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| Fishing boat with nets |
It’s hot, still, in Athens – 32 degrees C today. As I don’t start teaching till next week (Monday), I thought I’d take myself off somewhere again. But I didn’t want to spend a fortune on ferry tickets and I also wanted to return to Athens the same day as I have a new little cat to look after (more about him in a seperate post).
And so, liking the concept of just turning up and seeing where the ferry took me:
http://leavingcairo.blogspot.com/2011/09/put-me-on-next-ferry-out-of-here-please.html
I decided to hop on a bus instead. Decked out with beach gear, I turn up at the nearest bus station (more a gathering of buses out on the street). I go to the first bus:
“Are you going to the beach?”
Bus driver: “Where you want to go?”
Me: “The beach”
Bus Driver: “I’m going to Oropos”
Me: “Is there a beach there?”
Bus Driver (looking a bit impatient now): “Nai Kirya (yes, lady)”
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| Gorgeous views from the bus |
So I get on this bus – having no idea where this ‘Oropos’ place is. But I settle back into my seat and get an even more pleasant suprise when the conductor charges me 4Euros and 80C! Blimey, that’s cheap. I think I might come to this ‘Oropos’ again.
And I am rewarded for my spontaneity – the journey is beautiful as the bus meanders out of the city smog – all the worse for the heat – and into pine clad hills and small villages until an hour later, we wind our way down the road to the coastal town of Oropos. You can catch a ferry here to Evia, the largest of the Greek Islands as Oropos is apparently situated directly opposite it.
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| Old men drinking their coffees |
Such is that I spend a delightfully restful 5 hours swimming, watching the car ferries shuttle to and fro between the mainland and Evia, old men drinking their coffees and families all playing in the sand.
I return to Athens late afternoon and head home for a shower and a snooze. Being only an hour away, I think I’ll do this again.
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| Lovely beach |
Ah, what a way to spend the day.
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| Pretty harbour |