Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Roma, day one! When we checked in to our hostel yesterday, they gave us a map of Rome and pretty much a route to take to see the sights. It was great! We were also told that Vatican would be better on Tuesday and rest of Rome on Wednesday because the pope gives his Wednesday address at the Vatican and it would be super busy. We had to check out this morning but were told just to leave our bags in the room, the key on the bed. Well, this older Italian lady who presumably cleans the rooms, came by and was telling us we couldn’t leave our bags and had to take them. She was confused as to why we left the key on the bed and just kind of yelling random Italian things. She didn’t speak a word of English so we just decided to comply and take our bags to reception to make life easier. So we grabbed our things, Heather took the elevator first (only fits one of us with all of our bags) and I waited for her to send it back up. In the meantime, the Italian lady had called the main reception and was talking to them and pointing at me. HAHA! She called me to come to the phone as I was about to get in the elevator. So I made my way to the phone and spoke to guy in reception. He said we could leave our bags that it was a misunderstanding but Heather had already left and I was still wearing my pack so we just brought them down anyhow. The people in reception were great and we all had a good laugh about it. Then we grabbed our free breakfast at the cafe around the corner. It was a homemade croissant and cafe or cappuccino. It was really yummy! A traditional Italian breakfast! We came back to use the internet for a little while since we don’t have wifi and needed to make some bookings/check our email. So by early afternoon we were again hungry and ready to go to the Vatican. We stopped at this little place on the way to the train station and everything looked so good. We ended up sharing lasagne, stuffed tomatoes and pizza and generous helpings of all. We were so stuffed after that and had to get to the Vatican before we didn’t make it. So we took the bus to the Vatican and were told by others that it is a good idea to do a walking tour so you skip the lines and actually know what you are looking at and for. So we joined this Californian girls tour and were the first to sign up. So we had to wait until a group was formed. It was ridiculous, in total we ended up waiting almost 2 hours before the tour started. We had some real winners in our group too. There was this mother/daughter from California and they were super dense. They forgot something everywhere we stopped and asked the most ridiculous questions. The guide would just finish explaining something and she would ask something that she had just said. We were really annoyed. They were also the last to arrive and would leave the tour to go to the souvenir shops...we all had to wait for them. It was a big waste of our day. The tour as a whole was really good though and the guide was great! However, we didn’t get to go up St. Peter’s basilica because it closed at 5pm and we missed it. We went down into the catacombs where all of the pope’s tombs are kept. It was really neat. At John Paul II’s tomb there was a security guard and a roped off area for people to pray or pay respect in front of the tomb. Quite interesting! We weren’t allowed to take pictures down there but we did everywhere except at JP II because the guard wouldn’t let you. It was the same in the Sistine chapel, you weren’t allowed any videography or photography but people were anyhow. It was also supposed to be completely silent, and wasn’t and the dress code of covered shoulders and knees wasn’t strictly enforced. There was a “situation” though! There was a young Aussie guy who was wearing a “wife beater” shirt and short shorts. He had to buy a scarf for his shoulders and to wear around his waist to cover his knees. The guide said it would be fine and it was only for St. Paul’s church and the Sistine chapel. Well, when we got through the security check and were on our way into the Vatican museum, a security guard came over and told the guide that he wouldn’t accept that dress. The guy put on the scarves and still the guy wouldn’t allow it. Which, he was annoyed about because it was fine for girls and should be the same treatment but obviously wasn’t. After much discussion, the man said the guy would have to go back out and get a t-shirt and then could be allowed in. The guy was embarrassed and angry so he left and met with the tour manager to get his refund. It was unfortunate but I guess that’s what you get for wearing short shorts. Haha! Our guide later told us that the guard was actually just demoted to a lesser power position at Vatican and was on a bit of a power trip. The Aussie guy was quite built and she thinks he was intimidated by him and had to use his “power” to make himself feel superior. It was pretty