We made the most of our last day in Athens. A wander through the markets yielded enough fresh food to feed a small army, and after an hour or so of slicing and packing, we headed to Lyceabattus Hill with a sunset picnic in mind. Laura (Canada), Isobel (Sydney), Samantha (Melbourne), Martin and Charlotte (Perth), Zoe (U.K.), Emily and Chris (California) and I made the trek part-way up the hill, took a cablecar the rest of the way, and eventually settled in a circle around our feast upon the summit.
People at the top seemed to take as many photos of us as they did of the scenery, as we sat sipping Greek wine from plastic tumblers and constructing elaborate olive-oil-drenched sandwiches. Afterwards, we walked home for a final few beers on the roof of the hostel. This morning finds us flung across Greece – most people to the islands and the sun, and me to the north, Thessaloniki.
Athens photoset is here.
I took an early morning train, and it was a pleasant change from my usual nocturnal travels. It was also my first high-speed rail travel in Europe, and I was very impressed: smooth, quiet, and really, really fast. I arrived at midday and found accommodation – the penthouse of an amazingly cheap and run-down budget hotel, which is not nearly as nice as it sounds, but has some bizarre, taped-up-window and crumbling walls kind of charm.
My next stop was the photography museum, hosting the Photography Biennale. I particularly enjoyed the Duane Michaels exhibition.
Currently seeking a ticket to Sofia. Train leaves at 0630ish.