Getting to Athens - the train and our first night in Athens
September 19th: Thessaloniki to Athens: The word of the day - Synchronicity
We caught the 9:15 train to Athens. Train travel in Greece is more primitive than most of Europe. The station at Thessaloniki was fairly empty and there are only 9 tracks some of which appear to be unused. But we got on our graffiti covered train and started the trip. Along the way we saw other abandoned train cars with similar graffiti. Fortunately, our car was in better shape than this.
The trip took us through cotton fields that
had me singing about those old cotton fields back home. Reminded me a lot of the cotton fields of south
Texas in the ‘50s. Then there were fields of corn and finally as we got closer
to Athens, then unmistakable silver shine of olive trees.
The train trip is
reminiscent of our other train travels through eastern Europe as the countryside
was dotted with small towns. Passing
small town after small town has one only imagining life in those villages. So glad we skipped the airplane on this leg.
The cabins in business class are composed of two rows of
three opposing seats.
On the way from
Thessaloniki to Athens Susanne and I sat across from each other so we could
both have window seats. At the first stop,
a young lady from Finland got on board and happened to sit next to Susanne. She was coming back from a retreat. She actually had an assigned seat the a
different cabin but since there were only two people in our cabin, she chose to
sit next to Susanne. She is doing post-graduate studies in Brief Therapy. We had no clue what that is so as she
explained it, it is about short term sessions coaching individuals to live in
the here and now. What a wonderful
experience and Susanne had an enjoyable train ride as the two of them talked
and talked. Making friends along the way is our most valued treasure. As other people joined the train at stops
along the way, we feared we may lose her to the rightful owner of the
seat. But Susanne was able to enjoy her
company until we arrived in Athens. Yes, the word of the day is truly, synchronicity!
Upon arrival in Athens, we took the rest of the day easy and
visited the hotel bar where we sat on the balcony and stared at the Acropolis in awe.
We took a break from staring to go have some dinner. Another culinary experience at a local taverna that was outstanding. Imagine the freshest ripe tomatoes you could ask for covered with basil, mint and capers and drizzled with olive oil and accompanied by divine cheese and pureed peas and onions. Flavors were indescribable.
And then back to the hotel for a night view of the Acropolis.
Next up... Exploring Athens.
Must admit this day was quite a treat--from the beginning with the train cars to the ending with food! Who says we aren't products of our past--yes, live in the present but also appreciate the past. The past that I especially love was the "fields back home" and wondering about all the individuals that live in the various villages that you pass through. We find that a couple of our favorite parts of travel are (people) seeing how we are all more alike than different (in this case, more like your past), places and lastly the food. Your description, reminded me of Dad's tomatoes--never sure if they were so great or we just knew the love that went into serving them. Haven't had a tomato like that in years!!! Andy love all your writing and now we both have your blog on our phone, a technology lesson for both of us. My favorite item of the day is the word for the day. Thanks for sharing the day, felt like we were there.
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