Not a bad pile of mail to come back to after being away for 9 months.....thank you all! :)
Friday, June 9, 2017
Sunday, February 19, 2017
The Ease of sending Postcards in Guangzhou
As i had previously mentioned, finding postcards here has been far from an easy task...they say you can find them in post offices, but from what Ive seen so far it is usually those sold in booklets (and with a terrrible choice) or more like greeting cards...and then I recalled I saw once a shop at the Shamian Island selling cards, so the other day I decided to go there and do my first postcards' spree...which went kinda successful...why kinda? Well ok, the postcards' choice may not be vast but is acceptable (it is still better than nothing), and they are at a quite reasonable price of 2 CNY, which equals something like 30 cents. For starters I got few copies of each of these three...sorry for the not the best images, but no scanner here...
and to my delight the lady working there also asked me if I needed stamps, and I was like, whoo, this solves a big problem, sparing me the trouble of making myself understood at the post office with my non-existent conversing in Chinese...so I ask for 15 stamps, for the 15 postcards I bought, she types numbers into her calculator and gives me a final sum that leaves a perplexed expression on my face....hm, sorry, how much is the postage??? - 8 yuan she replies (1.20 dollars) - I know postage in some countries is high but thanks to the hundreds and hundreds of cards I have received from China, I immediately knew something was fishy here (otherwise I would have probably believed her and fell in her trap - thank God I actually said NO when she previously said she was gonna stick the stamps on the cards for me...very crafty from her side - and the only reason I said NO was because I do want to arrange the layout on my own cards not because I actually suspected she would try to trick me..
Anyways, after I told her 8 CNY is too much and that I would take the cards only, she said - ok 6 yuan, good price! good price! - who the hell is bargaining for a postage rate??? it is either 6 or 8 or whatever other amount it may be but this was just an additional sign she wanted to rip me off (and she was disappointed her plan didnt work out - I wonder how many tourists have fell into this trap at this particular spot)
after this I asked the Chinese community at postcrossing about the postage rate and believe it or not it is either 3 CNY for surface mail or 4.5 CNY for airmail, but of course it is neither 6 nor 8.
I know that with mail from China in the end it may make no difference whether it is airmail or not, but I decided to go with the airmail and see how it goes
so armoured with a dictionary, pieces of paper on which I have written the amount of stamps I need (simply as 15 x 4.5 CNY), i go to a small post office that is right in my street (how convenient) and ask for stamps (thankfully they did speak English in the amount necessary to get the stamps). So I buy 15 stamps, 4.5 CNY each, the lady at the counter types in the numbers on her calculator and shows me the final sum of 135 CNY - I already had a 100 CNY bill in my hands and again give the calculator a confused look (I really start wondering what the calculators have against me). The lady at the counter reluctantly takes my bill and says, but this is too little money...I know she may not be versed enough with the numbers in English, but I thought that maybe some common sense should have told her that 15 stamps of that rate could not possibly cost 135 CNY! So starting to get a bit pissed, since I dont know anymore if someone is trying to rip me off or if it was an unintentional mistake, I open the calculator on my phone and am about to show her the math, when she does her math again on her own calculator, and oh look. this time it showed 67.5...and she cant believe her eyes, she is all surprised..so she does the calculation again - 67.5....and then again, just to make sure - yeah 67.5...so I finally manage to buy stamps at the ACTUAL price and go back home
for my 'experimental' postcards' sending from China, I decided to go with the official cards, mainly cos I haven't sent any since I left Macedonia, so I do want to work on it a bit and get it back to shape...so i get the addresses (nothing exciting there) and write my first 5 cards out of the 15 addresses, and just in case add EUROPE after the country's name to the cards going to EUROPE - and the next day excitedly go to the post office (a different one since it was on my way to where I was going...I see a counter with stamps so I ask the lady where could I mail my cards - she takes them, inspects the stamps and if the postage is sufficient - passed the test. And then she says 'but you also need to write the country;s name in Chinese'. Ok..wait, what?????!!! (honestly, this thing did cross my mind but just crossed it since I remember most of the cards I had received from China, had something in Chinese near or below the name of the country) - I thought it may not be a real need to write them in Chinese but turns out I was wrong - first she couldnt read the names of the countries in English, I had to tell her that one was for Taiwan, and she was kind enough to write it down for me in Chinese, and that the rest were for Europe (which she had to look up on the phone for how to write it in Chinese) - yeah, she was helpful indeed, but I certainly cannot always go to the PO and ask for the people there to write the names in Chinese...so here is my clumsy attempt to do so...I still havent finished nor sent these, but makes me wonder if they are ever gonna reach their real destination - and before you ask me, no I absolutely do not know the names of the countries in Chinese - just relying on google here ....
so that's not really how I expected my first attempt of postcards sending to be :D let's see what the outcome of this story is going to be...
Anyways, if you like one of these cards let me know and Ill try to mail one to you...if I manage to get your country's name right in Chinese that is :P
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Valentine's Day-hype in China
Walking through the streets of Guangzhou tonight (my initial idea was to go and see some of the Lantern Festivals' performances), I ended up being amused by the hundreds and hundreds of Chinese people celebrating Valentine's Day.
The streets were generally full with people holding boxes full of flowers, trying to sell them to the passers by.
It amuses me that Chinese people go crazy about all these Western holidays but the internet is still greatly censored and it sometimes takes magic to make websites like gmail, facebook, youtube, work properly...
well yeah....been really silent here for months...frankly I didn't expect it that I would be so unable to keep posting here, even if not regularly ...so yeah. life's been busy and tiring, but well, that's the price you have to pay for the experiences :)
in case you havent noticed I had renamed this blog into 'postcards and travels' since obviously for the time being it will be less postcards and more travel pictures + i bought a new camera just before New Year so at least I've been able to take some decent and worth-to-show pictures...so hopefully would be able to share those with you sooner or later...at least with those of you who are not on FB - I've already done my bragging share there :D
Anyways, hope you are all well...and if you are maybe wondering how come you still havent found a Chinese card from me in the mailbox..well cos I still havent sent any..finding postcards here has been a real challenge, and I actually dread going to the post office and asking for stamps with my still non-existent Chinese :D :D :D
Oh well....
The streets were generally full with people holding boxes full of flowers, trying to sell them to the passers by.
