Day 39 & 40 - Aharnes (Menidi), Athens

The last two days of the year were pretty much the same. On both days, I went to the internet café, trying to resolve the problem with Agnes, but this time it seems to be over for good. She started really abusing me. I hadn’t been in the mood to do anything because of all this, and it really crippled my holiday. Agnes simply drove me up the bloody wall. I loved her and I was very hurt. I was still hoping for things to get sorted out, as I didn't want to let go of the future that awaited us.

Anyway the New Year came and I watched Bicentennial Man on TV and had meatballs for dinner. I’m hoping for all the best for the New Year. Not a good start, but hopefully it will improve. At least I had a friend, Iro, to keep me comfortable during this tough time. She kept me comfortable through text messaging and made me feel a lot better.

When New Year came, me and my family celebrated it with a handshake and kisses on the cheeks, as in traditional Greek formality.

Day 37 & 38 - Aharnes (Menidi), Athens

The 28th wasn’t much of a day, as all I did was go to the internet café and watch movies at home. George of the Jungle played that night.

The 29th was a much bigger and more dramatic day. Yes, it involved Agnes. Well first of all, I spent the day with Parry at the shops. We were looking for a digital camera. I was hoping to get one soon.

Then the drama began. I went to the internet café to talk with Agnes and ended up getting into a very pointless fight which lead to us breaking up. I was trying to stop Agnes from buying an expensive camera and I thought I was the smart one at the time, probably influenced by Parry. I told her that it wouldn’t be a smart decision spending all that money on a camera. I thought she just wanted to get it naively without thinking. Then she told me she was actually considering a career in photography. I was still offended, because she was saving for a camera rather than saving for me. It got me upset, but to make matters worse, she turned on me and abused me severely. I was done.

Day 36 - Aharnes (Menidi), Athens

The main highlight of today was talking to Agnes online at the internet café. She had just got her internet back and I spoke to her. She had told me that she thinks she’s over a particular eating problem that she had. It was a huge relief for me, and I hoped to God that she meant it. She knew it was bad and she was disgusted of herself. I do hope that I won't have to go through this again.

Later in the night, I went home and watched Batman on TV. It’s good to watch TV in Greece since movies play every night, unlike Australia, which plays movies only on the weekends.

Day 35 - Omonia and Pagrati, Athens

The first thing I did today was catch the A10 bus straight into Athens. I arrived at Plateia Vathis in Omonia, said to be the most dangerous place in Athens. This area is common with prostitution. I walked through the area as quickly as possible, looking out for potential threats. I kept my chin up and looked confident as if I wasn’t intimidated.

Anyway, I safely proceeded through the area and thought it wasn’t so bad after all, despite what I read in the Lonely Planet guidebook. I was trying to find Elli’s home, an old friend that I’ve known since I was a little kid. I caught the trolleybus for the first time and found Filolaou Street and Niko’s motorbike shop. No one was there, though, but at least I knew where the place was so I could pay a visit later. Niko and Elli are definitely in for a surprise, especially since they don’t know that I’m in Greece.

Day 34 - Christmas Day - Aharnes (Menidi), Athens

Back in Menidi now with Parry and grandma. I woke up and got ready to go to Aghia Varvara. We were going to visit my grandmother’s sisters and my cousins. The whole day was boring for me. I spent a bit of time with the cousins watching them play Unreal Tournament on their computer. The rest of the night was having Christmas dinner and watching TV. Not much for Christmas day, but it was a respectable day to spend time with family members. Christmas is a good excuse not to be out on the road. Family time is important as well.

Day 33 - Central Athens

Christmas Eve began nicely with me catching the suburban train from Doukissis Plakentias all the way to Larissis train station, the main national railway station of Athens. Here I took the opportunity to study how the system works; I examined the rail timetables and tried to figure out how to get to certain destinations in Northern Greece and the Peloponnese; to a limited understanding, of course. I wish to embark on one of these journeys someday.

I later caught the metro to Monastiraki and got my souvlaki. Damn I love those souvlaki. I took the time to explore the small district of Psiri as well, which is another place for souvlaki.

Later on, I returned home via a short stay at an internet café, and had Parry pick me up to spend the night at his place for Christmas.

