Tonight I was leaving Germany and continuing to Greece. I'd booked my flight on budget airline Air Berlin. Seat selection is a paid extra so I thought I could change during online check in.

Online however all seats are locked and you have no choice to change. I tried at the kiosks at the airport and it wouldnt let me either. I had to ask at the counter and they said the system randomly assigns one.

She tried and luckily it was 27A at the back. On take off there were no final views of Munich as the airport is in the country outside.

Arriving in Greece I had no idea if things were about to turn for the worse. This was the country at the heart of the Euro crisis where cash withdrawals has been closed or limited to only 60 Euros only a month or so back.

Add to that the refugee crisis had hit and Greece to Macedonia was the route they were taking, the exact same route I had planned for this trip months back.

Thessaloniki's 'Macedonia' International Airport was a small terminal. Outside was a bus stop where I waited for the city bus. The stop was all in Cyrillic so I couldnt figure out the names of the stops I was supposed to follow. Greece is also one hour ahead of Central European time.

When the bus arrived there is a machine where you pay on board. I also didnt know the bus fare. It has an english option but the fare options are for different zones and I didnt know what to chose. Someone told me to do 4 zones for 2 Euros ($3).

The bus runs express skipping local stops and only stopping at major ones. I was trying to follow on my city map to see when we got near my hotel district. Stops were being announed and written in Greek so it literally was 'All Greek to me'!.

When we were in the centre I waited for my stop. He stopped early so I waited for the next one. He then went express again driving down a long dark street away from the centre.

I asked the driver the name of my street. He spoke english and remarked why I waited. He pulled over, told me to get off here, walk right then turn right again.

It was dark after 10pm and I wasnt near the town centre. I walked up the street he said and there was police guarding a building. Great, now they will stop me thinking I'm a refugee walking with my bag at night. Luckily they ignored me.

I asked a young couple for directions, they spoke english and pointed me the right way. There were stray dogs sleeping on the pavement so I had to cross to the other side. Stray dogs were to become quite common going forward.

Street names are not clearly marked but eventually I did make it to my hotel street. It was centrally located on the street where the old Hamza Bey Mosque is located.