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Entry from: Rhodes, Greece
Entry Title: “Greek Isles”

Entry:

“John

The next few blogs are of separate trips that we did: Sue to Rhodes in the Greek Isles (on her list of “must-do’s!” for many, many years) and The Hague in the Netherlands (something she didn’t DARE hope she could one day do), and John to Istanbul and Gallipoli in Turkey, a place I have always wanted to visit to acknowlege the great sacrifice given by so many there.

We both flew out from London Heathrow and the 16th of November and returned to Heathrow on the 22nd of November so we have had to fiddle the dates in between to get details of both trips into the same blog. So Sue flew London-Athens-Rhodes/Rhodos-Athens-Amsterdam (train to and from The Hague)-London.

Sue

Rhodes (Rhodos) is situated between the Black Sea and Egypt and is one of the most popular destinations in the Greek Isles apparently. Rhodes is perhaps most famous for one of the Seven Wonders of the World – The Colossus of Rhodes. The island of Rhodes (Rhodes city is on the northernmost tip) is at the crossroads between Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and because of its position in major sea routes, is rich in history. It has four harbours! – and has been inhabited since 4000BC.

The taxi driver told me that most of the tourist places on the island were closed from the end of the September till next May, and indeed they were – he pointed out all the buildings in darkness as we drove by. Everyone was exhausted and needed a break too, he said. I was the only tourist he knew of that was here. I think there were people from places nearby, but not from further afield. I was beginning to wonder at the wisdom of coming here at this time of the year…. but I was happy to be able to meet the locals rather than vie for standing room among hordes of tourists. He said none of the locals swim this time of year as it’s too cold – around 16/19 degrees during the day.

The hotel was right on the beach and my room had a ninety degree view of the ocean and it was wonderful to be able to hear the waves break onto the shore and smell the lovely salty air again. The taxi driver assured me that crime was non-existent and it was safe to walk around at any time of the day and night on my own. I certainly took advantage of that and enjoyed my evening walks along the beach pathways before and after dinner! I got lost a few times but I needed the exercise, so all was well.

The next day I quickly made my way through the New Town (more modern part – which is just like any other town in any other country) and then spent the rest of the day discovering the Old City (the Old Town as the locals now call it). It was fascinating!! I could have spent a week there! I made friends with a lovely old dog on the way, and to my surprise, found he faithfully followed me for the next couple of hours!! He knew his way around, obviously…. and I was quite chuffed to have found a ‘friend’ but the cobbled streets eventually defeated him.

The Old Town is the largest preserved medieval settlement in Europe and has been inhabited without interruption down to the present time and is completely enclosed in a thick, 6km long wall. No doubt bits of the wall have been built/repaired at different times, by whoever was “holding fort” at the time, but the earlier Byzantine city was extended and the walls fortified by the Knights of St John in the 14th and 15th centuries, creating the medieval city we see today.

The Old Town is included in UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. I grinned my way around the cobbled streets, magnificent buildings of the Knights of St John, a moat and walls with their ramparts, the Byzantine churches and mosques, the squares, the gardens and the courtyards of the houses, The Grand Masters Palace and a Museum and Art Gallery…. and lots and lots of stalls/shops. I was lucky that a large ship had brought in some tourists for the day so, by arrangement, a select number of shops and restaurants were open. Otherwise, it would have been all shut.

The next day I went to Lindos by bus (about an hour’s trip) and everything there WAS …”
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pollies/1/1259059031/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. “From my room – Mediterranean Hotel Rhodes”
2. “My faithful friend”
3. “Laneway in the Old Town, Rhodes”
4. “Part of Wall, the Old Town, Rhodes”
5. “Sunset at Rhodes – magical!”
6. “Main Square, Old Town, Rhodes”
7. “Bay of St Paulo (where Paul sheltered)”
8. “Stone mosaics as pathways”

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Entry from: Kokkari, Greece
Entry Title: “I’ve been Kissed by the sun!”

Entry:

“Today Sascha and I got up early, along with the sun, and had our breakfast in a little breakfast room just off of a gorgeous patio covered in Bougainvillea. A basic breakfast, but good. Oh, I guess I should admit… It was Gelato. Ok ok, we’re on vacation. So, on we go.

