Islands here we come!

Island time kind of got away from me this week as we started the relaxing part of our Grecian vacation.

We started the Greek isles by going to Mykonos, but just for the day. Unlike the rest of this vacation, BK and I had to wake up before the crack of dawn (5am) to get to Rafina Port in Athens to catch a speed boat to Mykonos. You can take all kinds of different types of boats when you're island hoping, but if you take the slow ferries it takes much longer to get between them- 6 hours from Athens to Mykonos versus 2.5 on the speed boat we took. I think you can also go by plane, but I'm not familiar with that option either. For me, any of the options mean sleep because I will no doubt be taking motion sickness medicine for the journey.

A note on the ferries: they are a disaster and complete chaos when it comes to boarding and unloading. First of all, when you board, the boat may or may not even be on time. Our first one that left on time, but my impression is that's only because we were the first journey of the day. Our ferry from Mykonos to Santorini was about two hours late and the one from Santorini to Crete was about an hour late. The worst thing about this is that apparently they're "always late". Why not just change the timetable if you can't make the time? When you unload, people are trying to push their way out, your luggage is not anywhere close to where you are sitting so you have to go against the flow of traffic and the boat staff is typically yelling at everyone. Not the greatest customer experience, but still an efficient and affordable way to get around. I would highly recommend pre-booking your tickets online so you don't miss out on the boat you want to take, as they are generally pretty crowded. 

Fishing boats in Mykonos Old Port

Now onto Mykonos...I honestly have to say, overall I was not that impressed. We arrived into the new port, which seems to be just around the cove from the old port, so you're not out in the middle of no where or anything. The thing that struck me most is that it's really dirty. I got off the ferry hoping to step out and smell the fresh ocean air, but instead was hit in the face with the overwhelming smell of exhaust from all of the ferries, ships, buses, taxis and cars idling in the port area. There is also a lot of trash everywhere, which is disappointing for such a beautiful place to be disrespected by its residents and visitors.



Mykonos coastline

We only had six hours or so in Mykonos, which really isn't enough time to do the island justice (take that into consideration when I say I was a little underwhelmed). We didn't venture too far out of the Old Town, simply due to the fact that we were unsure about how long things would take and also know that we would want to explore around Old Town some. We walked around the ports first then headed up the hill a little bit to check out the windmills that Mykonos is somewhat known for. We explored the coast and a couple of beaches a bit then headed back to Old Town. The coastline and water was beautiful- the water is vivid shades of blue and the coastline is extremely rocky. 

The Mykonos Old Town is really nice, with lots of narrow, twisting cobblestone streets lined with small shops selling everything from random touristy stuff to high-end handbags. We did a little bit of shopping, stopped at a couple of churches, then pretty much just hung out at a cafe reading, people watching and enjoying fresh seafood for lunch. It was actually a really relaxing afternoon.



Our view during lunch

After a bit of waiting, we boarded our second high speed ferry of the day and headed to Santorini, where we would relax for the next three days. If we come back to Greece, I'm not sure that I would put Mykonos on the list again, but mostly because I really enjoyed the other islands we visited. I've also heard that if you're looking for a wilder nightlife, Mykonos is a great place. Santorini on the other hand, I would go back there in a heartbeat, but more about that coming up soon.

Athens day two- at our own pace

Our second day in Athens was taken at our own pace and not dictated by anyone else's schedule. With the general strike still going on, we knew we needed to get out relatively early to make it to various monuments before the deadline of 3pm. From our hotel we hopped on the Metro (subway) and headed back to the Acropolis area.

When you arrive in Monastiraki Square you are greeted with bustling activity. It's a lively place day and night, and at night seems to be a gathering place for young people. Always trying to make sure I have food available should hunger strike, I was pleased that there are also a number of vendors selling fresh fruit in the square. You can also go explore the Athens Flea Market, which apparently goes on all week long, but that's not really our thing.

We headed up to see the Roman and Athenian Agoras again, but up close this time, along with the National Observatory, which gives you another great view of the Acropolis and surrounding parts of the city. We also went to visit the Dionysus Theatre, which was okay, but nothing too exciting- you actually have a better view of it from the top of the Acropolis. 