It amuses me that Chinese people go crazy about all these Western holidays but the internet is still greatly censored and it sometimes takes magic to make websites like gmail, facebook, youtube, work properly...
well yeah....been really silent here for months...frankly I didn't expect it that I would be so unable to keep posting here, even if not regularly ...so yeah. life's been busy and tiring, but well, that's the price you have to pay for the experiences :)
in case you havent noticed I had renamed this blog into 'postcards and travels' since obviously for the time being it will be less postcards and more travel pictures + i bought a new camera just before New Year so at least I've been able to take some decent and worth-to-show pictures...so hopefully would be able to share those with you sooner or later...at least with those of you who are not on FB - I've already done my bragging share there :D
Anyways, hope you are all well...and if you are maybe wondering how come you still havent found a Chinese card from me in the mailbox..well cos I still havent sent any..finding postcards here has been a real challenge, and I actually dread going to the post office and asking for stamps with my still non-existent Chinese :D :D :D
Oh well....
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Hello from the other side....
sooo, finally a few words from here....from the far-away land of China! (well, that depends where you actually are...it may not be THAT far-away...in fact, China may be nearer than Macedonia to your place :)
anyways, not so long ago I kinda announced that I may be going to China....and that 'maybe' turned into 'i should really use this opportunity' which finally ended into me landing here in Guangzhou exactly one month ago...yep, believe it or not it's been a month since I've been living here. I know I should have made some post earlier, but for the first days I was all jet-lagged, and then there have been many things to do...and then when I have some free time, all I feel like doing is sleep sleep sleep, or just watch a movie....but I believe that I should really kinda commemorate this small anniversary and just say hello and say Im safe and sound and all :)
I could talk about my impressions for hours and hours...frankly, I feel as if I've been here for like a year...Macedonia feels so distant at the moment that it makes me even sad...I don't miss the country or the places there, but I really miss my family and friends, but I guess that's kinda normal...I miss them even when I go on short trips and all. However, this time is really different, and I still don't know for how long this trip of a life time will last, but I hope I won't have to pack my bags next month and go back home :)
I still haven't sent a single card from here, for two reasons - first, financially I am trying to be wise and not spend money on cards and stamps and stuff, and second, I still haven't even seen a place selling cards which is kinda weird since the city is just HUGE!! Yeah, HUGE!! 14 million people give or take, third biggest in China, and yet I still haven't spotted postcards....but I found a philatelic shop though, which may be even more dangerous! :D
But I have this feeling the language barrier will be a problem...you know, I've never felt more miserable in my life for not knowing a particular language, but here, I do..I feel like I've just dropped from outer space and have been randomly thrown here, feeling completely lost when it comes to the language...I mean, geez, it is even impossible to comprehend a single thing, not to mention that the only way I could make most of the people understand me is body language...cos no, they DON'T speak English and no they won't even try (most of the people - but there is this girl working in a supermarket nearby, and she really tries hard to talk to me in English, I really love her for that!
Speaking of mail...there should be mailboxes in the building where I am, but I still haven't seen them...plus I still don't feel comfortable receiving mail here...but my Macedonian address is always valid, so if you send me something there, my parents will take care of it, just that I'm not sure when I will be able to let you know it has arrived =/
Well, I have seen just a few places here, as I said, whenever I have some free time, I feel like sleeping..plus the weather here is sooo terrible (very hot and humid, or hot and with rain/showers) that often you don't even feel like going anywhere :)
But here are a few pics, just so you don't forget me :))
this is the view from my apartment (:
Yeah, I really am in China, in case you thought I was joking :D
If you wanna know whether I like it here or not...I don't know, everything is still interesting and there are so many new things and all...but I think that my adjustment has been going pretty well, and that's kinda really important to me...and thank God there are some other Macedonian expats here, so in the end you don't feel THAT lonely in a city of 14 million people. Of course, everyone is busy and all, but in a way it does feel comforting to know someone from your own country (one is actually a dear colleague of mine from University, so that makes things even better! :))
Funny thing about these two cards is that I received them both as a part of a swap...I don't know why I would swap for two flag cards, or maybe it was within a short period of time...who would remember, but anyways, I love the pictorial postmark on the first one...maybe if I am lucky, I will get something nice like this in that philately shop :)
However, I should do a better job in reading stamps from scans instead actual cards....I promise to do a better job for next time!
as for that next time, I can't tell when it;s gonna happen...you know, apart from the busy life, things like gmail and fb and blogger don't really function here in China unless you use some VPN services, which are not 100% functional, so sometimes you just feel like cut-off from the real world, which from time to time may not be such a bad idea :)
Anyways, big hug to you all, and see you around, sooner or later! :)
anyways, not so long ago I kinda announced that I may be going to China....and that 'maybe' turned into 'i should really use this opportunity' which finally ended into me landing here in Guangzhou exactly one month ago...yep, believe it or not it's been a month since I've been living here. I know I should have made some post earlier, but for the first days I was all jet-lagged, and then there have been many things to do...and then when I have some free time, all I feel like doing is sleep sleep sleep, or just watch a movie....but I believe that I should really kinda commemorate this small anniversary and just say hello and say Im safe and sound and all :)
I could talk about my impressions for hours and hours...frankly, I feel as if I've been here for like a year...Macedonia feels so distant at the moment that it makes me even sad...I don't miss the country or the places there, but I really miss my family and friends, but I guess that's kinda normal...I miss them even when I go on short trips and all. However, this time is really different, and I still don't know for how long this trip of a life time will last, but I hope I won't have to pack my bags next month and go back home :)
I still haven't sent a single card from here, for two reasons - first, financially I am trying to be wise and not spend money on cards and stamps and stuff, and second, I still haven't even seen a place selling cards which is kinda weird since the city is just HUGE!! Yeah, HUGE!! 14 million people give or take, third biggest in China, and yet I still haven't spotted postcards....but I found a philatelic shop though, which may be even more dangerous! :D
But I have this feeling the language barrier will be a problem...you know, I've never felt more miserable in my life for not knowing a particular language, but here, I do..I feel like I've just dropped from outer space and have been randomly thrown here, feeling completely lost when it comes to the language...I mean, geez, it is even impossible to comprehend a single thing, not to mention that the only way I could make most of the people understand me is body language...cos no, they DON'T speak English and no they won't even try (most of the people - but there is this girl working in a supermarket nearby, and she really tries hard to talk to me in English, I really love her for that!
