i left the group of the Balkans Road Trip in Montenegro! and kept my away to south alone. i wanted to visit the greek malakas in Thessaloniki which i love a lot. and i had bought my flight from Athens - Rome - Lisbon, so i didn't want to get back to Graz anymore... after this trip, i wanted to go immediately to Portugal!
9 JULY
KOTOR - PODGORICA - BAR
i said goodbye to everyone and left soon in the morning, first bus to Podgorica, in order to take the bus to Skopje... "what bus? there's no bus at 09h45 in the morning to Skopje, that one was working just till last year... the next bus is a daily bus at 20h05" bahhhhhhhh
i couldn't believe! what should i do? go back to Kotor and meet the guys, maybe go with them to Dubrovnik? what about the bus, would i get in time in Podgorica? i decided not even to tell anything to the guys, not to worry them! i took the next bus to the coast, in Bar, and spent the day in the beach by myself! please, don't go to Bar...
then, i finally took the bus at 20h05 direction Skopje, capital of Macedonia, crossing Kosovo. what a horrible night in the bus... crossing the borders twice, which mean fours time checking passports... waking up all the time! not to mention Kosovo. Kosovo = country? how do they want to be a country? there's no good roads at all, all the buildings left unbuilt... they don't have infrastructures to become a country! good luck Kosovo. and gladly we didn't stop there!
10 JULY
SKOPJE
in the morning i went to search some reference of hostel, which was fully booked thanks to some cricket team of Bulgaria, so the guy sent me to a private flat! not in the center but ok to sleep one night! i finally rest in a bed for a couple of hours... then, time to explore the city! but i got disappointed! the city has potential, but everything is dirty, the bazar is a very dark and uncleaned place, all the city is under construction... maybe i got bad luck! maybe after the constructions the city will become better... hope so! i'd like to thank my friend from Skopje, Igor, who wasn't there but always tried to help and guided me in the best way! keep in touch boy!
11/12/13/14 JULY
THESSALONIKI
morning, train station, ready for another border check and 8 hours in the train! i was getting nuts! u always meet people! this time i met some belgium guys that help it to make the train trip easy! =)
Thessaloniki! first impression: is very mediterranean, as it's supposed, but i feel it like spain, a little like Barcelona, a lot like spanish cities located by the sea! and it surprises a lot! the presence of the water, the smell of the sea... that's the best a city can have! and this one has it!
i got late in the city, so me and Tonia (the friend from Graz who picked me in the train station and give me accommodation) went for a walk and practice the national sport. yes, the national sport, has they call it! the greek people spend a lot of time in the coffee shops drink coffee and talking, resting! and it's cool! and the price... first u see 5€ for a coffee? what? and i though the 2,40€ in Austria were expensive! but here it's quite different, u always got fresh water and some cakes or cookies included! so it's the whole pack! lol
next day, beach! finally a beach with sand! in Balkans is very difficult to find sand... mostly rocky beaches! what a great time there! i finally met Melina and Thodoris. and the umbrellas/shaders and the chaise-longue which everyone is used to pay in Portugal... there is for free, u just need to lay down and ask the waiter to bring u a drink in the place! that's life! and when the friends of friends work in the bar and bring you a bowl with fruit salad... priceless!
Tonia's friends... i don't even know where to start from... i was tired i didn't want to go out, after the day spent in the beach! but they insist me to go because they wanted to know me! and i'm so glad they did and i decided to go. believe me guys, you are amazing! Tonia, take care of your friends cos they r precious! =) u received me very good, all of u, i just have to thank for the 2 crazy nights i spent there! it was short but perfect. there are some magic moments in your life that u just want to give continuation to... but u can't! accept it the way it is!
but anyway, i can't wait to go there again, soon!
malakas: yours Antonakis! =)))
and my dear Tonia, BRAVO, bravo Tonia! i was very happy to be able to celebrate with you this moment so important in your life! it's not every day that u become graduated! soon will be my turn, maybe in the end of Setember... wish me luck!
i finish my stay there with a visit to Halkidiki... one of the 3 peninsulas close to Thessaloniki. no words for it! what a beach, and a transparent water... just check the pics... i would stay in Greece for ever! that's a paradise on Earth! and i just knew a little... a little little. definitely coming back!
thank u so much for welcome me there! this trip was great! u made it perfect! =)
and i learn how to read greek characters... there's still a lot to improve but i'm in the right way! even if i still don't understand the meaning of any word...
15 JULY
ATHENS
i took the night train to Athens agains my will... i mean, inside! i wanted to stay there for as long as i could... but i should follow my trip plan! or not... i'll never know! at least the flight was booked from Athens!
i'm an architect! and i'm sure it's like a dream go to Athens, to Acropolis, visit the Partenon, stuff that we studied for a long time in the school! and it worths somehow! i couldn't expect it to be in good conditions... it's ruins! after all these centuries, all the wars, things get broken! i should be prepared for that! what disappointed me the most was the city itself... ok i was alone, so maybe i didn't try to get so much fun around there... but i didn't find the city offering many things to do, nothing happening here or there... and the true is that after the perfect experience in Thessaloniki it's impossible not to compare... =) hot in the city!
next morning, flight to Rome...
16 JULY
ROME
i arrived in Rome at 16h00. i already knew the city! it as a pit stop because the connections between the 2 flights were not so good! i would sleep in the flat of a friend who had said to me: "you got a place to stay" but after so many worthless phone calls and lost messages... after taking the bus to the center and ring the bell of my friend... nothing! she wasn't there! another friend told me she was traveling! Rita, believe me i wanted to kill u! =) now i can laugh about it!
option: hostel! but in my way to hostel i realize i wouldn't have time to pick the bus/train in the morning to the airport because the flight would be at 06h15. so after un gelato in front of the Pantheon and passing by la Fontana di Trevi, i hurry up to take the last bus in the afternoon, and prepare myself to spend the night in the airport!
i met this very very nice brazilian couple from BrasÃlia, the capital, we had dinner together, spend more then half of the night talking about everything, the life, and i sleep 2 small hours in the airport! they did pick the same flight as me, because generally people have to fly from Lisbon to Brazil! Nelson and Daniele, thank u for the company and the nice talk!
17 LISBON (home)
and that's how i got in Portugal on Saturday morning, at 09h00, speaking brazilian and starting to listen portuguese around me... strange! and finally meet my parents, after 7 months living abroad! i still feel strange listening portuguese speaking around me, not among my friends, but all the others people! after all the countries i crossed, the background language was always different than mine... so this means home! even if i don't want to face it, i guess...
