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| Egina |
On friday morning me and Miina met at Evangelismos metro station at 9 am and took a metro first to Monastiraki and then changed into a green line and headed to Pireus! I was so excited to go home! We bought the tickets to ferry from the harbour and with greek student cards it was only 6,20€ /head. There are also flying dolphins (the fast ones) going to Poros but they cost 15€ even from students but it only takes 1 hour. The ferry takes 2,5 hours, at least on paper.. From experience it's usually closer to 3 hours. It also stops at Egina and Methana before Poros.
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| Miina and myself |
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| Miina, me and Costas |
On the ferry we got a cozy place and started to practise our greek language doing some alphabet exercises. There were three greek boys sitting next to us and they seemed really amused when we tried to spell the alphabet. We started talking and the guys were also going to Poros. Two of them played football at the logal team and one of them worked there at some fast food place (didn't even know there is one in Poros). The guy we talked most with, Costas, was playing football professionally. He had played in Germany and his next goal was to play in Holland in some good team. The time went pretty fast and we got invitations to go and watch their practise the same day and also their game on Sunday.
At the harbour Thanassis, the owner of Villa Violetta, was there to meet us. It was so nice to see him after two years. He figured that I speak or at least understand some greek so he mostly talked greek with me! :D It was a nice challenge and I think that most of the easy stuff at least I understood and was able to respond. :) Climbing the hotel stairs really really felt like going home! Seeing the room number 6 and being in it felt like being home! For the first time in 20 years I was able to communicate with Thannassis wife Angeliki in greek! Amazing!
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| Lemon trees |
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| Quiet Askeli street |
We left to walk around Askeli (I don't remember if I've written in the texts from Interrail trip but the island can be divided into three parts: Neorio, Askeli and the town) and I showed Miina some places and told a lot of stories! :D Askeli was really dead! All the restaurants were closed, the beach was dead, no people anywhere! Only both of the supermarkets in Askeli and the gym were open. It was weird seeing the place so quiet and dead but also really relaxing, coming from the busy and noiseful Athens. We passed the swimming pool where I learnt how to swim, swimming pools where I've spent my summer holidays, places where I've driven a scooter for the first time etc. etc. etc. So many great memories!
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| Cascade swimming pool where I learnt how to swim |
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| The beach at the end of Askeli, next to Taverna Romantza |
After walking around Askeli we went to sit down on this dock and enjoy the crystal clear water and the sun. The weather was pretty good but not so warm. Then we headed to watch the football practise for maybe half an hour or so. The distance from Askeli to the town is around 2-2,5km and the football field is close to the town. Then we went to town to walk around and of course take pictures (like I don't have every angle already filmed of Poros..). We climbed to the clock tower and the view was pretty nice!! |
| Askeli Beach |
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| Poros cemetery |
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| Poros town |
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| Clock tower |
After walking a lot we went to sit in this nice cafe and ordered a delicious waffle! :) Then we took a taxi to Askeli and slept a while, took showers and back to the town to eat. It was relaxing just to sit and eat in this quiet restaurant with greek music. After we went to the cafe to sit. :) I joined Costas and his friend at the Joy bar and Miina left to hotel. It was nice night and I got a scooter ride to home around 3 am.
The next morning on Saturday we woke up around 10 am and Angeliki called us to our hotel room phone to ask if we wanted to have coffee and some breakfast. Not much longer she brought us coffee, biscuits, bread and apple pie! Then we left to the beach since it was a really warm and sunny day. :)
In the morning we agreed with Angeliki that we would have lunch at 4 pm and we where maybe expecting something small stuff but she had made us a real lunch! After the lunch we went out again to enjoy the sun. Then it was a nap time and I was really tired when I woke up. Again we walked to the town and went to eat at Taverna Oasis where I met some family friends after two years! :) We were supposed to go the bar Maskes but there wasn't really anyone there so, again, I got a scooter ride to the hotel. :)
The next morning we did the same thing as yesterday. To the beach and now it was really warm!! :) When it was time to pay for our hotel Thanassis and his wife told us that it was free!! We really would have wanted to pay at least something but after talking to my parents we decided that they might get offensed if we would leave some money. Instead we bought chocolate and wrote a small thank you letter in greek! :D
So relaxing and wonderful weekend with Miina in a peaceful island! This time it wasn't difficult to leave since I knew I would be coming back on 6th of April and also on easter time since Thanassis invited me there :)
On Monday this week (19th) I slept late and went to supermarket since I really didn't have anything to eat!! I had been living with ready-made meatballs the past week of course I had also eaten at school some very olive oily food! :D Then I met my tandem language partner Despoina at Panepistimio metro station and two hours went fast learning greek and teaching finnish!