Speaking of mail...there should be mailboxes in the building where I am, but I still haven't seen them...plus I still don't feel comfortable receiving mail here...but my Macedonian address is always valid, so if you send me something there, my parents will take care of it, just that I'm not sure when I will be able to let you know it has arrived =/
Well, I have seen just a few places here, as I said, whenever I have some free time, I feel like sleeping..plus the weather here is sooo terrible (very hot and humid, or hot and with rain/showers) that often you don't even feel like going anywhere :)
But here are a few pics, just so you don't forget me :))
this is the view from my apartment (:
Yeah, I really am in China, in case you thought I was joking :D
If you wanna know whether I like it here or not...I don't know, everything is still interesting and there are so many new things and all...but I think that my adjustment has been going pretty well, and that's kinda really important to me...and thank God there are some other Macedonian expats here, so in the end you don't feel THAT lonely in a city of 14 million people. Of course, everyone is busy and all, but in a way it does feel comforting to know someone from your own country (one is actually a dear colleague of mine from University, so that makes things even better! :))
Funny thing about these two cards is that I received them both as a part of a swap...I don't know why I would swap for two flag cards, or maybe it was within a short period of time...who would remember, but anyways, I love the pictorial postmark on the first one...maybe if I am lucky, I will get something nice like this in that philately shop :)
However, I should do a better job in reading stamps from scans instead actual cards....I promise to do a better job for next time!
as for that next time, I can't tell when it;s gonna happen...you know, apart from the busy life, things like gmail and fb and blogger don't really function here in China unless you use some VPN services, which are not 100% functional, so sometimes you just feel like cut-off from the real world, which from time to time may not be such a bad idea :)
Anyways, big hug to you all, and see you around, sooner or later! :)
Sunday, August 7, 2016
León Cathedral, Nicaragua
Hello Hello! Time for another post...which should've happened earlier but you know me and my laziness sometimes....and how this heat affects me in becoming the most-unproductive human being.
Well, after so much hoping for rain and drop of temperatures, we finally had some last night...but you know what they say, be careful what you wish for, since last night's thunderstorm was like one of the scariest I have ever witnessed...not cos of its strength, but its length...it just went on and on and on....it felt like being part of some horror movie, something so surreal, that it is hard to explain (at least here we are not used to storms of that kind with 20 dead, a number of people missing, and injured, and the amount of material damage is out of the line). Well, I just hope that the storms forecast for the upcoming days won't be as the one last night....here is just a small glimpse of the actual situation last night...
So anyways, lets get down to some cards... I'm sure you are here for that, not for my whining and complaining :)
And the first one for today comes from Sissel and her trip to Nicaragua back in 2011...
The card shows the León Cathedral, also known as the "Real and Renowned Basilica Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (ok, is there a point in giving such complex names??!), which was awarded World Heritage Site status with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The site's nomination is Nicaragua's third cultural landmark, following the ruins of León Viejo and El Güegüense .
The Cathedral's construction lasted between 1747 and 1814 and was consecrated by Pope Pius IX in 1860. Cathedral has maintained the status of being the largest cathedral in Central America and one of the best known in the Americas due to its distinct architecture and special cultural importance.
And a set of lovely butterflies' stamps, which actually have been cancelled, but that cancellation somewhat got smudged.
In the year of 2000, Nicaragua had issued a few sets of butterfly stamps and these come from one of those (the set has six in total, and I have the mini sheet in mint condition, thanks again to Sissel of course :D)
These three here show the, from left to right, Actinote thalia anteas, the Doxocopa laurentia cherubina, and the Napeopgenes tolosa mombachoensis - well, names meaningful to people like lepidopterists for example :)
Thank you Sissel for the great card and lovely stamps!!
Well, after so much hoping for rain and drop of temperatures, we finally had some last night...but you know what they say, be careful what you wish for, since last night's thunderstorm was like one of the scariest I have ever witnessed...not cos of its strength, but its length...it just went on and on and on....it felt like being part of some horror movie, something so surreal, that it is hard to explain (at least here we are not used to storms of that kind with 20 dead, a number of people missing, and injured, and the amount of material damage is out of the line). Well, I just hope that the storms forecast for the upcoming days won't be as the one last night....here is just a small glimpse of the actual situation last night...
So anyways, lets get down to some cards... I'm sure you are here for that, not for my whining and complaining :)
And the first one for today comes from Sissel and her trip to Nicaragua back in 2011...
The card shows the León Cathedral, also known as the "Real and Renowned Basilica Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (ok, is there a point in giving such complex names??!), which was awarded World Heritage Site status with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The site's nomination is Nicaragua's third cultural landmark, following the ruins of León Viejo and El Güegüense .
The Cathedral's construction lasted between 1747 and 1814 and was consecrated by Pope Pius IX in 1860. Cathedral has maintained the status of being the largest cathedral in Central America and one of the best known in the Americas due to its distinct architecture and special cultural importance.
And a set of lovely butterflies' stamps, which actually have been cancelled, but that cancellation somewhat got smudged.
In the year of 2000, Nicaragua had issued a few sets of butterfly stamps and these come from one of those (the set has six in total, and I have the mini sheet in mint condition, thanks again to Sissel of course :D)
These three here show the, from left to right, Actinote thalia anteas, the Doxocopa laurentia cherubina, and the Napeopgenes tolosa mombachoensis - well, names meaningful to people like lepidopterists for example :)
Thank you Sissel for the great card and lovely stamps!!
New Zealand
Moving on to the next card - one that was in my favourites for a long time, and dear Heather decided to surprise my mailbox with it!
it shows two people from the Tamaki Maori Village in Rotoroua, doing the hongi, which is a traditional Maori greeting, where people touch their noses briefly once or twice as a way of saying 'hello'
Isn't that just lovely?? And I thought only the Eskimos had this nose-thing (though for them it is an act of kissing....)
The two lovely stamps are from a set of 6 issued in 2013, under the name Matariki - Koru. At first the name means nothing to me, but it turns out that when the star cluster known as Matariki appears in the night sky it signals the Maori New Year and a time of new beginnings. The Matariki 2013 stamp issue celebrates the koru - a pattern symbolising new life and regeneration.
Matariki is a significant event for Māori, and is widely acknowledged to signal a change of seasons. In traditional Māori society, Matariki was believed to foretell whether the year ahead would be plentiful. It was also a time of festivity, when communities would come together to reflect on the past and look ahead to new beginnings. The message of new beginnings is represented in the koru pattern, which is derived from an unfurling silver fern frond. Each of the six self-adhesive stamps in this issue incorporates the koru pattern along with aspects of traditional Māori culture that have particular significance during the time of Matariki.
Thank you very very much Heather!
it shows two people from the Tamaki Maori Village in Rotoroua, doing the hongi, which is a traditional Maori greeting, where people touch their noses briefly once or twice as a way of saying 'hello'
Isn't that just lovely?? And I thought only the Eskimos had this nose-thing (though for them it is an act of kissing....)
