In Greece

So the final leg of our trip is a 5 day land and 4 day water tour/cruise of the Greecian ruins and the Greecian Islands! We both have been very excited by this, because its obviously awesome things to see/do, but also because its the first time in 6 weeks or 1 week(amy) that we dont have to plan anything, and can just be carted around like cattle. Ahhh, maybe finally some relaxation? But first, we had to get to Greece.....

(As you can tell these posts are getting longer, because the travels, which at first were so simple are getting very very frustrating and confusing, so read on if you'd like to feel exactly what its like to travel through Europe. If you arent interested, the plot summary is we made it to Greece, alive.)

So in order to get to Greece, we had to get to one of the three port cities, Ancona(across from Rome), Bari, or Brinidisi(both across from Naples). As our last stop was the Amalfi Coast, nearest to the train hub of Naples, we knew we had to get to Bari or Brinidisi. The ferry, which is an overnight 16 hour journey, was what we were worried about. We were planning on staying in Amalfi 3 nights, catching a train to Bari, and hopping on the ferry getting us into Athens, with enough time to catch our tour in Athens. Then we saw that the ferry might not leave on Sunday our chosen day of travel. Unlike the other countries I have been in, every station in Italy makes you reserve(and pay money) for a seat on the train, even though we have the rail passes. We assumed the ship was no different, however, unlike the train where you can reserve it from anywhere, we just could not find a way to reserve this ferry. Since neither of us had experience traveling like this, we realized the only thing we could do was leave Amalfi(and the payment for the third nights stay) a night early to be sure we would make our tour/cruise on time. Which is why we did our short tour of Pompeii, explained in the last post.

So on Saturday(instead of the planned Sunday), we get on the terrifying bus(although by now I am not gripping the seat so tight, my knuckles are white anymore!!!) for an hour to Salerno, and then take an hour train into Naples. At Naples, we make sure we didnt have to reserve the train to Bari. Of course we did, and there were no more reserved seats left. Not thinking this leg of the journey would give us any problems, we probably looked quite flustered, so the guy said, that the trip from Naples to Casserta does not need reservations, and that perhaps we could work something out once we get to Casserta. Not wanting to stay in Naples very long(aside from being the birthplace of Pizza, we also believe its one of the birthplaces of the mob. Anyone who stayed in the city said it was the scariest city they had ever stayed in while traveling), we headed on an earlier train to Casserta. In Casserta however, hardly anyone spoke English as its not a frequented stop on the tourist track, yet we found one semi English speaking ticket agent, who tells us the same thing the ticket agent in Naples does; that there are no more reserved tickets, however if we just hop on, we have to pay the reservation fee plus an extra 8 euro. We say ok and wait.

As we are waiting, an Aussie guy asks us where to buy a sandwich, and if we were also trying to sneak on in Bari. We inform him that yes we are sneaking on the train, and the only place to buy a sandwich at the station was from a vending machine. (It wasnt as bad as it sounds, but dont ask Amy, she will tell you something wayyy different). After figuring out the platform for the train, we head there and meet three girls from the farrao(sp?) islands in between scotland and Iceland. They are not only headed to the same area as our Aussie friend(Johnathon), but even to the same hostel. We all board the train together, and camp out on the floor for the three hour journey to Bari. Johnathon, goes to get some food and doesnt come back for nearly an hour, when he finally returns he tells us how he met these other Aussies that he had met before at home, and that unlike him, they were trying to get to Athens like we were, so we made sure to stay near them. Then, the ticket guy comes around. He sees we have no tickets, but assumes amy and I plus the three island girls are traveling together, so instead of charging us each the 15 euro reservatin fee, and the 8 euro extra fee, he says we as a group can pay the 8 euro fee. Not a huge discount, but defiantely better then nothing. Unfortunately the girls dont have any cash, and he does not have a card machine. He tells us to get off at the next stop and hit up an ATM. One of the girls does as she is told, and gets the money, yet he never comes back so instead of paying extra for NOT having a seat, we wound up evening out from paying for our night in Amalfi and not using it, or so thats how we interpreted it. So by the end of the train ride, there are eight of us, all without reservations, all without a clue, headed off the train looking for any sign of a port. We find it in a man who offers us seats in a minibus, for 24 Euro. We take it.

Once we pay the driver, we have less then an hour before the ferry is scheduled to leave. We find the ticket office, and get on line. It winds up costing 37 euro each, including port taxes, fees and the surcharge. We pay and hop on. Essentailly the ferry is a small cruise ship, with 10 decks(although we think decks 1-6 just held cars and other cargo), and even has some cruise ammenities such as a casino, dance club, auditorium, etc. After seeing some Canadians having the right idea by camping out, outside, Amy and I move our stuff outside on deck, and the rest of our group joins us, having picked up another aussie(they are everywhere!!). The Aussies go right to the bottle(at 5 euro a beer though, totally not worth it), whereas the rest of us eat dinner. We then just chill out by reading, playing cards, or as Britt, one of the Aussie girls said "Cant we just play a game called talking". By 11:30pm, most of the group had fallen asleepish, or as asleep as you can on the outside deck of a boat, covered in a dewey mist with all of your stuff around you. Amy and I wound up being in the center of that group, making us feel very safe. Around 3 am, the Island girls head inside finding some respite in a restaurant with a carpet, which is so much more comfy then cement. We did not wise up to this though, until 630am. The Island girls and the two aussie boys left early in the morning, as they were getting off at Corfu. When the rest of us woke up aruond 8am, we finally procured a table(they were prime real estate on that ship, and were all taken hours before we had even gotten to Bari), as more then half of the deck passengers of the ship got off at Corfu, and we had some breakfast and continued our game of talking. The aussie girls however were not ending their trip in Athens, they had to move onto Mykonos, so instead of heading with us via train, they took a quicker and more expensive bus(makes no sense, I know) so they could make their ferry to the island in time to party with their friends that night.

We however, are still not quite there, as our ferry port was Patras, nearly 3 hours from Athens. A taxi driver tells us the train station is within walking distance, and we see another group of backpackers heading there so we follow them. They go to the ticket office, and get free reserved tickets, and we do the same. We find out we can get to Athens earlier then expected. This is important because we didnt actually have a place to stay in the city, as we didnt know if we would make the ferry or not, so the earlier the better!! We take the first leg of the train, and met some girls from Philadelphia, who entertained us the whole way there. Then we had to change trains, and followed the mass of people heading to the other track at the station Kiato. Finally, we make it on the next train, and get into Athens in about an hour and a half. The other western travelers, which were many, were as equally confused as we were, which in a way was a relief.

We arrive in Athens, ask the train info station for a hostel, get directed to one in walking distance, find out its available and costs 15 Euro, actually one of the cheapest amounts I've spent on a bed, and then find a great restaurant, where the guy fully orients us to the city, and gives me an amazing gyro!!!! After a while on the internet, I hit the bed with a book in hand and am asleep by 9pm.

While the trip was confusing and frustrating, it was also exhilerating, and entertaining. Especially knowing that no one knew what they were doing, and how quickly we all bonded together in order to figure all this stuff out, we were able to navigate traveling. It was one of those times, where the experience made it all worthwhile....or at least I thought so.

If I can find an internet cafe I will post pictures today, as our plans for the day are laundry, and buying shorts, although that might not be a possibility. If not you will have to wait until I get back in less then two weeks :(.