Carnival in Patras!

Snow on the top of the mountain

On a Sunday morning at 6 am me and my neighbour girls: Maggie from Germany and Anais from France left to the Evangelismos metro station to meet some other Erasmus people. Then together we headed to Viktoria metro station where our meeting point was. There were around 200 Erasmus students gathering to buses to get ready for Patras which is the third biggest city in Greece. On the bus ride some people started drinking whisky and beer at 8 am. :D We stopped at Corinth Canal for 15 greek minutes so around 30 minutes and then continued our way towards Patras.

Corinth Canal

On our way we passed the famous Rio-Antirrio bridge

We arrived to Patras around 10-11 am and the buses left us a bit farther away so we started walking towards the center. When we got closer to the center we could see the carnical mood that was going on! The streets were full of people selling whistles (everybody had a whistle that they blew all the time!), wigs, costumes, funny sunglasses, serpentine, confetti and everything you can only imagine! At every corner of the building there were coffees or snack bars and already at 11 am they were all full! Me and Anais looked for a place to eat around an hour or so! 

The first meeting point for us was in front of this Magazara bar at 1 pm. Outside the bar people were finishing their costumes and drawing stuff to their faces, acting crazy and of course drinking. Then we started making our way to the main square and it was really difficult to keep everyone together but we managed to get maybe 50 people with whom we spent the most time to the same place. The parade was supposed to start at 2 pm but it started around 2.45 pm and it started with a small demonstration. There were lots of police officers to make sure nobody goes to the street were the parade walks. The parade lasted around 4 hours and it was just amazing how they had some many people walking there and particapating and all the costumes and stuff were different! (I read from the internet that there were around 30 000 people actively particapating to the parade and around 300 000 following the parade! BUT that really can't be true, can it?! 'Cause that's hell of a lot people!) So after the parade was over people started to make their way to the harbour were the burning of the floating carnival king was supposed to start at 9 pm and after that there were fireworks. At the harbour there was also a stage with some bands playing there. 

Callum at the first meeting point

The French guy who only drank raw Vodka and while being drunk told that he is gay!

Pierre

First people of the parade

On the parade there were many hidden or well, not so hidden message about the situation in Greece. Money played a big role in the parade. Also there were really open messages how much the people in Greece hate the german Angela Merkel right now..

money, money, money..

Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel

Neighbours: Anais, me and Maggie

:P

So many diffirent costumes!

After the parade ended we went to get something to eat and then to the harbour to wait for the fireworks. Time went past so slowly! People started to be really tired and not everyone were drinking any more so.. We just waited for the time to go past. Maybe 9.30 pm they light the carnival king of which we didn't see anything because there were so many people there.. The fireworks were really cool!! :) Me and Anais started walking towards our bus to ask the driver if we could come in and sleep. The driver said no. :( We were so tired and at every bar there was loud music and drunken people. Finally we found this coffee place with old greek men there watching football. We went in and stayed there for almost three hours.. I've never watched so much football before.. :D At 1 am we headed to the New Marina were our after party was. The buses left from Patras at 2.30 am and I desperately tried to get some sleep since I had promised to go for my first ice hockey practise in the morning at 7 am!! Well I didn't get almost any sleep on the bus and I got home at 6 am so I had to text Georgia that I can't come. I was so disappointed! :( I really would have wanted to go! 

Carnival King

The next morning there was supposed to be a picnic because it was a Clean Monday which meant free day from work and school! Clean Monday, in other cultures is also known as Ash Monday or Lent Monday! It symbolizes the start of The Great Lent; a 40 day period (before Easter) of fasting during which certain foods are not eaten. People cather to parks to have picnics and fly their kites! :) It started at 1.30 pm and I had my alarm set at noon but I woke up at 2 pm.. So I didn't go there. I went for a walk to the nearest park but the wheather was so terrible that there weren't any people at the park. 

27th of Feb was also the first day of my membership in the gym! So I went there and I really really would have wanted my Jillian to be there with me. I really didn't get anything done because all the equipment were so different and there were also lots of hot guys there.. :D

In the evening my flatmate Alice had sent a message through facebook to invite people to Plaka (area under the Akropolis) to a nice and cozy bar. We were maybe 12-15 people there and the bar was so nice!! We got home at 2 am. 

Today the weather was also really boring so in the morning I headed to the gym even though my legs were really hurting! After I went again to the Cosmote store because my sim card didn't work. Then I just hang home, went to stores, made food, washed laundry, cleaned and took it easy. :) I also called to my teacher to get some info about my practical training since it was supposed to start on Thursday.. Well I have to call her again on Monday and I might start it next week on Wednesday.. And what I understood that the place is not so close.. So, we'll see.

