Let me start off with saying that you should bring good shoes if you try to do what I did in Athens. I didn’t wear my hiking boots, so I got blisters. It’s my own fault.
Anyway.
I arrived somewhere in Athens at around 8 o’clock in the morning. I had no idea where I was. I just knew, I didn’t want to take a taxi to the city centre. I’m sure there’s a bus to somewhere. I set off to find a bus station, which I do very quickly. After waiting for a while and witnessing some funny secret cigarette sales the bus arrives. I, being as stupid as I am, got on to buy a ticket, but was told I had to get it at the kiosk. Of course. Whatever, I’m not going to wait another 15 minutes for the next bus to come, so I shoulder my backpack and start walking to where the bus took off.
If I walk along the bus stops I’ll get to where I have to go, right?
Yea, if I would actually follow the bus stops…
Somehow, I lost them…I don’t know how. But I followed the road signs to a square that was actually on the map in my little “South Eastern Europe” guidebook.
Inevitably, I got quite lost…looking up all sorts of streets I suddenly saw something that looked like it would be a large square. I walk towards it, and lo and behold there was a large square filled with cars, mopeds and tired pedestrians.
There was even a metro station!
I skip down the steps to the metro station, because I still had no idea where I was. After consulting my trusty map and the metro stations I conclude that I was one station away from the city centre.
Despite carrying a 10kg pack and my little backpack converted to a frontpack-with my water, passport and money in it-I decide that it’s not far enough to pay the E1,40 ticket. I head back to the square and go to look for the street I need to take. After a short couple of minutes of looking around I find it and am on my way to the Acropolis. It wasn’t until I had the first ruins infront of me that I realized that I was smack in the centre of Athens.
So to conclude…I could’ve just taken a bus that would have dropped me off exactly here, but I decided to spend quite a long time walking, searching and getting lost in this city with a 10kg backpack. I still think I made the right choice.
Published by