This morning we were again up by the usual time due to the stifling heat inside of our tent. In town, we opted to save some money by not eating at a sit-down place, so we bought a vanilla-banana cream pastry and an apple strudel at Artemis bakery and some fruit and snacks at a little market. We decided to head to Tsigrado, a beach which had been recommended to us by a couple at the ATV rental place on Thursday. When we got there we could see the cove below the cliffs and there was a person-sized rift with a rope going down the length of it. So Doug going first, we rappelled down the cliff to the sandy beach bottom.
Once on the beach we found a spot in the disappearing shade. The water felt amazing, and there was some good snorkeling around the rocks and the cave/tunnel that went from the shallow to the deep water. We also spent some time snacking and lounging around on the beach, even though the shade quickly deserted the beach as the sun rose higher. We stayed at Tsigrado for about 3 or 4 hours and it was our favorite of all the beaches we visited in the Greek Islands.
When we were ready to leave Tsigrado and move beaches, we made the ascent up the sandy rift carved in the cliff. At the top we paused to take some pictures, then got atop the ATV and drove pretty much just around the corner to Firiplaka. After parking the quad, we walked a short ways through what looked like someone's personal little waterfront dock area and we were on the beach.
The beach had two parts, a small little cove area with rocks and a longer, more crowded area shoring up to the shallow open water. We opted for the cove-like area since there weren't any people there and there was a little shade. After we settled our stuff down we went right for the water since it was hot out. Sarah went first, picking her way through the rocks to get to the open water. At the last area of rocks, though, something went wrong - she took a step forward between two rocks and felt a sharp, searing pain between her big toe and her second toe on the left foot. She yelled for Doug to come and started to cry with the intense pain and looking to see what had done the damage. Doug arrived and we hopped out of the water, Sarah still sobbing, and sat down as Doug ran to get some ice from the bar. The long cut bled only when held openm, but some of her foot swelled up and under the cut it turned kind of blue, with her entire instep feeling tender and a little tingly. The intense pain continued, so after about 20 minutes of holding the ice on, we opted to head back to the campground.
Strangely, once she was up and about for a bit, Sarah's foot stopped hurting. After hanging out for awhile we went into town to eat. We ate at an Italian restaurant which we forgot the name of and shared a Hawaiian pizza and tortellini with red sauce, which came with bread. We had some more ice cream, Sarah getting chocolate gelato and Doug attempting to use the soft-serve machine by himself to get some vanilla. We stopped on the way back to watch the sun go down. The night was calm until about 10 PM, when a wedding reception started at the restaurant at the campground. They had put a slip of paper outside our tent that morning warning that the restaurant would be closed at 5 PM for the reception and they were "sorry for the disturbance." Turns out they meant a disturbance lasting from 10 PM until 8 AM the following morning. They pumped music (mostly American, like the BeeGees) loudly all night and lit off fireworks, so we hardly slept at all that night. That's how to make a true unhappy camper!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Day 9 - Encounters of the American Kind
This morning we got up around 8:30, unable to stay in the tent any longer since it was so hot. After making use of the facilities, meaning Turkish squat toilets with no toilet paper, we headed into Adamas for breakfast. We picked a place with nice outdoor seating and were greeted by an American (!) waiter. He was staying on the island for awhile as a break from his home in New Jersey. Speaking in a way that convinced us he might be gay, he took our orders and told us the beaches with the most "tur-quah" water to go to. Doug had a waffle with ice cream and Sarah had eggs with bacon, with fruit salad to share.
When we were finished eating we drove north to Sarakiniko. After wandering around the white rocks a bit we found a spot near the tiny, uncrowded beach to get in and swim. We snorkeled a little and when we were done we took our things a bit higher up on the rocks to settle down and watch the waves hit and spray the rocks. Sarah napped a little and Doug journaled while watching the commotion below. We were getting hungry, but as we got up to leave we saw a sunken ship down the coast a bit and decided to investigate. We hiked over the white rock formations until we were closer and we stopped to take pictures. Then we headed back to the quad and rode into Adamas. We had a short lunch outside along the bay and beach at Papikinou, sharing a Hawaiian pizza and some water.
After filling our tummies and deciding we'd come another time for another delicious pizza, we headed back out to a beach the breakfast waiter had said was "ahh-mazing!" We had some trouble finding it but instead stumbled upon Agios Konstantinos, a little cove where we stood out at the only non-Greeks. The water was cold but there was excellent shade for us to rest in so we swam, snorkeled, and even did a bit of rock-jumping. Back up on the beach we spent some time looking through the rocks lying in the sand and Sarah amazed Doug with her ability to find beautiful ones as well as bits of sea glass, some of which we kept. We stayed awhile longer until everyone had left but for one couple, grateful for some peace and quiet. But after awhile we noticed them repeatedly slamming something into the rocks and realized the man had caught an octopus with his bare hands while snorkeling and was eagerly trying to kill it. We opted not the stay and watch, so we packed up our things and Doug attempted to burnout and give their car a little sand-dusting on the way out.
We drove back to the campground and spent some time in the pool, then changed and went over to the campground's open-air restaurant to eat and watch the sunset, which happens late at about 9:15 PM. We ordered a meal and appetizers from the waitress, who had pretty bad English and seemed to insist on leaving her shorts unbuttoned at all times. For dinner Doug had French fries and tortellini while Sarah had fried zucchini (an attempt to incorporate some veggies) and buttered pasta with too much cheese. We snapped some pictures as the sun went down and enjoyed a leisurely dinner despite the fact that the staff were frantically bustling about trying to hang cheesecloth from the eaves, which we figured was in preparation for the high season.
Following dinner we showered, Sarah in one out of the four stalls whose lock was jammed, and we spent the remainder of the evening reading and relaxing. We slept, again pestered by the howling wind which rattled and shook our tent.
