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| 15 October | Athens |  |
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It was nice waking up in the luxurious room. But all my gear was at the airport, so I couldn't do much with my shaggy appearance in the morning. The hotel had a good buffet breakfast included in my stay, so I just relaxed and gave in to the decadence. I met a South African lady at my table who was also enroute on the same Gulf Air flight as myself. She is now living in Istanbul, on her way back from a holiday in Kenya.
Soon after we finished our breakfasts, a driver picked us all up and swept us off to the airport. No problem. There was extremely heavy security at the airport, I lost count of the number of metal detectors we passed through. I even was pulled aside at one point for a more... personal search. After we made it through the gamut, the lady and myself hit the duty free like a couple of kids. Expensive electronics, cheap chocolate. White Toblerone! She went crazy on videos. US$8 for copies, but of decent quality. But, look at the time! It was 20 minutes before our flight. We were the last people to board our plane. As soon as we got on board, the doors closed. Whew! 4.5 hours later, I was nearly passing out from the pain in my foot, but White Toblerone and will power helped me keep it together. Putting my boot back on when we arrived in Cairo almost made me pass out from the pain. When we arrived in Athens, I found the locks gone from my pack and the bottom section partly open. Someone had been through my stuff! There was nothing missing that I could tell, so I went out and talked to the tourist police. They told me to go to the Gulf Air office downstairs. It was too late now if something was missing, but I wanted to make a complaint. They gave me the properly concerned response, and told me to open my bag and check again for missing items. The only thing missing that I noticed were my condoms. No money was stolen (I had several Irish pounds, German marks, etc. in there), my Goretex jacket was still there, nothing was gone. They suggested that perhaps the customs people in Bahrain may have done it. Perhaps. Security there was rather tight. Other than the missing lock, no big deal. Oh well. I easily grabbed a bus back into Syntagma and hobbled over to Festos. Only a few of the old crew were still there. My foot looks really bad. It looks like somehow it has gotten infected. It is swollen to twice normal size, and hurts like hell. I cleaned it and put more antibiotic cream on. I'll just have to wait and see if it's any better tomorrow. If not, then I have no choice but to find a doctor. It is just too much pain to ignore for now... I tried to pass the time best I could. I watched a movie up in the bar, drank a few beers (expensive after Africa), called the folks. Angela sent mail to Roma, so I must pick it up while I'm changing trains there. Oh well. At least she finally wrote, first time in the entire trip... Back to the nice and easy bar for happy hour and a few more. I was feeling it just a bit. Traci et all remember me here. It's nice to know people... I even got a free beer... |
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| 16 October | Athens | |
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I checked at the GPO again, no letter from Francesca. Damn. There was one from Sabine though. She's not happy in Berlin, wants to return to Munich. Too bad it didn't work out.
I couldn't take any more pain from my messed up foot, so I called a doctor recommended at Festos to make appointment. Like yesterday, my foot was so painful, even to put weight on it almost caused me to black out. There were red lines going up my leg. It looked like the infection was so virulent, it had gotten into the blood. Yeouch. The doctor took one look and nodded. "Good thing you came in." Another few days, she said, and I'd have been in trouble. She wrote up a prescription for some antibiotics. 10000Dr for the visit. Insurance will handle it. Back to the hostel. I tried to get the medicine, but all the pharmacies in town were closed today, since it was Monday.(?) Ouch. I'll have to wait until tomorrow. I spent the evening popping painkillers and doing a puzzle, hoping the concentration would help block the pain. Nope. I was debating whether or not to get a Eurail pass for passing through Europe. I wasn't going to be taking very many trips, but the ones I would take would be the more expensive legs. The ferry to Italy, the ferry to Ireland, trains through Italy, Germany, France. I could even use it in Ireland, though the buses are cheaper and much more convenient. I finally decided it would be a close call, but I would feel more relaxed if I had a pass, so I might as well. I finally bought the Eurail pass for 110500Dr at the train office. Interrail was cheaper, at 96000Dr, but wouldn't cover the Ireland ferry, which would have more than made up for the difference. Oh well. No ferry until tomorrow, so I must wait. I needed to call Francesca, but the foot just hurts too much now. Tomorrow... |
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| 17 October | Ferry Greece - Italy |  |
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Up and out. Trolley #1 took me to Syntagma, Bus 051 took me from there to Bus Terminal A, no problem. A bus to Patra left ten minutes after I got there. Not bad.
