I had 2 weeks off work so headed to warm and sunny Greece. Arrived in Athens on Saturday afternoon and was sad to see rain, also realized very quickly that my hostel was in the WRONG part of town. Athens is a dirty city and there are crazy dogs and crazy men running
all over the city. (A Greek man told me Greece was the “land of the crazys” so I don’t feel so bad about saying this. Most of the Greeks I met were very nice but some of the men were stalkerish) Arrived at the hostel after a frightening walk from the metro station and realized the only other person staying at the hostel was leaving for Cairo. Just as I was about to cry another solo traveler walked in, a French/Spanish girl (Natalie) who lives in of all places Geneva. Thank God for small miracles! We went out for a bite to eat and met a bunch of other backpackers and spent the night wandering around. I didn’t realize it was the weekend for the Greek Orthodox Easter, which meant there were festivities all week. Saturday night there were services at the churches and then processions through the city. Also they were roasting lambs over open fires at the restaurants, a traditional Easter meal. Yumminess.
Sunday everything was closed due to Easter so I took a ferry with another backpacker to the island of Aigina, about an hour by boat from Athens. We rented a scooter and drove around the island, through the Pistachio orchards, over to the 2,500 year old Temple of Aphaia, the Temple of Apollo, to see the magnificient church Agîa Triada. A beautiful sunny day!
The next day Natalie and I went round to the major sites in Athens: the Agora, the Acropolis, the districts of Plaka and Monastiraki . Was disappointed the Parthenon was mostly covered in scaffolding but it was still amazing to see. That evening we went to Lykavittos hill in Athens and took the telepherique to the top, which provided a nice view of Athens and the sea. A small whitewash chapel is at the top of the hill and we had hoped to peak inside not realizing there was an Easter ceremony/procession. At the end of the service we were allowed in the chapel, it was the most interesting church I have ever seen. The contrast of the outside and the inside was so great, outside being a simple sculpted mound of white and inside elaborately painted with rich, dark colors. Amazing. And so interesting to see the Orthodox priest and the traditions of their faith.
The next day I took a ferry to the island of Naxos, in the Cycladic Islands. In the main port town on the island there is a large marble gateway that was supposed to be the entrance to a never competed Temple. After seeing that and laying on the beach for a while I walked around the town, seeing the old whitewash village and churches. The next day I rented a scooter and drove around the island. Up the coast to see the massive kouro (marble statue), then to the small town of Apeîrathos for a quick hike. The island is spectacular, with goat farms, white chapels, olive orchards, and mountains running into crystal blue water all over. Naxos town however is a bit dumpy and it was odd being there in the off season. The town seems to be built mostly around tourism but I was 1 of very few tourists around.
After 2 nights on Naxos I met Natalie and we took a ferry to the island of Santorini. It is unbelievably gorgeous and a very interesting island. 3,500 years ago there was a massive volcano which blew most of the island away, leaving a caldera on the western side of the island. Rumor has it this is the lost island of Atlantis. We rented an ATV (they wouldn’t rent us a scooter for some reason. An ATV does not get you around small windy island roads particularly well just for the record. Also don’t wear a skirt when driving one) We rented a room on Perissa Beach for remarkably cheap, Yay for off season prices! Then we rode up to the main city of Thira for lunch and to walk around. The town is built into the volcanic cliff giving the impression that it will slide into the sea at any moment. Luckily it didn’t. The Agîou Mina is a spectacular church.
That afternoon we drove down to the south coast and made our way over to the ‘Red Beach’ for some sun worshiping. It is built into a beautiful cove surrounded by red clay cliffs. That evening we braved the ATV to the northwestern part of the island to the magnificent village of Oia for sunset. Too beautiful for words. Such a great night. We found a taverna overlooking the water for dinner and sat enjoying the sea air for hours. Heaven.
Friday we took a sailboat to the tiny volcanic island of Nea Kaméni (it’s still active! eeeek) And went for a hike around the crater. Then we sailed to Palai Kaméni for a mud bath in the hot springs. We jumped off the boat out in the harbor and swam through the painfully cold water to the warm water, it was very refreshing. Natalie had to leave early to catch her flight back to Geneva but I stayed on Santorini an extra night.
The next day I hiked along the caldera from Thira to Oia then caught the overnight ferry back to Athens.
Sunday I walked around Athens, then stopped somewhere to use the internet and ended up sitting down next to Tabitha Penner, my friend from Geneva. She was in Greece for a cruise which was supposed to have started already but was canceled at the last minute. We spent a nice lazy afternoon lounging in the park and then wandering the streets. She left that evening for Corfu so I went to happy hour on the roof of my hostel which provided fantastic sunset views of the Acropolis. Met 2 nice girls from Australia and New Zealand and we went for a drink and a bite to eat.
Monday I went to the Archaeological Museum and searched the markets for the perfect pair of Athenian sandals before flying to Rome.
Greece was so interesting culturally, a real blend of the Old World/Middle East and Europe. The music, language, religious traditions, and architecture seem to have ties to both worlds. I have a real urge now to visit Turkey to see more of the history of the area.
I had some fantastic food in Greece, in particular 1 meal: The most perfect Greek salad with fresh peppers, cucumbers. olives, onions, tomatoes and herbs topped by a giant block of Feta. Also delicious bread with green olive tapenade and unbelievably good iced coffee. Can I please eat this meal every day for the rest of my life. Also we had a very nice Easter sweet bread that they passed out to passers-by at one of the Easter processions. Of course I ate Baklava at every available opportunity.