When we were finished eating we drove north to Sarakiniko. After wandering around the white rocks a bit we found a spot near the tiny, uncrowded beach to get in and swim. We snorkeled a little and when we were done we took our things a bit higher up on the rocks to settle down and watch the waves hit and spray the rocks. Sarah napped a little and Doug journaled while watching the commotion below. We were getting hungry, but as we got up to leave we saw a sunken ship down the coast a bit and decided to investigate. We hiked over the white rock formations until we were closer and we stopped to take pictures. Then we headed back to the quad and rode into Adamas. We had a short lunch outside along the bay and beach at Papikinou, sharing a Hawaiian pizza and some water.
After filling our tummies and deciding we'd come another time for another delicious pizza, we headed back out to a beach the breakfast waiter had said was "ahh-mazing!" We had some trouble finding it but instead stumbled upon Agios Konstantinos, a little cove where we stood out at the only non-Greeks. The water was cold but there was excellent shade for us to rest in so we swam, snorkeled, and even did a bit of rock-jumping. Back up on the beach we spent some time looking through the rocks lying in the sand and Sarah amazed Doug with her ability to find beautiful ones as well as bits of sea glass, some of which we kept. We stayed awhile longer until everyone had left but for one couple, grateful for some peace and quiet. But after awhile we noticed them repeatedly slamming something into the rocks and realized the man had caught an octopus with his bare hands while snorkeling and was eagerly trying to kill it. We opted not the stay and watch, so we packed up our things and Doug attempted to burnout and give their car a little sand-dusting on the way out.
We drove back to the campground and spent some time in the pool, then changed and went over to the campground's open-air restaurant to eat and watch the sunset, which happens late at about 9:15 PM. We ordered a meal and appetizers from the waitress, who had pretty bad English and seemed to insist on leaving her shorts unbuttoned at all times. For dinner Doug had French fries and tortellini while Sarah had fried zucchini (an attempt to incorporate some veggies) and buttered pasta with too much cheese. We snapped some pictures as the sun went down and enjoyed a leisurely dinner despite the fact that the staff were frantically bustling about trying to hang cheesecloth from the eaves, which we figured was in preparation for the high season.
Following dinner we showered, Sarah in one out of the four stalls whose lock was jammed, and we spent the remainder of the evening reading and relaxing. We slept, again pestered by the howling wind which rattled and shook our tent.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Day 8 - Welcome to Milos
Of course we were awakened early in the morning (2-3ish) by someone knocking loudly. Then we heard some guys yelling "Get up! They're kicking us out!" We don't exactly know what happened but they had trespassed somehow and the four of them had to leave. The rest of the night was quiet.
This morning we got up around 8:00 AM, showered, got ready and packed up our tent and things. We paid our 36 Euro bill at checkout and went up to central Fira to get some food for the ferry ride to Milos. We got Motion juice, which is excellent, some chocolate and strawberry mini-crossaints, and gummy bears for the ride.
We got to the bus station a bit early for the 10 AM bus and there was a bit of confusion finding the right bus to Athinios, but eventually we got on with our packs. The driver came up to me, shook his head and muttered some Greek, and took my pack to store in the side of the bus, leaving Doug with his. Sarah was a little worried, but when we got into Athinios at 10:25 it was there in the cargo hold just as it should be. We went into the passenger terminal and waited for our ferry, which arrived about 10 minutes before its 11 AM departure. We boarded and grabbed what we needed out of our packs since we had to leave them on the outside deck.
The ferry ride was uneventful, two hours long with one stop in Folegandros. It was not crowded, but we stayed in out seats which were 2nd row from the front. On the ride we journaled a bit and read our respective books. We were glad when the ride was over because we were tired and it was very cold on the ferry.
The ferry arrived in Adamas Port, Milos at 1:15 PM. First we went to the Tourist office and got some brochures, then walked down the quay a bit until we found a rent-a-car called Kozzmozz. We rented an ATV for the 6 days we will be in Milos, this one bigger and more powerful than the Santorini one for 175 Euros. We picked up the quad and our helmets and headed for out next campground, Achivadolimni Milos Camping which was 7 km away from Adamas. We got there and checked in, then went to scope out a campsite. Within 5 minutes, Doug's pack hit a flower tree and he got stung twice by a wasp. We decided to camp on the other side of the grounds. We set up our tent near the reception and they gave him some ointment for his "bee" sting, which brought down the swelling a bit. After we set up camp, we drove back into town to eat at a place called Flisvos, which was recommended in Lonely Planet. The waiter was so soft spoken that it was a bit awkward. They didn't have the vegetable plate that we wanted to order, so we both ended up getting pastitsio, which was supposedly a type of Greek lasagna. It was like a loaf of long macaroni noodles baked together with a quiche-like layer on top. It was almost good and not very fresh. We went to a little gelato place on the waterfront afterwards and Sarah had Toblerone flavor, which was chocolate but had some weird orange crunchies in it, unlike any candy bar. Doug had something really coconut-y.
After eating we drove back past the campsite to the nearby beach, Achivadolimni. The water was nice and refreshing, even though the small fish that kept following our feet scared Sarah a bit because she didn't want to lose a toe. After some time at the beach and the realization that our 1 Euro goggles fail completely, we headed back to the campground. We took a dip in the pool and journaled/read to the constant screeching hum of the annoying tree bugs which are everywhere here. We went to sleep early and slept pretty poorly because of the wind that rattled our tent.
This morning we got up around 8:00 AM, showered, got ready and packed up our tent and things. We paid our 36 Euro bill at checkout and went up to central Fira to get some food for the ferry ride to Milos. We got Motion juice, which is excellent, some chocolate and strawberry mini-crossaints, and gummy bears for the ride.