The two lovely stamps are from a set of 6 issued in 2013, under the name Matariki - Koru. At first the name means nothing to me, but it turns out that when the star cluster known as Matariki appears in the night sky it signals the Maori New Year and a time of new beginnings. The Matariki 2013 stamp issue celebrates the koru - a pattern symbolising new life and regeneration.
Matariki is a significant event for Māori, and is widely acknowledged to signal a change of seasons. In traditional Māori society, Matariki was believed to foretell whether the year ahead would be plentiful. It was also a time of festivity, when communities would come together to reflect on the past and look ahead to new beginnings. The message of new beginnings is represented in the koru pattern, which is derived from an unfurling silver fern frond. Each of the six self-adhesive stamps in this issue incorporates the koru pattern along with aspects of traditional Māori culture that have particular significance during the time of Matariki.
Thank you very very much Heather!
New York, USA
Another surprise card, this time from dear Agi and her last year's trip to the US....when I do the math, feels like she's seen half the world so far...I wonder when or IF i will ever achieve that (well whichever way you turn it, she will always be ahead of me anyways :)
The card shows a scene from the Central Park in NY, a place which I don't know, is inevitably mentioned in every single movie set in NY....or at least that's my impression of it :)
It is said to be the most visited park in the entire USA, with 40 million visitors in 2013. With 341 ha in size, it definitely seems like there is plenty to do and see here.
the stamp is the 2014 Christmas one, showing the Evergreen Wreath.
Hvala ti puno Aginice! :*
The card shows a scene from the Central Park in NY, a place which I don't know, is inevitably mentioned in every single movie set in NY....or at least that's my impression of it :)
It is said to be the most visited park in the entire USA, with 40 million visitors in 2013. With 341 ha in size, it definitely seems like there is plenty to do and see here.
the stamp is the 2014 Christmas one, showing the Evergreen Wreath.
Hvala ti puno Aginice! :*
Westport, Ireland
A card showing the Irish town of Westport, in the Mayo County. It arrived as a surprise from Lynda, for the FB Surprise Group.
With its urban population is around 5500 people, Westport is also a popular tourist destination and scores highly for Quality of Life. It has won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition ( never knew competitions like this existed...we would score pretty low on it) three times in 2001, 2006 and 2008; in 2012 it also won the Best Place to Live in Ireland competition run by The Irish Times.
In the back, you can see the Croagh Patrick Mountain, which is a famous pilgrimage mountain.
Westport's name in Irish, "Cathair na Mart", has the meaning of "stone fort of the beeves".
An adorable stamp!! (quite expensive postage that is...)
It shows a very cute otter from a set of 4 definitives issued in 2015.
Thanks a lot Lynda! :)
With its urban population is around 5500 people, Westport is also a popular tourist destination and scores highly for Quality of Life. It has won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition ( never knew competitions like this existed...we would score pretty low on it) three times in 2001, 2006 and 2008; in 2012 it also won the Best Place to Live in Ireland competition run by The Irish Times.
In the back, you can see the Croagh Patrick Mountain, which is a famous pilgrimage mountain.
Westport's name in Irish, "Cathair na Mart", has the meaning of "stone fort of the beeves".
An adorable stamp!! (quite expensive postage that is...)
It shows a very cute otter from a set of 4 definitives issued in 2015.
Thanks a lot Lynda! :)
India
One more card for today, this time showing a really lovely girl from India.
The people from the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan are skilled craftsmen, where one village is an expert in one, while the next village in another craft.
Most of the crafts origin from there, especially certain apparels, jewelry, accessories, and they are quite cheap.
People who know me know that I have a really soft spot on such jewelry (no gold or silver but unusual, colourful, or funny ones) so probably these places would be my heaven.
I love the way this girl is dressed - so lovely and colourful, and I esp love her bunch of colourful bracelets - I'd definitely wear those, in the same quantity as well :)
We have quite a lot of stamps here, let's see how I manage this...
The two bigger colourful stamps are from 2013 (not from the same set though). The one on the very left is part of 2 stamps showing Heritage Buildings - this I believe is the Head Post Office in Agra.
The other big stamp is also from a set of two, showing the Wild Ass of Ladakh & Kutch.
Now, on the small stamps you can see Gandhi - from a set of 6 personalities' stamps issued in 2009. Below it is another stamp from 2009, also from a set of 3 personalities' stamps, showing E.V. Ramasami.
The last one, which you can see twice, is a definitive from 2008.
So, that would be all for today. Enjoy whatever's left of your weekend! Till next time!
The people from the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan are skilled craftsmen, where one village is an expert in one, while the next village in another craft.
Most of the crafts origin from there, especially certain apparels, jewelry, accessories, and they are quite cheap.
People who know me know that I have a really soft spot on such jewelry (no gold or silver but unusual, colourful, or funny ones) so probably these places would be my heaven.
I love the way this girl is dressed - so lovely and colourful, and I esp love her bunch of colourful bracelets - I'd definitely wear those, in the same quantity as well :)
We have quite a lot of stamps here, let's see how I manage this...
The two bigger colourful stamps are from 2013 (not from the same set though). The one on the very left is part of 2 stamps showing Heritage Buildings - this I believe is the Head Post Office in Agra.
The other big stamp is also from a set of two, showing the Wild Ass of Ladakh & Kutch.
Now, on the small stamps you can see Gandhi - from a set of 6 personalities' stamps issued in 2009. Below it is another stamp from 2009, also from a set of 3 personalities' stamps, showing E.V. Ramasami.
The last one, which you can see twice, is a definitive from 2008.
So, that would be all for today. Enjoy whatever's left of your weekend! Till next time!
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Absolut Birthday
And no it is not this blog's birthday (I kinda overlooked that one) but it is its owner's one who got older today...well we get older throughout the year but it is on this day that it looks more real, esp now with FB and everybody wishing you Happy Birthday there...so yeah, a kinda egotistical post this is :D
I am not into horoscopes and stuff (Astronomy is my thing, not Astrology) but then how can I ignore this absolutely cool Absolut Vodka card...cos Leos do rule after all and are the best :D
And well, a Leo is a summer month (again of course the best one). If you actually read about it, you will indeed see that when it comes to Leos, they always have the highest opinion about themselves so I have to do something here not to distort that image :))
Ok, back to seriousness.... I have never really been fond of my birthday, but esp. as I've grown older, the day has started making me really anxious and I've always tried to escape town/country so that it feels painless. Unfortunately both last and this year I haven't been able to do that so I just have to deal with it....and arghh, are birthdays really supposed to make you this nervous?!!
