γεια σας (Hello!)
Well I'm coming towards the end of my trip now- only a week and a half until I'll be home. I seriously can't wait. It's been such a great trip- unbelievable- but I am very ready to go home. All this walking around 15-20 km every day in 35-40 degree heat is killing me! I'm absolutely exhausted. But must push through for the final stage- Rome, Venice and then finally Oktoberfest!
So my week long Greek and Turkish Island Contiki trip was much better than the first one. The group was a really awesome bunch of people which I think definitely makes it. We checked into The President Hotel for our first night in Athens- which was so nice and fancy after staying in crappy hostels for the last Contiki. I only had to share with one other person who is now a new friend of mine from London. :) And the room was huge- it was heaven.
We departed as a group early evening for a traditional Greek dinner in Plaka. It was up a hill underneath the Acropolis and it was such a great atmosphere! The dinner was epic- 3 courses of loads of share plates that kept coming out non-stop, everything was so delicious. As well as plenty of wine and Greek dancing as entertainment between courses. At the end they grabbed us up for us to dance with them. It was a great night. We finished off the evening at a rooftop bar in Monastariki with cocktails and a fabulous view head on to the Acropolis. Incredible!
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| Rooftop bar with Acropolis view |
Early morning started the beginning of our cruise. It was on board a big cruise ship and we were just a small group of about 20 and the whole ship had about 2500 people. So it was huge with many bars, restaurants, including buffets, a pool, entertainment rooms etc.
I just paid for the cheapest cabin so I had to share the tiniest room with 3 other girls- and it was the size of a twin room but with 2 extra bunks! I had a top bunk and I couldn't even sit up and there wasn't even room for our suitcases. But us girls were all really chilled and so we somehow made it work with no dramas.
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| Awesome room mates |
That day we set sail for Mykonos and we had all day on board to relax and do whatever we wanted- so of course we got into our swimmers, headed to the rooftop and made our selves comfy by the pool with plenty of cocktails. All the drinks and food were included in the package which was super easy- but also dangerous drinks wise haha (but I was very good- I get a bit sea-sick plus I really didn't want to over do it and ruin what little time I had on the islands).
We arrived at Mykonos just before the sun set so we got incredible views of that from the island. We walked around a bit and then had an awesome dinner right on the waterfront. I shared with someone and we got three share plates- tzatziki dip (looove) with bread, stuffed vine leaves and squid- which looked like baby octopuses! Haha I've only ever had squid rings before that was a bit of a shock to me when it came out. I still ate it of course- I'm being super adventurous. It was pretty good actually, tentacles and all. Then we explored the island famous for it's nightlife and party atmosphere and finished in a club for a few drinks.
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| Turkish treats |
After the first day we then traveled by nights and spent the days exploring the islands. On our second day we woke up in Kusadasi, Turkey. I ventured out on my own as two of my room mates were sleeping in due to partying all night and the other had already left for an optional paid excursion. Going out alone was a mistake though.
The port was very beautiful but as soon as I started walking through the town I lasted 10 minutes before I turned around and started to head back- the men were disgusting. All of them sitting outside their shops leered at me as I walked past and made annoying comments. So I was very uncomfortable but on my way back I saw a Starbucks on the waterfront- and I thought perfect because I wanted to use wifi to contact Gareth, we have none on the ship so it's the only opportunity I had to speak to him. So I actually found a nice cafe next door to it and sat outside with a great view and ordered an ice coffee and their cabinet was full of delicious looking and cheap Turkish delight so I got one of each to take away. I ended up sitting there for an hour and a half using their wifi. I messaged loads of people and even called my mum haha. I ended up ordering another drink- a Turkish apple tea which was actually very nice considering I don't even like tea. It just tasted like warm apple juice.
We sailed for a few more hours and ended up in Patmos, a quaint peaceful island. It reminded me of a pacific island, sand, palm trees, scooters. On the top of a hill was Saint John's Monastery where he apparently wrote the book of revelations. Some people ventured up there to have a look but most of us stayed and chilled by the waterfront- it was way too hot to climb a big hill!
That night we had a Contiki Toga party on board the ship. It was pretty awkward trying to make a sheet not look like you're wearing a sack! We all helped each other look our best though. Felt a bit silly at first but after a few cocktails who really cares? I'm not one to dance though so once everyone departed for the dance floor I sat at the bar for a while chatting with others but I think I was in bed by midnight, what an old lady. I didn't want to over do it though as we did have to get up early every day.
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| Toga party! |
Next up was the awesome medieval island of Rhodes. We had a full day there. I ventured off in the morning by myself to explore. It was a great walk, the whole island was surrounded by castle walls, the town was very old and cool. The water was absolutely amazing- aqua! After lunch we went as a big group on a walking tour and ended at a beach bar where we had loungers, could order cocktails and there was a diving board in the middle of the sea. The water was sooo lovely to swim in.
The next morning was spent in Crete. We were led through to the town centre and then had a few hours to explore. When I messaged Gareth that I was there he told me that New Zealand had fought there during WW2 so that was interesting to learn. It was a massive island- Greece's largest and we only saw a tiny part of it, so I'll definitely have to come back. Whilst there we were told to get a traditional Cretian pastry so of course I did. It was amazing- some kind of appley custard inside! Heaven.
