First time in Europe

Ahh yes, my stay in Egypt farly exceeded my expectations. I thought I was going there just to see the pyramids. Turns out I learnt much more about religion, people, language and foreign affairs than about how many bricks went into the pyramids at Giza.

Happy about what I'd learnt but reluctant to leave, I boarded flight RJ502 to Jordan where I tranferred to another Jordanian Airlines flight to Athens. Everything went very smoothly in between airports (immigration and custom proceedings running a little too smoothly in the Greek airport) but this was no preface to the trip from the airport to the hostel.

After some initial confusion with which train to catch and what station to get off at, I arrived at Larissis station (a two hundred meter walk from the hostel). Check in etc ran very smoothly as the guy at the desk was an Australian. The hostel itself is a cool place. It's got comfy beds, a friendly staff, a good location and a fully licenced bar. No pool table :(

On the first day I didn't do much besides unpack and enjoy my free welcome drink but I did manage to meet some nice girls and guys from America. Hostels make it so easy!

So yesterday with these guys, I headed out by tram to check out the closest beach. The beach itself wasn't as picturesque as I'd imagined, but it was pretty cool for a capital city's coastline. Here, we made what we could of the dying light before heading back to the hostel for a chillout session in the bar's lounge area.

In regard to work, I've just finished talking with the owner of the hostel I'm staying at. He was a really nice guy and seemed to like the fact that I'm here for a while and that I'm Australian. So, he's been kind enough to hook me up with a trial tonight at the hostel bar with Hannah, the girl who works here now (who, amazingly worked at the Lounge Room in Melbourne, the same place I worked at before coming overseas).

Today, I'm heading out with a new mate of mine Seth, an American guy who is also interested to see Athens from a height. Lycabetus Hill (which is more of a mountain) will be the perfect place to do so.