Greco-Roman Excursion

---

So I just concluded a 17 hour ferry ride from Patras to Bari and am just waiting for my 9 hour ferry from Bari to Dubrovnik which departs this evening at 10pm. Since there is absolutely nothing to do in Bari, I thought that this would be the perfect time to update the ol' blogsky, as I have been neglecting it since we left Naples.

Our first stop was in Corfu, and I was told by everyone who has been there lately to go to the Pink Palace. Full of debauchery and young travellers, we were guaranteed a good time. Apparently, however, this has been the quietest summer in years and so the bar and hostel in general was at about 25 percent capacity. Nonetheless, it was nice to relax, drink cheap booze and meet people from all over the world. We went on a quad tour of the island (which seems to be a recurring theme throughout the islands) and got to see some incredible views of the lush greenery (which is not a recurring theme) that dominates the scenery. Karen was not as big of a fan of the island as it did not have a very Greek feel, and after all there was to do in Italy, found herself a little bored with the calmness (and party-ness) of the island.

Our next stop was Santorini, so after a 10 hour overnight bus, and a 9 hour ferry we arrived in one of the most beautiful places I have ever scene. I think it may have even taken over from Cinque Terre. The island, which is pretty much just a volcano, is absolutely breathtaking. We stayed near Perissa beach, which is a bit outside the centre, and right near the black beach. This was to be a reprieve from the partying of Corfu and it sure fit the bill. Once again we rented bikes and toured the entire island. Seeing the sunset in one of the most famous locations in the world, Oia, was pretty amazing, although i thought the one we saw the next night near Caldero Beach was even more impressive. People just get told they should do something and then assume it is the best. Au contraire, mon frere. The bikes did help us find a lot of off the path places, which was another bonus. We went to the donkey stairs and were just gonna walk down a bit, take pictures and pretend that we hiked it. Well i ended up at the bottom (it wasnt tiring going down) and I couldnt bring myself to make that ass bring me back up. Needless to say, I lost about 7 pounds after the 580 steps to the top, but was glistening in the sun as we toured the city. The shop owners knew what was up and laughed hysterically as I strode by. We also visited the red and white beaches, so it was really cool to see the contrast of the 3. All so unique yet so very close together. We went out one night (to Murphys-thanks Claire), but took it fairly easy as our next stop was to be Ios. All in all, an amazing island.

Next stop was Ios, a small yet party filled island. We didnt have any hostels booked but as expected there were tons of places waiting as we got off the boat. Ended up going to Far Out (which we had been told earlier was the place to go) and it was nice and cheap. Probably because the "room" was about nine thousand degrees. Luckily I only spent about 3 hours a night/morning there as we partied until 6 or 7 everynight. Oh and i fell asleep atop a church one night with about 6 other people. Great place. The beach was amazing as well, as were the three pools the beach club provided. Great way to keep cool. Again we rented bikes (well I did with a couple aussies and a south african) and saw the whole island. Santorini took us a good two days, Ios about 2 hours. So small, so arid. But beautiful nonetheless. Met a ton of great people at this place though, and the drinking and bars were super cheap. 10 tequilla for 10 euro is just a dangerous combination. But we survived unscathed and full of great stories. I had met some people from Vancouver in Cinque Terre and we managed to meet up with them again. Really made going out a lot more fun when you get a nice big group going. But alas, we could only stay 4 nights and had to head back to reality (well Athens) so Karen could catch her flight.

Our plan was originally to go to Ios for 3 days, Mykonos for 2 and Athens for 1. But we couldnt get a ferry to Mykonos so we decided on 4 in Ios and 2 in Athens. Great decision. Not only did we save money but we would not have had any time to see Athens at all.

There wasnt a lot to see in Athens but the Acropolis alone makes it a must see city if you are in the area. We checked out the Parthenon, and the rest of the sites that make up the Acropolis and decided (smartly I might add) to do this at noon. Needless to say, hiking up to the top in the middle of the day in Athens was a great idea. Once again we returned with our pants a little looser. We also went to the Acropolis museum which was massive but had about 40 items in it. We then just walked around Plaka, the old town, which is on par with any area that has a thousand shops with a bunch of shit that they are trying to peddle to tourists. Great fun. We also checked out the Flea Market, which turned out to be the nicest shopping street I have seen thus far. Nike, Adidas, Diesel etc were all along the strip which was disappointing as I wanted to see some sketchy and cheap items for sale. Ah well. Karen left on the 9th (which I was supposed to do as well) but I ended up staying another night cause of the ferries. I went to the Archealogical Museum which was way better than the Acropolis one. Tons of stuff from all over Greece, Macedonia, Egypt, and all in great condition. I was really surprised at how big it was. Actually, I was surprised at how big Athens was in general. I felt so unworldly looking out from the top of the Acropolis and being so shocked at the size of Athens. There was also a beautiful little street right beside the museum that reminded me exactly like East Hastings as I walked down it (and a guy from Quebec who had been to Van once, concurred). Im glad that wherever I go, Vancouver is not far from me. Seeing two guys shoot up at 1 oclock in the afternoon just warmed my heart. The guy running the hostel turned 26 that evening so we decided to go out to celebrate. One guy who had been in Athens 4 times before said we had to go to this one place cause he "always picked up there". We went and shockingly, since it was a Monday, were the only people in the bar apart from 3 french girls. Greatttt party. But it was 5 bucks for a drink and a shot so we made it work. I tried absinthe for the first time as well, but I dont think it was the real stuff. Ah well, soon enough.

I think that is all I have to share at the moment, but soon I shall be in Croatia, Austria etc and will be refilled with stories. My love to all and send me some updates on how you are doing on the other side of the world.

---