Send The Bugger Back

The first thing I done this morning was to buy my ferry ticket to Italy, €45 with the 20% discount my ISIC got me.

Next up I had to squeeze a visit to the Acropolis in. It should cost €12 but EU students get in for nowt. So my student card has already saved me 20 odd € today, belter. Getting hold of that card is in my top 5 best scams ever.

The Acropolis and the various structures within it are very impressive, obviously the Parthenon being the most so. It was worth the rushing around.

I then grabbed an early lunch before I set out on my marathon (Greek that) journey to Italy. Grilled meatballs with rice and potatoes for €8 (though the cheeksters stung me for an extra euro for bread that I didn’t ask for, bang goes the tip cheeksters) from a nice place called Tabepna then lots of letters I don’t understand, they look a bit like wingdings. Yummerty yum.

Speaking of the marathon journey, it should go thus: pick bag up and leave hostel at around 12:30, walk to the metro station, get a metro to the bus stop, get a bus to the main bus terminal, get a bus which should take around 3 and a half hours to Patra, walk to ferry terminal, board ferry that should leave for Bari at 18:00 and arrive at 09:00 (no cabin!), find out where bus terminal is in Bari and try to get bus to Napoli, figure out how to get to hostel from bus/train station, check in to hostel at Napoli well over 24 hours after I first set out and finally, eat some pizza from it’s birth-place with local mafiosos.

I missed the bus to the main bus depot by a few seconds, which meant I missed the 13:30 bus to Patra by a few minutes. It was quite annoying as I was on the bus and then had to get off to buy a ticket from the booth, they were messing about there and said to get one from the shop opposite which I did only to see the bus pull off with me only feet away trying to cross the road, grrrr. So I’ve now got a ticket for the 14:00 but luckily it’s an express which takes between 2 and a half and 3 hours, otherwise I’d be pushing it a bit to make the ferry.

Just on the ferry now, I’m already knackered and it doesn’t even leave for another hour, that doesn’t bode well. It’s not bad though, there are shelves where I can leave my bag (I reckon it will be okay but I’ve my phone, wallet and passport on me, they’re the main things) and the seats are pretty comfy. I’m not actually sure if I should be in this room as there was another class ticket for €20ish on top where you got airplane like seats (which is what these are) but I think it’s the direction the rather snooty (once he found out I didn’t have a cabin) attendent ushered me in. Until someone says different this is my temporary home, it’s pretty quiet though so I don’t reckon they’ll be bothered.

I just listened to the Maximo Park album, ‘Our Earthly Pleasures’ It’s okay but apart from a few killer choruses it’s a bit mundane and lacking in invention. I’ve found this to be the case a lot with this band.

For my tea I just had lamb shank and chips, 8 and a half Euros with a bottle of water. Par for the course on a ferry but it was nice at least.

I’m now officially bored. You can rent a portable DVD player but with a movie it’s €15 in total, jog on. I might treat myself to a single beer as a nightcap later. You’ve got to have somet to look forward to haven’t you eh.

After a quick power nap I heard the Champions League theme tune from the Greek side of the room (it’s split in two with a partition, one side with Italian TV and one with Greek) so I switched allegiances and moved over to watch the footy. Olympiacos vs Standard was all that was on offer and the standard certainly wasn’t Olympic. After the 1st half I couldn’t be bothered with it and headed off for my pint.

Nightcap gulped, time to turn-in.