We headed out right away, and started driving around the island. We started west, along the winding roads. A mountain on one side, and a cliff down to the water on the other side. Mix in a few cement trucks barreling towards you in your lane, and you have a great picture of the trip we took today. It was gorgeous. Samos is one of the greenest islands in Greece. Simply amazing. The beautiful clear turquoise waters of the Aegean peak through palm and cyprus trees. The scent of wildflowers dances through the car as we speed along the road. We stopped quite often to take photos of the towns below us, nestled in amongst the hills. It was a gorgeous drive. We took our time and stopped when we wanted to. We shopped in a hilltop village for handmade goods, mingling with the locals. We wandered through Pythagorion, and Vathi, and about 10 other tiny villages.

At the end of our journey we walked to a small beach on the end of Kokkari, the town we are staying in. It was a rocky beach, but somewhat secluded, with no other people on it. We swam for a while, in the refreshing cool water. The water in Greece is crystal clear. You can see your toes! Not like water in Vancouver… We had a nice picnic on the beach, of things we had bought earlier. Traditional cheese pie, baklava and some other things. It was great. We took a break from swimming and relaxed on the beach for a while. It was so lovely. Sunny, blue skies, and clear blue water. Heaven. We got back in the water for a while, to cool off. It gets quite hot mid-day here, so a swim in the Aegean was a must.

It was a great day. So relaxing. Tomorrow we are off to Turkey. It should be AMAZING! I cannot wait!”
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/backpacker44/2/1273257392/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. “Poppies!”
2. “The reason I love Greece”
3. “Amazing view from the road!”
4. “Eeyore!”
5. “Gorgeous beach in Kokkari”
6. “Beach time!”
7. “Love the Aegean”
8. “Ahhh..”
9. “Boats!”
10. “So clear….”
11. “Dusk”
12. “I love the colors”
13. “Creeper man”

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Duration : 0:1:37

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Entry from: Poros, Greece
Entry Title: “Our sailing adventure”

Entry:

“Sailing stops: Agistri, Epidaurus, Poros and Aegina

After our first overnight in Piraeus/Athens we took a taxi to the port and found the sailboat which we had booked for a 4 night sail around the Saronic Islands of Greece.

The weather was unbelievably hot and humid. The temperature outside when we boarded the sailboat was 102 and the high was forecasted to be 106. The sailboat was new and quite nice, and we learned a lot about sailboats during this portion of our trip.

The first thing we discovered is that any time you wish to board the boat you have to walk six feet across a 12 inch wide plank. One slip and you are into the water. Try doing that after a couple of drinks or with our big suitcases.

Our fellow passengers were all from Canada. Our captain’s name was Steve. Steve was a school teacher, and his family was from Greece. He had married a Greek woman and was now living in Athens. Steve’s assistant was Janelle, and the other couple on board were Ioannis (John) and his girlfriend, Gianne, from Toronto. Everyone was very nice and got along well.

We set off first to the island of Agistri where we anchored for the night in a beautiful cove. We had great swimming there. The water was deep, clear, and cool- a very welcome relief from the heat. An interesting thing to mention is that the Mediterranean and its connected seas are so heavy in salt that it is virtually impossible to sink. You can just lie on your back and float with little fear of sinking. It is much different than swimming in the Atlantic, Caribbean, or Pacific.

That evening, Steve and Janelle prepared a spaghetti dinner for us to eat on the boat. When night came the air grew more humid and still. The temperature hardly cooled off at all, and it had to be well over 100f in our very tiny cabin. Rich thought he would die as he lay there sweating and unable to sleep for hours. John slept a bit but tossed and turned. Rich laid there wide awake and very unhappy for most of the night.

The next day we swam a bit before heading out for Epidaurus where we docked for the afternoon. Unfortunately, conditions had not been conducive for “sailing”, and we had used the motor most of the way. It was still quite hot but the forecast called for a bit of a Meltemi wind to arrive in the evening. We were very much looking forward to the Meltemi if it would clear the air and reduce the heat.

