the phone number displayed on his computer screen and gestured in the international language of charades that he wished for the clerk to dial the number. After a difficult conversation spoken between the Canadian, who lacked conversational Italian, and the host, Cosmia, who lacked conversational English, a final successful exchange occurred resulting in Cosmia arriving from a mysterious location to grant them access to their apartment complex.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/510727

Twenty-six hours after they left Greece, three trains, two busses, one cab ride, and many steps later they finally arrived at their destination.  Beth mused silently that they could have travelled from Canada to Australia in the same amount of time.  However, they both agreed that part of the joy of touring is the adventures in travelling.