We got to the bus station a bit early for the 10 AM bus and there was a bit of confusion finding the right bus to Athinios, but eventually we got on with our packs. The driver came up to me, shook his head and muttered some Greek, and took my pack to store in the side of the bus, leaving Doug with his. Sarah was a little worried, but when we got into Athinios at 10:25 it was there in the cargo hold just as it should be. We went into the passenger terminal and waited for our ferry, which arrived about 10 minutes before its 11 AM departure. We boarded and grabbed what we needed out of our packs since we had to leave them on the outside deck.
The ferry ride was uneventful, two hours long with one stop in Folegandros. It was not crowded, but we stayed in out seats which were 2nd row from the front. On the ride we journaled a bit and read our respective books. We were glad when the ride was over because we were tired and it was very cold on the ferry.
The ferry arrived in Adamas Port, Milos at 1:15 PM. First we went to the Tourist office and got some brochures, then walked down the quay a bit until we found a rent-a-car called Kozzmozz. We rented an ATV for the 6 days we will be in Milos, this one bigger and more powerful than the Santorini one for 175 Euros. We picked up the quad and our helmets and headed for out next campground, Achivadolimni Milos Camping which was 7 km away from Adamas. We got there and checked in, then went to scope out a campsite. Within 5 minutes, Doug's pack hit a flower tree and he got stung twice by a wasp. We decided to camp on the other side of the grounds. We set up our tent near the reception and they gave him some ointment for his "bee" sting, which brought down the swelling a bit. After we set up camp, we drove back into town to eat at a place called Flisvos, which was recommended in Lonely Planet. The waiter was so soft spoken that it was a bit awkward. They didn't have the vegetable plate that we wanted to order, so we both ended up getting pastitsio, which was supposedly a type of Greek lasagna. It was like a loaf of long macaroni noodles baked together with a quiche-like layer on top. It was almost good and not very fresh. We went to a little gelato place on the waterfront afterwards and Sarah had Toblerone flavor, which was chocolate but had some weird orange crunchies in it, unlike any candy bar. Doug had something really coconut-y.
After eating we drove back past the campsite to the nearby beach, Achivadolimni. The water was nice and refreshing, even though the small fish that kept following our feet scared Sarah a bit because she didn't want to lose a toe. After some time at the beach and the realization that our 1 Euro goggles fail completely, we headed back to the campground. We took a dip in the pool and journaled/read to the constant screeching hum of the annoying tree bugs which are everywhere here. We went to sleep early and slept pretty poorly because of the wind that rattled our tent.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Day 7 - Hanging Poolside
This morning we got up around the usual time thanks to the rooster. We wanted another delicious breakfast, so we went back to Corner and sat outside again...of course, we also had the same waitress. Doug had the same thing as yesterday and I had a lemon-sugar crepe, both with fresh-squeezed orange juice, and we also shared a fruit salad with pear, apple, kiwi, nectarine, apple, orange, and banana.
We had no real desire to wind up on another disappointing beach, so after walking around Fira for awhile we decided to just spend out last day in Santorini lounging around and relaxing at the campground. After returning we bought an hour of internet access up by the pool bar and used it to research camping and beaches in Milos, our next island destination. We had about half an hour left so we wrote a nice, long and perhaps too-detailed e-mail home.
We decided just to hang out at the pool for the rest of the day. We settled under an umbrella in the shade and journaled, read, napped, swam, and read our travel books for about 5 hours or so. The waitress, who is very enthusiastic about happy hour, kept asking if we wanted drinks, but we only ordered spaghetti arrabiatta, which was rather bland instead of spicy but was not bad, probably because I love almost any kind of noodles.
After hanging out by the pool a bit longer, we got ready and headed up into Fira. We walked around for a bit and stumbled upon two restaurants recommended by Lonely Planet - NRG, which has crepes and waffles, and Stani, which has traditional Greek food and which we opted for. We walked up to their outdoor balcony (waitress: go upstairs to get better view and to get more hungry!), which has an alright view of the caldera. Two Greek girls came up shortly after us, and as they chain-smoked the waitress proceeded to dote on them and take their order first. Once she decided to help us, we ordered Cokes with a "Volcano" pizza for Doug and chicken with rice and potatoes for Sarah. The chicken was pretty dry and the rice a little bland, but at least there were some vegetables involved and the potatoes were good, as well as the pizza. After dinner we checked out the Fira nightlife one last time and then headed back to the campground hoping for a good night's rest.
We had no real desire to wind up on another disappointing beach, so after walking around Fira for awhile we decided to just spend out last day in Santorini lounging around and relaxing at the campground. After returning we bought an hour of internet access up by the pool bar and used it to research camping and beaches in Milos, our next island destination. We had about half an hour left so we wrote a nice, long and perhaps too-detailed e-mail home.
We decided just to hang out at the pool for the rest of the day. We settled under an umbrella in the shade and journaled, read, napped, swam, and read our travel books for about 5 hours or so. The waitress, who is very enthusiastic about happy hour, kept asking if we wanted drinks, but we only ordered spaghetti arrabiatta, which was rather bland instead of spicy but was not bad, probably because I love almost any kind of noodles.
