OPA!

So I’ve pretty much been wanting to visit Greece since I saw ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’, AKA since I was about 15. The rents were a bit iffy about me going alone (and given the unstable situation in Athens right now it’s probably good I didn’t go alone) so I ended up booking a ‘Contiki’ tour which, for those of you who don’t know, is a tour group specifically for 18-35 year olds. It’s also how my parents met over 30 years ago! Anyways, I took the train to Milan on May 27 (there weren’t any direct flights from Marseille-Athens), spent a night with my Italian family and got dropped off at the airport the next morning. Well, of course France managed to find a way to screw up my travel plans even when I was out of the country; due to a French Air Traffic Control strike, the plane that would have been used to go from Milan to Athens never arrived (it should have arrived from France) and since I had booked with a low-budget airline (EasyJet) they didn’t have another flight to put us on. So I had to take a bus over to the other terminal and buy a much more expensive ticket AND wait for approximately 10 extra hours. Luckily during this time I met 2 really nice Greek girls, one of whom helped me find my way once we arrived in Athens. This was super helpful as Athens was a pretty sketchy city even during the day! Anyway, I finally arrived at my hotel at 1AM-ish and went straight to bed. The next day we (when I say we, I mean my roommate who turned out not only to be from White Rock BUT is also the older sister of one of my friends from high school! Crazy coincidence) were up early to visit the old Olympic Stadium and the Acropolis, which is was an important religious site in ancient Greece. You can still see the ruins of old temples, as well as get an amazing view of the city. Apart from there being an overwhelming amount of people there, it was very impressive! After experiencing a bit of ‘ancient’ Athens, we headed back to our hotel for some more ‘modern’ Athens activities, ie. laying out by the pool on the roof of our hotel. Then that night we headed out for dinner at a taverna in the Plaka area. This is when I met everyone in my group (all 9 of us anyway – which is small for a Contiki group) a couple from California, 1 Australian guy, 5 other Canadian girls (from White Rock, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal) and then our tour manager, Gen, who was from South Africa. The food was delicious: tzasiki, olives, greek salad, deep-fried zucchini, beans, and plenty of wine. There was also traditional Greek dancing – it was very entertaining but I spend most of the meal hoping the guy wouldn’t kick me in the head (I was sitting at the end of the table and a lot of his moves required him to kick his legs way up into the air..) but it was really good. After that we headed back to the hotel as we had an early ferry to Mykonos in the morning.

So we caught the ferry to Mykonos at 7AM-ish. The ferry was huge and we kept saying how it felt like we were on an airplane. My roommate Stephanie and I spend most of the trip out on the deck chatting and enjoying the gorgeous blue water and the occasional island we passed by. We arrived at our resort (‘Aphrodite Beach’) which was SO nice, much nicer than I had been expecting! We spend most of the day lounging at the beach, which was located RIGHT in front of our hotel. That night we had a group dinner at the resort which was delicious, and afterwards we just hung out at the bar and had drinks. The next morning we ventured into town (our resort was located about a 15 minute bus ride outside of town) and had a look around. It was SO, so cute. There were tons of nice clothing stores, cute little restaurants and cafes. The ‘streets’ were really narrow and twisted around a lot, making it very hard to find your way! It was apparently made this way by pirates so people would get lost inside. There was also a charming little area right on the water called Little Venice (I actually commented that it looked like Venice before I even realized that was its name!) and it was just so beautiful. We also spotted Petros, a pelican who is the ‘mascot’ of Mykonos! Later that afternoon we all went to Paradise Beach, which is basically just a club/bar that is RIGHT on the water, where it’s considered to be perfectly acceptable to be drinking at 3 in the afternoon. We just hung out and relaxed there for a few hours then headed back to the hotel, where we had a really good dinner at the resort restaurant (we had several delicious meals there actually) which is also situated pretty much ON the beach – it was SO nice. Most of the next day was spent at the beach tanning, napping and swimming (I can’t really explain how amazing this beach was, but it’s probably the nicest one I’ve ever seen.) We wanted to take it kind of easy because that night we were going out with the OTHER Contiki group who had just arrived in Mykonos. So that night we all went out for dinner (another tasty meal that included salad with feta and some kind of peanut-thai dressing, which I thought was a strange but delicious combo, as well as fried cheese) and then to a cocktail bar in Little Venice for some pre-drinking (where we all ended up having shots that were on fire… I blew mine out before I drank it though) and finally off to the Down Under Bar where we spend the night dancing. The end of the night was a bit of a gongshow; my group wanted to go to another bar but I elected to stay behind with the other Contiki group, so they said they would come back and get me. Well, at some point (2 or 3 AM, I really have no idea) the other Contiki group decided to leave so I went with them as to not get left behind. So while I was safe and sound on the other Contiki bus, my tour manager (along with the rest of my group) was running around the streets of Mykonos looking for the ‘Underground’ bar (and not the Down Under, as it was actually called – this mix up of names may have been due to the amount of liquor consumed…) anyway the 2 tour managers finally got in touch with each other and it all worked out but this was a big joke for the rest of the trip. The last morning we had just enough time to go for another morning dip in the ocean (something I did each morning while in Mykonos) and have breakfast, then we were off to Santorini (which was a bit of a brutal ferry ride for some of us, due to the night before.)

