Ferry Parties and Pseudo-Hangovers

Got on the ferry to Patras with only small issues.

I wasn't sure how to get into the port since the only entrance was manned by a surly looking armed guard, so I walked all the way around the port until I spotted a couple of Aussies speaking English. Turns out they were on their way to Patras, too, albeit on different boats from one another.

I got in, bought my ticket (on the deck, there was a HUGE difference between deck seats and 6 bed sleepers), and made my way up to the top to scope out my 'camping spot'.

It was empty since there were about 3 and a half hours until the boat departed, so I grabbed a Corona and a bottle of water from the deck bar and sat on a seat to people watch a read some of my book.

A few minutes later a couple sitting a few tables away from me asked where in Canada I was from, and I found out they were both going to school in London, Ontario, so we sat and started chatting. Ryan and Cheryl are both going to law school, and are taking a few weeks off to see the sights on southern Europe until cracking down and hitting the books this year.

Lisa, the Aussie girl I met outside the port, passed me about then, and said she was going to find a place to sleep and would be right back, so after she dropped her luggage and set up her bed, she sat down and the 4 of us started talking about everything under the sun.

The boat left at about 9:30 and we were already feeling pretty tipsy. Between me and an Aussie girl across the deck we drank the bar out of Coronas, so I switched to skunky German beer until Ryan suggested we go down to the bar on the next deck, so I dropped my luggage in their room for safe-keeping and he bought 2 rounds of Jaeger-Bombs and a few bottles of wine to get us started there.

Lisa had went to sleep, but since I was almost completely pissed by that point, I woke her up and convinced her to come join us.

The bar was almost completely empty except for us and a large group of what we speculated were either Aussies or Kiwis, so I approached them to find out and discovered they were Aussies and all together on a Contiki tour. As a former front desk agent from resort town, Alberta, I know Contiki is almost another word for "Tour full of Crazies who like to party" so I chatted them up and convinced them to start dancing with Cheryl and I despite the fact that there was really no dance floor and "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones can never really be considered a dance song.

Cheryl was starting to get a little tired so she went off to bed, I grabbed my luggage and stowed it beside Lisa's and we sent Ryan off to join Cheryl.

Started talking to one of the guest services guys and one of the bartenders from the bar, and the next thing you know we ended up in the (now completely abandoned bar) talking about relationships.

Guest Services guy kissed me and mentioned that he could give us a private room if we wanted one, but since I know that those things don't come without a 'price', I left and found the group of Contiki Aussies to hang out with.

Things get foggy at that point, but I think we spent most of the night drinking Screwdrivers since the bar was open all night, and ended up hanging on the back deck by where our camping spot was.

We docked at Corfu for about 1/2 an hour, and a guy named Clayton and I had a spitting contest to see who could actually hit Corfu.

I hit a truck destined for Corfu and since the rules of the contest weren't clearly defined, I was deemed the winner.

Watched the sun rise over the Ionian islands and realized that my chance to sleep was over, so I sucked it up and had a 20 minute nap in one of the Aussie dorm rooms in a tiny cramped little bed with Clayton.

Lisa woke up at around 8, so we got our swimsuits on and went for a swim in the ferry pool and then packed our bags and got ready to disembark.

I am 100% certain I was still completely drunk, so once we docked and established that there was a 2 hour wait for the train to Athens, Lisa and I opted to catch a bus at the station for 17 Euros.

Slept the entire way to Athens, and got there feeling the effects of the alcohol.

In retrospect, drinking and not sleeping enroute to Athens, of all places in the world was a poorly thought out decision, since Athenians can't even stand the summer heat in August. Imagine one exhausted, hungover Canadian girl wandering around the bus station in Athens with no idea of where her hostel is and you get a picture of what hell is like.

A really nice guy at the bus station ended up showing us almost the entire way to the hostel, and I am so thankful he did, because there's no way we could have navigated the streets and public transportation system in Athens without his help.

Made it, checked in, chatted to the guy named Scott from Vancouver who works there, showered and then decided to go check out the area and find an internet cafe.

We found a kebab place, grabbed a bite to eat and checked out the stadium where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896. Then we wandered down the street and took a few pictures of the Arch of Hadrian and Olympieion at night.

Went back to the hostel, talked to Scott and a girl named Kristen from Seattle, and went to grab some sleep.

Woke up at 8 this morning, hopped on a bus, and then another bus and then the Metro and finally found my way to Piraeus, where I bought my ticket to Santori.

I leave at 3 this afternoon and arrive at 6 tomorrow morning.

Here's to hoping I actually sleep on this boat.