Before coming to Greece I thought I wouldn't write a blog because it didn't work out that well when coming to Finland either. But in the past day so many things happened that it has to be remembered and told about. So, here I am, starting the blog. I will try to write often of course and you feel free to read it. If things continue like they have been in the past day, you will have plenty of amusement.


So maybe not much about the journey: we met with Merja a bit before 2am at the Travel Center and left for Helsinki. To my disappointment, this time I couldn't find the wonderful red fleece blankets that the bus had the last time I used it, but it did have a snorer again! So briefly, I couldn't sleep anything during the night but we left late with the plane to Frankfurt so I had an hour more to sleep on that flight. The time n Frankfurt wasn't so long and we had a very nice salad after which the boarding was almost starting. Sitting there, waiting for the boarding, noticing that I'm being surrounded with Greeks I started to realize finally something about what was going on. In the same time a bit adverse feelings came as well but don't ask why, no idea. Anyways, on the plan I became super excited already, mainly when we could see the sea and Athens in a beautiful sunset.

At the luggages we got some excitement because our luggages came a bit late and we were worried that they didn't transfer them in Frankfurt but eventually we both got them and we headed to the subway.Luckily the signs there were very clear and getting to our destination went without any problem. When we were only one stop away from our final destination, we went 'above ground' and we could see the surroundings. Maybe it has its own charm, but at night it looked only scary and I was thinking "oh my God, where did we get to". We got out and well, the place didn't seem any more promising and the random groups of men hanging around there look a bit scary, plus I guess we looked like some tourists who just got lost. But the good thing is that our place is very close to the metro station so we were there very quickly.

When I was mailing with the owner he said that we have to come to the 3rd floor but no door numbers. I started to think that maybe the whole floor is ours aaand actually that's the case! So we arrived and the owner is a bit old Greek man. I think we are lucky with him because he is very 'proper' in a way, explained and showed everything. We got everything what was promised to us. Maybe the flat is not so clean as it seemed on the photos but we have beds, we have blankets and warm water and these are the most important. Now I sounded like it's an awful place and there's nothing else than those but it's not the case:) We have everything, but the two boys we are living with atm are not from the cleanest kind and so everything was pretty dirty and the kitchen smells. Also, I got a pretty nice welcoming: in the kitchen wall there's an Europe map and there's written on it "This county sucks" with an arrow aiming at Hungary. Oh, thanks a bunch!:D

Because the owner seemed so nice and helpful, we asked from him how we can get to the university campus which seemed to be pretty far. He checked it from us and we wrote up but then he came to us and said in his very slow way: "But maybe you will be a bit late tomorrow. I think there will be a strike". Well, welcome to Greece! We asked the boys later and they said they didn't think there was going to be a strike so in the morning we started our journey to the university.

The owner said it's half an hour to get there so we left an hour earlier. Everything went fine with the metros (and they were not on strike) but then we got to the bus stop and we were lost. The bus we wanted to take went away right in front of our eyes and then we were waiting for ages and none of the numbers came that we got as options. When one bus came a Greek girl came to us and told that we can take that to the university so finally we were at least going, but it was already pretty late. The journey took a long time and then it arrived to this place that looked like some edge of Athens. There was some big wall with a gate, in front of it a lot of trash, everything full of graffiti. Yeah, so that was the entrance to the university area. With help we found our building which was huuuge and then we realized that neither of us have with us the room number we need to go to. We remembered it was 3 numbers and the first started with 7 so we aimed at the 7th floor. We got there but it was just way too big so there was no chance of just finding it accidentally. We went to ask someone and we ended up in an office where the people seemed very helpful but not so informative. They said that the class is on the 6th floor, at the end of the corridor on the right but they don't remember the number. Well, ok, we went back but at least for me it was not so obvious what they called as a corridor because the shaper of the building was a bit weird. We did start to walk on a corridor but in the end it spread our and formed a square, so tell me now, what is the end of that? We knocked in somewhere which wasn't our place but we got at least a room number from that teacher, We went to that room and there they said we should rather ask from the neighboring room. The neighboring room was locked but there was a paper on it that the EILC for Australians is in what room. (Some info: we came for the EILC).Well, we are not Australians but that was the closest we could get at the moment so we went back to the 7th floor where the room was and eventually we did find the place aaand it was the right place (there were Europeans). By this time we were really late and I felt embarrassed but when we went in basically none noticed us. Everyone was talking and doing stuff. We asked what to do and all we had to do was to fill out a paper and give some photos. They had some good news too: they told us that the course won't be held there but much closer to the center, much closer to the place where we live. I think we were there approximately 15-20 minutes and then everyone was gone. 

By then we still couldn't eat our sandwiches which we bought for breakfast so we decided to look around a bit and then sit down somewhere and eat it. After that we headed back to the bus stop to get back to the center. We checked the timetables and according to that basically every 5 mins some kind of bus should have came but we waited like half an hour or more. We started to walk towards the center, hoping that a closer station will have buses more often. But we just walked and walked and walked and at one point we realized we haven't seen a bus passing buy. We decided to ask about it and guess what?! The strike has started! It was clear we needed to take a taxi so we asked how much it should cost from there to our place and they said 5-8euros. 

Then the taxi hunting started. A lot of taxis went by, we could also stop them but then we told them where we are going they just left us there.Finally there was one who stopped and how spoke English (we immediately started by asking how much the trip would be) but he said it's 18euros...a bit more than at the kiosk they said it would cost so we said we are not taking it. Then he said that the center is closed down because of the strike so we have to go around, that's why it's so much. Eventually we decided to take it and when we were sitting in the guy already said he brings us there for 15e. He turned out to be a nice guy and he noticed we speak Finnish:) (we did so he wouldn't understand what we talk). At one point he got a phone call and then he said: "Girls, we have a problem!". Apparently someone got very sick from his family and he immediately had to go. He said he leaves us where we were, he didn't charge us and told us from where we can catch another taxi. Well, catching the next one wasn't so easy. Lots of taxis had already passengers, other just went away again when we told them where we are going and then others didn't tell us a price because they used taxi meter and said that whatever the meter shows. But I was afraid that if the meter is used, they can take us for extra rounds and then ask a lot of money so we actually ended up trying to take a taxi without a meter. 

Finally we found one. The driver didn't speak English but his passenger did and he said he can take us there for 5e so we got in. The passenger left at one point so there we were, absolutely zero Greek from our part, and almost zero English from his. He could manage to ask where we are from and we told him that from Finland (I ended up being Finnish often because at these times it is just easier to say that). The answer was: "aaa, Jari Litmanen!"

The ride took for ages. The driver clearly didn't know where we are going. He was asking other taxi drivers when we were waiting at the traffic lights. Seriously, the ride was so long we started to fall asleep. I was pretty worried what he will eventually ask for the ride but I had a 5e banknote so I decided i just give that whatever it is.So we arrived and I gave him the 5e and he even gave back 50cents!!O_o That was surprising and really nice that he didn't just want to get as much money out from us as possible.

Later that day we went to have some food, to the shop and eventually to IKEA as well. It was close to closing but we could buy some things: blankets (its petty cold inside, the heating is on only 1-2 hours a day), lamps, carpet (we have big room and it made it nicer plus it helps with the cold too) and some other stuff.By the end of the day we were completely exhausted and we again had to wake up at 7 to be there on the course by 9.