After docking we hired a taxi to take us to the Epidaurus amphitheatre which had been built over 2,000 years ago. The amphitheater is still used frequently for performances and concerts. We had read about the acoustics here being some of the best in the world, but we were skeptical that it would be anything all that impressive. However, there is a “performance mark” on the ground at the center of the “stage”. Even when you stand there and whisper softly, a person in the top row of the seats farthest away from you can still hear you. We were shocked at how this worked- it was amazing. We tried it over and over because we just could not believe it. John would stand there and say various numbers as softly as he could while Rich stood at the top of the stands and held up his fingers to indicate what number he heard John say. It was unbelievable how clear the sound was. Equally odd was the sound echo heard by the person who was standing on “the mark” Even if the person whispered as softly as possible it sounded to him as if he was speaking loudly because of the way the sound reverberated back from the stone walls and seats. Anyway, we were thoroughly blown away by the bizarre acoustics that this place and its designers had achieved more than 2,000 years ago.

Apparently, sailboats can hook up to electricity at the docks at night. Rich thought that with electricity he could at least get a fan that he could use. Then we discovered that all of the sailboats at the dock had electricity except ours! Apparently, our captain did not have the correct cables for connecting up to electricity at the dock. Finally, someone at the dock let us borrow a cable for connecting up. So, …”
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnandrich/1/1251051646/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. “John and Iaonnis helping us tie up”
2. “Rich “walking the plank”"
3. “John and Rich at Epidaurus”
4. “Sailing into port”
5. “Sailing into Poros”
6. “Rich on “the mark” at Epidaurus”

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Entry from: Vasilika, Greece
Entry Title: “Vasilika in Evia”

Entry:

“Heading for the nearest beach……

Vasilika or (Royal) as they call this beach resort belongs to the Municipality of Artemisio. It is not built on the beach but on the national road of Istiea — Chalkida and it is 32 km from Istiea and 97 km from Chalkida.

The village lies on the north eastern side of Evia towards the Aegean.

It is built in an altitude of 100 metres.

Psaropouli is another name given to it, which is an extension of the village down to the beach.

We drive to Vasilika after breakfast this morning, and the distance is just 15 minutes from the Forest Village where we are.
I have been here again but I cannot remember much. Besides, year after year everything changes, and more and more restaurants and hotels are built. I am sure we won’t recognize the place.

It is a touristy area full of restaurants and cafes, studios and a couple of hotels. A popular destination, and the beach is sandy with some pebbles.

It is indeed more beautiful now, very different from how it was years back.

(See photos).

I am glad to see a ferry in the port but I am disappointed when I hear that this year it did not sail at all out of the port. The whole summer remains here tight, and I believe it is because of the economic crisis!

It is so near SKIATHOS….an island so beautiful with so much greenery, beauty and history. It is just 12 nautical miles. Indeed so pity to be tight in the port all this time!

Children seem to have fun with the waves, but there are not many people swimming. Most of them are either sunbathing or relaxing at one of the many café restaurants…..besides in a week from today schools open and from now on less and less people will be out on the beaches.

For many, summer is over. I am happy that it is not over for us yet !”
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/greekcypriot/10/1283886962/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. “The view from above”
2. “Vasilika beach”
3. “Pebbles and sand….”
4. “Vasilika restaurants”
5. “Seaside restaurants”
6. “Playing with the waves”
7. “Restaurants in Vasilika”
8. “The beach at Vasilika”
9. “Vasilika”
10. “Paradise for children”
11. “View of the beach from a restaurant”
12. “An olive tree in a pot”
13. “Sailing boats at the port”
14. “The view from a restaurant”
15. “Umbrellas and deck-chairs at Vasilika”
16. “The ferry that goes to Skiathos”
17. “Are summer holidays over???”

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Entry from: Lindos, Greece
Entry Title: “Lindos”

Entry:

“Tourism is a funny thing to me. I don’t understand how some things get the hype they receive and become severely overrated (i. e. the Mona Lisa) and other places or sites receive hardly any recognition and you stumble across it and it takes your breath away. Lindos is an example of the latter, always hailed as the island of Rhodes’ second tourist attraction, but way cooler than the city of Rhodes.

The city is a Santorini-white cubist construction in a valley that a dramatic cliff grows out of and is crowned with Lindos’ acropolis. One of my favorite signs pointed to a beach one way, and to the acropolis the other way. The acropolis had some pretty cool ruins, but the view was spectacular. Jake’s altimeter read 550 feet above sea level, and it was almost straight down to the ocean. I waited up there for about an hour, then pulled out my iPod and dialed in a Randy Roberts sermon. What a great space for church (in front of a pagan temple no less)! I had lunch up there then recruited Richard to hike with me out to a rock point to get a view looking pack at the city and the acropolis.