dramatic but our day was good! After the tour and then the catacombs we peeked into the gift shop, mailed some postcards from Vatican post and had a look inside of St. Peter’s basilica. It was a massive well I guess it should be since it is the biggest Roman Catholic Church in the world. It had so much marble and gold in it, it was overwhelming. Really amazing! The alter was really big and neat that St. Peter is actually buried under it. It even had confessional booths! We were both quite overwhelmed after seeing it all! Heather’s favourite part was the basilica and mine the funny looking Swiss guards and we both really loved the Sistine chapel. So much history and Michelangelo was quite the interesting character. To look at the ceiling of the Sistine chapel and the alter wall with “The last judgement” was spectacular. It took him a total of 4 years to paint the ceiling and 6 years to paint “the last judgement” so he spent 10 years in the Sistine chapel and didn’t want to do it to begin with. Painting was also not his specialty, he was a sculptor by trade and hated doing these paintings. It was funny to see the subtle paybacks he incorporated into his paintings. There is a bare bum facing down over the Pope’s seat in the Sistine chapel and a few more things. Pretty incredible! Vatican done! We went down to Sant Angelo castle and took a little look around. We wandered back towards the bus stop and Heather bartered for a new cheap pair of sunnies and we found some Piazza’s to look around. It was neat! We ended up in some back alley’s lined with shops and restaurants. We finally found one that we decided to stop at for supper. It was really cute and had an outdoor terrace, like all the rest! We were convinced to order the appetizer special which was massive. It had bruscetta, prosciutto, salami, mozzarella, tomatoes, and melon. It was amazing but really big. We also had pasta plates coming each. Oy vei! Another gluttonous meal! But like they say, ‘When in Rome’! We also had a nice bottle of wine and some limoncello to wash it all down. We walked through the streets some more after dinner and ended up at Piazza Novana. It had street performers, artists, scam artists and heaps of tourists. We got scammed into paying for these string bracelets by this guy on the street. He wanted 5 euro but we refused to pay for it, since we didn’t want them in the first place and said no heaps of times. We ended up giving him 2. 46 euro since it was all I could discretely dig out of my purse, since yes there are pickpockets everywhere. After, we headed back to the hostel, had a beer with the manager and headed to our new dorm room. There was a guy from Hong Kong in our room and one other, who was MIA. We met a few Canadians down the hall since we all (8) had to share one bathroom. We had a pretty quiet night and headed for bed.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sweat trains!!!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Our ferry docked at about 930am and we had to figure out how to get to the train station. We had until 2pm to find out how so we were in no real hurry. We found a public bus that runs from the ferry to the train station. The boys were headed to the airport but had to go to the train station to get to the airport. So we all waited until the crowds died down so we weren’t crammed on the overstuffed bus. In the meantime, the boys had a morning beer. Heather and I were feeling pretty crummy from the lack of sleep and the impending hangover. Adam got a call and got some bad news so we were off to the train station to all have a beer together, to make him feel better. While we were there, Simon got a call that his grandfather had passed away! So the drinks were definitely necessary!!! The boys however, had a plane to catch and had to get to the airport. So, we said our goodbye’s and headed to our train platform. I fell asleep at the platform and woke up just as the train pulled in. Grabbed my things and headed for our seats. All of Italy has reserved seating which is really annoying because you have to reserve everything. Thank goodness we did it all in Vienna before we left for Greece but still, madness. There was no place to put our bags and all the seats were full. The train had no aircon or airflow for that matter and we sweat for 4 hours straight to Rome. It was really disgusting!! Anyhow, we were thrilled to be in Rome and we knew that our hostel was really close to the train station. We grabbed a bite to eat (shame moment...we had McDonalds...and regretted it after!) After dinner, we headed to our hostel. It was a great place. The reception was in an internet cafe and Laundromat so we checked in, got a welcome bottle of wine and were told that there was a problem with our room so we were upgraded to a double for free for the one night! AWESOME! We really needed the sleep so we were thrilled! I did a load of laundry, we both showered and fell asleep.