Warm Saturday :)

Yesterday evening we had a gathering at our place and people started arriving around 10 pm and the last ones left around 2 am. It was nice hanging around and to get to know people who have already been in Athens since September or so. I also met some people who study at the same school as I, since most Erasmus people study economics or telecommunications or something like that. We also talked about our introduction week (all the other schools have already had theirs). :) 

+20-21C

In the morning my friend Xenofon picked me up with his car and we drove to the Lycavittos hill and the view was impressive. You could see the whole Athens and the mountains surrounding it. Xenofon also knew a lot of history and all the buildings so I really got a lot of information! :)

St. George chapel on the top

Pireus and the sea

Pagrati

Xenofon and me :)

After Lycavittos we drove to the biggest mall in Athens, The Mall. :) There we just hang around and drank sodas and I went to buy a mask for me for tomorrows carnival in Patras.

Tomorrow is a whole day trip to Patras for the carnival which is one of the biggest in Europe! In the afternoon there is this parade and in the evening there is a burning of some floating carnival King and fireworks and then of course some party. The buses to Patras leave tomorrow morning at 7 am and we are coming back around 4-5 am.

Here is some more info and pictures about the anual carnival:
Patras Carnival

Time goes by so slowly..

Wednesday was really boring! In Finland I'm always coming or going to same place. I rarely have a time that I really don't have anything to do. If I'm not at school I'm working. Maybe I just have to start enjoying that I have nothing to do or no plans. I can do whatever I feel like doing! :) I woke up in the morning and left to T.E.I school to meet some member of the ESN to get the ESN card. The guy was this nerd boy and I got the card and he showed me to the international office where I tried to get some answers to my questions like when does my greek language studies start or when do I get the discount paper for public transportation. Apparently I can only registerate to the school on 6 of March! That's just stupid I think since my practical training starts on the first..! Well anyway nothing happens before the sixth. Then it was noon and I had nothing to do! It rained almost the whole day so I wasn't the eager to go wander around the city. In the evening there would have been this Athensmus animal party with a dresscode: animalistic.. I decided not to go since the bar would have opened up at 12 and I was too tired + I absolutely would not had had anything to wear! :D

                                          

A nice wake up in the morning. And the french balcony doors are closed, so that well you can hear all the noises from the street.

Yesterday morning I slept late and left out to have a walk and to try to find a place where to buy stamps! Apparently a lot easier said than done. There is a post office at the syntagma sq. (where all the riots and demonstrations happen) so I wasn't that eager to go there. Pretty near my place I found a some kind of post but when I went in it was so full of people that I decided that I'll try some other time! At 4 pm I met my Greek friend Xenofon who actually was in Finland to do his Erasmus period one and a half years ago. :) It was nice catching up with him and it was a bit hilarious since the last time we saw I had said that I wish I could come to Athens to do my Erasmus and practical training and now we met under the Akropolis! :)

Then I talked on skype with my mom and dad and also with Lotta. :) Then it was a nap time since I was planning to hit the Crazy Masquerade party in the evening.. I wasn't quite sure if I would stay awake until the party starts at 11 pm. My flatmate and the girls next door decided not to go so I wasn't that eager to leave there alone BUT I did go. Even to my surprise.

At the Kerameikos metro station I spotted a guy who had been in the Akropolis event also. We were the first ones there along with three Greek girls who were the planners of the event and we waited around 60 minutes before we went inside the bar (no one else had arrived). People had nice and fun costumes on (when they arrived around 12-2 am) and, well, the party was okey. I can't say I really really enjoyed myself since I really didn't have anybody with whom I would have been there. You might think that why didn't she go and talk with people and have fun with them. Well, of course I talked with people but at first when I don't know them (some of them I wasn't even that eager to get to know to..) I'm really shy and I can't really totally be myself. And I only drank two small beers so that didn't help either for getting courage. :D I took a taxi home around 2.30 am when I got too bored watching girls with miniskirt way too drunk. :D

Today I had planned to sleep late but I woke up before 9 am. I cleaned my room, did some laundry and left out to enjoy the sunshine. I walked to the nearest post office where I waited for 35 minutes to get couple of stamps to my letters.. After I went to sit to the nearby park, read the letter I received from Lotta and laughed aloud, read some greek and tried to figured out my practise program for next week. People stared at me 'cause I only had a t-shirt on and I was putting on some sunlotion while other people had their jackets and scarfs on.. C'mon it was +15 and cloudless sky! Then I decided to go to Lidl as it was really near also. Then I came home to fix some food and rest a bit.

