I am officially slightly tanned. (I prefer that title instead of burnt like a well-done steak.) It’s been a very relaxing couple of days but I think I’m techno-musiced out.
Trip to Athens
Last entry had me leaving Italy and catching a ferry to Greece. Beside it running on Greek time (2 hours late in leaving) it wasn’t too bad. Was not quite up to the P&O standard but I slept reasonably well in the pitch dark cabins. Was an adventure climbing into a bunk bed without a ladder though – actually glad I had to attempt that in the dark because I wouldn’t have got marks for grace and style.
Eventually arrived in Greece and headed towards the Corinth Canal which links the Adriatic and the Aegean Seas. Finished in 1893 it saved a fair amount of time rather than having to sail around the peninsula. But not as big as I expected.
(Corinth Canal)
Rather than using the thesaurus to find superlative words – I’m using it to find words meaning average. Greece, while fun with the people I’m travelling with and good to tick off the list of things to do, is a bit disappointing. It’s sad that for a civilization that led the world in ancient history it has the feel of a slightly 3rd world country now. I’m probably being way too harsh and repeated conquering by neighbouring countries hasn’t helped but Greece is closer to Egyptian standards then Australian standards.
Athens
We arrived at Athens and joined another traffic jam. Those who follow world events would probably know off the trouble Greece is experiencing with financial difficulties and some dangerous riots. But when we drove through there were no problems – the main square near their parliament was empty. I was kinda hoping for at least some placard-wielding Greeks but very quiet. We saw some leftovers of the damage – smashed windows and burnt-out car. We also saw where we think the bank employees were killed – there were some flowers and memorials next to a bank.
Our first and final stop was the site of the Parthenon. Guess what – scaffolding again! It was great seeing it but still a bit of empty feeling after the short visit. I’ve become a spoiled traveller I think...
(Parthenon)
Mykonos
After a ridiculously early start we were on another ferry heading towards our Greek Island Adventure! Uploaded the blog on the boat and still had a bit of time so went to the ever reliable site of Wikipedia and found the Mykonos entry. And guess what was listed as a tourist attraction – a set of windmills and a pelican.
(Mykonos Windmill)
(Famous Pelican)
When I wasn’t searching for the terribly important local landmarks, my days in Mykonos consisted of:
1. Swim to a buoy in the freezing sea
2. Clean off the salt in the camping sites’ pool
3. Warm up in the sun on the lounge chairs
4. Repeat until hungry
One thing I can positively recommend is the food. Chips in kebabs –what a fantastic idea! Cornetto’s on steroids – great value. Had some fun evenings and walked around Little Venice while practicing our secret agent manoeuvres. We also visited Paradise Beach (which was within walking distance of where we camped) which was where an Australian was killed by some bouncers or something – I kind of remembered because his family gave his organs to save people.
It was pretty quiet on the island – since we’re travelling before high season our group seemed to take over any where we visited – not that we were able to change the songs being played. There’s only one style here – loud and techno.
I apologise for the next bit (bit of a personal joke) – but since this is also a diary I need to remind myself about this for later – ‘Oy vey’. Not a story to be told by blog or email.
So back to Athens – slept for most of the ferry ride back and back to same hotel from before. Heading out for tea tonight – someone’s 21st and need to buy a watch – managed to lose mine. Not having much luck at the moment...
Week Ahead
Wed, 12th of May Athens to Meteora
Thurs, 13th of May Meteora to Tirana, Albania
Fri, 14th of May Tirana to Dubrovnik, Croatia
Sat, 15th of May Dubrovnik
Sun, 16th of May Dubrovnik to Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Mon, 17th of May Sarajevo to Belgrade, Serbia
Tues, 18th of May Belgrade to Budapest, Hungary
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