After the conference, we took train back to Athens and had dinner there with a friend from University of British Columbia, Canada. The city is thriving – and restaurant prices roaring!! We do not get home until 1am, after taking a metro to Dafni and then getting into a taxi with a driver that tries to scam us by taking unnecessary long turns in the area. We jump off at the first opportunity but then feel we are in the middle of nowhere. A bit scary considering that we are carrying laptops and all the material gathered during the Congress.
The tram services that are to run late every night during the Olympic fortnight are not yet fully operational. As it is common in most Olympic host cities in the final days before the Games, travelling at night is a bit messy but we end up managing well. We find a nice old lady in one of the lonely streets who offers some useful – in English! – advice about how to get back to our place.