Day 188 - Decisions, Athens

More trouble has been arising, with Agnes telling me that I shouldn't come to Latvia at all. At this point, I didn't know what to do. If I did go, it would be an emotional strain not being able to see her, even as just a friend. There were a few other friends who I wanted to see up near that region, such as Mika from Finland, George from Sweden and Birgit from Estonia. I was trying to decide on what to do. I have the plane ticket date changed, finally.

Day 182 - Collecting money from Grandma, Athens

So far, all I've been doing is pathetically collecting money from my grandmother, who gives me about €3-5 per day, which builds up. Plus, I use some of the money at the local internet cafe. So far, I have collected €40, so I'm feeling safe. I need €50 to get the date of the plane ticket to Latvia changed, and I have until the 3rd of June.

But then, I went to the internet café, only to have Agnes tell me that she wants to call the relationship off. She's not stopping me from going to see her again, though. She just said that I wasn't the one for her, and that things weren't as good for her as she hoped they would be in real life. It left me devastated, and I couldn't think straight. I wasn't coping well at all. I couldn't believe it. I was happy up until now. With all the happy experiences I experienced in Latvia, it all came to a downfall.

I will be seeing her again, that's for sure. If I want her back, I can only hope that we will work something out.

Day 172 - Loss of my bank card, Athens

Recently, and somehow, I lost my credit card. I have absolutely no idea how I lost it. I thought that it must have slipped out of my wallet, as I noticed that the cards tend to slip out easily. I was frustrated. I was unable to pull out money.

I got the card cancelled, and asked around at every place I thought I could have lost it. I asked my mum to send me a new one, and that is going to take some time. Hopefully before I go to Latvia again. I'll possibly need to change the date anyway, and use the money that my grandmother gives me. I need my new card, fast.

Day 165 - Meteora, Kalambaka, Greece

Today is the day we'll be headed back from the village. We woke up at around 6:30am, and I arranged for Parry to drop me off at the site of Meteora, which is along the way.

So, after about two hours of driving, we arrived in Kalambaka, the town that is situated right beneath the Meteora. They are fantastic rock formations! I waved goodbye to my uncle from here, as he drove off, and I was free to explore the great natural wonder.

I made my way towards the rocks, looking for the path to get up. I had company from the start of the climb; a dalmatian dog. It was a stray, which I found right at the beginning of the trail.

I took my photo opportunities, then headed further and higher up. It was a tiring, yet exciting hike.









I hiked my way to the monastery of Aghia Triada, which was one of the several monasteries perched atop the rock formations. From up here, the view was fascinating. I could see other monasteries in the distance, as well as the Pindos mountain ranges in the other direction. It was absolutely amazing, and I spent quite a bit of time on the summit of this rock pillar.


















It wasn't too long afterwards that I headed back down, and waited for a train back to Athens. I had my day, but I'm thinking that I should have explored more. There's always another time, I guess.

I happened to miss my first train. I wasn't happy. I had to wait another few hours for the next one. This gave me an opportunity to meet some more travellers from around the world. I met some American or Canadian travellers, who asked me for directions to the Meteora. I just told them to head along the main road and get into town, then head in the direction that the rocks are in. I also met another guy at the train station, who I had a chat with while waiting for my train to arrive.

By the time the train arrived, I hopped on board and enjoyed the ride home. Or at least, I tried to. Sooner or later, I had no seat to sit in, as my ticket didn't have a reserved seat assigned to it. Some nice ladies kindly offered me a seat where they were sitting.

During the long train ride home, I didn't want to get out of my seat and lose it as a result, so I stayed seated. Then my legs were beginning to ache. By the time I got back to Menidi, my legs were in agony. I couldn't understand why. It must have been because of the limited circulation. They actually felt very painful, not just sore or fatigued. With each step I walked on the way home from the train station, it felt like my muscles were being ripped apart.

I was so glad to get home, and I was so glad to get to lie down in bed. My legs are feeling better. They will heal overnight.

Day 163 - Vronti, Tsotyli

I haven't written that much lately. I'm starting to only include the more important events. Over the last few days, I've had my head glued to that Latvian learning book, and I'm learning it pretty fast.

We spent the evening at Auntie Zoe's place to have dinner. When we leave, I have plans to check out the Meteora. I would ask Parry to drop me off there on the way back, and after I'm done, I will catch the train home. Also, Agnes has told me that she wants me to change the date for my plane ticket to Latvia, as it will be of better convenience.