So, Happy Birthday Ana! Be a better person in the next 365 days, and enjoy life!
Ok, signing off. I used my opportunity for being a bit self-centered. Hugs to you all dear people!
I am not into horoscopes and stuff (Astronomy is my thing, not Astrology) but then how can I ignore this absolutely cool Absolut Vodka card...cos Leos do rule after all and are the best :D
And well, a Leo is a summer month (again of course the best one). If you actually read about it, you will indeed see that when it comes to Leos, they always have the highest opinion about themselves so I have to do something here not to distort that image :))
Ok, back to seriousness.... I have never really been fond of my birthday, but esp. as I've grown older, the day has started making me really anxious and I've always tried to escape town/country so that it feels painless. Unfortunately both last and this year I haven't been able to do that so I just have to deal with it....and arghh, are birthdays really supposed to make you this nervous?!!
So, Happy Birthday Ana! Be a better person in the next 365 days, and enjoy life!
Ok, signing off. I used my opportunity for being a bit self-centered. Hugs to you all dear people!
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Cambodia
The joys of the chilly weather were unfortunately very short-lasting and here we are, back to the terrible summer heat - more unbearable here in the concrete-jungle of the city... I have had my days of such high-temperatures while being by the lake or the sea, and everything just feels so different...but except for a lousy river, not much else can save us here....
So let's see what have we got for today...
First we go to Cambodia....I know it is one of those really rare countries, but I have received quite a few from there...but I don't know why I haven't posted any since 2010...I really make some poor choices sometimes (and regarding postcards, another one will follow somewhere below...)
This super-super cool card arrived from my amiga Zarah showing a Khmer family of 5, riding a moto through the jungle...
Ok, this doesn't really look like a jungle to me, but then on the other hand, I've never been to one, so who am I to be playing an expert here :)
The moto is the most common mode of transport in Cambodia, and if 5 people seems like over the limit, Zarah says she has seen 8....I am trying to imagine how they have been all positioned...but I can't :)
the stamp is from a set of 5 issued in 2009, commemorating the 1st Anniversary of the Establishment of the Temple of Preah Vihear on the UNESCO World Heritage.
Hmm, ok, something to put on my to-visit list when one day I visit Cambodia :D
btw, note the cool 12.12.12 cancellation ;-)
muchas gracias amiga!! I know you've been busy, but hope you are doing fine! :)
So let's see what have we got for today...
First we go to Cambodia....I know it is one of those really rare countries, but I have received quite a few from there...but I don't know why I haven't posted any since 2010...I really make some poor choices sometimes (and regarding postcards, another one will follow somewhere below...)
This super-super cool card arrived from my amiga Zarah showing a Khmer family of 5, riding a moto through the jungle...
Ok, this doesn't really look like a jungle to me, but then on the other hand, I've never been to one, so who am I to be playing an expert here :)
The moto is the most common mode of transport in Cambodia, and if 5 people seems like over the limit, Zarah says she has seen 8....I am trying to imagine how they have been all positioned...but I can't :)
the stamp is from a set of 5 issued in 2009, commemorating the 1st Anniversary of the Establishment of the Temple of Preah Vihear on the UNESCO World Heritage.
Hmm, ok, something to put on my to-visit list when one day I visit Cambodia :D
btw, note the cool 12.12.12 cancellation ;-)
muchas gracias amiga!! I know you've been busy, but hope you are doing fine! :)
Greece
So, some of you know that recently I went to Greece....and that it was quite adventurous :)
So what follows is a longish post about my trip there with postcards, pictures and all :)
How come I ended up in Greece in the first place? Well, blame it on Sigur Rós....see, my initial plan was to go to the InMusic Festival like last year, esp. since I was kinda sure that Sigur Rós would also be part of it, since they were/are on tour, they are doing festivals only, and the dates really kinda fit...but as time went by I was becoming aware that there will be no sign pf Sigur Rós, ...there were some other good performers announced but not such favourites that would make a whole such trip worth while. So had to start thinking of plan B cos I was really determined that I just HAVE to go and see them live, not knowing ifI will have another chance in the future, and while looking at the tour dates, Athens seemed as the most feasible...so Athens it was. A friend of mine also decided to come, though frankly I was ready to go alone if necessary, I just wasn't willing to miss such an opportunity (and probably I should have gone alone, but oh well, one learns things from his own mistakes...but I won't get down to that since the other side has no chance of defending himself here :D)
And after everything (or at least we thought) was set, we started our journey with Thessaloniki being our first stop (there are no direct connections between Skopje and Athens) where we had to kill literally all day - we arrived there early in the morning and had a train to catch at 11pm (but that was the cheapest option since the other train rides cost like twice more....and we were of course on a budget).
Killing that time in Thessaloniki turned out to be pretty easy, since Dimitris was very kind and offered to come and meet all the way from Komotini (which is like 250 km away, just FYI).
It was great to meet him (you may know that in general I haven't always had the luck of meeting a postcrosser when travelling somewhere, so each time I can it is like pure joy :))
We spent the day chilling out at the sea with some coffee (well, the Greek frappe), strolling around, plus he helped me find the Post Office so that I could mail the cards we wrote (Greece is one of those countries like Macedonia with no functional mailboxes around the city, but you have to find a Post Office and mail them either from the counter or drop them in the mailbox in front of the PO).
Well, not many of you will get a card from Thessaloniki, sorry for that, but due to the time constraints I only chose a few people whom I realized were our common friends (thank you Facebook). But most of you who have received a card can thank Dimitris for the lovely stamps (eventually I had to stock up again in Athens :P)
This is the one I sent to myself, showing a night view of St. Demetrus church (which right now I cannot recall if we saw it or not). After Dimitris left, my friend and I took one of those Free Walking Tours, but I was kinda tired and with my heavy backpack on my bag and with the heat, I honestly didn't pay much attention to what the girl was saying. However, I always recommend a Free Walking Tour if you are going somewhere...well they are not really free, but these people work for tips, so it is in their favour to actually make the tour fun and interesting, so in general they try harder :)
me just chilling out by the Aegan Sea (ok, just posing for the picture, but it was good to have the back-pack off my back for a while :))
a bunch of children climbing over seats, tables, crawling on the floor, under the seats...and a bunch of noisy grown ups - I don't know if they were refugees or something (they had like hundreds of bags with them) and I really feel with them, but when you lack the basic code of ethics it gets really annoying...in the end we really had to change the wagon cos the noise was getting unbearable and I really needed to get some sleep after being awake from like 5 am in the morning...and we weren't the only ones who in the end looked for a wagon that was calmer...everyone who was not part of this gang had left...and I just couldn't believe it that out of 8 wagons, I had to pick THIS one :)
yeah, we were talking about a card here as well, and here come the stamps...3 fantastic ones! The first and the third one are Diving stamps from a set of 6 issued in 2015, while the middle one is from a set of 12 issued in 2014 under the name "Month of Folk Art"
Now you know that eternal nonsense between Macedonia and Greece, and I was wondering if my cards to Macedonia would suffer some damage when the postal clerk see the name Macedonia written on them (there is no such force which would make me to use FYROM) and funny enough, this card from Thessaloniki had the name of Macedonia crossed out, so that below it they would write Macedoine! I mean, is this a joke, or what??! :D What's the point here?!! I was expecting "Recognized by Greece as FYROM" or so, but why on Earth would someone just replace it with "Macedoine"?? That is like in French or?? Well I really had a good laugh over this one I must say :))))
Ok...so a few words now about our days in Athens, since that was our main destination (I didn't however sent myself a card showing Athens, but chose this Greetings from... one. Dimitris brought me a number of these so I thought it was cool to use it (those of you who had received a GF card, blame it on Dimitris :)) There were some nice cheap postcards on offer btw on the way to the Acropolis..