Then I head out again to just walk and enjoy the buildings, smells and the athmosphere of Athens and most of all Pagrati streets. I went to this supermarket AB and took my time to just wander around the shelves and see what there really is. All things started to make sence, I started to find the same things I'd normally buy in Finland. :)

In the evening I spoke on skype with my sister and mom. I send emails to the hockey girl and to my school in Finland. My first hockey practise could actually be on Monday morning at 7.30 am. I'm so excited and also a bit nervous since the carnival trip to Patras is going to end around 4 am.. But I think I can manage to stay awake! :D Hopefully! 

My patience was put on a test..

This morning for the first time I actually woke up to my alarm at 8 am. It was the first night here that I really slept well. Finally. At 9 am I left towards Mitrodorou st. in Sarakaki near Metaxourgio metro station (red line). So I had to change metros and then also to take a bus to the school. Since I was so early in the Metaxourgio station I decided to walk since it was a beautiful and sunny day. It took me around 20 minutes to reach the school. It didn't stand our from the street at all and at first I didn't even realize that it was my school. Inside the front door it opened up to this kind of like inner yard. The halls were like in a square so you could walk around the corridors. It reminded me of prison.. :D

I was supposed to meet this physiotherapist professor at 10 am and I found her office ten to ten, I was just on time. She was sitting in the same desk with some other teacher and they were in the middle of something so she told me to sit down and wait a moment. And I waited. And waited some more. I waited 1h 30 minutes for her to talk with me! Then she got up started packing her purse and at the same time talked with me. She basically told me three sentences. Why are you here so early since the practical training starts at the first of March. She didn't know my practical training place yet and she told me to call her on Friday. I asked her about the greek language course and she answered to my like I was stupid that I need to ask someone else who, of course, wasn't in the same building. I understood that I really really need to take care of my own things (like I always do) 'cause nobody really takes care of me for example participating to the language course or not. After this I was so pissed of! Why had I been waiting for her all this time when she could have said that to me anytime!!! Anyway, then she told me to follow her and she left me standing there with three local physiotherapist girls who didn't speak english. I had no idea why I was with them! We waited again for her around 35 minutes until she came and only told me to call her on Friday! Then she added that the buses had gone into a strike so I would have to walk back to the train station! I was so hungry and angry..

The classroom where we waited with the girls

some hall

Square what I tried to explain.. :D

Theory classroom

 When I finally made it to the metro I had to take two metros to get to the Viktoria metro station because I had to find some KFEL office where to pay my carnival partytrip to Patras which is on Sunday. There is already 200 participants on facebook group so I think we have many buses going there. It took a while for me to find the place since the street was so small it wasn't on my map.

Then I headed to home to EAT! When I had eaten I had to go out again because I wanted to get my cosmote sim card activated before the place would close again. Now it works :) Then I headed straight to the supermarket since I'm out of food again. My idea was to make some chicken, pasta, paprika, corn, feta and pesto. Then I was too tired to go anywhere else, there would have been this student event: fun game night which meant bowling. But I decided to stay at home and open up my present from Lotta (I was allowed to open it up when I really missed her) and it was perfect! Inside the box was our favourite chocolate, pastils, memory stick with The biggest loser season in it and our picture! It was perfect! :)

 

Nothing to do but some much to do.

This morning I was supposed to enroll myself into the T.E.I Athens school. On one email that I had received from the school clearly stated that the exchange students must report themselves 10-20 February to the school. It also said that the office would be open from 8.30-14. So today was the last day to register and when I finally found the right building I felt like I was the first ever exchange student there. Before I went inside to the room it said on the door "office hours 10-12".. The woman there had to call different places and it was just messy. She really didn't know anything. I didn't get to know my work placement place or anything else for that matter. I just got a new address to meet some physiotherapy professor tomorrow morning. Weird, well typical greek.

poor photo 'cause it doesn't show how big the campus were

After that I wandered around the school campus which was huge! Then I called to Dora who had yesterday told me that she would come to the campus with her sister around 11.30. So I called her at 11.23 and I finally met her at 12.35 or so. While waiting for her I sat in the school cafeteria just wondering about all the noise going on! There weren't even that many people there but the noise was loud.. :D 