After hanging out by the pool a bit longer, we got ready and headed up into Fira. We walked around for a bit and stumbled upon two restaurants recommended by Lonely Planet - NRG, which has crepes and waffles, and Stani, which has traditional Greek food and which we opted for. We walked up to their outdoor balcony (waitress: go upstairs to get better view and to get more hungry!), which has an alright view of the caldera. Two Greek girls came up shortly after us, and as they chain-smoked the waitress proceeded to dote on them and take their order first. Once she decided to help us, we ordered Cokes with a "Volcano" pizza for Doug and chicken with rice and potatoes for Sarah. The chicken was pretty dry and the rice a little bland, but at least there were some vegetables involved and the potatoes were good, as well as the pizza. After dinner we checked out the Fira nightlife one last time and then headed back to the campground hoping for a good night's rest.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Day 6 - All-Terrain Adventures
This morning we were rudely awakened at 5:30 AM by the noise of a screeching rooster that screamed for the next two hours solid - it was not a normal sounding rooster either, it sounded pretty demented. Doug took a sunrise walk while Sarah tried to get a little more sleep. Around 8:00 we both showered in the communal bathrooms and got ready, then headed up the hill to central Fira to get some breakfast. After some indecision, we decided to sit outside at a place called Corner. We ordered fresh-squeezed orange juice and this time we were not disappointed - it came in a wine glass, thick with pulp and the top covered with a fresh orange slice, neon colored straws sticking though the middle. The menu was very appetizing - an array of delicious-sounding crepes and waffles. Both of us decided to get a waffle that was covered with walnuts, honey, sugar, whipped cream, strawberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with an animal cracker. It was both impressive and delicious.
After eating we stopped by a place called Moto Chris to rent an ATV for the day. We had seen tons of people riding them and they seemed like a fun and convenient way to explore the island. It cost us 20 Euro for the day, so we rented a yellow one and got the rundown on how to use it.
We decided to drive to Oia (ee-uh) on the northern tip of the island, whereas Fira is fairly central. The ride took about 25 minutes and we stopped along the way to switch drivers and take some caldera-view pictures. We drove down a steep hill to get to Ammoudi, the quintessential little Greek port.
After some pictures, Doug push-started us and we were off on our slow descent back up the hill, pedal to the metal. Back in town we searched for snorkel goggles, found two pairs for 1 Euro each, and headed off to find a beach. We searched for about half an hour for a beach called Pori, winding through fields of grapes and hill-top houses. We eventually found a tiny little rocky beach, but it wasn't really swimable and there was no snorkeling so we got back onto the ATV and, thoroughly sunburned by this point, opted to try and find another beach called Vilchada. We got way lost going through the island's central valleys, but somehow ended up there eventually. There was striking sand cliffs above the beach, but our eyes were directed more to the very elderly, very nude couple visiting the beach with their granddaughter. The beach was nice but the water was again chilly and I was pretty burnt, so we didn't stay long and headed back to the campsite.
Once back at the campsite we went to the pool again, did some laundry, and I took a nap until about 7:30 PM. Then we returned the ATV and went back to the same pasta place since we were tired and I was embarrassed about looking like a lobster. This time we shared a cheese tortellini out by the pool and hit the sack (quite literally, sack being sleeping bag) pretty early.
After eating we stopped by a place called Moto Chris to rent an ATV for the day. We had seen tons of people riding them and they seemed like a fun and convenient way to explore the island. It cost us 20 Euro for the day, so we rented a yellow one and got the rundown on how to use it.
We decided to drive to Oia (ee-uh) on the northern tip of the island, whereas Fira is fairly central. The ride took about 25 minutes and we stopped along the way to switch drivers and take some caldera-view pictures. We drove down a steep hill to get to Ammoudi, the quintessential little Greek port.
After some pictures, Doug push-started us and we were off on our slow descent back up the hill, pedal to the metal. Back in town we searched for snorkel goggles, found two pairs for 1 Euro each, and headed off to find a beach. We searched for about half an hour for a beach called Pori, winding through fields of grapes and hill-top houses. We eventually found a tiny little rocky beach, but it wasn't really swimable and there was no snorkeling so we got back onto the ATV and, thoroughly sunburned by this point, opted to try and find another beach called Vilchada. We got way lost going through the island's central valleys, but somehow ended up there eventually. There was striking sand cliffs above the beach, but our eyes were directed more to the very elderly, very nude couple visiting the beach with their granddaughter. The beach was nice but the water was again chilly and I was pretty burnt, so we didn't stay long and headed back to the campsite.Once back at the campsite we went to the pool again, did some laundry, and I took a nap until about 7:30 PM. Then we returned the ATV and went back to the same pasta place since we were tired and I was embarrassed about looking like a lobster. This time we shared a cheese tortellini out by the pool and hit the sack (quite literally, sack being sleeping bag) pretty early.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Day 5 - Under the Santorini Sun
In the morning we got up around 7:00 and went to have breakfast, but nothing looked good so we decided to wait. We arrived at Athinios Port in Santorini around 8:15 AM. After disembarking from the ferry, we waited for the public bus while being solicited hotel rooms for 10 Euros (are you gullible?) and admiring the small port. We took the bus up to Fira on the top of the caldera for a few Euro. There at the bus station we met two other backpacking girls who were looking for Santorini Camping as well, one from New York and one from Colombia. We walked with them the half mile or less to the campground where we checked in. The campground has a pool, bar, market, restaurant, and other facilities for a less-than-bare-minimum camping experience. We found a shady spot to set up our tent in the dirt and were by then quite hungry, so we set out for the restaurant by the pool. We sat at the bar and ordered a French breakfast for each of us, which consisted of French toast, ham, cheese, bread with butter and jam, plus some orange juice which was like watered-down Sunny D, a disappointment after yesterday's fresh-squeezed.