Our ferry docked at about 930am and we had to figure out how to get to the train station. We had until 2pm to find out how so we were in no real hurry. We found a public bus that runs from the ferry to the train station. The boys were headed to the airport but had to go to the train station to get to the airport. So we all waited until the crowds died down so we weren’t crammed on the overstuffed bus. In the meantime, the boys had a morning beer. Heather and I were feeling pretty crummy from the lack of sleep and the impending hangover. Adam got a call and got some bad news so we were off to the train station to all have a beer together, to make him feel better. While we were there, Simon got a call that his grandfather had passed away! So the drinks were definitely necessary!!! The boys however, had a plane to catch and had to get to the airport. So, we said our goodbye’s and headed to our train platform. I fell asleep at the platform and woke up just as the train pulled in. Grabbed my things and headed for our seats. All of Italy has reserved seating which is really annoying because you have to reserve everything. Thank goodness we did it all in Vienna before we left for Greece but still, madness. There was no place to put our bags and all the seats were full. The train had no aircon or airflow for that matter and we sweat for 4 hours straight to Rome. It was really disgusting!! Anyhow, we were thrilled to be in Rome and we knew that our hostel was really close to the train station. We grabbed a bite to eat (shame moment...we had McDonalds...and regretted it after!) After dinner, we headed to our hostel. It was a great place. The reception was in an internet cafe and Laundromat so we checked in, got a welcome bottle of wine and were told that there was a problem with our room so we were upgraded to a double for free for the one night! AWESOME! We really needed the sleep so we were thrilled! I did a load of laundry, we both showered and fell asleep.
TOGA...the aftermath!!!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Last night was quite the late night and we had very little sleep which made check out the next morning by 9 am quite interesting as well. We had to just shove our things into our packs and organize it better later. So many bags and Heather was still wearing her toga ! We had a pretty quiet day, just chilled in the reception area with some people and had some quiet time at the beach too. It seemed to be a recovery day for everyone at the resort...a lot of hung over people. It was kind of a long day, we had to wait for our bus which didn’t leave until 930pm and we had the whole day to kill without having a place of our own. We made the best of it I guess! We snuck into dinner too, we weren’t supposed to get supper tonight but we just walked down and if you pretend like you belong than they don’t question it. Heather was carrying down some cushions for one of the guys who worked there and the security dude was mad and wouldn’t let her take them in, but it was a distraction at least to get us in. Hehe! So we ate really quickly and had to make our way back up the long staircase to catch our shuttle. This Argentinean guy we had met on our first day was also taking the night ferry to Bari so we hung out with him at the port. We also ran into a few guys who we had briefly met after the booze cruise just in passing Adam and Simon. They were taking the same ferry too so we all hung out together. What a blast they were! They were two Aussies who were travelling together and had just recently got off of this bus they were taking with their friends. It is a converted school bus that they bought for like 4000 quid and put another 7000 quid into renovating it and it sounded amazing. So they were now travelling via normal transportation means. So we boarded the wrong ferry, heading to Brindisi, and were told to get off. The boat we were looking for arrived not long after and we were off. Since we had all booked deck tickets and didn’t have a seat on the boat we decided to go check out the outside deck. It was a really hot night and some fresh air was really nice. We were told very different things. The crew were not being very kind to us. They first told us we weren’t allowed into the lounge because we had bags but there were people just let in ahead of us with bigger bags and we only had our day packs with us. Then we asked where the bar was thinking fine if we can’t sit in the lounge we’ll go to the bar. It was in the lounge! So reluctantly he let us in. We grabbed a few brews and went up to the deck. We were told to go all the way up the stairs and out. When we reached the top of the stairs, we were told that we weren’t allowed up there and had to go down to get outside. Then when we went outside, Simon asked for better directions and we were sent back upstairs! So, we just went up and out as quickly as possible so we didn’t have any more confusing directing. When we got outside, we realized we were on a helipad! Haha so we had some beers and chatted on the helipad! The boys were so funny and made us laugh the entire time. After a few beers and at about 330am, we decided it was cold and we were tired so we went to find somewhere to lie down. On our way we also grabbed another beer! We slept in the hallway for a little while and by sleeping I mean, sat and chatted and laughed until we were told to move. So we all went in different directions. I happened to sleep in a chair in the restaurant and was kicked out at 5am. So I found the others who were in the reception area sleeping in the chairs or on the ground. I joined them and tried to get some more zzzz’s.