Day 32 - Central Athens, Plaka

I renewed my phone credit and messaged Agnes telling her how I feel. She has been driving me nuts lately. Anyways, as that wasn’t too important at the time, I headed into the city as usual. I decided to go on my own walking tour of the streets of Plaka. I wanted to explore every cranny and nook of this old town. Needless to say, I loved it. I followed the exact route outlined in my lonely planet guidebook. I ended up in Monastiraki, which is right next to Plaka.

And this was definitely interesting; I got caught in the hugest crowd that ever met my eyes. Everyone was doing their bloody Christmas shopping, and it took literally half an hour to advance twenty metres, it was that crowded! We were all squashed like sardines. Huge crowds are one of my pet peeves, something that I find really annoying. People walking slowly infront of me is already bad enough.

I managed to order my souvlaki, which is the main reason I headed to Monastiraki, “souvlaki heaven”. I guess that was the highlight of the day.

Day 31 - Acropolis, Central Athens

Today was going to be yet another interesting day. I headed into the city to do my own thing. I caught the metro to Syntagma and walked to Monastiraki. I got my Student Card from STA Travel; yes, I had my passport with me this time. I just showed my High School card from Australia and he granted me one. I was lucky to get it too, since my High School card was only for 2007. I just need a photo for it now.

Afterwards, I went to Aleko’s and our day plan was to visit the legendary Acropolis. Entry fee was €12, which my cousin happily paid for. Me, my cousin and his son, Konstantino, explored the ancient site and took many photos. It was a memorable experience going up to the site with his little kid. The only thing I didn’t like was the supports around the monument, which really affected it aesthetically. Still, the views from the top were great, and overall it was a great day. I look forward to exploring more of the ancient sites around Athens.

Day 30 - Athens, Syntagma and Hellinikon

Waking up at Aleko’s, I used the internet for a bit, then headed out at 1pm. I had a quick look around at the Mavromateon Bus Terminal and Areos Park. Then I went to Aghios Dimitrios by metro. From here I caught the bus to Hellinikon. My reason for coming to this area was because one of my internet friends, Ada, who I plan to meet, lives in this area. I wanted to learn the suburb so I could know what to plan when the time comes.

I made my way back to Syntagma by tram. I’ve used pretty much every form of public transportation in Athens by now. I met a Canadian on the tram, who asked me if I spoke any English. He was looking for directions on how to get to Omonia, one of the central districts. I was more than happy to help him out. I told him to take the metro on line 2. I look forward to meeting more people in future to travel with.

Day 28 & 29 - Central Athens and Aghia Paraskevi

Today, the first thing I did was I go to the Plaka shops. I found STA Travel and tried to apply for a Student Card, but I didn’t have my passport on me. So I’ll come back on another day. With more browsing, I found a foreign currency shop; something that was in my favour of interest. I didn’t buy anything though; I just had a look.

The following night I went to a club with my cousin Sophia in Aghia Paraskevi. She was into some kind of Spanish dancing, either Salsa or Tango. Me and my aunt watched her dance with another guy while we video taped it. There is nothing much else to say other than that I had a drink. Following this was a text message from Agnes which had left me furious for the rest of the night.

The next day, while recovering from Agnes’ wrath, I went to work for my uncle again to help with a few more shower screens. Same stuff as usual. After work, I then went to Aleko’s place and saw his two children. I gave everyone their Christmas presents which I brought from Australia, and spent the night there.

Day 27 - Kerameikos, Ancient Athens

Today was a much more interesting day. I had already planned it ahead of me. I was going to go to the ancient cemetery of Athens, also known as the Keramikos. I got off the metro at Thissio station and entered the ancient site. They asked if I had a Student Card, but I didn’t have one by this point. Entry fee was €2,00 and I made it as worthy as I could. I spent a lot of time at the ancient tombstones. It felt like I was in ancient times, and I must say this particular area of the site reminded me of Tomb Raider IV. I just wish I had a digital camera!

After exploring the site, I took the time to enter the museum as well, and I was easily fascinated. I looked at the ancient ceramic material like it was treasure. I was able to leave the building very delighted.

Afterwards, I went to Plaka to do a bit of browsing. Then I was off to the internet café in Aghia Paraskevi to do a bit of catching up, and then I rode the bus back home.