After breakfast we rushed back into town to catch the 11:15 AM bus to Red Beach, which we had read was very nice. It dropped us off nowhere near a swimable beach, so we walked aways down the waterfront past some tavernas, then up a staircase. We walked awhile longer along a path and then it turned into more of a hike up the red rock cliffs which reminded me of Lake Havasu. We came to the peak and saw the beach below us, lined with umbrellas and crowded with people. After scaling down the peak we tentatively took a seat under an umbrella but of course we were approached within minutes by a woman demanding seven Euros for its use, so we carried on down the beach past the crowds to settle in the sand. The water was pretty, but once we disturbed the water pieces of seaweed floated up and coasted everything. It was deceptive to look through the water since everything looked like a rock with a mossy covering. It was really windy and hot, but the water was still very cold. We spent about an hour or two at the beach and then headed out. We passed a cafe on the way out and stopped for a pizza and a Coke, which were refreshing. We weren't exactly sure when the bus back to Fira left, so we made it back to the stop by 3:00 PM. We got ice creams and waited while a little mommy dog begged us for some and we let her clean up after us. We ended up waiting for the bus for an hour.
Once we were back at the campground we took a quick dip in the pool, which was very crowded, and then sort of accidentally crashed for a nap until about 9:00 PM! We were hungry so we walked up into town to find some food. After wandering the streets with the rest of the bustling nighttime crowd, we decided to get some spaghetti for takeaway. I had spaghetti with tomato sauce and Doug had tortellini with a cheese/alfredo sauce. Then we headed back to the campsite, hung out for a bit relaxing, and went to sleep.
After breakfast we rushed back into town to catch the 11:15 AM bus to Red Beach, which we had read was very nice. It dropped us off nowhere near a swimable beach, so we walked aways down the waterfront past some tavernas, then up a staircase. We walked awhile longer along a path and then it turned into more of a hike up the red rock cliffs which reminded me of Lake Havasu. We came to the peak and saw the beach below us, lined with umbrellas and crowded with people. After scaling down the peak we tentatively took a seat under an umbrella but of course we were approached within minutes by a woman demanding seven Euros for its use, so we carried on down the beach past the crowds to settle in the sand. The water was pretty, but once we disturbed the water pieces of seaweed floated up and coasted everything. It was deceptive to look through the water since everything looked like a rock with a mossy covering. It was really windy and hot, but the water was still very cold. We spent about an hour or two at the beach and then headed out. We passed a cafe on the way out and stopped for a pizza and a Coke, which were refreshing. We weren't exactly sure when the bus back to Fira left, so we made it back to the stop by 3:00 PM. We got ice creams and waited while a little mommy dog begged us for some and we let her clean up after us. We ended up waiting for the bus for an hour.
Once we were back at the campground we took a quick dip in the pool, which was very crowded, and then sort of accidentally crashed for a nap until about 9:00 PM! We were hungry so we walked up into town to find some food. After wandering the streets with the rest of the bustling nighttime crowd, we decided to get some spaghetti for takeaway. I had spaghetti with tomato sauce and Doug had tortellini with a cheese/alfredo sauce. Then we headed back to the campsite, hung out for a bit relaxing, and went to sleep.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Day 4 - Athens Attractions
Well, the whole getting a good night's sleep idea didn't work out so well for us. Both of us found ourselves struggling to sleep, probably from a combination of jet lag and the late nap we took. Doug didn't sleep at all, whereas I got about three hours. We decided to get out of bed around 5 AM, and we got our things together to go into Athens. We figured we would eat breakfast once we were in Athens, so we headed out of the hotel and over to the airport metro station. We got our tickets from a self-service kiosk and headed down to the platform. We boarded the Metro Line headed for Monastiraki, which is near the Acropolis. The metro was very clean and nice, and the ride took about 40 minutes.
We wandered out of the Monastiraki station into the practically-deserted streets of Athens. All we knew was the general direction to the Acropolis (up!), so we followed a few other obvious tourists toward the hill. We had read in Lonely Planet (our travel bible) that entrance was free on Sundays, but that wasn't true when we were there. Entrance was 12 Euros, which we didn't want to pay, but they ended up having a student discount for me (free up to age 19) and one for Doug (6 Euros) so we decided to go. There were tons of people and a few ragged doggies there, and it was super windy, dusty and hot. We pretty much just took the necessary pictures and came back down since I wasn't feeling very good from not eating. We met a couple from Minnesota outside the backcheck who wished us luck and "godspeed."
After seeing the necessary sights we came down the hill, wandering without direction down the narrow streets, and picked a small taverna to eat breakfast at. We sat outside and had some amazing fresh-squeezed orange juice, fresh melty chocolate crossaints, a cheese omelette, and some bread and butter. The meal was a delicious and much-needed pick-me-up. We didn't really know what to do from there, so we just walked around checking out the streets and the Sunday flea market. There was a funny old man walking around pushing a music box and singing really high-pitched and squeaky, which we have been imitating ever since.
When we finally got too hot to keep wandering around, we bought some water for cheap and a metro ticket to Piraeus, the port where our Athens-Santorini ferry would leave from at 10:30 that night. We waited a few minutes for the metro, and it was super packed when it got there. Doug and I were barely able to get on and we were separated by a bunch of people for the 20 minute standing room only ride during I stepped on a Greek man's plastic-wrapped purchases and observed a forty-something man fondling his barely legal girlfriend.
When we finally got to Piraeus it was tough to find the gate we were supposed to leave from, E3. We walked around the hot port and finally found it after going in the wrong direction for some 20 minutes or so. We intended to spend our waiting hours at the purportedly nearby beach, but it was apparenly farther from our gate than it had looked on the map. The city was very loud, bustling and dirty run-down, so we didn't feel very safe venturing out to find the beach. We decided to pick up our ferry tickets, so we wandered until we found the Anek Lines office. We waited in line in the thankfully air-conditioned office and got our boarding passes despite an ongoing confrontation between a line-cutter and the cuttee.
