Greece - Athens & Santorini

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We decided to train it from Istanbul to Athens as it was the cheaper option however it is a 23h journey with 2 changes of train, 1 of which was an extremely tight connection in the middle of the night and an unhelpful ticket counter where we had to pay a compulsory upgrade. Anyway I left the boys (Jay & Sven) to sort the upgrade whilst I ran to the platform to find the conductor was whistling the train to go. With much frantic hand gestures and charades he stopped the train so we could board and make our way to Athens.

Athens itself is an easy city to get around. It’s got a really good rail/metro system and everything seems to be within an easy walking distance. We stayed at a Hostel in Omonia and as the Lonely Planet advises this is a seedy side of town and not one to walk around at night time. During the day was fine but we wondered out with a group from the hostel one night and it was quiet as disconcerting feeling whilst in the square and I was more than relieved to get back to the Hostel.

Anyway, back to it. Once checked in was time for a quick power nap before having a wander to get some orientation of the city. We were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and managed to see the changing of the Guard in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We then went through a lovely park/garden area which was really nice to just sit and watch the world go past and get out the map to work out just where we were.

As we continued our afternoon walk we ended up at the base of the Acropolis, we had planned to do this the next day so we just had a walk around the base and ended up at the entrance to discover that there was some cultural festival on in Greece and everything was free entry until Tuesday. Big score for the budget here, so we went and had a look around the Acropolis and made our way up to the Parthenon. Unfortunately for us there was all sorts of scaffolding around which took away the WOW factor a little bit as a majority of it was covered. But it is still and impressive structure and the views from the top of the “hill” are fabulous. It was up here that we really got a chance to orientate ourselves around the city.
Monday was “ruins” day. We made our way back down to the Acropolis to go through it properly and sit and absorb the atmosphere and reflect on what it would have been like in its heyday. We sat and pondered over both the amphitheatres on the Southern (?) side and wondered what the vibe would have been like when it was full with a play being performed. Up to the Parthenon built sometime around 435BC (don’t quote me on that) again and take in the mammoth feat of getting the pillars in place and the intricate detail that can still be seen on some of the marble and it is an impressive piece of Greek architecture that sits proudly commanding the top of the hill.

As one can expect in Greece there are ruins everywhere and some have been rebuilt over by the Romans and some just left to decay. This was highlighted when we made a visit to the Museum on Tuesday afternoon and its there that you realise how hold the Greek civilisation really is. There was pottery dating back to 6200BC and going through this display you appreciate the complexity of the pottery designs as the skills were developed through time. Anyone visiting the museum I would recommend at least 6 hours to go through it. We were there for 4 hours and still didn’t touch the surface on what the exhibits held.
The time was up for Athens as we had decided to catch some rays and got to Santorini for a couple of days. There was a long 9 hour ferry ride to get there but man was it worth it. We arrived prior to peak season so the island still had a really laid back and easy going feel to it. The streets weren’t crowded and you could move around easily.

We checked into the Anny Suites for a couple of nights and the location was great. Although considered the Budget Zone in Perissa I would say it was the best place to stay. The food was cheaper, the rock beach looked nicer and it had a really good vibe to it.

Jay & I hired a quad bike for a couple of days to do the sights. With a bit of a nervous start we were off and racing and even remembered to stay on the right hand side of the road! We ventured to the main town of Fira and walked around for a while to take in the magnificent views and then headed out to find the wineries. Well we came across Santo Wines and with it one of the most spectacular views you’ll ever encounter for wine tasting and enjoying a glass of the local vino. The views over the island were breathtaking and we struggled to pull ourselves away from the view and continue on our sightseeing.
Everyone talks about the sunsets at Oia so off we went to see what the hype was about. We found our spot early and chatted with other tourist whilst waiting for the sun to set at about 8pm. It was worth the journey as it was just as good as we were told and the setting, unique. Well worth the trip out.

Following day was off to the Red Beach, so called from the red rock from the sheer cliff above it. Jay was brave enough to go for a refreshing swim however I was the wimp that opted to stay dry and take his word for it how nice it was. The afternoon was just spent lazing around which is surprisingly easy to do in Santorini. Sunset was for a different location tonight and we ventured back up to Santo Winery and here we were gifted with great views and pictures and yet another spectacular sunset.

We could have spent longer in Santorini as our 4 days just disappeared and we were saying goodbye. At least another 3 days could have been spent chilling out and doing nothing. It was here that you notice how friendly the Greek people are and openness to tourists however overall the Greek people didn’t go out of their way to welcome us to their country. Some were somewhat rude and dismissive when asking for help to the other (rare) extreme of being so friendly and chatty and willing to help. Overall I preferred the island over Athens itself and think we got a better feel of the Greek personality there.
Anyway, we are heading out to Spain now for a month or so, so stay tuned.

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