Last night was quite the late night and we had very little sleep which made check out the next morning by 9 am quite interesting as well. We had to just shove our things into our packs and organize it better later. So many bags and Heather was still wearing her toga ! We had a pretty quiet day, just chilled in the reception area with some people and had some quiet time at the beach too. It seemed to be a recovery day for everyone at the resort...a lot of hung over people. It was kind of a long day, we had to wait for our bus which didn’t leave until 930pm and we had the whole day to kill without having a place of our own. We made the best of it I guess! We snuck into dinner too, we weren’t supposed to get supper tonight but we just walked down and if you pretend like you belong than they don’t question it. Heather was carrying down some cushions for one of the guys who worked there and the security dude was mad and wouldn’t let her take them in, but it was a distraction at least to get us in. Hehe! So we ate really quickly and had to make our way back up the long staircase to catch our shuttle. This Argentinean guy we had met on our first day was also taking the night ferry to Bari so we hung out with him at the port. We also ran into a few guys who we had briefly met after the booze cruise just in passing Adam and Simon. They were taking the same ferry too so we all hung out together. What a blast they were! They were two Aussies who were travelling together and had just recently got off of this bus they were taking with their friends. It is a converted school bus that they bought for like 4000 quid and put another 7000 quid into renovating it and it sounded amazing. So they were now travelling via normal transportation means. So we boarded the wrong ferry, heading to Brindisi, and were told to get off. The boat we were looking for arrived not long after and we were off. Since we had all booked deck tickets and didn’t have a seat on the boat we decided to go check out the outside deck. It was a really hot night and some fresh air was really nice. We were told very different things. The crew were not being very kind to us. They first told us we weren’t allowed into the lounge because we had bags but there were people just let in ahead of us with bigger bags and we only had our day packs with us. Then we asked where the bar was thinking fine if we can’t sit in the lounge we’ll go to the bar. It was in the lounge! So reluctantly he let us in. We grabbed a few brews and went up to the deck. We were told to go all the way up the stairs and out. When we reached the top of the stairs, we were told that we weren’t allowed up there and had to go down to get outside. Then when we went outside, Simon asked for better directions and we were sent back upstairs! So, we just went up and out as quickly as possible so we didn’t have any more confusing directing. When we got outside, we realized we were on a helipad! Haha so we had some beers and chatted on the helipad! The boys were so funny and made us laugh the entire time. After a few beers and at about 330am, we decided it was cold and we were tired so we went to find somewhere to lie down. On our way we also grabbed another beer! We slept in the hallway for a little while and by sleeping I mean, sat and chatted and laughed until we were told to move. So we all went in different directions. I happened to sleep in a chair in the restaurant and was kicked out at 5am. So I found the others who were in the reception area sleeping in the chairs or on the ground. I joined them and tried to get some more zzzz’s.
Boozin' and a Cruisin'!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Today we found out that the booze cruise was running so we got signed up! We had heard some mixed reviews about this booze cruise and that it does get pretty wild but we went with the power in numbers theory. Heather, Lindsay and I went on it and Virginia had gone to Corfu town to meet some Italian friends of hers. So we had to swim out to this pink boat where we drank, danced, met some cool people. There was naked cliff jumping (for free drinks), a bat cave, clothed cliff jumping, a private beach and some good times on the water. It was really cool and we were definitely boozed by the end. We then had to prepare for the toga party since it was Saturday night at the Pink Palace. We walked back up to the reception bar for happy hour and had a few drinks before we grabbed our togas and got ready! We had some sweet looks going on with the togas! Heather’s was tied via a youtube video and I used my hairband as a belt. We looked wicked! When we headed to dinner, everyone had their Pink toga on and everyone’s was tied differently. The party didn’t get really started until late but we had a good time anyhow. The Palladium was quite busy come 12 or 1 and that was when the traditional Greek dance began and followed with plate smashing over our heads. It was quite good! Christo, who was our quad safari guide was one of the dancers and was smashing the plates over our heads. So good!