The trip took about 3 hours. In Patra, I got my boarding ticket, paid my port taxes(1500), wandered the streets lost with an amusing Canadian family, bought some groceries with them, then we were off to the ferry. As soon as I sat down, groan, I remembered to call Francesca. The medicine I bought this morning seemed to have a speedy effect. My foot was much better tonight, but it still was rather nasty to walk on. Lathi to the rescue. Anyway, I found a phone and made the call. It was about 8:30 my time, but there was no answer and the answering machine didn't pick up. Uh oh. It looks like she's only getting 1 day notice... On the ferry, I found my spot and rolled out the sleeping bag. Snore! In the middle of the night, it started to rain, so I stumbled inside, found a warm spot, and Snore! |
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| 18 October | Train Brindisi - Roma | |
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Long trip. The ferry stopped at Corfu in the morning - I know this place! A couple American "kids" (20 years old) got on. It was hot and sunny on the left (port?) side of the boat, cold, dark, and windy on the other. I spent most of the time on the dark side, playing my whistle and bracing myself for the time to come.
We arrived at Brindisi early for once. I joined the "kids" as we left the ferry. I'm ashamed to say after all my travels, I still got caught. We decided to stop off at a place for a quick bite. What should have been a cheap pizza and cola turned into an exorbitant bill at the end. Tourist menus... I should have known better, but I let my guard down, as everything seemed so familiar. Afterwards, I told the kids to follow me, I know where I'm going. We easily found the train station. A couchette sounded good for tonight... I won't repeat my mistakes of past trips and arrive ragged and sleep deprived just to save a few dollars. After getting my place, I called Francesca at the second number her machine gave before. This time, I managed to contact her. She said that she could meet me Friday in Firenze, but to call her tomorrow to get the train details. Humph. Looks like Roma for a night. I'll get to see all the sites I missed last time because of the train strike... |
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| 20 October | Train to Berlin |  |
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Up and out early to Firenze. As usual, I found a very familiar scene. At 14:00, I eagerly called Francesca. As soon as she answered, I knew something was up. She was crying. She then dropped the bombshell, "I have boyfriend, but that doesn't matter!" She wanted to see me still, but couldn't come to Firenze, he had found out about us meeting and wouldn't let her go. She wanted me to come to Genova to see her. Huh? At first, I said OK, but then I started thinking. Nope, I'm not going let this happen again. I felt like I was being jerked around by her. She's just been misleading me for a good long time. All the stuff she had written in her past letters was immediately washed away by the truth. So... I canceled that whole episode in my life.
I phoned Sabine's brother to get her new number in Berlin. "Hi, I'm on my way!" I got a place on the next couchette to Munich. I checked my bag in at the train station and set off to cruise around Firenze quickly until 21:30. Duomo, uh huh, very nice. Uffizi, yep, been there... Bit of za, good apples. At the appointed hour, on to the train. The compartments were full of German students. Suddenly, my slowly improving Italian was no longer needed. Now, it will be Deutch. |
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| 21 October | Berlin | US$1=1.47 | |
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Another good night's sleep on the train. It was never this easy when I did this before... The train was clean, efficient, quiet, and arrived in Berlin only 10 seconds late. After my experiences in India and Pakistan, this was a marvel. No matter that this train ticket cost roughly ten times the one in India or that the landscape we passed through was antiseptically clean and orderly.
In Berlin, I discovered I had a problem. I told Sabine that I would arrive at the Zoo bahnhof (train station), but this train only went to Hauptbahnhof. Also, it was cold! What happened to my tropical paradise? I finally figured the S-bahn out and dashed to Zoo, but I was too late. Sabine was gone. I called her apartment and left a message, hoping she would check it sometime soon. Then, I had no choice but to sit and wait... Suddenly, a flash of blond hair as she swooped down on me and there she was. "Hi buddy!" She looked marvelous. Makeup, normal clothes, what a difference! We went back to her place and spent the evening recalling old times. It was good seeing her again, but very weird. The last time I saw her, we were in Bali. I was just beginning my adventure. Nervous, excited, full of energy, I was about to embark on the exploration of the real Great Out There. Now, I'm tired, stressed, I've seen "it all", and very much looking to go home. It is a shame that I have lost the energy, but aside from that, seeing her made me realize just how much I have really changed. Wow. Going home will be the next step, but this was startling enough. |
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| 22 October | Berlin | |
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It was an election night tonight, something both Sabine and Frauke take very seriously. We grabbed pizzas and beer and went back to Frauke's place. She had a typical East Berlin apt. It had a shower installed separately in her kitchen, but no toilet. She must go outside and across the courtyard for that! After the elections (I have no clue what was decided), Sabine and I went back out into the very cold night and "home". Sabine works tomorrow, so early to bed. |
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| 23 October | Berlin | |
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Sabine was up and out of the flat at 7:30. Work?! What's that? It was far too early for this bum, so I slept a couple more cozy hours before I got moving. When I got up this morning, the radio was saying that it was -5° C outside. No! There was a Laundromat down the street for 6 Dm. It was the first time I've machine washed my clothes since Istanbul, a couple months ago, and it had been very many months before that. It felt gorgeous to wear completely clean, sweet smelling clothes. I wandered the city, got lost, and remembered old times.
