Το φιτρί αγόρι (colourful life)

Today (May 16th), I arrived to Patra to visit my friend Stella. Travel around Greece it’s not very difficult, there are always buses, and some times trains. But the most difficult part is to escape from the island (Crete, of course). The weather in Crete is nice, and in Irakleio you can find whatever you want, but, an island is small, and in the mainland there are always things to do and friends to visit.

So on May 15th, at 7:00pm, I started my trip to Patra to visit my friend Stella (the one in the picture). First I have to arrive to the harbour (λιμάνι). It seems easy, just pick the line 1 from my home, but its not very easy to go by bus with a big backpack, and two bags in your sides, and even less when the bus is full of people and you cannot pass form the entrance. In 3 stops I got a chair, and at least I was sat during the horrible traffic jam of every Tuesday. Because in Greece not every day the shops open in the afternoon. Tuesday is one of that days, so the afternoon is a Nightmare. I don’t know how can you put so many cars in an island. Another guy and me tried to scape from the bus in the middle of the traffic jam, but the “nice” bus driver said “oχi”, and if a driver says no… its no. So it took me 1 hour to reach the bus station.

Bus station? Yes, I took a trip Irakleio-Patra So you go to the bus station and you buy the tickets for the ship and for the bus. You go out, put your luggage in the bus, and go to the ship. The bus will travel with you in the ship and it will be waiting for you when your journey through the mediterranean sea ends. The trip Irakleio-Pireas (Athens) was strange, not so many people in the cafeteria (usually is full), but lots of people sleeping in the seats (usually you can find a place). I didn’t sleep to much. First I tried in the cafeteria, but the lights and a f****** phone ringing. Then I tried in the seats, but there was I guy snoring as loud as hell.

When the trip finished I went to the “balcony” of the ship to see how it manoeuvres. I don’t know how they can control such amount of floating steel with so many precision. I took the bus just 20 meters from the ship and tried to sleep but, I was hungry. The last time I took that bus to go to Ioannina it stopped in the same place when I went and when I returned. But today it didn’t stop. So I started to think “I’m not hungry, I’m not hungry…”. It didn’t work, but I least I spent my time with that and listening to the eurovision songs.

I arrived to Patra at 9:15am. And the adventure began. First find a taxi. I got off the bus and went to pick my luggage. I found a little girl trying to pick two huge suitcases. She was asking help in greek, but nobody helped her. So I offered myself (yes, Spanish gentleman). The people there was so rude that a guy pushed me away when I tried to pick my backpack. Like “hey, go away”. I got it and I asked the little girl about where to pick a taxi. She told me that she also wanted to pick a taxi, and that perhaps we could share the cost. We were going to the same street! Strange day. It was impossible to find a taxi in the small bus station, and we picked the luggage and run to a supposed taxi stop with one taxi without a driver (he went for a frapé). At 9:40 we picked a taxi with another guy, and we headed to the TEI and surroundings.

The girl was running to give an exam. First she had to leave her luggage and then go to the exam at 10:00. It was impossible so we agreed that she will stop in the TEI (like the university), and I and the taxi driver will met her friend and give her the luggage. We arrived to the street, but we didn’t find anyone. I fact we looked in the wrong place, but with my limited Greek knowledge I couldn’t do more than wait in the middle of the street with the luggage. I decided to wake up my good friend Stella and put all the stuff in her house.

Nice adventure today. The girl arrived after her exam and me and Stella went to the supermarket and to visit some of her friends with her scooter (σκουτερακι). Now we’re watching a program about the weight loosing industry mafia in Greece. Some reporters with hidden cameras had made a good work that deserves to be seen.

Καληνυχτα!