The best thing we did on our second day was, by far, the Acropolis Museum. Kudos to the planners and architects who designed and built it, because it is really interesting and a very cool concept.  Many sections and artifacts that used to be part of the Parthenon are now housed in the museum, and the top floor is actually laid out just like the Parthenon, with eight columns on each end and 17 columns down each side. The parts of the top around the roof and many of the sculptures are placed exactly as they would have been on the Parthenon, which gives you a really good idea of what it would actually be like if it was all still intact. You should also take time to watch the video on Floor 2, as it helps you understand the purpose of the structure and various types of buildings it has been transformed into (Christian church, mosque, etc). The other floors of the museum are dedicated to other structures within the Acropolis such as the Temple of Athena Nike. At only 5 Euro it's absolutely worth a visit.

When you walk around the entire area surrounding the Acropolis, on any side, there is tons of stuff to see and do. The Plaka area specifically is a neighborhood known for its shops and cafes, so BK and I had lunch in the area and spent the majority of the afternoon walking around looking at shops and people watching. Dinner was quite an experience, that deserves its own post- we went into foodie land and got some crazy gastro cuisine. At the same time we discovered that even though we like nice meals, foodies we are not.

I forgot to take pics with my iPhone during the day, so I didn't get any pics to post for this one. I've gotten better though and will put some in my post about Mykonos tomorrow!

It's all Greek to me

Our first day in Athens was really good. The night we arrived, we made it around 9ish and then had dinner at the rooftop restaurant at our hotel. The food was pretty good, the views of the Acropolis were amazing, but the service was terrible. Around midnight we were finally done with dinner and turned in for the night.

We started our first day with a visit to the National Archeological Museum. The museum has many statues, pottery and some ruins and also gives you a good outline of Athenian and Greek history. The best exhibit they have right now is one about a ship wreck. I thought it was really cool to see pieces that had been partially submerged in the sea floor, as the half that was submerged was preserved perfectly and the other half had all kinds of damage from being in the open sea. The museum is worth a trip if you like to look at relics from ancient civilizations and things like that. I personally can only handle so much of it, so it wasn't my favorite thing that we've done. We stopped for lunch at a great place called Alexandra that is traditional Greek food. I would definitely recommend if you're in the area.

The remainder of our day was spent on a private tour that I booked to take us around Athens and to Cape Sounio. When coming to Greece you do have to keep in mind that things can still be a little volatile, nothing major, but with an unemployment rate of over 27%, people generally have something to say about it. So, for our two full days in Athens all of the government managed monuments closed at 3pm due to a general strike by workers.

Parthenon

In Athens we hit a lot of the big sites and our driver took us around to many neighborhoods and local spots, always explaining the history and any significance. We started at the Acropolis, hiking up to see all of the various monuments, such as the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike and Temple of Rome and Augustus. It was pretty amazing, especially considering that it was built around 2500 years ago. At times it can be hard to tell what you're looking at without a map because the ruins- what's left of them- look like a pile of rocks. From the Acropolis you can also see many other sites such as Theatre of Dionysus, Temple of Zeus, and the Roman and Athenian Agoras.

Then we took a little time driving through Plaka, the neighborhood and markets just below the Acropolis. We also stopped at the first Olympic stadium, which happens to be the only stadium in the world made of marble; went to the Hill of Lycabettis, which has 360 degree views of the city, all the way to the coast; saw the changing of the guard at the Presidential House; then did a drive by of the Parliament  building and National Library. The Parliament building was disappointing and surprisingly ugly. You would think with all of the architecture and history in Athens they would have done something good with it, but it's just not so.

After hitting some of the highlights, we headed out toward Cape Sounio where Poseidon is located. It was about 7Okm outside of Athens, and on our way out we drove through many of the upscale suburbs and coastal towns. There are beautiful views of the Aegean Sea and many secluded beach areas and coves along the coast. 

 

We ended our day at Poseidon at sunset. We enjoyed a light snack at the restaurant just below the monument, then walked up just before sunset to enjoy the view. It was really beautiful and made me realize that I'm really looking forward to exploring and seeing the islands later in our trip.

We then headed back into the city and had our driver drop us off at a little restaurant called Kuzina. The food was very good and it was a nice relaxing way to end the day. We're wrapping up our second day now; much more to come!