Today we found out that the booze cruise was running so we got signed up! We had heard some mixed reviews about this booze cruise and that it does get pretty wild but we went with the power in numbers theory. Heather, Lindsay and I went on it and Virginia had gone to Corfu town to meet some Italian friends of hers. So we had to swim out to this pink boat where we drank, danced, met some cool people. There was naked cliff jumping (for free drinks), a bat cave, clothed cliff jumping, a private beach and some good times on the water. It was really cool and we were definitely boozed by the end. We then had to prepare for the toga party since it was Saturday night at the Pink Palace. We walked back up to the reception bar for happy hour and had a few drinks before we grabbed our togas and got ready! We had some sweet looks going on with the togas! Heather’s was tied via a youtube video and I used my hairband as a belt. We looked wicked! When we headed to dinner, everyone had their Pink toga on and everyone’s was tied differently. The party didn’t get really started until late but we had a good time anyhow. The Palladium was quite busy come 12 or 1 and that was when the traditional Greek dance began and followed with plate smashing over our heads. It was quite good! Christo, who was our quad safari guide was one of the dancers and was smashing the plates over our heads. So good!
ATV adventures
Friday, August 20, 2010
We woke up this morning well rested and excited to be in Corfu. We had been told about a “booze cruise” when we arrived and was apparently the best thing to do here, but the water has been quite rough and it didn’t go out again today. So instead we decided to give the quad safari tour a chance. Well don’t we know it, the loud mouthed American is doing it too. Fantastic!! It only took the group about 2 minutes to get to know him as we had and already be annoyed. Looks like a long day ahead! He is just a know it all, in your face type and it gets really annoying...he tries to be the comic too. Anyhow, he is the reason that we met Lindsay from Hawaii and Virginia (Aussie) who are really cool. They are nanny’s in Milan and have been travelling together the past few weeks before they go back to Milan/home. So we hung out with the girls all day and American boy was entertainment for the day. We rode ATV’s around the island stopping at a beach, cafe, and nice view spots, doing some cliff jumping as well as some off roading. It was a good but dirty day. At the end of it, we got free t-shirts and drinks from Christo our Greek guide or god as he would like us to think. Hehe! After the long day on the town, we hit the showers and went to dinner with Lindsay and Virginia. It’s pretty sweet...we get breakfast and dinner included every day here and we don’t normally make it to lunch so it has been really cheap living. Anyhow, after dinner we were at the Palladium (the resort nightclub) and it was really dead and nothing was happening so we ended up in the reception bar with some English boys Virginia knew. Again, really dead and we were tired and not feeling like partying so Heather, Lindsay and I had a sleepover. We had the extra bed, so Lindsay slept there and we had popcorn and a movie. It was pretty cool actually! Good day and a chill night!
We woke up this morning well rested and excited to be in Corfu. We had been told about a “booze cruise” when we arrived and was apparently the best thing to do here, but the water has been quite rough and it didn’t go out again today. So instead we decided to give the quad safari tour a chance. Well don’t we know it, the loud mouthed American is doing it too. Fantastic!! It only took the group about 2 minutes to get to know him as we had and already be annoyed. Looks like a long day ahead! He is just a know it all, in your face type and it gets really annoying...he tries to be the comic too. Anyhow, he is the reason that we met Lindsay from Hawaii and Virginia (Aussie) who are really cool. They are nanny’s in Milan and have been travelling together the past few weeks before they go back to Milan/home. So we hung out with the girls all day and American boy was entertainment for the day. We rode ATV’s around the island stopping at a beach, cafe, and nice view spots, doing some cliff jumping as well as some off roading. It was a good but dirty day. At the end of it, we got free t-shirts and drinks from Christo our Greek guide or god as he would like us to think. Hehe! After the long day on the town, we hit the showers and went to dinner with Lindsay and Virginia. It’s pretty sweet...we get breakfast and dinner included every day here and we don’t normally make it to lunch so it has been really cheap living. Anyhow, after dinner we were at the Palladium (the resort nightclub) and it was really dead and nothing was happening so we ended up in the reception bar with some English boys Virginia knew. Again, really dead and we were tired and not feeling like partying so Heather, Lindsay and I had a sleepover. We had the extra bed, so Lindsay slept there and we had popcorn and a movie. It was pretty cool actually! Good day and a chill night!
