Welcome to Athens…

Continuing on from the whole Turkish German guy thing. We arrived safely in Athens. After spending two hours at the airport from trying to organise things it was time to head to the hotel.

We jumped into a cab at the airport. The cab driver seemed nice enough. The meter started running like a tap left on. As we were driving through Athens the cab driver kindly pointed out a few tourist spots. We finally arrived to the hotel. The bill came to 47 Euros. We asked the cab driver how much it was and he immediately responded 50 Euro. I mean what time of a sick person rounds up the figure. Its bad enough were paying like a 100 Australian dollars. I couldn’t believe the nerve of this Greek guy standing in front of me demanding 50 Euros to get to the city centre. We got screwed hard! I suppose the 3 Euros went to his sightseeing tour...

We arrived at the hotel in hope of resting and grabbing some lunch. After dumping our stuff and rushing back down to reception to ask what time our tour package guys are picking us up tomorrow for the Greek island tours we were confronted by the reception bitch.

This hotel has a deal with the tour package that were doing. That’s why we actually booked this hotel. Were standing at reception waiting for this woman to tell us what time the tour guys are picking us up and she has no idea. She kept insisting it was Saturday and that the tour company was closed. I’m standing there thinking what good are you to us for crying out loud.

While the reception bitch is chewing away on something I notice a huge envelope behind her with our names on it. I ask her if that is for us. She turns in surprise and realises that it’s actually ours. Then she goes on to tell us that the tour company just delivered it. I mean for crying out loud we just checked in. She knows our names. The tour company just dropped the envelope off to her. What kind of a nut wit like her decides to work at reception when she can’t even assist the guests? Finally we open the envelope and find out all the details. I wonder what the hell would of happen if I didn’t point out the envelope to her. She would probably sit at reception all day forgetting about the envelope.

After dashing out of reception we headed to a café to eat. Along the way we discovered Athens “Pitt St” Mall. At the café we had our first Moussaka and Souvlaki.

Before exploring Athens we decided we should empty our memory sticks on the camera in order to take heaps of photos. We walk into this dodge little photo shop in some back alley. The guy tells us its 5 Euros per CD. We order 2 CDs. We leave a few memory sticks with him. When we rock up he claims we owe him 15 Euros. Apparently his charging us $2.50 per extra memory stick. This guy screwed us over big time. Anyway I ask if we can check the CDs and he insists that he burnt the photos on the CD and he cant multitask.

Apparently his burning another CD and he cant check our photos. So were crusing around Athens wandering if we have the photos on this CD. So my next suggestion is to go into another photo shop and ask to print a few pictures from the CD. We stroll into another tiny photo shop where we can all barely fit in. Before I even manage to open my mouth she tells me that she’s closing for the day. FFS who closes the shop at 2pm?

Finally we find an internet café to check the photos. My god the Internet café is built in the sky. We walk up theses never ending stairs. I think we must have walked up 8 or 9 flights of stairs. I was convinced I was having an asthma attack on the 6th floor.

We thought the rest of the day should be spent exploring the Acropolis. Now this is where the incidents occur. We manage to catch a train to the closest station and walk up to the Acropolis. Outside the station I decide to ask this guy which way the Acropolis is. While his giving me directions he is fully touching his private parts. I mean who the hell touches himself while giving tourist instructions. Where the hell do I find theses freaks?

We go to purchase our tickets where a tour guide who offers to take us for a tour for 15 euros each confronts us. We kindly refuse but regret later. After buying our tickets and this is where my student card comes in handy. I manage to obtain my ticket for half the price. They sell us 6 tickets. Apparently you have 3 days to use all the tickets to various venues.

We start climbing up to the Acropolis. We stop for minor photo shoots. Along the way we are stopped by two lesbians who request we take some shots of them with Athens in the background. After doing so we continue on our way. My friend drops her camera and cracks the lenses. We know this is a sign and it can't be good.

Finally we arrive to the top. The ruined buildings are amazing. Collapsed bits and pieces of stones. You gotta love it. We do some filming of the Acropolis, introducing it on camera. Spend about two hours up there. Then we walk back down feeling all sore from the climbing. We decide to check the map to see what else is around. We notice on the map that the Acropolis wasn’t what we just saw. That was the Parthenon. We manage to get into a panic attack as we have so little time left before the area closes. We decide to run to the actually Acropolis. We dash through the woods to take a short cut, almost got lost and fall from trying to run downhill. While running down the bloody bush I point out a guy peeing. What is it with me spotting guys peeing honestly?

We manage to make it to the Acropolis. While trying to obtain our breath we start filming crazily on camera. We indicate that this is actually the Acropolis and not the previous building. After filming I decide to read the history of the building and notice that this is actually the temple of thissio or something and not the Acropolis.

Once again we step into panic mode and can’t decide what to do. We pull out the map and try and work out what’s happening. Were too confused. We spot a tour guide. We decide to ask her where the Acropolis is. She seems more confused then we are. She points to the direction we just came from. I mean how the hell did we miss it on the way. Did we see it before we came? Was it the building we saw? We ask her if that was it. She takes the map looks at it and tries giving us some directions. She’s more confused then we are. I think we confused her by asking where the Acropolis is. I pull out my camera and show her pictures we just took. She looks at them and cant pin point the Acropolis and then she says "yes I think its this one". FFS a tour guide doesn't even know. What are you on woman?

Anyway we check our watches and notice that there is 15 minutes left to closing so we decide to give up and just wander to a café. We argue for the next 20minutes where the Arocopolis is.

Later we are informed that the Acropolis refers to the whole site including the Parthenon. We spent the whole afternoon looking for a building, which was called the Acropolis.

The evening continues as we managed to find a café to sit in after my friend insisted she wanted something sweet but then decided not to have something sweet. Inconsiderate people honestly!

Anyway were sitting at the café near the door. The door is wide open so we can watch outside. I’m holding onto the menu when this one eyed woman dressed in freaky clothes comes right up to us. She gives my friend a death stare with her one eye and then vanishes. We both freak out thinking what the hell was that. I tell my friend the one eyed woman just cursed her. She freaks out totally. Only if she knew what was to come in the next few days…