{My Trip to Greece...or some of it}

I'm a normal 20something, in the way that I love to travel and have new experiences. Almost two years ago, I saved up every penny and went to Europe for three weeks alone. Yes, alone. I flew into London, stayed a couple days and then flew to Italy, which would be followed by days in Greece. Beautiful locations, yummy food and obnoxious people.

Wait...obnoxious people? Yes...but that story(s) is for another time. Today, we're going to learn about my time in a hostel.

So in Athens, there is this hostel called Athens Backpackers that was stunning, with female rooms, tours, a Plaka mere feet away and a ROOF TOP BAR.

YES, A FLIPPIN ROOF TOP BAR.




So after staying there for about three days, I went to Santorini for a day and a half. Amazing location, BEAUTIFUL houses (if that word even explains the gorgeous architecture) and friendly people. The donkeys were awesome too!






So after returning to Santorini, I planned to go back to the hostel I had stayed at and had booked it when I was still at home. When I showed up, I was told that I had booked it for the next day and not that day!

I was fretful, because when traveling alone in a country that doesn't speak English almost at all, I had spent hours choosing my hostels. Now, I was apparently screwed. I asked the woman where I should go (they were so booked, people were sleeping on cots) and she helpfully looked up a nearby hostel, which was located in the Plaka. It's called The Student & Travelers Inn. I showed up, luggage and all, and requested a room. The desk clerk politely said

"Before you pay, you have to check it out."

I jokingly said, "well, it's this or I'm sleeping on the streets with the dogs!"

He still made me do it. He gave me directions: Go up the stairs, take a left, another left, make a right and go down the stairs. Keep going down until you reach where you'll be staying.

So...I went up the stairs, took a left, another left and then made a right. There were stairs and I went down them...and down them...and down them. Suddenly, I reach some green stairs and think to myself, "surely...I'm not staying in the basement, right??"

Wrong.

The lime green stairs led to a windowless, airless room, filled with cots and bunkbeds. It felt wrong and creepy, but like I told the gentleman, I had no place else to go. Yes, I love the black mutt down the street who adored pieces of gyros, but she wasn't a proper pillow.

I promptly agreed to stay there and locked up my suitcase to the farthest bunk. I then traversed back to Athens Backpackers, went to the roof top bar and drank Ouzo until the wee hours, hoping that being drunk would wipe away the fear of sleeping in a windowless room.

I woke up at the hostel in pitch black. I had to fall asleep with headphones on, because the silence in the room was literally deafening. It was 7:30am and I needed a shower and life-force (coffee). I dragged all of my belongings up two flights of stairs and took a shower. Afterwards, I went back to the lobby, greeting the same guy. I joked with him by saying, "Well! I survived! I'm not dead!"

He smirked and said, "Yeah, sometimes that room can get creepy, being the old shock therapy room and all."


.....


Uhm, WHAT?

Turns out, it used to be a mental institution turned into a hostel. Not kidding. So, THAT'S the reason I felt bad energy when being down there. Now, when I travel, I create a backup plan!