Reluctant to leave the air-conditioned office, we headed over to an enclosed passenger waiting area, which smelled heavily of cigarette smoke and was kept a little too cold. We waited in there from about 1:30 until 4:00 PM, trying to sleep on the uncomfortable chairs and being bugged by solicitors. We though we'd go out then and find some food to bring on the ferry with us, so we followed our map to where the supermarket was. The market, of course, was closed on Sunday so we returned to the port emtpy-handed. We passed the remaining time before boarding in another waiting area which housed a Starbucks. We shared a piece of chocolate truffle cake and a chocolate cream frappucino. I slept on and off but we were both extremely tired by 8:30 PM when we were allowed to board.
We checked in and were very relieved to get our key and be escorted to our cabin, which had two beds and a small bathroom. We went to a self-service cafeteria and shared a plate of strawberries, french fries, spaghetti (we asked for tomato sauce but were given meat sauce - the beginning of the end of our vegetarianism for the trip's duration) and a slice of chocolate cake. After eating we returned to our cabin, where we both took showers, drenching the floor, toilet, everything in shower water, and then went to sleep. We slept well except for the loudspeaker announcements of our stops in Naxos and Paros and the too-frequent safety reminders.
* the kitty pictures are ones Sarah took on the way up to the Acropolis.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Day 1/2/3 - Leaving on a Jet Plane
This morning we were up at 7 AM to take my brother Jared to school. We spent the rest of the morning packing and running last minute errands. My mom came home around noon and once we had everything together we left for Long Beach to meet up with my grandparents fo lunch. We picked them up from their house and drove over to Second Street to eat at La Creperie. I had a garlic-basic pesto pasta and Doug had a Croque Monsieur minus the ham. Both were really amazing. We had trouble deciding on which dessert crepes to share but settled on a lemon butter and sugar as well as a strawberry and dark chocolate ganache with whipped cream. Over the meal we talked about the trip as well as last summer's adventure in Africa, plus some other random things and shared some helpful travel tips.
After we ate we drove back to their house to visit Hailey, a chocolate lab whom they are babysitting for my uncle and aunt Jim and Val. We hung out at their house for awhile, checking out the sea terns that nest across the street and discussing possible trips for next summer (Costa Rica and Nepal are my two top candidates). Around 4:30 we said our goodbyes and received many wishes of good luck, and set out to wait in traffic on our drive to the airport.
We arrived at LAX around 6 PM. After parking, we worked on bundling our pack straps so they wouldn't get caught in the luggage carriers or carousels and then got in the British Airways line to check in. When we got to the desk I had to explain to the lady how STA Travel had screwed up my name during booking, inputting it as Dooden instead of Wooden, so after some trouble she noted it on my boarding pass and all was well. We dropped our bags off at security and went upstairs to get a snack with my mom. I got a rather stale chocolate crossaint and Doug had an ice cream. We sat down for awhile and chatted as the planes roared by outside the panoramic windows, then bought a Sudoku boook and said by to my mom. I told her she had better walk our toy poodle, Brandy, while I was gone....Bran had gievn me the saddest look when I left the house, something she had heart-breakingly perfected over the years.
After going through security (guard to me: "wait...so what IS your name?"), we walked to your gate to wait for the boarding call. A nice British guy gave me Sudoku tips and questioned my beginner abilities, telling my how good his daughter was at it while I smiled politely and nodded occasionally. We also made some final calls home to say goodbye. The boarding started at 8:35 PM, and we were in the very back row by choice, hoping the seats would still recline - they did! - with me on the aisle and Doug next to a friendly mother with braces (woman to us: "thank God we're not all big!).
I was excited to watch Sweeney Todd (even though the ending had been ruined for me some time ago outside MiMi's Cafe) and Doug weatched some sitcoms before we were served dinner, which of course wasn't vegetarian because they hadn't given us an option to request it so. We had ginger ales, carrots, nasty mashed potatoes, rolls, salad, and lemon cheesecake; we left the chicken behind. I finished watching my movie, which seemed rather pointless but was thoroughly entertaining and made me want to go back to the London Dungeon. Doug was already asleep, so I pulled out my iPod, put on my default sleeping CD, Foo Fighters "In Your Honor" Disc 2 on repeat, put my eyeshades on, and fell asleep. The rest of the flight consisted of sleeping off and on, small stretch breaks back by the lavatories, a lot of dry mouth, and a breakfast of egg salad sandwiches which I didn't eat. After the ten hour flight, we got into London Heathrow at 2 PM (about 7 AM our time).
We went through security, where the women in front of us had to taste test every jar of baby food she had with her, and found a place to eat lunch among the Prada, MAC, and Dior shops. We had lunch at a place called Giraffe. Doug and I shared orange juice, a little caesar salad, and an excellent bowl of veggie penne margherita with cheese. The meal we a bit expensive ($26.00) but we needed good food to refuel and get the airplane food taste out of our mouths.
After lunch we found a little seating area next to a caviar bar to wait out our layover in, our flight scheduled to leave at 8:55 PM and the gate not yet listed. I laid down across some chairs and took a few short but really awesome naps. We also bought some water to take on the next flight with us. About 45 minutes before our flight they put up the gate and we headed over there to wait for boarding. On this plane we were also in the last row, but this time just the two of us with me at the window and Doug on the aisle. The flight was three hours, during which we both slept a bit, read, and talked, trying to hear ourselves over the guy in the cowboy hat in front of us (and we witnessed the flight attendant give him some sort of brown medicine which she said she could get into a lot of trouble for dispensing) who talked to his friend the whole time. We inquired about the vegetarian meal we had requested, but apparently we weren't on the list (go figure) so they have us chicken, which came with green beans, carrots, a roll, and apple rice pudding. We of course both had another ginger ale to drink. When the flight attendant came around offering tea I asked for some. It looked really dark and strong, but I was excited for it - until I tried it. It was most definitely coffee and not tea. She had been carrying to wrong pot!