The hike was good, but there was no trail and it consisted of craggy rocks. The view was worth it, and we then set off to get into some of the caves below the acropolis. We succeeded, and with great acoustics, we serenaded each other by belting out “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling” (of course I was wearing the Aviator sunglasses, yes I capitalized Aviator, because it deserves it). After throwing a few rocks over the cliff, we set back for the bus and stopped at an internet café. The lady inside said they were open, then we sat down at a computer and she told us that the internet was not connected right now. So weird. This is like going to a grocery store that is OPEN and then they don’t have any food. I think it is because we were American, but hey, I am just getting paranoid probably.

Last night, I had eaten by myself at a cheap spaghetti place. I talked with the jovial owner a lot and found out he was Albanian. Through broken English, we were able to converse some and I told him I enjoyed the food very much and would come back tomorrow. Well, I told everyone in the group about him, and we all ended up at the spaghetti place. I saw him and I told him that I had brought my friends and the man’s mouth dropped (we are in VERY slow tourist season). He ended up giving me free bread and free soda for me to share with everyone. When we left he was genuinely appreciative for the business I had brought him. What an unbelievable contrast from Egyptian culture.

Speaking of VERY slow tourist season, I am not kidding when I say that NO one is here. We walk the streets at night and most of the shops are closed. The medieval old town is strangely empty and we have a hotel all to ourselves (the owner even leaves for the night, so it is just the MSU group). So strange and yet wonderful to experience Rhodes this way.

Tomorrow we are off to Santorini, which has tons of hype from my parents and Darren. Let’s see if this bad boy can measure up to the hype!”
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/msu/craig2007/1172073000/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. “Lindos”
2. “Lindos and the acropolis”
3. “Richard and I conquered the caves”
4. “Scooters”
5. “Temple of Athena, she had a few of them”
6. “Tough Choice….”
7. “Water”

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Entry from: Samos Town, Greece
Entry Title: “SAMOS – Our 8 Day Trip”

Entry:

“8 DAYS IN SAMOS

Our flight with the Aegean Airlines and it is early in the morning.
Flying time 7.30 am and we landed at Samos airport at 8.10.

A Chevrolet Matis is waiting for us at the airport, and the trip starts here.
We want to see as much as possible and talk with people from the Island.
I booked a furnished bungalow at the village of Agios Costantinos in the northern part of Samos. I have chosen to come here because it is a quiet and beautiful village.

The village of Agios Costantinos.
The houses of the village are spread out under the green pine trees and there are many fish tavernas situated on the water, washed by the waves of the clean waters that disappear into the horizon after the narrow beach.

The small hotel apartment I booked is called “CHRISTINA” and it is a family run business. It belongs to Mr. Paraskevis Nestoras and his wife.
The couple spends winter in Athens but come during summer to Samos to run their small business. The rooms are clean and nicely furnished with the necessary amenities. The apartments are situated at the very end of the road on the way to Karlovasi. It is just a few metres from the sea and situated in a very nice location which is surrounded by very high pine trees. We are lucky to be staying so close to the beautiful mountain village MANOLATES. It is so picturesque and it is the most popular village I believe on the Island.

11.30 we have brunch to a nearby restaurant.

We have brunch at a nice stone built restaurant on the way up to Manolates called Palataki. We were hungry but it was too early to have lunch, so we ordered two omelettes. I was so disappointed though because we were not satisfied at all with the dish we ordered, and we found it to be quite expensive.
After brunch we return for some sleep to the small apartment we are staying.
(Athens was too noisy at night in our neighbourhood and we did not get a good night’s sleep)”
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/greekcypriot/3/1248723667/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. “THE STONE BUILT RESTAURANT”
2. “A TRADITIONAL OVEN”
3. “DUCKS”
4. “THE RESTAURANT”
5. “NICE NATURE”
6. “TALL TREES AND NATURE”
7. “A CHURCH IN VATHI”
8. “VATHI”
9. “THE PORT OF SAMOS”
10. “THE AIRPORT OF SAMOS”
11. “FIRST VIEW OF VATHI”
12. “VATHI THE CAPITAL OF SAMOS”
13. “THE HOUSES”
14. “THE PORT OF VATHI”
15. “STOPPING FOR BRUNCH”
16. “NATURE AROUND”
17. “PALATAKI RESTAURANT”
18. “A STONE BUILT TAP”
19. “AGIOS COSTANTINOS BY NIGHT”
20. “THE FISHING BOATS AT THE HARBOUR”
21. “AGIOS COSTANTINOS BOATS”
22. “A NIGHT VIEW”

