Kifisia, Chalkida and Karystos :)

On Thurday I went to my practical training place in Ilion since I had plans for the next day.. It's nice that I can choose when I go there, either thurdays or fridays. :) There wasn't anything special mostly the same patients and same things happened than earlier. 

Straight from there I rushed to Panepistimio to meet Despoina to learn some more greek once again. We decided to walk to the national garden which is just behind Syntagma sq. and really close to my place. Since I was starving I bought koulouri (a typical round greek bread with sesame seeds on it, delicious, easy and cheap snack!) on the way. When we where crossing one of the big streets in Syntagma we were kindly waiting at the red traffic lights when we and this man noticed that the whole road was closed.. We started laughing together and walking to the same direction and he started chatting with us and asking where are we from. Turned out the he was actually from Egypt, Aswan and from the Nubian village where I visited last summer!!!! Immediatelly we had so much to talk about. :D He actually joined us to the garden and came to chat with us. We talked over three hours about everything! Mostly he told stories about phraohs and their tombs, legends, genies, supernatural stuff and ancient magic and it was so interesting to listen to!! But also a bit weird 'cause he still was a stranget to us.. I felt like being on this bonfire again! :D He knew so much stuff! He had seen a lot of things during his life and has worked in many places and knows a lot about immigrants and prohibited immigrant stuff that happens around us every day.

He also knew how to predict or foresee things about your life from your hand.. I don't belive in that kind of stuff. Or at least I didn't belive. I think that they just come up with anything and people just adjust the things into their own lifes! And this also happened in my case. He told that his granma had used to do it in Egypt when he was little. He had never learnt it or anything he just does it, he told us. Anyway, the things that he told me actually convincted me a bit. He told me that I have a gift either in music or in sports. In his prediction I was also stubborn (which makes kind of sense, sometimes.. :P ). He told that I like to organize stuff and things and keep everything clean what comes to apartments or in my life. (so true, the Monica from Friends tv series lives sometimes in me..) He told me that I'm gonna live a long life (yes, he can tell that to everyone!). He also told me that I won't let people in easily and I'm afraid of getting hurt. My heart is ready "to burst into flames and be loved" but it waits for something or someone. :D I was also told that I'll have two kids or twins and one more, but that I'll only have to pregnancies and there is a big chance for twins. It was so interesting to hear, normally I don't think I would have done it but he asked my permission and whether or not I wanted to hear the stuff. Nice experience. :D

Then we started to leave and he asked to which direction I was going to and he told that he was going to Pagrati, the same area where I live in! I have to admit (as I don't trust everybody) that I was a bit suspicious about that but I hadn't told him where I lived in. So we started to walk towards Pagrati discussing about my adventures in Egypt last summer. I told him that I miss the local Koshery food so much and he promised to look if there is some place in Athens where to have it. He was going to Pagrati because his friend had opened up some Egyptian cafe place with waterpipes and egyptian stuff. He actually showed it to me so after that I wasn't suspicious anymore. He invited me and anyone I would want to take with me to his mothers place and she could cook us egyptian food! :) 

Finally I made it to home at 5 pm and rushed to the fridge to eat something. Then I headed to the gym where I spent two hours! :D

On Friday I woke up early to go to the gym. It was so nice there since there weren't that many people! Then I rushed home to shower and to meet Miina at Ambelokipi metro station to go to the Mall of Athens in Marousi to shop! We took a blue line since it was supposed to be faster.. But we ended up waiting around 20 minutes for the yellow line so I think it wasn't that much faster than the green line. Anyway we shoped around 3 hours and I bought four shirts!!! :DD We also went to eat at the mall and then we headed to Kifisia to walk around. It was totally different looking than the center of Athens! There were newer houses and buildings. In the center there were mostly only really expensive stores like: Louis Vuitton, Lacoste and brands I had never even heard about! Lotta: we also spotted a coffee place called KaijaK!!!!

On Saturday it was time for the Athensmus trip "beach party". We had a meeting point near Viktoria station at 7.30 am. At facebook it said that around 150 people were going but we only had one bus of people going there.. The first stop was at Chalkida, where there is the famous bridge with leads to this island called Euboia/Ennia (there are two different names used). Chalkida was a nice, calm place where we spent two hours walking around and having breakfast. It wasn't as magical as Athensmus had written on its facebook page..

Chalkida

Crystal clear water with jellyfishes

After Chalkida we drove around three hours to the coastal town named Karystos. We were basically told at the bus that here is the beach and the bus leaves at 3 am. We had 13 hours and the town was dead! There really wasn't anything there!! Nothing to see or nothing to do! We went to eat at this nice greek taverna and after that we just wandered around the same streets over and over again. We went to the beach to sunbathe and I played tavli with one of the guys. When the sun went down it started to be really cold!! The time went past so slowly, we had four hours until the first meeting at 11 pm to get to the bus for 30 minutes. We went to have a hot chocolate and waited the time to pass. Finally at 11 pm we went to the bus and I rested for 30 minutes until the driver told us to get out. We went to the beach party and they had a big fire on the beach so it was really warm there!! :) We sat there for three hours and then went inside to dance. At 3 am we left back to Athens.

When we drove to Chalkida I noticed that the narrow roads on the mountains where in terrible condition and I was afraid to look out because the driver drove too fast and I hate those roads. I'm afraid that the bus or car is gonna go off the road. Anyway, when we started our journey back home it was so foggy outside that we couldn't see out of the window. Some drunk Spanish guys in the back of the bus started shouting "we are gonna die, we are gonna die" and I was really afraid 'cause I remembered how long we had to drive on the mountains before proper streets.. I just tried to sleep the way back, not watching out of the window. We arrived to Athens at 6.30 and I went to bed 7.15 am.

Karystos only sightseeing

Art pic from the hot chocolate place :)

Fire :)

Yesterday I woke up at noon and I was so tired! I really didn't do anything expect went to the gym and made some food for myself. In the evening I met my friend Xenofon and Panagiotis, the boys who did their Erasmus in Finland two years back! It was great to see Panos also after two years! We met at Marina Flisvos and it was a nice place! :) We went to sit and talked hours about everything! :) It was so nice to catch up wtih the guys :)

Today I'm planning to take it easy. In the morning I went to the gym and soon I plan to visit Ermou quickly and study some Greek today. :)