We got into Athens International Airport at 2:15 AM local time. We went through passport control and waited only a few minutes for our packs at the baggage claim. We exited the building and sure enough, right across the street all lit up in blue was the Sofitel where we had early check in and reservations for the following night thanks to my grandparents' generosity. We went up to reception, armed with printed e-mails insuring we could check in at 3 AM. The receptionist couldn't find a reservation for us under either my grandparent's last name nor mine as well as no notice for early check-in, so we presented her with the series of e-mails. She spoke to her manager and finally, after declaring there had been a misunderstanding, simply gave us the key to room 544 and we, confused and reasonably tired, went up to the 5th floor to our room.
In the room, which we really nice, we both took showers and soaked in the tub a bit, and then had a snack of chocolate Teddy Grahams and got ready for bed. We finally went to sleep around 4 AM, the room pitch black so we could easily sleep well into the day. I woke up around 11 AM, but both of us continued to sleep off and on until about 1 PM. Then we got up and got ready to head across the street to the airport to get some things done. We got some Euros from the ATM, picked up a map and some brochures, and used the timed free internet to e-mail home. We were unable to type in the email box for some reason, so we had to write the whole e-mail in the subject line! We walked up and down the arrivals hall three times in search of food, but found only two cafes with identical collections of drinks, pastries, and sandwiches. We got a Coke, a Powerade, a donut, a tuna sandwich, and some waters after waiting in the line twice because the first time they forgot the donut.
We took our food back to our room. The donut (to Jared's jealousy, I'm sure) was filled not with chocolate but with Nutella. After eating we both sort of drifted off to sleep for about an hour and a half. When we woke it was 5:30 PM, and we journaled and read for awhile before journeying back across the street for dinner at 7 PM. Doug had found out that there was a food court up one more level from arrivals, so we went up to Sbarro, the place with the huge pizza slices. I had a slice stuffed with spinach, cheese, and broccoli plus a peach iced tea. Doug had a slice of cheese with a really delicious bottle of carbonated lemonade. Then once more we headed back to our room, but the maids were cleaning even though we had a Do Not Disturb sign up. We killed time by going up to the 9th Floor to scope out the pool, which was nice but a bit hot and everyone's swimming noises echoed annoyingly.
When we got back to the room we soon got a call from reception saying that we should have checked out at noon (!), so we went down to speak with the front desk. We again showed the e-mails, and the receptionist made copies of them and said that depending on her records of the e-mails we may be charged for a second night since technically we should have been. She told us to go back up and wait for her to call. I was pretty angry about this, since it was the reservations agent who had made the mistake, not us, and I didn't particularly want to spend the night in the airport given that we couldn't afford a 400 Euro/night price tag. We waited anxiously until about 10:30 PM (an hour and a half) for her to call and say they wouldn't charge us for another night - damn straight you won't!
Relieved, we both got ready for bed. I washed some clothes in the sink, and we both worked on our journals and listened to music until about 12:30 AM. In the morning we head into central Athens for some serious pack-toting, camera-clicking sight-seeing.
After we ate we drove back to their house to visit Hailey, a chocolate lab whom they are babysitting for my uncle and aunt Jim and Val. We hung out at their house for awhile, checking out the sea terns that nest across the street and discussing possible trips for next summer (Costa Rica and Nepal are my two top candidates). Around 4:30 we said our goodbyes and received many wishes of good luck, and set out to wait in traffic on our drive to the airport.
We arrived at LAX around 6 PM. After parking, we worked on bundling our pack straps so they wouldn't get caught in the luggage carriers or carousels and then got in the British Airways line to check in. When we got to the desk I had to explain to the lady how STA Travel had screwed up my name during booking, inputting it as Dooden instead of Wooden, so after some trouble she noted it on my boarding pass and all was well. We dropped our bags off at security and went upstairs to get a snack with my mom. I got a rather stale chocolate crossaint and Doug had an ice cream. We sat down for awhile and chatted as the planes roared by outside the panoramic windows, then bought a Sudoku boook and said by to my mom. I told her she had better walk our toy poodle, Brandy, while I was gone....Bran had gievn me the saddest look when I left the house, something she had heart-breakingly perfected over the years.
After going through security (guard to me: "wait...so what IS your name?"), we walked to your gate to wait for the boarding call. A nice British guy gave me Sudoku tips and questioned my beginner abilities, telling my how good his daughter was at it while I smiled politely and nodded occasionally. We also made some final calls home to say goodbye. The boarding started at 8:35 PM, and we were in the very back row by choice, hoping the seats would still recline - they did! - with me on the aisle and Doug next to a friendly mother with braces (woman to us: "thank God we're not all big!).
I was excited to watch Sweeney Todd (even though the ending had been ruined for me some time ago outside MiMi's Cafe) and Doug weatched some sitcoms before we were served dinner, which of course wasn't vegetarian because they hadn't given us an option to request it so. We had ginger ales, carrots, nasty mashed potatoes, rolls, salad, and lemon cheesecake; we left the chicken behind. I finished watching my movie, which seemed rather pointless but was thoroughly entertaining and made me want to go back to the London Dungeon. Doug was already asleep, so I pulled out my iPod, put on my default sleeping CD, Foo Fighters "In Your Honor" Disc 2 on repeat, put my eyeshades on, and fell asleep. The rest of the flight consisted of sleeping off and on, small stretch breaks back by the lavatories, a lot of dry mouth, and a breakfast of egg salad sandwiches which I didn't eat. After the ten hour flight, we got into London Heathrow at 2 PM (about 7 AM our time).