I've been to Athens before, though as with Thessaloniki, I couldn't remember a thing :)
If one thing can be said for sure about our few days there is that we got lost more than once, which personally didn't bother me, I mean what can I do...but my friend turned out pretty grumpy about it in the end (and just about everything in general, but oh well...lesson learned).
I'll start with the hostel - we stayed at the Zorbas Hostel and I would really recommend it to anyone staying in Athens, esp. if you are on a budget. It is nothing fancy, not much of a socializing atmosphere, but was perfect for what I needed and the stuff are super kind and friendly. We were in the 8-bed dorm and it was clean, spacious, with its own nice bathroom. And I was amazed at how considerate everyone else was in the room, when they arrived late at night or had to take off early in the morning.
We arrived like at 6 in the morning and even though we couldn't check-in, they let us have a shower - I felt reborn after it.
The hostel is like 2 minutes walk from the metro station from where you can get just anywhere in Athens, it is 15 minutes walk from the train station (which is perfect for when you arrive early in the morning, esp. if you don't know your way around Athens - this one is super easy to find).
And in the nearest vicinity there was one of the chain fast-food Restaurants called Everest, which was open 24/7 - really good coffee, tasty pies, and very reasonable prices.
When it comes to food in Athens, I would recommend:
- Koulouri - something like bagels - I tried them at this bakery called Το Κουλούρι του Ψυρρή - crunchy, tasty and ridiculously cheap (they also sold doughnuts). Again very simple ones, but tasty.
Located at Karaiskaki 23.
- Greek pies - at the Ariston Bakery - probably the best best best pies I have ever tried! Two euros a piece, but I cannot even describe how tasty they were - and so many different fillings to choose from! I had one with leek-feta cheese and one with red peppers...heavenly taste, heavenly!!
Located at oulis 10
- Falafel - again, probably the best falafel I have tried, though unlike with the pies, I haven't really tried falafel at many different places. This place was simply called Falafellas and besides the falafel they sell other things too, which I assume are as delicious as this one. What got my attention is that there was constantly a line of people waiting in front of it. There are no chairs or tables, but if you are lucky, you will find a spot on one of the nearby benches.
It is a pity I didn't think of taking pictures of the above mentioned food - here is one of the falafel (the big version) - not a decent picture, but just to give you an idea
you can find it at Aiolou 51.
And after so many salty things, time for something sweet...and I think it couldn't get sweeter than this. A place called Serbetospito - one thing's for sure, it's gonna drive you crazy coz you won't know what to choose...everything is so delightful..and in such huge portions - no diets will work here.
Here, you be the judge
you can find it at Pl. Iroon 1
In Athens I was delighted to have had the chance to meet with Despina and spend a cool evening with her under the Acropolis....drinking tsipouro :)
I like trying out new foods and drinks....and I have already tried things like Ouzo or Metaxa so I decided to choose the tsipouro from the menu (they had some Greek beers, but you know I am a party-breaker when it comes to beer).
Well, my relationship with the tsipouro won't be long-lasting..it is good, but just way too strong for my taste. I did finish the glass though but I did feel rather tipsy afterwards :)
And now the main reason I went there were Sigur Rós, whose performance was part of the Athens Release Festival. Prior to my trip to Athens, I have never heard any of the other bands performing, so of course, I gave them a try to see if I was gonna be bored or not...and to my utmost surprise, I loved them all! So I knew it was gonna be a great day/night...and it was...one of the best times of my life.
We arrived at the venue quite early...we actually wanted to visit the Pireaus before the event since it was one metro station away, but with our luck, on that day the metro didn't go all the way to Pireaus, but ended its journey at Faliro. So we ended up waiting there for a few hours but luckily that day it was cloudy and even windy, so we didn't boil under the sun. And of course I ended up in the first row! I didn't even have to fight for it :D
The festival opened with a band called Afformance - a fantastic Greek band! But they had the bad luck of playing first when there were still barely any people there. But they didnt show any disappointment or so - they were just happy to play...and I really hope that after the festival they have acquired more supporters - they really deserve it (I won't get into posting songs from each of the performers since I know this post has gotten way too long...but I do recommend you give them all a try on YouTube and maybe you will like something)
Next were Theodore and his band- if you want an emotional performance that will give you the goosebumps then you will like this. All his songs are kinda sad but not depressing. There was also a girl performing within the band and she was like a really nice touch to the overall performance.
Third on stage were DIIV - a very very cool US band, with amazing positivity on stage, esp by Andrew Bailey, the guitar player - he just wouldn't stop jumping and smiling!
At the end of the show, I took a picture, without being aware of the actual moment that a picture was being taken from the opposite side as well...btw, the guy in the blue t-shirt is the Andrew - see, still all smiling :)
...which ended up like this :D Yeah, that's me in the middle taking a picture with my phone :D The guy behind me is my friend, while the girl with the black glasses on my left is a very cool Slovenian girl I met at the festival! (who has seen Sigur Rós 8 times so far...I told her I hated her...not very polite, but just came out of me :)))
The 4th on stage were the Black Angels - another superb psychedelic rock band from the US. Their music is really powerful, their performance on stage as well, esp with all the visual effects accompanying the show. They were like the perfect intro for what was about to follow....
