Poor Neglected You...

is the first thing I wrote in my journal just a few weeks ago. And it is still quite neglected I am quite sorry to say. What has happened since Prague? Budapest? What terrible things I have been up to in Thessaloniki? These will all have to wait while I hop from island to island in the Aegaen Sea. Or rather, attempt to hop from island to island if wheather permits. We - Anastasia, Kevin, Derek, Caelin and I - have had to stay on Mykonos for one more day, one day more than planned, because the waters were too choppy for ferries.

I have been staying in Thessaloniki for a month now and was contemplating what my next step was when I got word that my friends from Edmonton, Anastasia and Kevin, were going to do a European Tour and would be swinging by Greece, and would I like to join them on their island hopping? Well why not! Nineteenth. Down to Athens I went by the night train, cradled in the third bunk bed in a tight compartment in one of the many cars. I arrived in Athens at six in the morning. Taking the metro to Acropli station and I walked out of the station to see the Acroplis glowing in the rising sun. Down the street and to the right I found the Athens Backpackers Hostel. A little expensive, but my friends' had booked their beds there and so splurged to be with my friends. It was too early to book in so I walked around the city, or rather the Acroplis, for two hours. Ana and Kevin arrived around noon and so we took in the city a bit.

A strange coincidence the night after. Anastasia, Kevin and I are having beer on the Athens Backpackers hostel, taking in the Acroplis by night. Sitting by the couch on a cushion was girl named Vanessa. The usual conversation ensued. Where are you from? Canada. Cool. What part? Edmonton. Really? No way! So are we! Cool!

Now, finding Edmontonians on this side of the globe is almost unheard of. Any Canadian you run into is usually from Toronto or otherwise from Vancouver. I have only run into another Edmontonian once before and that was at the Sziget Festival in Budapest.

Back to Athens.

The conversation turned into life story. What did you do? I studied B.A. Art and Design at the UofA. Fascinating! Anastasia's mother worked with the Art and Design program and yes, Vanessa knew her! What an interesting coincidence. However, things turned out weirder. As Vanessa told us of her studies at Dev Studios in downtown Edmonton. Really? My brother studied there too! Who's your brother?

....Marc Jarvis?

"I studied with Marc Jarvis!"

.....


Bloody hell, this world is goddamn small sometimes.