It was a very strange day. I keep getting the feeling, ever since I got on that ferry in Greece, that I've entered a dream, or maybe a TV set of a show I know. I know this place, but how does this fit in with my visions of Kathmandu, Ubud, Esfahan? It's a different lifetime somehow. Where's the familiar cast of actors? Why does my face look so old now? Where's this grey hair from? Hello? Help? I just can't seem to adjust. Out with Sabine and a friend for dinner at a mediocre Indian place. Then out to a nearby bar for a couple biers. |
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| 24 October | Berlin | |
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I actually did a little sightseeing today. I've been here before, but it was something to do. Once again, I checked out the Check Point Charlie Museum. I like that place, disturbing as the images it portrays are. The exhibits of how people were sneaked out in the cushions of car seats or in false bottoms of trunks made you realize how desperate they must have been to escape. I wandered under the Brandenburg Gate, trying to imagine the festivities several years ago when the wall came down. I had no map or guidebook, so I was just letting my hazy memories guide me around town. Those hazy memories usually ended up dumping me in some remote part of the city, but I generally had little trouble.
I had one encounter that left me feeling incredibly good today. I was walking a few blocks away from the Zoo bahnhof when a German guy came up to me. He asked me, in German, where the station was located. I managed to give a coherent answer, but what really made this encounter so significant for me was the look he gave when I answered in my halting German. He suddenly realized that I was a foreigner. Now let me explain myself here. For the last year, I had been travelling through lands where I blazingly stood out as a foreigner. Towering over the Asians, pale skinned and bald faced in the Middle East, definitely rather pale in Africa. This was the first time where someone mistook me for a local. For someone who loves to blend in, the notoriety and staring I faced elsewhere was horrible. Now for someone to tell me he couldn't tell the difference, that was the greatest gift anyone could have given me at this point. That evening, Sabine and I had planned some culture. We met at the theatre after she finished work, but they had only horrible seats left, so we decided not to go. Walked back for a drink at a very nice "bar". It would be our last night together. Sniff. Good long talk. |
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| 25 October | Train Berlin - Paris | |
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In the morning, I said my good-byes once again to Sabine with a big hug. She went off to work, I did nothing at all until it was time for my train.
At night, I took a train to Paris, couchette of course. |
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| 26 October | Cherbourg |  |
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The train arrived in Paris early, so I had about 3 hours until my connection on to Cherbourg. I decided to check my bag and hit the city. Problem. Because of the recent bombings, all of the trash bin's were gone. Security was tight, and worst of all, there was no baggage check in. Damn. Well, I'm here, I may as well make the effort. Grunt. I shouldered my pack and headed off into the city.
My first stop would be at Notre Dame. The Metro took me there quickly and easily. Past memories of spending nights shivering on the bench in front of the cathedral and getting chased by gangs around the city quickly faded as I gazed once again on the magnificent structure. It was familiar, but I had a new outlook on it after seeing all the various architecture in cultures around the world. I found a bench inside, sat down, and just absorbed the atmosphere. For the first time ever, there were virtually no tourist crowds. A few old ladies prayed off to one side. A German couple snapped a couple pictures in a corner. One Italian family ate a quiet meal on the other side. I heard a fuss up at the altar, and looked over. A light came on and the cathedral filled with music. For a moment, I thought Heaven had opened on the Earth. Instead, it was a child's choir sweetly lifting their voices to heaven. Wow. I listened, spellbound, for an hour of my precious time, my spirit at rest.