And finally, there were Sigur Rós...no pictures, no words could describe their performance. Sigur Rós are simply out of this world and so unique and incomparable to anything else. I know their music is specific and not for everyone's ears but really people, what you will experience at a Sigur Rós performance, you will not experience it anywhere else. To make things even more perfect, it started raining - rain at concerts is usually not welcomed, but here, the rain was a perfect addition to the overall emotional overwhelming feeling. I was shocked, I was speechless, I was crying - I really wasn't prepared for what I had experienced - and this made the whole trip more than worthwhile and one of the best decisions in my life.
I don't have much experience in uploading my own videos here, so hopefully this will work...Sigur Rós performing Sæglópur live in the rain - that person shouting her lungs out is me (well, I am the one recording this so I am shouting into my own phone, what can I do :))
Before the festival I loved Sigur Rós - after it, I also fell in love with them.
one more from the Diving series - and as you can see, no issues with Macedonia on this one...go figure :)
Again, I would like to wholeheartedly thank Dimitris and Despina for taking their time to spend time with me - I really really appreciate it, esp. since I always love to hang out with the locals. I hope to see you again in the future! :)
So what follows is a longish post about my trip there with postcards, pictures and all :)
How come I ended up in Greece in the first place? Well, blame it on Sigur Rós....see, my initial plan was to go to the InMusic Festival like last year, esp. since I was kinda sure that Sigur Rós would also be part of it, since they were/are on tour, they are doing festivals only, and the dates really kinda fit...but as time went by I was becoming aware that there will be no sign pf Sigur Rós, ...there were some other good performers announced but not such favourites that would make a whole such trip worth while. So had to start thinking of plan B cos I was really determined that I just HAVE to go and see them live, not knowing ifI will have another chance in the future, and while looking at the tour dates, Athens seemed as the most feasible...so Athens it was. A friend of mine also decided to come, though frankly I was ready to go alone if necessary, I just wasn't willing to miss such an opportunity (and probably I should have gone alone, but oh well, one learns things from his own mistakes...but I won't get down to that since the other side has no chance of defending himself here :D)
And after everything (or at least we thought) was set, we started our journey with Thessaloniki being our first stop (there are no direct connections between Skopje and Athens) where we had to kill literally all day - we arrived there early in the morning and had a train to catch at 11pm (but that was the cheapest option since the other train rides cost like twice more....and we were of course on a budget).
Killing that time in Thessaloniki turned out to be pretty easy, since Dimitris was very kind and offered to come and meet all the way from Komotini (which is like 250 km away, just FYI).
It was great to meet him (you may know that in general I haven't always had the luck of meeting a postcrosser when travelling somewhere, so each time I can it is like pure joy :))
We spent the day chilling out at the sea with some coffee (well, the Greek frappe), strolling around, plus he helped me find the Post Office so that I could mail the cards we wrote (Greece is one of those countries like Macedonia with no functional mailboxes around the city, but you have to find a Post Office and mail them either from the counter or drop them in the mailbox in front of the PO).
Well, not many of you will get a card from Thessaloniki, sorry for that, but due to the time constraints I only chose a few people whom I realized were our common friends (thank you Facebook). But most of you who have received a card can thank Dimitris for the lovely stamps (eventually I had to stock up again in Athens :P)
This is the one I sent to myself, showing a night view of St. Demetrus church (which right now I cannot recall if we saw it or not). After Dimitris left, my friend and I took one of those Free Walking Tours, but I was kinda tired and with my heavy backpack on my bag and with the heat, I honestly didn't pay much attention to what the girl was saying. However, I always recommend a Free Walking Tour if you are going somewhere...well they are not really free, but these people work for tips, so it is in their favour to actually make the tour fun and interesting, so in general they try harder :)
Dimitris and I in Thessaloniki, by the sea :)
me feeding some pigeons in the centre of Thessaloniki
something that was supposed to be coffee, but turned out much better (has ice-cream inside). I regret I didn't remember the name of the cafe, cos it was a really nice one, plus the waitress was really kind.
and now a few pictures from the trains and the train station :D
and all would have been well if our wagon wasn't doomed for this:
yeah, we were talking about a card here as well, and here come the stamps...3 fantastic ones! The first and the third one are Diving stamps from a set of 6 issued in 2015, while the middle one is from a set of 12 issued in 2014 under the name "Month of Folk Art"
Now you know that eternal nonsense between Macedonia and Greece, and I was wondering if my cards to Macedonia would suffer some damage when the postal clerk see the name Macedonia written on them (there is no such force which would make me to use FYROM) and funny enough, this card from Thessaloniki had the name of Macedonia crossed out, so that below it they would write Macedoine! I mean, is this a joke, or what??! :D What's the point here?!! I was expecting "Recognized by Greece as FYROM" or so, but why on Earth would someone just replace it with "Macedoine"?? That is like in French or?? Well I really had a good laugh over this one I must say :))))
Ok...so a few words now about our days in Athens, since that was our main destination (I didn't however sent myself a card showing Athens, but chose this Greetings from... one. Dimitris brought me a number of these so I thought it was cool to use it (those of you who had received a GF card, blame it on Dimitris :)) There were some nice cheap postcards on offer btw on the way to the Acropolis..
I've been to Athens before, though as with Thessaloniki, I couldn't remember a thing :)
If one thing can be said for sure about our few days there is that we got lost more than once, which personally didn't bother me, I mean what can I do...but my friend turned out pretty grumpy about it in the end (and just about everything in general, but oh well...lesson learned).
I'll start with the hostel - we stayed at the Zorbas Hostel and I would really recommend it to anyone staying in Athens, esp. if you are on a budget. It is nothing fancy, not much of a socializing atmosphere, but was perfect for what I needed and the stuff are super kind and friendly. We were in the 8-bed dorm and it was clean, spacious, with its own nice bathroom. And I was amazed at how considerate everyone else was in the room, when they arrived late at night or had to take off early in the morning.
We arrived like at 6 in the morning and even though we couldn't check-in, they let us have a shower - I felt reborn after it.
The hostel is like 2 minutes walk from the metro station from where you can get just anywhere in Athens, it is 15 minutes walk from the train station (which is perfect for when you arrive early in the morning, esp. if you don't know your way around Athens - this one is super easy to find).
And in the nearest vicinity there was one of the chain fast-food Restaurants called Everest, which was open 24/7 - really good coffee, tasty pies, and very reasonable prices.
When it comes to food in Athens, I would recommend:
- Koulouri - something like bagels - I tried them at this bakery called Το Κουλούρι του Ψυρρή - crunchy, tasty and ridiculously cheap (they also sold doughnuts). Again very simple ones, but tasty.
Located at Karaiskaki 23.