We arrived in Santorini late evening so we set off to have dinner. The restaurant was adorable, we sat on the patio just as the sun was going down… amazing. Here we tried a couple new things, such as deep fried tomatoes (which look and sound a bit gross but were actually so good, especially with tsaziki sauce) and stuffed vine leaves (vine leaves stuffed with rice.) Our dinner went pretty late so after that we headed back to the hotel (situated about a 15 minute walk outside the center of Fira, so not on a beach – but it did have a pool!) The next day we did a trip out to see the volcano (Santorini is a volcanic island that used to be connected to the actual volcano) so we walked down about 500 steps to the port, where we got on a boat that took us over to the volcano. The island was cool, it kind of looked like something out of Lord of the Rings, but it looked less ‘volcano-y’ than I thought it would (as in, there wasn’t one BIG crater, there were several little ones all over.) Then the boat took us over to a red-sand hot spring, situated in the alcove of another little island. We got to jump off the side of the boat and go swimming which was so cool! Stephanie was a bit afraid but she did it anyway so I was very proud of her :) After swimming for a bit we climbed back onto the boat and headed back to Santorini, where we decided to ride donkeys back up the steps we had previously walked down. This was somewhat of a terrifying experience. There are donkeys EVERYWHERE, they’re not on leashes or anything, and they have a hard time walking in a straight line so there were several moments where they almost crashed into the walls. And while all of this is going on, tourists are trying to walk DOWN the stairs but since the donkeys don’t walk straight, and since it’s pretty impossible to steer them, you end up almost plowing over so many people. It was extremely hectic and very hilarious, but we survived. After grabbing a falafel pita (sooo much better in Greece than at home, I swear) we headed back to the hotel for a nap. That evening we played some drinking game Uno (which basically meant everytime you made someone pick up cards, or you changed the colour on somebody, they had to drink) and then headed out for dinner, which we ate on a rooftop overlooking the water/volcano… once again, amazing. After dinner we headed out to ‘Murphy’s’, a completely un-Greek but still super fun bar where we had a really fun time. The next we slept in, then Stephanie and I headed into town around lunchtime. She wanted to shop, so we split up for a bit. I had another pita from the same place, then went to a little museum that had old photos of Santorini, with traditional outfits from way back in the day to some more recent photos from the volcano/earthquake that both happened in the 50s, then some present day paintings of the island. After poking around there, I just wandered around Fira for probably a good two hours. I think it is safe to say that it is probably the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The higher I climbed, the views just got more and more amazing, with pristine blue water and row upon row of white-washed buildings. There were tons of little tavernas (all of which had amazing views – it would have been hard to find a place in Santorini that didn’t) and several lovely churches with the traditional blue-domed roofs. There were also several charming little art galleries, one specifically had a setting I just fell in love with: it had a terrace, with a black lab lying on the steps, flowers everywhere and a super friendly Australian woman painting away that I chatted with for a bit, and of course to top it off you could see the ocean from the backround. It just looked so peaceful, and her art work (t-shirts, jewelry, aprons, etc.) were so funky but really nice. And everything she used (materials, etc.) was Greek, which I thought was cool. Anyways I just spend the rest of the time walking around, not doing anything in particular but just taking it all in. This was my favourite moment during my time in Greece, just walking around in the most beautiful setting I’d ever seen, without a care in the world. OK, enough of being super cheesy… that night we went to Oia, another part of Santorini which is known for its famous sunsets. We had a little picnic set up (cheese, crackers, olives, wine, etc.) and ate as we watched the sun set. It was just breathtaking, definitely one of the most (if not THE most) beautiful sunset I’d ever seen. We also got the chance to walk around Oia a little bit, which is once again filled with the most quaint little cafes and shops. My friend from Montreal, Sarah, and I happened across this adorable little bookshop that we went in to – the employees looked like they were in the middle of a ‘staff meeting’ (very informal) but when we walked in they immediately asked us if we wanted any wine. I definitely had a ‘yep, we’re definitely in Europe’ moment, as this would never happen in a million years in Canada. Anyways, the bookshop was literally the cutest thing I’d ever seen, with tons of little wooden shelves and funky little things… ahhh we just loved it so much. After that we wandered around a bit more, then headed back to the hotel with the group.

