Today, I plan to take a train to Thessaloniki in northern Greece. I am so ready to leave Athens, but first I run a few errands.

I go to the post office and ship some items home to relieve my backpack of nearly nine pounds of useless weight. Yes, I know it’s expensive, but it’s worth it not to have to carry this stuff over the next four weeks. I also shop for a day pack to replace the oversized one I just sent home. I find one for 10 euro (about $15 US).

Then I look for a bank where I can get a cash advance on my new credit card. The first bank I go to does not do cash advances. The second bank tries to, but is refused. They suggest I go to a Citibank. They check on the internet for me and see that there is one at Syntagma Square, across from the subway stop. So, I head to the Citibank and I am finally able to get a cash advance.

Because I miss the train I had planned to take, I am thankful that I didn’t purchase a train ticket the night before. I could catch a six hour train at 3 pm, but I decide to stay another night, partly because the hotel here is much cheaper than the one in Thessaloniki, and I’m not prepared to rush to catch a train.

I head back to Larissa Station subway stop and purchase a four hour train ticket for the next morning, Saturday, at 8 am (a faster train than the afternoon one) and a night train ticket from Thessaloniki to Istanbul for Sunday night.

I return to my hotel, pay the desk clerk for one more night and go back to my room to pack.