Baby steps

Saturday October 8, 2011

We are on our own, no one to make sure we get to our next destination! Yipes!! Am I ready for this? Traveling with the Insight groups was so wonderful because every moment you felt completely taken care of and now we feel like a couple on the Amazing Race just trying to figure it out for ourselves. The butterflies in my stomach kept me from eating much for breakfast or maybe I was just not hungry after such a gorge the night before. Our taxi driver sped through the streets like he was a Indy 500 driver honking at anyone who might encroach on his lane and we arrived at the bus depot in less than twenty minutes. It was barely 8:00 The station was huge with buses everywhere. The girl, whom we asked for directions to where to buy a ticket, said Platform 38 through the door and to the right. We stepped through the door to a huge area with buses parked every where and a myriad of Greek signs but yes there were numbers and I could read them and to the right was Number 38 and I recognized the Greek spelling of Zakynthos. I was relieved the man at the desk spoke and understood English unlike the Indy 500 cab driver. I was disappointed but not surprised when we were told the bus to Zakynthos had just left 15 minutes earlier and the next one would not be until 12:00. He encouraged us to leave our luggage in the baggage room where it would be safe and take the bus downtown for a while. Oh yeah "great idea". I had just been so relieved to get to the bus station in one piece and now I am considering going somewhere else in a maze of foreign chatter and then make my way back here again. Then I looked around, there was really little comfort in hanging out in this fume filled station for 4 hours. “Come on Bet what is the worst that could happen” I chided myself and then made sure not to think up too many scenarios as I'm sure I would have immediately taken the fetal position in the nearest bench.

We boarded bus 51 and headed downtown to Omonia Square. I was assured by a young women on the bus that we just needed to catch the same bus at the same spot to get back to the bus stop. Though we were headed for what we thought was a Square everyone got off the bus on a little street in an old area of town as the bus headed back towards the Station so we climbed off too. So where is Omonia Square and where is that in relationship to the area of Athens we were familiar with. We noted landmarks and started in what I figured was the general direction. Miraculously we went left then right and ended up in Omonia Square at this point the man at the Bus stationed had suggested jumping on the metro to get to Syntagma square. I wasn't that brave so we stayed above ground where I could keep track of landmarks. It all turned out great because we came to the ancient university and library that our driving tour around Athens had taken us by, but we had never got back there to take pictures. Now I knew we were only a few blocks from Syntagma square. We explored a while, watched the city come to life as it was fairly quiet when we got to the square but we were just at the front of the first wave of tourists. By the time we headed back to retrace our way though the maze back to the loosely named “bus stop at Omonia Square” the streets were jammed with traffic and every street crossing felt like a death wish.

As we approached the the general area there was a bus 51 waiting- no driver to ask so I asked a young girl there if she spoke English she said “Yes Please Ask me” She then assured us we were on the right bus to go to the Kissfou bus station. When we arrived there she also got off the bus and asked us if we needed help getting tickets or finding our way to the bus. Her kindness was so appreciated and generally what we have found Greek people to be.

We were soon on our way on a bus that I did not hear much English spoken but there was a man who I had asked about loading the luggage and he had answered me in excellent English and said he and his family were headed to Zakynthos where he had grown up. Because the driver always just spoke Greek I would look to him to see what they were doing and kept him in my sight in case we felt we needed a translator. The drive to the port was along different road than we had traveled before. It stayed near the water all the way and so the vegetation was mostly lush with lots of olive and citrus groves and other agriculture and on the whole lovely red roofed houses surrounded by tall Cyprus trees and palms.

The hour ferry ride was pleasant but it was cloudy and threatening to rain a little more as we had seen the first real rain a few minutes before we arrived at Killini (the port town). When we got to the bus station in Zakynthos we were not sure if any one would be there to meet us as we had not been able to confirm our need for assistance after the schedule change. When it was apparent we were on our own and not having any clue where we were going we decided we were at the mercy of the taxi drivers and I just prayed one of them would speak English and know where our Porta Del Mar destination was in an area of thousands of such places. I approached the cabbies all looking for their next fare and said in English “We need help” Two of the drivers looked to the younger of the drivers who came and I showed him the name and address and he said "yes I know the place". We had been warned to always establish the price before you get in so I asked how much and he actually got out a list of places and the prices to go to each so then we knew it was a fair established price. 22 Euros it was. Off we went on a maze of narrow roads and I knew then that my other resort of renting a car and getting there on our own would have been a disaster. We arrived in one piece relieved that this first amazing adventure leg had turned out so well. When we walked into the beautiful courtyard with stone walls draped in flowers and palm trees and were greeted by Kiri Kosta who had been watching for us. We felt we had just fallen into the lap of the god of Paradise. The little stone cottage is beautiful with tile floors and modern appliances. We quickly set out to the little mini market to get some supplies for supper and Sunday. Had a nice meal of grilled cheese, sliced tomatoes and hot chocolate. Our day of baby steps has all turned out okay and now we are settled in for 5 days of utter relaxation!