Day 26 - Northern Athens, Metamorfosi

Today was a working day. Nothing important was on my schedule, so I spent the day working in the shower screen business. I woke up at 6am, and proceeded to work with Con. I then went off with George to help install four shower screens in two different houses throughout the day. It was a good experience, and I was enjoying it. I also got to expand my Greek vocabulary, learning the names of tools that I was asked to pass over to George.

On the downside, Agnes was causing drama with me through text messaging. This time I think we’re broken up for real. My hopes of seeing her in Latvia seem to be gone, and it has left me quite upset.

Day 25 - Koutouki Caves, Peania, Athens

I made my way to the town of Peania again today. This time, I got off the bus where I should have yesterday. I tried to find the Vorres Museum. I couldn’t find it, so I decided to walk to the caves instead. Buried all the way up in the side slopes of Mt. Hymettos, it was a long walk! All the way up the mountain, it was a hike along a 3.5km road. Infact I didn't even use the road the whole way. At parts where it was winding, up towards the mountain, I took a shortcut up the slope. It was a very steep slope, but I chose to go that way, rather than go another kilometre around a few winding bends. It took me about 2 hours to reach the caves. I was very tired.

I bought myself a bottle of water and drank. I entered the caves for free, surprisingly, and got a tour. It wasn’t bad. The tour leader spoke Greek, of course, so I didn’t understand everything. The woman who I saw at the reception desk handed me a sheet with the tour written in English. I was the only English speaker in the caves.

The caves were nice, and it was pretty good to spend the day in here. I guess the walk was worth it – I had to walk all the way back too, though. I avoided the twisty road and took a shortcut down the slopes again. True adventure!

I got a souvlaki from a shop in Peania, across the road from the plateia. I gave some to the dog that looked at me while I was eating, but not much. I caught the bus back home and had a rest.

Day 24 - Athens, Peania and Koropi

Another big day I tried to make for myself. This time it was unsuccessful, and I ended up going completely somewhere else. I intended to go to the Koutouki Caves in Peania, so I caught the bus which goes there. I arrived in Peania, but I decided to stay on the bus, thinking it would stop at the main square in town. But no, I ended up going all the way to Koropi, another 7km away. Wow.

From Koropi, I tried a new form of public transport; the suburban railway. I paid €1,00 for a ticket, and caught the train to back to Peania station. I found no bus going back to Peania town, so I went to Doukissis Plakentias and decided to catch the bus from there; but it went wrong again. I got on the wrong bus, and ended up in Halandri. I ended up having to walk for several kilometres all the way to Aghia Paraskevi, from where I took the bus back home. It looks like I won’t get to go anywhere today, then. Well, we certainly learn from mistakes, don’t we?

After this big hiccup, I went with Despo to Steve’s grave at the top of Glyka Nera. We stayed up here for the hour. I watched Despo light the candles and plant the flowers for her beloved son, then I headed to the internet café by myself, doing what I did usually.

Day 23 - Central Athens, Filopappos Hill

Today was a rather big day. I was home alone. I decided to take a look at the free map that I got yesterday, and see where I could go.

So I went out at about 12, caught the 308 bus to Ethniki Amyna and the metro to Syngrou-Fix. The station here was nice; it had a bookshop, and I checked to see if it had any Lonely Planet books. I didn’t find any. I left the station and walked towards Filopappos Hill. It wasn’t a very long hike, but it was awesome nonetheless. I hiked my way to the top of the hill, enjoying each step I put forward. From the top, you could see almost all of Athens. You could see Likavittos Hill, the Acropolis, and all the way out to Pireaus. I could see in just about every direction, and the views were great! I wish I had my camera. I spent about an hour on the summit and surroundings, appreciating the view, the nature, and scaling the jagged-marble cliffs. They were quite jagged; I could only imagine what it would be like to tred on these rocks barefoot.

On the way down, I was almost attacked by three random stray dogs. I was scared, but I was seriously ready to combat them. They were running towards me, barking, and I actually hopped into fighting stance, just out of instinct. It seemed to scare them off. I ran towards them as well, to keep them running away. It seems that reverse phychology worked perfectly. Well, they didn’t bother me again. I was rather shocked about the experience though. I seriously thought they were going to attack me. But I showed that I wasn't intimidated, even though inside I felt it.

I caught the metro to Monastiraki and got myself a souvlaki, and then I went to Aghia Paraskevi to spend the last hour in the internet café.

