I’m currently in a McDonalds somewhere in Athens. The bus ride last night (and this morning) wasn’t overly horrible; at least there were no police checking our passports every hour. I managed to get a couple of hours of sleep here and there. Of course, we arrived an hour earlier than had been planned just when I had finally fallen into some sort of slumber, at around 3am. The bus dropped us off at a hostel. Being in a tired stupor, I asked for a bed in the “dorm” room (read 4 bunk beds in a room) accommodations. Through all the moving, foul smelling pillows, and endless creaking of beds badly in need of oil, I managed to get another couple of hours of sleep.

After getting up this morning, I realized what a rat hole I had been sleeping in. But I guess you really shouldn’t complain for $12/night—that is unless they don’t have hot showers, which they didn’t.

After getting up this morning, I wandered the neighborhood around the hostel looking for a bank that would tae my ATM card—after 3 hours of wandering lost and looking for the hostel, I did manage to pay and begin y trek through congested, polluted Athens.

That’s how I find myself somewhere in Athens trying to navigate the crooked streets to find some sties on this hot day. Cheers.