Unhappy Trains
- by XpatAthens
- Thursday, 05 February 2015
There are things about Athens that I love, many things in fact. I am a real promoter of this city and all that it offers. However, there are a few things about Athens that I do not love. Graffiti, garbage disposal, and other such ‘eyesores’… But there is one thing that I truly cannot stand, that makes me cringe, that has become my personal pet peeve about Athens, and the worst eyesore of them all: those noisy, bothersome, truly annoying ‘choo choo trains‘ that take people around the historic centre.
Call me uncaring, but I find it annoying to have to dodge trains (trains!) at every corner around Thiseio, Plaka, Monastiraki, Acropolis.
And the ding-ding-ding of that bell!
I was at Moma last night (still one of my favourite places to eat and hang out along Adrianou St.), enjoying a glass of wine with 2 friends. The night was perfect – warm, breezy and relaxed. In mid-sentence, I heard the bells. The bells signalling an end to all things breezy and relaxed. The bells that are followed by “…and on your left you can see the ancient Agora…” Followed by a giant wave of people jumping out of the way so that the overloaded choo choo train can interrupt our lives for 30 brief seconds (I counted) as it makes its way around the pedestrian streets. Repeat this every 10minutes.
But it gets better. As it turns out, you can run but you can’t hide. There are multiple choo choo trains that seem to follow me around. I am dodging moving locomotives at every turn. I can’t win.
I really hope that everyone who takes those trains really appreciates the ride, really loves the commentary, and really see everything the want to see. And then I also hope that each of them experiences the ‘choo choo train dive’ as they leap out of the way of the next tour.
End of rant. Now back to summer. :)
Until next week,
Jack
In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…