Athens

February 13^th: Athens Awaits

This weekend is one for the books. Eleven girls including myself decided to head to Athens for the weekend. The adventure began before we even left. Before getting on the train to Rome we grabbed a bite to eat at a coffee shop in Castig and we all decided to use the bathroom before jumping on the train. After finishing my business I hit the button I thought would flush the toilet but no flushing took place. In order to fix the situation, I saw a string that was hanging down next to the toilet thinking that would help so I decided to pull it (not a good idea). What I did not know was the string set off an alarm to the entire restaurant. I tried to pretend I was not involved but when I saw the girls concerned faces I informed them it was in fact me that made the alarm go off. Whoops! I began to feel a deep pain in my stomach and while on the train nausea, dizziness and a headache followed. I tried to ignore the pain but the motion of the train and the small quarters only made it worse and I started to lose my breath. A small man that worked on the train helped me find a restroom and when he realized I was crying his eyes widened and he began rushing to each bathroom to help me.  The man quickly started unlocking doors only to expose men in mid-pee. He finally found one that was available to me and I rushed in with the intention of making the big spit. I quickly lost the urge and changed my mind when I saw crusty dry poop inside the toilet. Instead of leaving the bathroom like a normal person would, I stayed inside to catch my breath and dry my tears before returning to my seat. 

After the torturous train ride we made it to Rome where we would be flying to Greece but first we had the taxi ride of death! Romans drive like maniacs! To my surprise my stomach began to settle even though I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride while playing bumper cars. At the airport we stood at the gate patiently waiting to board when we heard an Italian mumble on the loud speaker. We didn’t know what was said but when everyone from our terminal started running to another location we decided to follow. There was a 30 minute delay but we made it onto the plane and landed safely in Greece. After our arrival we had a 45 minute train ride to Athens (I was so hungry). Luckily our hostel, Athens Backpackers, was only a block away from both the train station and a pizza place. At the pizza shop I met a sweet puppy(he was a stray,) and all the girls were grossed out because I pet him. Little did they know we would see him again. 

      After cleaning up we decided to explore Athens night life. During our search for bars my dog friend showed up and started following us. He howled then five more of his dog friends showed up. I thought of them as our protectors but the girls were not too pleased by their presence. I returned to the hostel fairly early but some girls continued on the bar search. It wasn’t too long before they returned and told us those dogs continued to follow them.  It turns out that the dogs acted like guardians in this strange town as they barked at a homeless guy and a van that was trying to follow the girls. I kindly reminded them that dog spelled backwards is god and they were God’s little angels sent to protect us.