The next day after breakfast we were off to our last destination, Ios. We stayed at another fabulous place called the Far Out resort, which was again right on the beach. Ios was the place where we did the least in terms of sightseeing (although Stephanie and I did head into town one of the days, but found there wasn’t a ton to see, although it did have one very impressive church.) Ios is apparently known as being a huge party island, so most of our time was spent at the beach or at the bar; I managed to find enough energy to go out each of the three nights we were there. There are hilarious moments from each night I’m sure, but a few highlights included getting shots poured into our mouths by the bartender (something they do for Contiki travelers), getting a free t-shirt for ordering a certain number of shots, going to a bar where you put on a helmet and they hit you on the head with a bat as you do shots (I didn’t do this but a girl in our group did – so funny) … etc. Needless to say it was pretty hectic, but we had a lot of fun and met lots of new people. So, after 3 nights in Ios, we spent one more lovely day on the beach and then by later afternoon it was time to head back to Athens, where we arrived pretty late and thus grabbed a quick bite to eat and went to bed. We all flew out at different times the next day and then before I knew it, the trip I’d been looking forward to for so long was over.

Greece has been my favourite destination thus far. I found the people to be extremely nice and friendly, the food was delicious, the beaches were amazing, the towns were stunning and the nightlife was awesome. Apart from seeing the Acropolis, I didn’t care too much for Athens (although that’s probably due more to the fact that Athens is in pretty rough shape at the moment) but for the islands, I liked each one for a different reason. I thought Mykonos had the best beaches, Santorini had the prettiest town/views and Ios had the best party scene. If I had to choose a favourite though I think I would have to say Santorini because I was literally in awe of it the whole time I was there. The only downside to Greece was that it was insanely touristy. I realize obviously that I too am a tourist, I just mean that you sometimes feel that you’re not getting a very authentic experience because of all the tourists (for example, seeing tons of snack shops offering crepes and burgers when you could be having a pita or souvlaki.) But apart from that I thought it was just fantastic. It is definitely somewhere I want to go back one day (and it’s definitely where I’m going for my honeymoon I’ve decided!) As for the Contiki group, I think it was perfect for this kind of trip as it would have been a bit complicated to plan on my own, considering the islands don’t have very reliable forms of public transportation, especially if you stay a bit outside the center. Plus, after finishing exams it was nice to go on a trip where I really felt like I was on ‘vacation.’ Plus our group was small so we never had to wait for a long time for our bags to be loaded onto the bus or whatever. And our tour guide was a riot, and everyone on the tour was super nice too! All in all, this was a great trip and I’m so glad I did it.

I’m currently at my family’s house in Milan, where I will be until Monday, where I will then be off to Cinque Terre, then Florence, and then Rome. I was supposed to do this part of the journey with Josh but I just spoke with him today and it turns out he got an amazing job offer in Yellowknife (where he’ll actually be flying planes!) and they want him to start immediately. I think this means he is supposed to take the job because he got the call the DAY before he was supposed to leave! Anyway I’m a bit bummed of course but I’m also super happy that he gets to have this experience. So I’m going to do this leg of the journey on my own. Still looking forward to it though! And only 20 days until I’m back in Canada!