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Duration : 0:2:38

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Entry from: Athens, Greece
Entry Title: “Ancient Greece”

Entry:

“We started this morning with the buffet breakfast at the hotel. We were talking about plans for the week and I mentioned that Friendly Planet wasn’t going to be able to provide us with a transfer to the airport to pick up our rental car. We booked a package that included air, hotel and transfers but we extended our trip by a week. We were going to use the airport transfer to ride back to the airport and then pick up a rental car so that we could head to the Peleponese. When I first talked to Friendly Planet they said that we could ride with the rest of the group back to the airport on March 1st. Yesterday when we arrived in Athens the representitive from Friendly Planet said that everyone had done some sort of extension so there wasn’t a bus going to the airport on March 1st. I really didn’t think of it as a big deal, afterall we were only a block from the Metro and it would be easy to get to the airport. Plus we would be able to do it on our own time frame. One of our group was not so understanding. She started *****ing about how she was going to write a letter of complaint to Friendly Planet and that it wasn’t acceptable. I tried to talk her down but to no avail. It was very hard for me to hear since I had worked so hard to plan this trip for everyone. I have used Friendly Planet for 4 different trips and I have always been pleased. I have developed a relationship with the team and was horrified that someone that I had talked into using the company was going to be a jerk. This morning we started using the Athens Metro. It is so clean and easy to use. We took the Metro to Monastriaki Square. It is early morning and the square is alive with activity. The carts are full of oranges, we have had the pleasure of having some of the oranges here in Greece and they are sweet as sugar cubes, but this morning we are full from breakfast and pass up the oranges. We are headed to The Acropolis, we have familiarized ourselves with the Athens map and it shouldn’t be too difficult to get to the top. As we head that direction we stumble upon the Roman Agora. It is a small acre of ruins. I have chosen today to see most of the Ancient ruins of Athens because they are free. We wander around the ruins taking in the history of the Roman Agora. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PmX4wzj48Y One of the few remains left behind by Turkish invasion stands next to the Roman Agora, the beautiful Victory Mosque. The view of the Acropolis from here is beautiful, but the view of the Acropolis from anywhere in Athens is beautiful. I don’t think that there is anywhere in Athens that you can’t see the Acropolis. That is a tell tale sign that we have a long walk ahead of us. I am not sure why just the buildings and streets are so interesting in each country. Maybe it is the choice of building materials or colors but buildings in each country tell their own story about the people that live here. In Athens the buildings are painted rich earth tones, sepia’s, yellow ochers, and burnt sienna’s. They speak of the earth and seem to meld well with the ruins of white marble and red granite. That is the beauty of traveling, you get to see a city with the eyes of a stranger. It is all beautiful and interesting and everything seems unusual. Our climb takes us up the side of the hill leading to the Acropolis. We finally get to Areiopagos around a hundred yards from the entrance to the The Acropolis. It is nothing more than fragments of stone that was used for the foundation. It makes for a great view of the Ancient Agora below and the Acropolis above. I don’t know how they became so smart but the Dogs here have adapted to their environment. We watched a dog take the walkway, made for the people to the top of the Areiopagos instead of trekking up the side of the ruins. As we sat down our water bottle to take a photo the dog came over and stole the bottle. When some of the water was poured out onto the stone he lapped it up thirstily. He figured out quickly that Heather had some cookies in her bag and he started to work her. With those sweet brown eyes who could resist. The cheese and crackers that we were carrying as snacks made a very happy dog. I guess this must be his spot because he didn’t follow us on to the Acropolis. The Acropolis sits on …”
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Photos from this trip:
1. “Tracks of the Metro”
2. “Monstriaki square”
3. “Roman Agora”