Day 22 - Central Athens, Syntagma and Victoria

I woke up at 12pm. I had slept for 15 hours. I’ve had enough of waking up this late! It’s like I need that sleep or something. Anyway, I headed into Syntagma by myself. I found the Greek National Tourist Organistation, which was close to the tram stop. The nice lady there handed me a free map of Central Athens, and I asked if it had all the trolleybus routes marked.

I was happy with my map, but it was too big to fit into my pocket. I had to carry it, which was annoying. I put it down the side of my pants and covered it with the shirt. Hopefully it would stay there, but it was hard to walk. I made my way to Victoria and tried to find the Mavromateon terminal. It was useless, I had no sense of direction and I couldn’t find the terminal or Areos Park. I asked a nearby shop owner, but I didn’t understand him. So I went back to Monastiraki and bought a souvlaki from my favourite shop. I had lost my map when I got off the train here, so I had to go all the way back to Syntagma to get another one. Luckily the office was still open, and I got it for free again.

Day 21 - Athens, Dafni, Halandri and Loutsa

Today I woke up at 6am, a huge change in sleeping pattern to the day before. It was still dark, and the sun hadn’t risen. I got ready, and went with Con, one of his employees George, whom I got to know, and Sophia to the workshop in Dafni. We didn’t stay here for long; I soon hopped in the car with Con and he drove me across Athens to the suburb of Halandri. On the way, we discussed a few things, speaking half Greek and half English. My Greek would improve the more I talk with Con; a good way to make me more confident with my Greek!

My whole day was spent with Con in the office. I did go out a few times, though. He got me a free ham roll from the shop next door, and he showed me an electronic shop across the highway. I checked it out. I was rather tired, due to my change in sleeping pattern.

At the office, Con and I had a discussion about Agnes. He was speaking in Greek, so it wasn’t easy to understand him all the time. I understood that Con might be able to drive me to Latvia in the springtime; hopefully Agnes doesn’t get impatient waiting, and hopefully my parents would allow this to happen. It's a long drive as well, but I didn't mind at all. I was relieved and allowed some breathing space. I was delighted to hear that Con might be able to take me to Latvia, but I didn’t get my hopes up too much.

Towards the end of the day, Con drove me to a place in Loutsa to look at someone’s bathroom and get some measurements for a shower screen.

Day 19 & 20 - Athens, Aharnes (Menidi) and Glyka Nera

Today I found out that Agnes couldn’t come to Greece for Christmas, because her dad couldn’t take enough time off work, and he couldn't risk losing it, as it was a decently paid job. They are hard to come by in Latvia.

So I didn’t end up sending any money. It was a moment that upset us both, and Agnes had been crying. I was coping with it fine; however, our relationship seemed to go downhill after this point. We both said things that upset eachother. She considered breaking up with me because our meeting was delayed and she couldn’t bare it. And on my part, I reacted in a way that caused a stir.

We are still together, for now, but I suspect that things won't be the same. It has been a hard day for us, and I am going to find a way to make up for it. I'll have to go there myself. And we know that my parents are an obstacle there. But I refuse to let her get disappointed again.

The next day, I woke up at 2pm. Now it was getting unacceptable. I wanted to go into the city today, but I spent half the day on sleep; so I decided to go to the internet café to make a few updates. When I came back, I was bored.

By night, Parry dropped me off at Despo’s place, and I was to spend the next portion of my stay in Glyka Nera again. I arranged to go with Con to work the next day.

Day 18 - Meeting Angelika and Elen - Attica, Skala Oropou and Nea Ionia, Athens

Today was going to be an interesting day. The fun began in the afternoon, after 4pm. After exchanging bank details with Agnes in the morning, Parry took me to a place outside of Athens, called Skala Oropou. It was a nice drive on the way up, and the town itself was a beatiful seaside town, across from the island of Evia. Parry took a few photos of me, with the island in the background. The water level wasn’t too far below the edge of the road; it looked like this place could become flooded easily. When the ice caps melt, that is.

We stopped by a seafood taverna by the shore, and had squid, crab salad and prawns. I preferred not to eat the zucchini’s. It was a great meal though! In between, we discussed a few things, but afterwards, when it became dark, we headed back home.