On Tuesday morning it was time for my practical training to start with my new classmates at Attiko hospital. We met 7.45 in Kerameikos metro station from where we got a car ride from one of the classmates. The practical training really wasn't what I'd been expecting! We (13 + teacher) were at this big room with physiotherapy stuff in it. We started at 8.30 am and were allowed to leave at 12.30. During that time we had 4-5 patients coming some random times and we worked as pairs. When some patient came two where asked to interview the patient while the others did something else like sit, talked with each other, goofed around, practised on each other or did something with the other patients. Then when the interview part was over we were supposed to tell others and the teacher what we had found out and then the teacher told us what to do. In most cases she threated the patients and the rest of us looked. It was a long day to be around greek language and at some point I noticed that I didn't even try to pay attention trying to understand something. My part was mostly to watch, sit and listen when somebody volunteered to translate stuff to me.
After the practical training all the students went to buy coffee and we stayed and hang around outside the hospital! (something like that would never happen in Finland, as soon as we get of everybody leaves!) I got a car ride to T.E.I campus where I met Miina and went to eat and get ready for our language course.
After the exhausting but really interesting language course we went to sit in Egaleo sq. and enjoy the warm weather. Then we went to Miina's place. She lives in this Finnish-istitute or something like that. Her apartment was really nice! And downstairs they have this common room with finnish magazines, tv, coaches and stuff. :)
Yesterday was a pretty similar day. In the morning I went to my practical training and the day went past same as the day before. We got an opportunity to go actually to some department upstairs to watch an old man try to walk after having a hip replacement. The teacher miss (I think every one here (when talking about teachers) are called Miss) Palanaki let us off at 11.45. We left to the main campus of T.E.I since the others had a class only at 3 pm. I waited for Miina at the bus stop of our school and I was rolling my trouser legs up from my jeans and I only had some top on when this around 50-year-old greek man walked past me laughing at me.. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt and warm winter jacket.. I explained myself that I'm from Finland and then I had a small conversation with him in greek what am I doing in Greece and what do I study etc. Then I met Miina and went to eat and to the language course! Then we decided to take a bus and then a metro to Kifisia! Since I was really hungry we got of at Metaxourgio and walked to T.E.I. diner place but it was closed since we remembered to time wrong. Then we came to conclusion that the metro to Kifisia would take too long and we didn't even have cameras with us. Instead we went to Plaka to walk around the beautiful narrow streets and to eat pitogyra at Smile cafe place. :) We also looked up a scandinavian church where we visited. It wasn't actually even near a church it was this big room with scandinavian books and movies etc. There were two Swedish woman one of whom had lived in Greece over 30 years. It was a place for scandinavian people to gather if they live in Greece or stay long in Greece and want to meet people from their own country or something like that.
Then we walked to Syntagma and I decided not to buy a ticket since it was only for one stop.. Well well.. There were guys who checked our tickets. The fine would have been 84 euros.. The guy was really nice. I tried to look as innocent as I could and pretended that I didn't know the ticket only lasts for 90 minutes. After I told him I was from Finland and both of my parents are Finnish and he still wondered my greek name he got me of with a warning.. I bit scary situation but I've heard that some other exchange students have gotten fines and they haven't paid for them..
So far today I've walked a lot out side since it's really warm there. Soon Im meeting Despoina and practising some Greek. Then in the evening I'm going to watch a basketball game Panathinaikos (Greece) - Maccabi Electra (Israel). The game is a second playoff game in Euroleague. Panathinaikos won the first game couple of days ago.
Here is some video about the last years Panathinaikos playoff game..
Atmosphere is a bit different than in Finland..
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