March 6, 2015

Diary Greece 2015: week 2

Mar 13: Athens - Berlin - Weddel
Plane, 5 Metro lines and  2 Trains.
At 07.45 I walked from the Hotel to the Omonia Metro station.
Metro 1: from Omonia to Monastiraki. 
Metro 2: Monastiraki to Train station
At the train station stop. I waited 20 minutes for the airport Metro. There were lots of people on the other side of the track,  going into Athens.
Metro 3: Train station to Airport
Easyjet plane took off at 10.45hr, toBerlin.
Landed at Berlin Schonefeld airport.
A long walk to get from the gate to the S-Bahn station.
Metro 4: Schoenefeld Airport to Ostkreuz station
Metro 5: Ostkreuz station to Berlin Ostbahnhof station
Because I had a "spar" ticket I had to wait 2 hours to take my designated trein, was not allowed to take an identical train right away.....
Oke, lunch at a Thai place
Starbucks was next door, so I could use their free wifi connection.
Train 1: Berlin Ostbahnhof to Wolfsburg
Because that train had 10 minutes delay, the connecting train to Braunschweig did not wait, even though 5 minutes waiting would have been enough to change trains.
Next connection 1 hour later, at19.10hr
Train 2: Wolfsburg to Weddel 
Arrived in Weddel at 19.32 hour. Long day....

Mar 12
Up and on my way, early, 07.00 to Monastiraki, Some more pictures
Lykabettou
and for my Akropolis collection.



Had tea in the Starbucks. I love my Kindle Fire HDX, with headphones listening to music on the Kindle, while at the same time checking email and news around the world on the internet.
Tomorrow morning I'm leaving Athens, flying to Berlin.

Mar 11
There are lots of cats (and dogs) in the older parts of Athens. Somebody feeds them, usually an older person.

These cats were waiting for their "person".

Mar 09-10
Nothing to write about, taking it very easy....

Mar 08
The sky this morning
Running, route 2: Aeros park
Another picture of the National Archeological Museum, in the background Lykabettou

Mar 07
The rain that did not happen 2 days ago, was here last night and early morning. The rest of the day clouds, but no rain.
Regarding Greece's financial problems: In the time I have been here, nobody has mentioned anything about what the politicians and journalists have been talking about.
People are too busy with their daily lives.2 days ago I bought a leg of lamb, well, actually sheep, it weighed 4 1/2 kilo, for $2.99 per kilo.
Chickens, twice the size of the ones I bought in Germany, and fresh, not frozen, are $3.99.
Cost of living is much lower than in Holland and Germany. Of course people also make less money. Rich people? there are quite a few of them in Greece, well they are rich.
Austerity measures effects mostly the middle class. And people on a fixed pension. Or working class, like Vanya, who cleans the hotelrooms at the Aristoteles hotel. (she also serves breakfast).
The leg of sheep I brought to my friend Hara, Tomorrow a bunch of people are going to eat it.

Mar 06
Running and walking on the streets in Athens is exhausting. I've never been in a city where the sidewalks are as here: marble, concrete slabs, cobblestones, grooves, high drop offs and obstacled with structures.  Cars and mopeds parked everywhere. Did I mention, "not flat"?
Ath the Agora market I bought meat for the dinner at Hara's house on sunday.

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