Recovery day!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
We landed in Corfu at about 830 and at the Pink Palace around 915 and were super pumped to get there and be off of that bus! We came in and had our “orientation” which consisted of a morning Ouzo shot and a description of all of the fun we could expect. During this time, Michelle, an English lady who we think is a teacher had us play an introduction game. So we got to learn more about this guy that annoyed us all night! We had to fill out a paper and they got mixed around and we had to find out who was who and introduce them to the group. It was during this, and breakfast, that we bonded with 3 Austrian girls who were just as annoyed at this American. Anyhow, after breakfast we broke free from the group and checked in to our room. We had a private room with our own bathroom and 3 beds...an extra for luck!?!?! So we had both fallen a bit ill from the ferry, no sleep, bus extravaganza so we slept the day away. It was pretty sad and a little disappointing but it was definitely necessary for our wellbeing. We woke up, showered, went to dinner and came back to the room for bed.
We landed in Corfu at about 830 and at the Pink Palace around 915 and were super pumped to get there and be off of that bus! We came in and had our “orientation” which consisted of a morning Ouzo shot and a description of all of the fun we could expect. During this time, Michelle, an English lady who we think is a teacher had us play an introduction game. So we got to learn more about this guy that annoyed us all night! We had to fill out a paper and they got mixed around and we had to find out who was who and introduce them to the group. It was during this, and breakfast, that we bonded with 3 Austrian girls who were just as annoyed at this American. Anyhow, after breakfast we broke free from the group and checked in to our room. We had a private room with our own bathroom and 3 beds...an extra for luck!?!?! So we had both fallen a bit ill from the ferry, no sleep, bus extravaganza so we slept the day away. It was pretty sad and a little disappointing but it was definitely necessary for our wellbeing. We woke up, showered, went to dinner and came back to the room for bed.
Melting in Athens...off to Corfu!!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
We arrived in Athens at 5am, bright and early to start our day!!! We had made plans to meet up with my Aunt Dona who is a flight attendant at her hotel as she was in Athens for the morning and we could meet up. So we found a taxi to take us, which again farce, and we had to share it with this Greek girl who was in a moped accident and had a neck collar on. She was limping pretty badly and was quite beat up...I guess I have nothing to complain about! We headed to the Hilton downtown Athens which was quite nice and rung up my Aunt to let her know we were there. So she met us in the lobby and we took our bags up to her room, which was amazing! We were so jealous, especially after sleeping on a ferry all night. Anyhow, we went out for breakfast together and caught up. It was nice to have a little taste of home and cool that we were able to meet up in a different part of the world. After breakfast, we headed back to her room, where she had scored some extra towels so we could use the amazing shower in her room. She also had room in her luggage to take some of our excess home...Auntie’s are the best!!! She had a midday flight though so we only had a short visit together but made plans to meet up in Venice in a weeks’ time. So we had a full day in Athens before we got the pink bus to the Pink Palace so we ventured into the city. Heather and I had planned to see the Parthenon and do the touristy things today but because of my mobility, there was no way or not worth the risk of going up the Acropolis. So, Heather went in the scorching heat up the top while I wandered the streets looking for a new watch (because I drowned mine while doing hand laundry in Santorini) and whatever else I could bargain for. After a few hours in the 40 degree heat, we met back up and went to have some much needed fluids and lunch. We then went back to the markets for some more shopping...there really wasn’t much else to do since it was so hot. The shops are at least shaded and have air conditioning. After a long and tiring day we went to the hostel that was the meeting spot for the pink bus, had some dinner and waited till 10pm. So we wait around for what feels like forever and then all of a sudden someone comes outside and is like “ok, lets go”! He then proceeds to “sprint” down the street and we were so taken aback that we have our bags flying and grabbing stuff and trying to walk as quickly as we can to follow everyone. The picture of us would have been hilarious...Heather loaded down with both our packs and me with all the miscellaneous things hobbling behind. It was crazy! We almost lost them a few times as they weaved through the streets...luckily Heather stayed close behind to see where they went and yelled the directions back to me. Pretty hilarious! Anyhow, we get to the bus, hop on and are so tired at this point that we are ready to crash. We had lots of space and the bus was dark but we had this one know it all on the bus who liked to hear himself talk...the entire time!!! He was this American who told everyone that he is 30, lives with his mom, no job, lives off of his mom and is therefore broke. We were just like...you are so annoying. Then there was his Canadian hype man. Oy vei! This Alberta dude was hanging on to every single word out of this guys mouth and it was all nonsense. He didn’t know what he was talking about...well neither of them did and it was just embarrassing. The Canadian was telling him that Ottawa is a province when Heather chimes in with “no actually, Ottawa is in Ontario”. It was gold!!! He did eventually stop talking and slept for awhile...but not nearly soon or long enough for our liking! He should have been sleeping earlier since he was on a ferry the night before and didn’t sleep and now on a bus so he deserved the back bench on the bus...we just shook our heads because we were in the same situation only he had a 4 hour nap that afternoon and we didn’t. It wasn’t worth our breath though. Anyhow, the bus stopped a bunch of times and eventually we had to get off so we could take the ferry.