Dora gave me a sim card which has to be activated before using and we couldn't find any place to do that, so I'm gonna do that tomorrow. We also visited the department of Healt and Caring Professions where we asked about the physiotherapy section and we were told that the whole physiotherapy is in a totally different building, not even on a same campus.. When we were walking at the corridors it was just so so different! There were people smoking inside, it was cold in there. There were some jewelry sellers inside in the corridors, sandwich bars in the corridors, the old phones (pay phone?) on the walls, only cold marble penches.. When I told Dora that in our school we have comfortable couches she almost didn't believe me. :D

Then we headed to Evangelismos where we decided to go and have something to eat and I ate this big baguette which in Finland would cost at least 7€, I paid 3 from mine here.. After that we decided to walk to this store named Jumbo which is like a Finnish Tarjoustalo with all kinds of stuff there. In Greece it's a three week carnival celebration going on (I actually don't know much of it) and this is that last week of it. So in the city most of the younger kids are dressed up in different costumes. On a Thurday night we have a carnival party to which we needed something to dress up or accessories at least. I decided to be a butterfly (or my "theme") since I already have one topp with a glitter butterfly on it and then I bought this butterfly bracelet and sunglasses.

Then I walked home without getting lost and without using my map! I'm really starting to learn the biggest streets near my place and also some of the smaller ones which I use. When I went home I replaced the old tenants name to mine to our frontdoor if someone sends me a letter or something. :P Then I head back out again after watching from the internet the nearest Cosmote store where to active my sim card. Unfortunately it was closed already.

Oh, I also learned today that most of the smaller shops are open, for example, from 8-15 and 17/18-21 EXCEPT on Mondays and Wednesdays when they are usually only open in the morning.. Then I decided to go check out the nearest gym which I had spotted from the internet and facebook already in Finland: www.fitnessplus.gr 

I went inside and they let me go to the gym to check it out. Then some of the emplyee came to me introducing himself and we was really annoying. The spinning room was really small with only 11 bikes there but they told me that I can still participate even though it's in greek. I had to sign some papers and that was it. My contract starts on next Monday 27th and I'll pay 122€ for three months. 

mm. What else. Well again my feet are numb for all the walking done today also. In the morning I really only had one plan but I still got the whole day went by just like that. Oh, and I learnt so much new greek words and meanings to day! :)  

τέλειο τέλος = telio telos = perfect ending.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

I feel greeaaat. This morning I faced my fears or at least a situation that makes me nervous. I really hate being in a group from which I don't know that many people. Situations like that usually requires introducing yourself, they just aren't made for me. Anyway, today was the last day of introduction week of ESN Kapa. There are three main Erasmus Student Networks in Athens: Kapa, AUEB and my school TEI. The students can go to any of the events so it doesn't really matter which school you study at. So today it was time to visit the Akropolis and Parthenon and also the Akropolis museum.

The meeting time was at noon and well, when in Athens, do as the Greek do it.. It started almost 40 minutes late. At first it was really difficult to get any contact with anyone since it felt like everyone already knew people. By accident I started talking to a Greek girl, Dora who was just lovely and friendly! :) At Akropolis I mostly hang around with her and an other Greek girl, Mytro. I also shortly spoke to an other Finnish student from Lappeenranta. Also I collided into the Finnish girl and her mother that I'd met on a metro on Friday! :D

The Arch of Hadrian

Lycavittos hill and somewhere on the right there is Pagrati

Flowers are blossoming :)

After exploring the Parthenon and Akropolis hill we (not all) went to the museum. Where we were around 1 hour or so. At the museum I spoke to many other people from Czech, Romania, Italy, Turkey etc. The museum was really clean and nice looking but pretty boring.  All the rocks looked the same to me.. :D The building was worth to admire!

After that there was supposed to be this event where students were supposed to dance the same dance routine at the same time (for ESN 25 years celebration) and it was supposed to be in every ESN country and become a youtube video when all the countries would have done it. So me and Dora started walking to Monastiraki sq. where this was supposed to be filmed. We were over an hour late and still there were only one girl.. So that didn't happen. Dora lives pretty close to my place and we decided to take a metro to Evangelismos and go eat something. First we had to walk through to neighbourhood with a bad reputation, Omonia. It actually looked a bit scary place even in day light!! At the Omonia metro station we heard that all the main metro station were closed because of some riots happening in Syntagma. So the metro station we were at wouldn't go straight to Evangelismos, we should change metros, but that we couldn't do, since the stations were closed.. We decided to go one stop further to Victoria and to eat something. :) 

It was really nice to chat with Dora and compare cultures and learn a lot of new things! After eating we couldn't take a metro nor a bus so we had to take a taxi. It cost only 5€ so it was that bad. We walked past my building and changed numbers and promised to see maybe tomorrow or so. :) 

