Migrating through Thessaloniki, Greece

Before starting our last day of exploring Athens, we stopped by the train station to secure a sleeper cabin on a night train to Sofia, Bulgaria. The train station seemed to be extremely busy but we actually found the international travel desk to be wide open. We were disappointed to learn that the train was completely booked (and yes, we should have learned our lesson from the other two times night travel has been completely sold out on us). Without many options, we bought seats on an earlier train to Thessaloniki, Greece where we’d have a seven hour layover before continuing on to Sofia.

Athens Craft Beer Pale Ale and Dark PremiumSeveral hours later, we returned to the busy station for our evening train. We again noted how every inch of the small station was filled with people but didn’t think too much of it as we boarded and took our seats. We found the train to also be quite full as we settled in our assigned seats in a cabin with four others. Because of our interesting travel night, we planned on drinking a beer then trying to sleep most of the ride north. Unfortunately, the group seated in our cabin seemed to be having a family reunion which prevented any hope of catching zzz’s. Continue reading

Ancient Exploration in Athens, Greece

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North Slope of the Acropolis

Arriving at the Athens Central Station after a bus and train from Patras was underwhelming. Instead of a typical large majestic station like we’ve seen in other European cities, it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. There were only two tracks next to a tiny station building. At first, I thought we were in the wrong spot till I saw the faded station name hanging on a sign. Our place for the next three nights, Hotel Neos Olympos, was a short walk from the station in an aging Victoria’s style building.

After we got settled in our room, I was itching to explore the ancient ruins Continue reading

Superfast Ferry, Simpler Life in Patras, Greece

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Enjoying the Greek views on the Ferry

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Superfast Ferry

We walked several blocks to the port in Bari to board an overnight ferry to Patras, Greece. Our Eurail Pass enabled us to book reclining seats on the Superfast Ferry for a nominal peak-season fee of 30€ per person. We checked-in at a desk in the ferry terminal and they told us to proceed onboard. When we left the building, we didn’t see any obvious path so just started walking towards a boat we saw in the distance.
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Traveling in Circles near Kosice, Slovakia

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Our plan for the day was leave the High Tatras early and visit Spissky Hrad, one of the largest castles in Eastern Europe. After visiting the castle, we would take an evening train to Kosice where we would spend a night before making our way to Budapest. Unfortunately, the day didn’t go as planned.

We took the train to Spisske Vlachy which is the closest station to the castle. From there, we saw online that a bus runs every couple hours to Spisske Podhradie where we could walk to the castle. After hopping off the train, we realized that we were in the middle of nowhere and the station was minimal. The station attendant didn’t speak English, but after she pulled out an English-Slovak translation book I managed to communicate that we wanted to store our bags. She pointed to the back office Continue reading