We went through security, where the women in front of us had to taste test every jar of baby food she had with her, and found a place to eat lunch among the Prada, MAC, and Dior shops. We had lunch at a place called Giraffe. Doug and I shared orange juice, a little caesar salad, and an excellent bowl of veggie penne margherita with cheese. The meal we a bit expensive ($26.00) but we needed good food to refuel and get the airplane food taste out of our mouths.
After lunch we found a little seating area next to a caviar bar to wait out our layover in, our flight scheduled to leave at 8:55 PM and the gate not yet listed. I laid down across some chairs and took a few short but really awesome naps. We also bought some water to take on the next flight with us. About 45 minutes before our flight they put up the gate and we headed over there to wait for boarding. On this plane we were also in the last row, but this time just the two of us with me at the window and Doug on the aisle. The flight was three hours, during which we both slept a bit, read, and talked, trying to hear ourselves over the guy in the cowboy hat in front of us (and we witnessed the flight attendant give him some sort of brown medicine which she said she could get into a lot of trouble for dispensing) who talked to his friend the whole time. We inquired about the vegetarian meal we had requested, but apparently we weren't on the list (go figure) so they have us chicken, which came with green beans, carrots, a roll, and apple rice pudding. We of course both had another ginger ale to drink. When the flight attendant came around offering tea I asked for some. It looked really dark and strong, but I was excited for it - until I tried it. It was most definitely coffee and not tea. She had been carrying to wrong pot!
We got into Athens International Airport at 2:15 AM local time. We went through passport control and waited only a few minutes for our packs at the baggage claim. We exited the building and sure enough, right across the street all lit up in blue was the Sofitel where we had early check in and reservations for the following night thanks to my grandparents' generosity. We went up to reception, armed with printed e-mails insuring we could check in at 3 AM. The receptionist couldn't find a reservation for us under either my grandparent's last name nor mine as well as no notice for early check-in, so we presented her with the series of e-mails. She spoke to her manager and finally, after declaring there had been a misunderstanding, simply gave us the key to room 544 and we, confused and reasonably tired, went up to the 5th floor to our room.
In the room, which we really nice, we both took showers and soaked in the tub a bit, and then had a snack of chocolate Teddy Grahams and got ready for bed. We finally went to sleep around 4 AM, the room pitch black so we could easily sleep well into the day. I woke up around 11 AM, but both of us continued to sleep off and on until about 1 PM. Then we got up and got ready to head across the street to the airport to get some things done. We got some Euros from the ATM, picked up a map and some brochures, and used the timed free internet to e-mail home. We were unable to type in the email box for some reason, so we had to write the whole e-mail in the subject line! We walked up and down the arrivals hall three times in search of food, but found only two cafes with identical collections of drinks, pastries, and sandwiches. We got a Coke, a Powerade, a donut, a tuna sandwich, and some waters after waiting in the line twice because the first time they forgot the donut.
We took our food back to our room. The donut (to Jared's jealousy, I'm sure) was filled not with chocolate but with Nutella. After eating we both sort of drifted off to sleep for about an hour and a half. When we woke it was 5:30 PM, and we journaled and read for awhile before journeying back across the street for dinner at 7 PM. Doug had found out that there was a food court up one more level from arrivals, so we went up to Sbarro, the place with the huge pizza slices. I had a slice stuffed with spinach, cheese, and broccoli plus a peach iced tea. Doug had a slice of cheese with a really delicious bottle of carbonated lemonade. Then once more we headed back to our room, but the maids were cleaning even though we had a Do Not Disturb sign up. We killed time by going up to the 9th Floor to scope out the pool, which was nice but a bit hot and everyone's swimming noises echoed annoyingly.
When we got back to the room we soon got a call from reception saying that we should have checked out at noon (!), so we went down to speak with the front desk. We again showed the e-mails, and the receptionist made copies of them and said that depending on her records of the e-mails we may be charged for a second night since technically we should have been. She told us to go back up and wait for her to call. I was pretty angry about this, since it was the reservations agent who had made the mistake, not us, and I didn't particularly want to spend the night in the airport given that we couldn't afford a 400 Euro/night price tag. We waited anxiously until about 10:30 PM (an hour and a half) for her to call and say they wouldn't charge us for another night - damn straight you won't!
Relieved, we both got ready for bed. I washed some clothes in the sink, and we both worked on our journals and listened to music until about 12:30 AM. In the morning we head into central Athens for some serious pack-toting, camera-clicking sight-seeing.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Epic European Backpacking Adventure
So tomorrow we leave on this so-called adventure...
but here is an introduction to our plans.
We are going to spend a month in Europe, visiting, in this order:
1. Athens, Greece (aka the mainland)
2. Santorini, Greece (aka Greek Isles)
3. Milos, Greece (see 2.)
4. Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice)
5. Switzerland (Zermatt, Grindlewald)
6. Paris, France
7. London, England
It should be interesting. It is Doug's first time to Europe and Sarah's...what, ninth? We will be living out of our backpacks for the duration, so we will see how it goes!
but here is an introduction to our plans.
We are going to spend a month in Europe, visiting, in this order:
1. Athens, Greece (aka the mainland)
2. Santorini, Greece (aka Greek Isles)
3. Milos, Greece (see 2.)
4. Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice)
5. Switzerland (Zermatt, Grindlewald)
6. Paris, France
7. London, England
It should be interesting. It is Doug's first time to Europe and Sarah's...what, ninth? We will be living out of our backpacks for the duration, so we will see how it goes!
Prologue
Given the number of exciting things we have going on this summer, we have decided to chronicle not only this summer's never-ending adventures and travels, but hopefully to continue to do so as we see more of the world. We will be dating them
For those of you that don't know us, our names are Doug and Sarah. We are 21 and 19 years old, respectively, both from Southern California. We have been together almost two years now, and hope to see many more amazing things together in the future.
Without further adieu....
here goes nothing!
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