I only had a very short time in Paris, though, so I managed to tear myself away and went to visit one of my other favorite Parisian attractions. A patisserie! (Bakery shop) Yum, pain au chocolate, croissants, eclair. Munch, munch, munch. Moving fast now, all I had time for was for that greatest of Paris landmarks, the thing any schoolkid recognizes in a picture of Paris: the Eiffel Tower. I was risking missing my train, but I wanted to see it once again. Too bad I didn't have more time. For the first time ever, there were no crowds there, I could have just ran up to the top without waiting. Oh well. Quickly now, back to Gare St. Lazare! Racing full speed through the train station, I just made my train. It left seconds after I jumped aboard. It was supposed to be a direct train, but in Caen, we developed problems and had to change trains. Problems? You call this problems? Talk to the Pakistanis! I still enjoyed myself. For the first time on the trip, I was in a country where I could almost understand as much of the local language as I could my own. I could make sense of all the announcements on the train. I passed the time talking with others, eavesdropping on the complaints as the other train was full and we had to stand... But we got there. At the train station in Cherbourg, I met Scott, from Pennsylvania, who insisted that the ferry to Ireland was tonight. I didn't think so, but we checked with tourist information. Yep, it is today at 18:00. OK, so I was wrong. We grabbed groceries and walked the 2km out to the terminal. Puff. The Irish Ferries window was closed and no one else was about. Huh? What's going on? Then I spotted a poster by the entrance that had a schedule. I was right, the ferry's on Saturday. Argh. Now knowing better, we took a bus back to the centre, much easier. We had a couple days, so our next step was to find the hostel. A long walk later, we could find no sign. I went into a bar to ask. "Non, fermé! Foyer! Demondez parler avec Mssr. Robert. Gratis." Huh? The hostel is closed. They told us to go to the foyer and speak with a Mr. Robert. What's a foyer? What kind of place is free? We found it soon after. It looked like some sort of nursery school. But scruffy looking characters gathered around us as we ask for Mr. Robert. I whispered to Scott under my breath. Do you really want to stay here, even for free? Nope, me neither. The cheap hotel I had planned to stay at was full, so we were stuck at a different place for a very pricey 150F each. Yikes. It was a nice place, with a TV, phone, etc., but after spending 20 cents a night in Nepal, it was rather hard to swallow. Hot shower, dinner, Home Alone (in French) on TV, snore! |
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| 27 October | Cherbourg | |
| Out to find a cheaper place. Right around the corner, we found a room for 160F total. It was not at all as nice, but it was clean and a place to sleep. We looked into going to Mont St. Michel for the day. Nope. The first train didn't get there until 4:00. Then the last train returning is at 6:00, only giving about an hour total after taking a bus to the place, etc. It was not worth wasting a day on my Eurail. Scott had the full Eurail though, so he goes for it. I just relaxed all day by the water. It is nice to be in a country where I can understand the first language for a change. Good Za for dinner. | ||
| 28 October | Ferry to Rosslare |  |
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A nice church, a good kebab for lunch. Wandering around town, Scott was spotted by a girl last seen in Greece. She latched onto him and since she must at least double his weight, he could not escape, despite his feeble attempts. Since Greece, she has hooked up with a couple Aussies and an Irish guy, but she definitely had her sights set on this poor lad.
We were all planning to go over on the ferry, so we passed the time as best we could. We spent the afternoon at the Diver Bar. It was nice enough. They sold relatively expensive beers (relative to Kenya that is), but there was a cool, friendly bartender. He was the old fashioned sort, scraping the suds off our poured beers with a blade. After a few rounds, he joined us with a free glass of very good red wine for everyone. When it was time for the ferry, we got some food and hopped the bus out to the port. 30F port tax. Problem. Most of us were fine with it. I even had a little extra cash. But the Aussies visa cards had not been working all day, and they couldn't get any cash. We all pitched in to help them out. Onto the ferry. It was extremely nice after the grotty Italian and Greek ferries. £5 for a bunkroom? Sign me in! The 2 Aussies, the girl, and myself shared a 4 bed room. The others had been traveling cheap for too long it seemed. It had warped their values. We had a very posh setup. 2 sinks, towels, soap. I liked it. I tried the Guinness in the pub on board... Not bad! I had bought a 6 pack of Heineken back in Cherbourg to celebrate my return to Ireland, and passed it around as the night got merrier. The boat even had a nightclub, but it was only full of 16 year olds. I have never felt so old before, like a chaperon at a high school dance. Sat and talked with the others all night about our travels. Good night sleep.
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©Copyright Seán Connolly |
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Exciting day. Snore!