We arrived in Athens at 5am, bright and early to start our day!!! We had made plans to meet up with my Aunt Dona who is a flight attendant at her hotel as she was in Athens for the morning and we could meet up. So we found a taxi to take us, which again farce, and we had to share it with this Greek girl who was in a moped accident and had a neck collar on. She was limping pretty badly and was quite beat up...I guess I have nothing to complain about! We headed to the Hilton downtown Athens which was quite nice and rung up my Aunt to let her know we were there. So she met us in the lobby and we took our bags up to her room, which was amazing! We were so jealous, especially after sleeping on a ferry all night. Anyhow, we went out for breakfast together and caught up. It was nice to have a little taste of home and cool that we were able to meet up in a different part of the world. After breakfast, we headed back to her room, where she had scored some extra towels so we could use the amazing shower in her room. She also had room in her luggage to take some of our excess home...Auntie’s are the best!!! She had a midday flight though so we only had a short visit together but made plans to meet up in Venice in a weeks’ time. So we had a full day in Athens before we got the pink bus to the Pink Palace so we ventured into the city. Heather and I had planned to see the Parthenon and do the touristy things today but because of my mobility, there was no way or not worth the risk of going up the Acropolis. So, Heather went in the scorching heat up the top while I wandered the streets looking for a new watch (because I drowned mine while doing hand laundry in Santorini) and whatever else I could bargain for. After a few hours in the 40 degree heat, we met back up and went to have some much needed fluids and lunch. We then went back to the markets for some more shopping...there really wasn’t much else to do since it was so hot. The shops are at least shaded and have air conditioning. After a long and tiring day we went to the hostel that was the meeting spot for the pink bus, had some dinner and waited till 10pm. So we wait around for what feels like forever and then all of a sudden someone comes outside and is like “ok, lets go”! He then proceeds to “sprint” down the street and we were so taken aback that we have our bags flying and grabbing stuff and trying to walk as quickly as we can to follow everyone. The picture of us would have been hilarious...Heather loaded down with both our packs and me with all the miscellaneous things hobbling behind. It was crazy! We almost lost them a few times as they weaved through the streets...luckily Heather stayed close behind to see where they went and yelled the directions back to me. Pretty hilarious! Anyhow, we get to the bus, hop on and are so tired at this point that we are ready to crash. We had lots of space and the bus was dark but we had this one know it all on the bus who liked to hear himself talk...the entire time!!! He was this American who told everyone that he is 30, lives with his mom, no job, lives off of his mom and is therefore broke. We were just like...you are so annoying. Then there was his Canadian hype man. Oy vei! This Alberta dude was hanging on to every single word out of this guys mouth and it was all nonsense. He didn’t know what he was talking about...well neither of them did and it was just embarrassing. The Canadian was telling him that Ottawa is a province when Heather chimes in with “no actually, Ottawa is in Ontario”. It was gold!!! He did eventually stop talking and slept for awhile...but not nearly soon or long enough for our liking! He should have been sleeping earlier since he was on a ferry the night before and didn’t sleep and now on a bus so he deserved the back bench on the bus...we just shook our heads because we were in the same situation only he had a 4 hour nap that afternoon and we didn’t. It wasn’t worth our breath though. Anyhow, the bus stopped a bunch of times and eventually we had to get off so we could take the ferry.
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