Parry dropped me off at Kifissia station at about 8pm. Tonight, I had arranged to meet Angelika and Elen from Tomb Raider Forums. So from Kifissia, I took the electric train to Nea Ionia, where we arranged the meeting point. I disembarked, and found them both outside the station. There was a sudden excitement. I appeared before them, descended the stairs and crossed the road to greet them. It was a great moment. I wasn’t very talkative at the time, but we each greeted with a hug, and kisses on the cheek. A traditional Greek greeting. It was time to go somewhere to sit down and talk; I hopped into Elen’s car and she drove us to the nearby café. We talked among ourselves, catching up, saying what we had to say. Our topics varied from traveling in Greece to meeting more TRF members, and from Tomb Raider to relationship issues. Both Elen and Angelika had given me useful tips and advice, which I am thankful for. They gave me just what I needed. If I were to be with Agnes, how would I support her financially? How would I continue my studies? Parry has given me the same advice. I guess time will tell.

We said our goodbyes, and planned to choose a quieter place next time. We exchanged a few last kisses on the cheek, which Elen complained about me not doing so well, as I'm not used to that kind of greeting. Apparently, I didn’t make the proper "kissing sound". To be more Greek, I have to learn the routine. Hopefully within this year I’m here, I’ll change and become as Greek as possible. Lora, Panos, Angelika and Elen will all help me do so!

Day 17 - Aharnes (Menidi), Athens

Today I messaged my mother and asked her to call Parry and arrange getting money into Agnes’ dad’s bank account. I was quite mad with my mother after she called and told me, “You’re not going to be in a relationship with her anyway.” This had me mad for the rest of the day. How could she say something like that? How could she possibly know anything about our future? Even I don't know that.

I discussed it further with my dad and we arranged to get her bank name, branch number and location. Agnes doesn’t know what a branch number is called in Latvian, so I had to ask my dad to give me an explanation easy for Agnes to understand.

Day 16 - Central Athens, Syntagma

Waking up fairly late, even after sleeping for 16 hours, I had a headache from the stresses of yesterday. I had a bit to eat, then caught the bus to Kifissia. It took forever, but eventually I made it through, then from there, caught the electric train to Syntagma. While I was here, I was looking for the information centre, the Greek National Tourist Organisation. My Lonely Planet guidebook listed its address as Amerikis 2. I found the street with ease, but I found no tourist office; it’s obviously been moved. I also looked for the bookshop, which was meant to be on the same street, but no, I couldn’t find either shop. I think I need a new updated version of my Lonely Planet guidebook. The one I was carrying was a 2001 edition. I guess I’ve learned. I’ll look for the address on Google Maps.

Day 14 & 15 - Aharnes (Menidi), Athens

Today wasn’t the best of days. It involved getting into an argument with my dad over MSN. I had to make my point clear that if things go well with Agnes, and we love eachother more than ever, I would want to go to Latvia too, instead of her just coming to Greece. I had to tell him that Latvia is not the country he’s thinking of. My dad is a negative man; he always thinks of the worst things that could happen, such as getting mugged or bashed. I convinced him that I would travel with someone rather than alone anyway. Well, it wasn’t a good day. I felt upset and felt like giving up, but Agnes has to come so we can see how things work out. Until then, I shouldn’t worry about anything. I’ve decided to keep moving forward!

The next day was just about as bad, except I was arguing with my friend Chris this time. I just hate it when it feels like you can’t get anything right, and everything keeps on going wrong. Chris had been telling me all the trouble I would get into with my family if I went to Latvia to see Agnes. His opinion was that I would appear to be ditching my family for my love. I claimed that it wasn’t even what my parents were concerned about; it was more about my safety level. I have to prove to them that I’m mature enough to do things on my own now, as I’m nearly 18 years old, and that I believe in myself and that I’m more than capable of doing things when I put my mind to them. The safety factor is a factor that is worldwide. What's there to achieve if you never take risks your whole life?

Well, at least Agnes should be coming to Greece first; that’s one thing to look forward to. We need to see how we will get along, and then decide on how to sustain our relationship. Firstly, I need to send the money, so she can come here, as they can't afford a plane ticket.

Day 13 - Meeting Lora and Panos - Central Athens, Monastiraki and Thissio

Today is the day I will be meeting Lora and Panos. I had a shower, ate, then went to the internet café. I caught up with Ada. We talked for most of the hour.

I went to sleep when I came back home. When I woke up, I had a Greek coffee to give me more energy, and then Parry drove me to Kifissia station, which took 10 minutes; much quicker than the bus yesterday, which took 40 minutes.

