Athens

Athina…I’m sorry it’s not working out. I’m leaving you, for Avlona. 
I spent two nice days in my hotel room after arriving in Athens. Only leaving for food, a museum trip, wanders, camera shopping and a tatoo.   

But the time came to get responsible again and go to the hostel I had arranged to volunteer at. I arrived, it was nice, tried to sleep but they had temporarily put me in an 8 bed dorm. People had the lights on and were coming in and out till 1am. I hate shared rooms and generally try and stick to maximum of 4 beds but I had no choice here. At midnight I went outside to get some space and wait for everyone to go to sleep. I went back an hour later, told the owner I couldn’t stay the month and went to sleep. It wasn’t just the hostel but the city is too much too. After spending a month alone, sleeping in quiet or silent places, and actually a month prior to that in a tent in the middle of rural Hungary, a built up city with constant traffic, music, police, crowds, is not what I need, if it ever was.   

It’s an incredibly claustrophobic city, very built up and very little open space. Not that I’ve looked round a huge amount but anyway. 

So I have emailed an organic farm start-up which is just 46km from here. Just two days walking…or not. 1.5 hours on the train. He hasn’t emailed back but whatever happens I’m not staying here. So I’m helping the hostel build some beds for a couple of hours today (I offered to pay for the night I stayed, and leave this morning but she asked me to help build beds in exchange for a free night) then I’ll head to Avlona tomorrow.