Walking almost 6 hours, me feet are killing me and I have a headache and I'm sneezing all the time. :D Tomorrow morning I'm gonna visit my school and then I've got no plans. :) Let's see what happens :) 

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Finally the day of arrival had come, 17th of February! I woke up at 4 am and at 5 am we were at the airport with my parents. I told them goodbye and then waited for the first flight to Copenhagen to leave. At the big Copenhagen airport it was easy the find the gate and I was so bored just to wait (less than two hours). The flight to Athens was also boring since I didn't have anything to do but to watch and listen to some swedish boys arguing next to me on a plane. At the Athens airport I got my bag and followed the signs to Metro. At the metro I went to sit at the place where is four seats. There next to me came this young girl and her mother who were from Finland! So the metro trip went really easily when I had company! The mom was really shocked and surprised to see me move to Athens on my own. :) I got off at Evangelismos metro station and went up the stairs where someone was supposed to meet me. Well, no one was there. Thank god I had Alinka's (the woman I rent the room from) number so I called her and also to my flatmate Alice who eventually came to pick me up. The walk to our apartment wasn't long at all. :)

The kitchen table right in front of my room door :)

Small kitchen

Bathroom

My french balcony :)

My homestreet to left

My homestreet to right

My flatmate Alice explained a lot of stuff to me and then I unpacked and tried to make myself feel like home. After that I went out to look for a supermarket which was pretty close to my place. I'm the worst cook ever and Lotta had made me a notebook full of recipes, so I had the notebook with me in the supermarket. Yet, it didn't help me much since it was really difficult to buy anything 'cause everything was in Greek! I couldn't choose bread, butter, cheese, feta or nothing! It took a long time to get something in my shopping basket.. After I survived cooking for myself I didn't know what to do. I went to bed at 7 pm since I was really tired! My room is very cold and I couldn't fall asleep 'cause I kept listening the noices and sounds coming from outside. In the morning my head and throat hurt and my nose was leaking.. Great!

Near Evangelismos metro station, Lycavittos mountain

In the morning Alice left to some student trip to the city of Napflion and I didn't want to go since I've already been there twice. I had the whole apartment and I got to do my morning routines as I wished. :) At 10am I left out to walk around in the neighbourhood to get to know the area. The weather was perfect! Cloudless sky, sunny and +11C! :) I ended up walking 2,5 hours and not getting lost once!

I started my walking to the Evangelismos metro station which I was sure I would get lost on the way but it was really easy. :) It's good that I have a good memory of places and streets even though the small narrow streets look identical! After that I decided to walk to the sightseeing of Panathinaiko Stadium where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896! :) On my way there I almost got an heart attack when this stray cat attacted this pigeon right in front of me. The cat killed the pigeon right in front of my eyes! :D 

Evangelismos metro station park or something :D

On my way to Panathinaiko stadium

The crazy stray cat

The Panathinaiko stadium

Akropolis, taken right in front of the Stadium

After seeing the stadium I decided to go and find and an other supermarket near my place, Lidl. Instead of going the same way back I wanted to take a little detour. On my way I got to see a lot stuff. I spotted some night club, walked past a huge cemetery, wondered about greek life style and little coffee shops and everything.  I found Lidl after walking a while and it was much cheaper than the market I went yesterday. Then I started walking back to my place and I almost thought that I got lost when I saw my house right in front of me. :D

My house and my french balcony is right under the first (from the left) green thing.. 

After getting a little rest to my feet and eating I decided to go out again to Egaleo to search for my school. :) Egaleo or part of it is a familiar place since two summers ago me and Saija stayed at Egaleo on our interrailing trip. When I got of from metro all the memories came up. I remembered the square and to which direction we used to walk. I didn't find to street I was looking for so I ended up asking help from this kiosk at the square. This good looking guy helped me and finally I found the road. My map of Athens consists only the center of Athens so I had a map with me that I had drawn myself.. Anyway the way was supposed to be 2km and since I had'nt got lost in the morning I was really confident this time also. I walked and walked around 30 minutes until I decided to quit. I walked backwards and came to one of the familiar roads and saw this cheap clothes store where I've been two years ago. I remembered the saleswoman and she was really nice to me. I even got to use (or at least tried to) my greek language skills (and Lotta no, I didn't order fanta..). I ended up buying one shirt with 10€..

Mandarin tree. There are lots of those next to the streets! 

After the second trip around I took a short nap and then just hang around in my room and watched some tv from my laptop while being under blanket with tissues near..