I caught the train to Monastiraki, where I had arranged to meet Lora and Panos. I chose a familiar place, which I hoped would be familiar to them as well; infront of Savvas and Grigoris. Well, I waited for about half an hour while I was here. They were supposed to come at about 9:30pm, but they missed their train and were going to be about 10 minutes late.

I walked around the corner of Savas and Grigoris again and saw them there, on the marble cobbled road. We stepped forward and greeted eachother. It was great to finally meet someone who I’ve known online; infact it was awesome. They hardly seemed any different to what I expected. We walked around the streets of Plaka and Monastiraki, talking and talking. We had many interesting things to talk about. Then we sat ourselves down in Thissio, at a café called Stavros. We talked amongst ourselves and there was not one moment of silence. Our topics varied constantly, from Tomb Raider to the situation with Agnes, from Ancient Greek History to movies, and from Travelling Europe to Smoking. Yes, they were both smokers, and they knew I was against it, but I didn’t mind it for the occasion. We had our coffee, and I showed them Australian banknotes. The whole night, we were just so talkative! We were getting along really well.

We had souvlakia to end the night; we caught the train from Thissio and separated at Victoria, saying our goodbyes. Until next time, we’ll see what we can arrange, whether it’s visiting Ancient sites with them or just eating out. We’ll be talking Greek next time! At least I hope my Greek will be good enough by then.

Day 12 - Aharnes (Menidi) and Kifissia, Athens

Today I decided to go on a little tour. I ended up going the wrong way, of course. I waited a long time for the bus to Kifissia to come, and when it did come, I got on, and only ended up at Menidi's terminal stop. I should have caught the bus coming in the opposite direction, on the other side of the road, to get to Kifissia. Well next time I’ll know better. I guess you have to make mistakes to learn. So I went home and had a bit of a break.

A few hours later, I caught the real bus to Kifissia. It was quite a journey, and I was amazed at how the big bus was able to dodge all the parked cars in the narrowest of streets. I bet the bus driver's job is terrible! But then again, I guess they're used to it. I didn’t do much in Kifissia, other than get lost again; I got off the bus because I thought I was going the wrong way, but I got off for nothing, and had to wait again for the next bus to take me home.

I was home by 5pm, and had souvlakia with Parry.

Day 11 - Aharnes (Menidi), Athens

The first thing I did today was muck around with the cats again. At about 2pm, I headed to the internet café and chatted with Iro on MSN for the first time in a while. We had a fair bit to catch up on. It was nice speaking to her again after so long. She lives in Serres, and we’re planning to meet sometime in the future.

At about 5pm, Parry took me up to Mount Parnitha, the highest mountain in Attica. We took the cable car to the top and got a few snapshots taken. At the top there was no view; there was just the entrance to the Casino. Parnitha is where all the Gamblers come, and we did nothing more than walk to the front door. I would love to hike to the top of the mountain via a walking trail, though.



Afterwards, we checked out the old plane restaurant, which has been destroyed. It was no longer a restaurant, obviously. It was a restaurant in a grounded plane. I was here six years ago, and I remember being fascinated.

Day 10 - Aharnes (Menidi), Athens

December began, and the first thing that I did was go with Parry to do some shopping. We were looking for a decent digital camera to buy, since I left mine at the airport terminal in Sydney! We haven’t decided on anything yet, as we’re going to take some time to research and ensure that we purchase a good camera. Parry showed me around Menidi’s main square. We sat ourselves down and had some “Goody’s”, a restaurant similar to McDonald's.

After some more walking around the streets, we separated as I headed to the internet café. I didn’t do much other than talk to my dad online. Upon leaving, I went to the vending machine. There were two sandwiches in there, next to eachother, and I couldn’t decide which one to get. Eventually, I put my €2 coin in, and selected one. But by surprise, and as luck may have had it, both sandwiches came out. The sandwich I selected had brought the other sandwich down with it, and I took both back home to eat. And the one I didn’t choose was the one I liked better! Go figure!

Back home, I was surprised yet again; I received a text message from Iro! I haven’t heard from her in a long time. I had left her a message on the forum, telling her my number, and she logged on today to get it. The last time she logged on was ages ago. How's that for coincidence? We had a quick chat, catching up with eachother via text messages. I will be meeting her at some point in the future.