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The first part – In the Heart of Athens
In front of the Greek Parliament
In Czechoslovakia, only few people were in a place to go on vacation outside the socialist Eastern Block. At that time, a former schoolmate, a Greek who lived in suburbia of Athens, invited me for a visit. I asked the Czechoslovak authorities for a passport and visa not only for Greece, but also for the transit Balkan countries, and Italy along with Austria, through which I chose to return home. Soon, I got surprised, when I had received a permit with no problems to travel for an adventurous journey.
I developed a detailed travel plan using old tourist guidebooks from libraries. Excited about the trip, without fear, bearing a hiking rucksack filled with gifts for the friend, along with a camera of brand Praktika, I arrived at the railway station in Bratislava. It was summer and I got on an empty express train. My reservation ticket was for the vacant compartment. However, soon after my arrival, a girl about my age with two suitcases entered the compartment where I was sitting. She also traveled alone to see relatives in Alexandria. We were both surprised and comforted that we met with similar destinations in the compartment of the old international express train. During the trip, interesting stories happened to us while happily arrived in Athens.
Thus, we anchored our first stop in Athens and both of us saw one of the oldest cities in the world for the first time. It was spectacular for us, to get alone in Athens’s center surrounded by the busy traffic. I have documented my journey with photos developed from Fuji films. So, this was the first part of my solo trip. In the next section, I will return to the express train and will describe our journey and noteworthy events on the path Bratislava – Athens.
Lighthouse again 