That afternoon we set sail for Santorini- our final island. I was most looking forward to this island as it's the one that's on the picture perfect postcards of the white houses with blue doms on the cliff side looking out over the water. It did not disappoint! It was incredibly beautiful, I really enjoyed walking the streets and staring at the surrounding views, but we definitely did not have enough time there. But while some others took the bus back to the ship at the end of the day a few of us brave ones opted for a donkey ride back down. That was probably the craziest decision of my life! It was freaking terrifying- it was down a near vertical cliff and we had heard horror stories of people being flung off and breaking their collar bones etc so they were like 'hold on tight'! I had bruises on my hands for 3 days after that... but I survived! And it was during the sun set so apart from thinking 'Death by donkey' in my head, looking back on it, it was a wild experience and something I'm glad I did- although never again!
The next morning we were back in Athens and sadly our trip had come to an end. It was a awesome trip and I'm definitely going to have to come back to the Greek Islands. (Although I would do it myself). The cruise was a new and good experience too though, it definitely was a convenient and relaxing way to travel.
A group of us sticking around Athens still stuck together and dropped our suitcases at our first hotel for the day and went out to explore Athens. We started with the Acropolis which was such a mission to hike up there as it was a sweltering 42 degrees. I got in for free which was a nice surprise as I have an EU student ID card.
It was really cool once we made it to the top and so epic seeing all these ancient structures like the Parthenon and the view over Athens was incredible. Very crowded though. At the bottom we rewarded ourselves with ice cream and then went and saw Zeus' Temple.
In the afternoon the others headed off to the airport and I went to find my hostel to check into. Unfortunately that was a bit of a disaster and was so horrible I immediately used their internet to book another hotel room and promptly checked out. I couldn't bare sharing a room with 10 others and the state of the room was catastrophic. I thought I deserved one night to myself after sharing for so long anyway plus I was about to meet my friends from NZ the next day and so it really was my final night to myself.
So that was a nice feeling, I got a place pretty cheap from lastminute.com and relaxed.
I ventured out for a late dinner and had delicious gyros which is a Greek kebab basically.
Feeling refreshed the next day I didn't check out until 12 and the next place to check into with my friends was at 12 and literally across the road so I just jumped ships. I then got food and happily waited for them to arrive which was late afternoon, so I just chilled, skyped Gareth and caught up on life.
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| Athens- Parthenon |
When my friends arrived I took them to the rooftop bar I had been to with the excellent view of the Acropolis which they loved. They were very excited to be in Europe which was pretty infectious! Then we went out for dinner in Plaka, I had Moussaka which was very nice. The next day we did the Acropolis- I didn't mind doing it again as it was awesome and free anyway. It was very hot though. Whilst there it was over 40 degrees everyday and while I am kind of used to it- they coming from a NZ winter definitely were not. We took a break in the afternoon from the beating sun and then went out again in the evening and wandered the markets of Monastariki and had gyros for dinner.
The next day we did a day trip to Delphi on our own which was pretty brave and thankfully successful! We managed to find the Greek bus station which was in a random place, get tickets and on the right bus. It was a 3 hour ride away but worth it as it was a wicked town up a huge cliff and one of the world heritage sights. We walked through the ancient ruins (again I got in for free woop woop) and it was astounding. It was the sanctuary of an oracle and you could see why- the surrounding area was so majestic and mystical. It was a great experience although such a mission climbing a mountain in that heat! We also got into the museum with heaps of cool statues and things and enjoyed the air conditioning there for a while. We had a late lunch (ice cream) and then explored the little town before our bus back at 4 pm.
The following day the others had a booked day trip which I didn't feel the need to join (they are classic geeks) and I was quite happy about staying behind anyway and sleeping in! I met up with my London friend though from the cruise who was also still in Athens so we went for a massive 3 hour walk, had lunch- a delicious Greek salad, and saw the changing of the guard at the parliament building which was such a sight to see! I can see why it's documented in Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks.
7 nights was quite a long time in Athens. We spent the rest of the time there doing the Ancient Agora ruins, museums, and eating good food basically. On our final night we went up Mount Lycabettus- Athen's highest point via a cable car and watched the sun go down and the night come to life. Fantastic views of the city and enjoyed with a few beers. On Thursday evening we flew to Rome which is where I am now!
Catch ya next time probably from the final post in Europe. Ciao! Pics below.
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| Traditional Greek dancing |
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| Cruise ship! |
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| Our tiny cabin- heyo! |
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| Mykonooooos |
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| Island style |
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| Fresh seafood dinner |
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| Kusadasi, Turkey |
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| Medieval island of Rhodes |
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| Crete pastry |
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| Santorini |
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| Donkey ride aaaall the way down! |
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| Santorini sunset |
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| Moussaka |
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| Zeus' Temple |
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| Delphi |
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| Awesome Greek salad! |
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| Changing of the guard |
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| Amazing view from Mt Lycabettus |
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| Yammas Greece! |
