My Big Fat Greek Adventure Part 3

Panathinaikos FC Stadium Part 2
Originally uploaded by slamducky.

Crooning on my STEREO: Boys and Girls by BLUR

It SUCKS being single and a football enthusiast. It SUCKS being a FEMALE supporter. It SUCKS when you look obviously like a TOURIST checking out foreign soccer grounds.

Thus I am referring to my lone adventure to Panathinaikos FC STADIUM in Athens. I know shits about this team, I can't even name 5 players in the first team. But because I hear about them so constantly in UEFA, I felt obligated to check out their grounds.*

LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT IT WAS LOCATED IN A NON-TOURIST AREA.

I am speaking about a residential precinct beautifully influenced by Britain's MILE END**. Greek Version that is.

So one sunny morning, I hopped onto the Metro to a remote stop called AMBELOKIPI. With a city map in my hands I was wandering around the area like a lost sheep. There were no other tourists so I obviously stood out as an estranged chink tresspassing alien property. Locals were gawking at me like wolves.

Suddenly a dodgy looking bloke on a scooter TRAILED me.

FUCK!!! I THOUGHT.... I SENSE TROUBLE... TROUBLE... TROUBLE....

He stopped. I stopped.

Speaking in horrendous English he confessed he had been stalking me since I got out of the station.

DAMN. I THOUGHT. I AM A VICTIM..VICTIM...VICTIM...

I decided to be honest. I said I couldn't find the footie stadium. (I really expected him to club me with his helmet.. ) God willing he gave me the right directions and I found my way there within seconds.

BUT SHIT.

THE STADIUM WAS THE UGLIEST PIECE OF CONCRETE I HAVE EVER SEEN.

Like, fuck, it looked worst than a third world training pit. Graffiti, rotting cement, and lambasted walls... Its as though someone fired the place with a canon. I took 30seconds to get some quick snaps before another stalker decides to run me down.

See? I told you it downright SUCKS to be a single female footie fan. No hunky boyfriend to escort and protect you from foreign wolves.

For the past god-knows-how-many years I've been doing this shit ALONE. PAHHHH!!!!!

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* This is a custom for all my European travels, visit every goddamn stadium. Panathinaikos wasted my precious 2 Euros on the metro...dont expect it to look like Nou Camp.

** If you live in London, you may realise that Mile End is not quite a lovely place to hang around unless you wish to be gnawed.