Blogs from Greece, Europe - page 500

When I boarded the overnight ferry headed to Ios, any romantic vision I had had of meeting independent budget travelers from around the world, exchanging stories over tea, and falling asleep with the smell of the Aegean in my hair, quickly was replaced with the harsh reality of a dirty boat crowded with cranky, dirty people. Although cabins are available, most people (and all students) purchase “deck seats.” People literally sleep on every surface of the ship—on all of the floor space and on any available bench, chair, or couch. I did not have a sleeping bag and could only imagine the amount of lice that would crawl in my hair if I slept on the floor, so I stayed awake for the entirety of the 9-hour ride to Ios. (Also, note that it gets very ... read more

So After a terrible bus ride from Corfu to Athens which consisted of 2 ferries and one extremely crazy bus driver, (ie passing cars on really curvy moutain roads) I finally got to Athens. I had been told to get out of Athens as soon as possible but I thought that it was pretty cool. Hung out with some pretty cool Aussies and checked out the acropolis. I thought that it was pretty neat except I thought that I was going to be able to walk around inside the actual parthenon but since they are doing work on it ( and have been since 2000) you can't. All and all I was really impressed with the size and in general how good it looked. After that checked out some more of the sights around Athens, namely ... read more

Hello all, arrived in Athens at about 10.35 and got to the hostel at midnight. We are staying in a dorm with 2 rooms (2 beds in each) our room is the crap one and there isnt anywhere to lock our stuff so we chained it to the bed. The girls that were in the other room liked to talk a lot and sing early in the morning but unfortunately they left this morning (I was deeply saddened). We are a bit knackered but managed to make it to the Acropolis, olympic zeus columns, and took a bus tour. It is really nice and warm here and still really busy but will be glad to get to Seriphos tomorrow and lie on a beach! I think it takes about 5 hours by ferry to get there ... read more

Ode to The Food Company… I spent Sunday recovering from Saturday night, by both sleeping and making phone calls to secure the contents of my stolen wallet. In the afternoon, Gina, Amanda, and I ventured to the Food Company, a restaurant written up in Lonely Planet as the only inexpensive restaurant in Kolonaki. The Food Company did not disappoint. It exceeded my highest expectations of any restaurant. The food was both delicious and inexpensive. With UB40 playing on the speakers and tables of hipster Greeks we hadn’t yet seen in Athens, the atmosphere was welcoming and relaxed. The three of us savored the best food we had yet eaten in Greece—a lentil and feta salad, meatballs with mashed potatoes, pasta with feta cheese and tomato sauce, and chocolate mousse cake that tasted like uncooked brownie mix. ... read more