- Greek pies - at the Ariston Bakery - probably the best best best pies I have ever tried! Two euros a piece, but I cannot even describe how tasty they were - and so many different fillings to choose from! I had one with leek-feta cheese and one with red peppers...heavenly taste, heavenly!!
Located at oulis 10
- Falafel - again, probably the best falafel I have tried, though unlike with the pies, I haven't really tried falafel at many different places. This place was simply called Falafellas and besides the falafel they sell other things too, which I assume are as delicious as this one. What got my attention is that there was constantly a line of people waiting in front of it. There are no chairs or tables, but if you are lucky, you will find a spot on one of the nearby benches.
It is a pity I didn't think of taking pictures of the above mentioned food - here is one of the falafel (the big version) - not a decent picture, but just to give you an idea
you can find it at Aiolou 51.
And after so many salty things, time for something sweet...and I think it couldn't get sweeter than this. A place called Serbetospito - one thing's for sure, it's gonna drive you crazy coz you won't know what to choose...everything is so delightful..and in such huge portions - no diets will work here.
Here, you be the judge
you can find it at Pl. Iroon 1
In Athens I was delighted to have had the chance to meet with Despina and spend a cool evening with her under the Acropolis....drinking tsipouro :)
I like trying out new foods and drinks....and I have already tried things like Ouzo or Metaxa so I decided to choose the tsipouro from the menu (they had some Greek beers, but you know I am a party-breaker when it comes to beer).
Well, my relationship with the tsipouro won't be long-lasting..it is good, but just way too strong for my taste. I did finish the glass though but I did feel rather tipsy afterwards :)
And now the main reason I went there were Sigur Rós, whose performance was part of the Athens Release Festival. Prior to my trip to Athens, I have never heard any of the other bands performing, so of course, I gave them a try to see if I was gonna be bored or not...and to my utmost surprise, I loved them all! So I knew it was gonna be a great day/night...and it was...one of the best times of my life.
We arrived at the venue quite early...we actually wanted to visit the Pireaus before the event since it was one metro station away, but with our luck, on that day the metro didn't go all the way to Pireaus, but ended its journey at Faliro. So we ended up waiting there for a few hours but luckily that day it was cloudy and even windy, so we didn't boil under the sun. And of course I ended up in the first row! I didn't even have to fight for it :D
The festival opened with a band called Afformance - a fantastic Greek band! But they had the bad luck of playing first when there were still barely any people there. But they didnt show any disappointment or so - they were just happy to play...and I really hope that after the festival they have acquired more supporters - they really deserve it (I won't get into posting songs from each of the performers since I know this post has gotten way too long...but I do recommend you give them all a try on YouTube and maybe you will like something)
Next were Theodore and his band- if you want an emotional performance that will give you the goosebumps then you will like this. All his songs are kinda sad but not depressing. There was also a girl performing within the band and she was like a really nice touch to the overall performance.
Third on stage were DIIV - a very very cool US band, with amazing positivity on stage, esp by Andrew Bailey, the guitar player - he just wouldn't stop jumping and smiling!
At the end of the show, I took a picture, without being aware of the actual moment that a picture was being taken from the opposite side as well...btw, the guy in the blue t-shirt is the Andrew - see, still all smiling :)
...which ended up like this :D Yeah, that's me in the middle taking a picture with my phone :D The guy behind me is my friend, while the girl with the black glasses on my left is a very cool Slovenian girl I met at the festival! (who has seen Sigur Rós 8 times so far...I told her I hated her...not very polite, but just came out of me :)))
The 4th on stage were the Black Angels - another superb psychedelic rock band from the US. Their music is really powerful, their performance on stage as well, esp with all the visual effects accompanying the show. They were like the perfect intro for what was about to follow....
And finally, there were Sigur Rós...no pictures, no words could describe their performance. Sigur Rós are simply out of this world and so unique and incomparable to anything else. I know their music is specific and not for everyone's ears but really people, what you will experience at a Sigur Rós performance, you will not experience it anywhere else. To make things even more perfect, it started raining - rain at concerts is usually not welcomed, but here, the rain was a perfect addition to the overall emotional overwhelming feeling. I was shocked, I was speechless, I was crying - I really wasn't prepared for what I had experienced - and this made the whole trip more than worthwhile and one of the best decisions in my life.
I don't have much experience in uploading my own videos here, so hopefully this will work...Sigur Rós performing Sæglópur live in the rain - that person shouting her lungs out is me (well, I am the one recording this so I am shouting into my own phone, what can I do :))
Before the festival I loved Sigur Rós - after it, I also fell in love with them.
(if the video doesn't work, I will eventually upload it to YouTube and take it from there).
Ok, so that was like the day before the last...and in the morning there was some strike on the subway until like 10 am...so the next day I jokingly asked the receptionist if there was some strike again...he checked things online and said like, subway is working, buses are working..so it is all fine - well the railway is not working but you don't need that anyway.....wait wait wait!!! WHAT????!!!!! What do you mean I don't need that anyway??That's the thing we need the most cos we are leaving tonight!!!!! Ermm...he got confused and said that they were on strike until late in the evening so we should go and check directly...oh boy, doesn't sound good.
So we go to the railway station (thank God it is nearby the hostel) there are some notifications, all in Greek, but there are some kind people around to explain things....and things are as follows - there is a strike like every three hours...so for three hours there are trains running, then in the next three hours everything is on stand by...BUT the rule doesn't apply to ALL the trains from Athens to Thessaloniki - there will be NONE in the next three days! Perfect, just perfect! :D I just couldn't believe it honestly, despite the fact that I often hear that somebody in the Greek transport is on strike :)
So, what to do...well first, finish writing the postcards of course, hell with the strike and all :)
Then we had to decide if we were gonna stay for 3 more days or find a bus back to Thessaloniki. Personally I didn't feel like staying for 3 more days cos that would have turned out more expensive on the overall (the train company said we would have our money reimbursed, and we really did after a few days), so in the end, the 43 euros bus ticket to Thessaloniki was the cheaper option than staying for three more days (for comparison, the return train ticket was 30 euros...)
Again, all is well that ends well...we got back home safe and sound....and even though a number of things didn't go as planned, I had a fantastic time! Fantastic!
Here are two more pictures for the end of this post, with some cool street-art from Athens:
and of course, the stamp (if you have survived up to here :))
one more from the Diving series - and as you can see, no issues with Macedonia on this one...go figure :)
Again, I would like to wholeheartedly thank Dimitris and Despina for taking their time to spend time with me - I really really appreciate it, esp. since I always love to hang out with the locals. I hope to see you again in the future! :)
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