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Entry from: Athens, Greece
Entry Title: “Athens”

Entry:

“Athens! There’s tons of stuff to see and do here. The place I stayed had a kitchen, so it was nice to cook my own food for a change, not to mention a lot cheaper. It was fun going to the big open air food market in the morning and buying whatever I needed. I was even able to buy a ton of huge strawberries for less than 2 euros. Awesome. The weather was absolutely perfect. I even got a little sunburnt if you can tell from the pictures. There were tourists all over the Acropolis, but surprisingly few in the surrounding parks where there are lots of trails to walk and hills to climb which gave some great views of the city.”
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lastork/the_world/1173721140/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. “A view from the Acropolis”
2. “Acropolis 1″
3. “Acropolis 2″
4. “Acropolis 4″
5. “Agora (rebuilt)”
6. “Agora 2″
7. “Around the Acropolis at night 2″
8. “Around the Acropolis at night 4″
9. “Athens Archaeology Museum 2″
10. “Athens with Temple of Olympian Zeus in distance”
11. “Funerary Stelae”
12. “Modern church in the middle of ruins”
13. “More ruins”
14. “Oh hey, it’s more ruins”
15. “On the way up the 2nd tallest hill in Athens”
16. “Park around Temple of H.”
17. “Park with ruins”
18. “Park! Ruins!”
19. “Ruins”
20. “Surprise! It’s the Parthenon”
21. “Temple of Athena Nike”
22. “Temple of Athena Nike 2″
23. “Temple of Athena Nike 3″
24. “Temple of H. 2″

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Duration : 0:2:38

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Technorati Tags: Athens, athens gymnasium, attica, greece, hephestas, photography, photos, pictures of hephestas, slideshow, temple of hephestas, trip, tripadvisor, tripwow, vacation

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Entry from: Ios, Greece
Entry Title: “Island hopper!”

Entry:

“Greece!

I left my grandma last Friday night to catch the midnight ferry to Santorini! I took the metro to the port, but there was so working being done on one of the stops on the way to the port.I had to get off the metro catch a bus then get back on another metro to finally arrived at the port. It took me about an hour to get to the port.Once I arrived ,I found where my ferry was leaving from and went to get my ticket.The man at the ticket office informed me that my ferry was delayed until 3:30am.WHAT? It was only about 10pm at this point.So I had to wait outside in the cold until the ferry arrived..boo

Sanortini

Once the ferry arrived it was a mad house trying to get on board.When I finally got settled. I was so tired.I took two night time meds,put on my eye mask and fell fast asleep.

I woke up the next morning about an hour before we were going to stop in Santorini.
Once we stopped I found the driver to my hostel and was excited to get to the beach.Most of the hostels will pick you up from the ferry and take you to the hostel for free.I stayed at Anny studios on Perissa beach.The Hostel was a fun place to stay. The people that work there are so friendly and helpful.They have a free laundry with a real washing machine!

By the time I got settled in the Hostel is was early afternoon. I found a cheap place to get gyros and made my way to the black sand beach to enjoy the rest of the day in the sun!

Later that night, I got ready to check out the nightlife! It was still very early in the summer season so there were not a ton of people on the island, but there were enough people in my hostel to go and have a good time with.That is exactly what I did! My friend Clare from back home worked in Perissa beach for two summer a few years ago. She have me some recommendations of where to go. I tried to meet up with some of her friend but they were not on the island yet.

I went out with two new friends from Australia. We went drinking at local bar, where big beers where two euro and the owner was giving us free shots of Ouzo.I really don’t like Ouzo but it is hard for me to say no to a free shot! After the local bar we made a few more stops at some other small bars along the beach until we ended up at the beach bar dancing the night away!

The next day my poor body was not liking me for drinking all night.I was pretty hungover, but made myself get up and enjoy the beach.I spent the day hang out on the beach doing my best to recover from the night before!
I planned to take the bus into Fira that afternoon to see the main town in the island but because it was still low season the last bus returning from town come back to early.

That night I stayed in watching a movie and chilling out.I had a early ferry to Ios the next day to meet up with my friends Ryan and Brook, who I meet on my boat cruise in Turkey,

Ios

The Ferry from Santorini to Ios was only about an hour long.I got there early afternoon and checked into my hostel, Far Out Beach Resort!I l loved this place. It is right on the water and had places to sleep anywhere from camping to really night beach cabins.I was staying in a dorm with a girl names Paige, who turns out, had been traveling with my friends Ryan and Brook!

