It was two months since our last big city, and what better place to get back into the groove than Athens? Stepping off the Metro and seeing the Acropolis watching over the city is a very, very cool feeling. Our three days in Athens were spent like kids in a candy store, moving from Socrates’ favourite hang-out, where he would stir people up with his arguments, to Hadrian’s Gate where the Emperor made sure that everyone knew who the city belonged to, and finishing with climbing up to the famous Acropolis - it was like a “Best of” 7th form Classical Studies, without the classrooms or exams.
Night times were spent with Vassia - our first CouchSurfer since Iran. Totally addicted to coffee, smoking, Damian Marley (and excellent music in general), and romance, her place was a reprieve from the mid-30s heat and ubiquitous electronic music. She slept on the couch so that we could have her bed, fed us our first Chinese food in months, made Emma morning Frappes (more essential than you would think), and had us laughing with her sharp barbs of humour that take you completely by surprise (just when you think you’ve got someone pinned as a nice, sweet, and almost quiet Greek girl!). The fun was elevated a level when Bernard the Tree Hugging Austrian (another Couchsurfer with long dreads, multiple piercings, an Anarchist philosophy, and a very gentle and considerate character) turned up to join us on the last night.
Thank you Vassia! (and best of luck in your Norwegian/Belgian/Spanish adventures ;)
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