Once I got settled,I made my way down to the beach where I saw my friend Ryan!We spent the day on the beach enjoying the sunshine and the boys played volleyball.Brook joined us later in the afternoon cause she had spent the day in town.

Later that night we all got ready to hit the town! We had a few drinks at the hotel then made our way into town. The last bus into town was at 9pm and nothing really gets started until midnight.So Ryan,Brook, Paige and I decide to have a nice Greek dinner in town.

After dinner we made out way to Fun Pub to start the night.Then we made out way to flames, which was pretty much the only bar open late in town cause it was still low season.Usually there are about 82 bars open in this tiny little town once the season gets going.

Again, there were enough people staying at our hostel and in town to make for a good time, plus it was great to be reunited with my friends from Turkey! The drinks were …”
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stella762/3/1274316289/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. “Santorini”
2. “Sunset on Ios”
3. “Ios Sunset”
4. “Ferry riding”
5. “Far out, Ios”
6. “Far out Beach Resort”
7. “Gryos”
8. “View of Ios”
9. “Ios Town”
10. “Goat crossing”

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Duration : 0:1:28

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Technorati Tags: are the drinks cheap in ios?, cost of ouzo in ios, cyclades, greece, hopper!, ios, ios greece 2010 season pics, ios island low season, island, photography, photos, slideshow, stella's ios greece, trip, tripadvisor, tripwow, vacation

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Entry from: Paxos, Greece
Entry Title: “An early start …”

Entry:

“Peter writes

We’ve been back on the boat now for more than a month and our trip to Asia seems a million miles away. In that month we’ve done the usual maintenance getting ‘White Rose’ ready for her voyages to come. As ever there was the annual lifting out and anti-fouling (painting the bottom) — as usual I seemed to end up wearing as much paint as the boat!!
We left the marina just before the 1st of April as the marina seemed to think it became ‘high season’ and doubled all the prices. Wanting to keep a low profile to avoid some of the high winds that still persist in this area we have found some very sheltered but pretty anchorages with virtually no other boats around. We also ventured into the ‘ex-pat’ zone of Vliho on Lefkas Island only to be informed that there was going to be a ‘fun’ race a few days later. We have never raced before, and the idea of putting, what amounts to ‘our home’ under pressure was not especially appealing; nevertheless, we duly entered what is known as ‘The Curry Cup’. The course runs from Nidri on Lefkas to Paleros on the Greek mainland where in the evening everyone goes to the local taverna for a curry meal — hence the name! With fair winds and obviously an awful lot of luck we managed a very creditable ’second’ place -you could have knocked both Bridget and me down with a feather when we heard the result!
As well as the pictures with this update there is also a video of our momentous effort on ‘YouTube’ — go to ‘YouTube.com’ and type in ‘Lefkas Easter Yacht Race’. Our thanks go to Keith and Penny for their camera work.
At the moment we are sitting out winds of a Force 5 to 6 on the tiny Island of Paxos, just South of Corfu — it’s very quiet but a beautiful place. Hopefully the weather will start to improve in the next few weeks and we can get underway.

Bridget writes…..

It is very quiet in Greece at the moment as ‘the season’ doesn’t begin until May 1st so we took advantage of that by hiring a car on Lefkas before we left. It was lovely to explore the island and see the spring flowers. (The car was cheap but with fuel at £1.35 a litre we were glad it was a small island!) We did find a waterfront café open but they couldn’t serve coffee due to a power cut, so we just had to have beer!!
April 15th saw us alone in a bay with neither café or taverna open, so it was a quiet meal on board followed by a DVD to celebrate my birthday this year — quite the opposite to last year’s party in Marmaris!! I wonder where all those people are now??
I have started swimming albeit briefly as the water is still cold but it is nice to see the bottom of the boat looking so good after all our hard work!”
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pandb/pandb/1271530830/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. “Lefkas c****”
2. “On top of the world”
3. “Full moon”
4. “In safe hands …”
5. “Feet up time …”
6. “Spring colours”
7. “Vliho Bay”

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Duration : 0:1:7

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