2nd to last travel blog everyone!!!
Day 7 cont...
- wandered around for ages on the last night in Naxos and i realize I have lost that beach mat! Have theory (and this could be due to the large amount of sun i've been getting) that a flock of chickens nicked it from my bag when I wasn't looking and returned it to the old lady from the store (this would explain the chicken feathers when i got it as i'm probably the 10th owner of that mat), if this makes no sense to you reread the last note! Yes this theory might sound far fetched but i'm going into tv withdrawl and must amuse myself in anyway possible!
Day 8
- sweet talked the hotel owners wife into lending me her hairdryer - oh the luxury my hair is free!
- breakfast was fresh squeezed oranges, yoghurt with naxos honey, tea and fresh bread with jam and butter (multrigrain cheerios just won't cut it when i get back home!)
- did something i do on every holday.... unfortunatley its nothing too exicting: i admit i am obsessed with visiting grocery stores when i'm in other countries - there is just soo much new food to love (there is so a fat girl in here dying to get out!) my favourite grocery stores were in tuscany, england and amsterdam -> yes please don't shake your heads-i actually have favourites :o)
- kinda rainy today, wandered around by myself and spent most of my time flicking my hair around like i'm starring in my own greek pantene pro-v advertisement i'm just so happy to be free of the ponytail!
GREEKS: they smoke non-stop, and cough like its an olympic sport! each conversation they have sounds like an intense argument and since i don't speak greek at all it very well could be)! they are obsessed with instant coffee (costs more then a cappuchino) but the rare times you catch them smiling it can melt your heart!
- took ferry to athens in the evening, got in argument with horrible british women who even though we had tons of space at our table insisted that she was entitled to all the space as she had long legs, total crap and i tell her so but she seems to thing my obviously midget legs should not be allowed any space, resist the urge to accidentally launch my icetea into her lap
- get into athens port and for some reason i am reminded of toronto, this makes no sense and i must be delirious from the smacking around the british lady (only in my head of course) and the vibrations of pulling my luggage on the bumpy sidewalks of scary pirreaus athens!
- after 5 hours sleep we head to the train station and get on a 5 hour train ride to Meteora to see the amazing monastarys perched on incredible mountains! the scenery on the way isn't too spectacular - its like most train rides, i think secretly i expected to see zeus up in the mountains in a toga with a spear (mostly i just wanted to see the toga!)
- decide on the way i am desperately in love with my bag and realize its seen 10 countries in the last year and has yet to fail me! i am considering naming it but fear such an attachment is not in anyway healthy!
- decide unless i can master the squat and pee i am no longer allowing myself to use the public bathrooms, they are too horrible to imagine and i am in constant fear of "missing"! its like a class at the gym "now squat and pee, squat and pee NONOnononononoooooo don't pee then squat" thats all wrong and has very dire consequences!
- the monastaries are lovely to walk around, so much history and the monks chanting on the music system adds to the mysteriousness of the whole place, i would rather see a real one but i guess they were hiding today which is good because the last recollection i have of a monk was in the "da vinci code" and that was a very scary dude!
- all women touring the monastaries and nunneries are not allowed to wear shorts or skirts or pants, you must cover up with a wrap they provide and once i have this oh so fashionable greek apparel on i have a sudden urge to sit on a chair in front of my white and blue house all day drinking coffee and shaking my head at all those damn tourists
- walk around tons to maintain the calves of steel and on the trek back up to the hotel realize that those are not extra large moths or small birds, yes yes those are bats flying around our heads and i will have none of it! resist the urge to put on my hoodie like a cape and pretend to "be one of them" and march on to the hotel, well not so much march on as march up, argh :o)
- probably will write the last bit from Gatwick, i have more meteora tomorrow then its back to athens then home via London! xxx
Greece - Part 6
Day 9
- last few hours in Meteora and just enough time to squeeze in a few more monastarys, kind of getting to the point that if you have seen one you have seen them all and after managing to drop my skirt mid tour (they give you skirts to wear over your pants because you are not allowed in without one on) I feel i have traumatized enough of gods men and skip the last 2! now whilst i didn't have to climb up the last cliff, still managed to clock in about 16 or so kilometres today by an apparent Meteora taxi shortage and 8 of those kms were straight up hill! feel a little guilty that my favourite part of the day was not the beautiful hymns of the nuns and monks but the white chocolate covered strawberry icecream i inhaled outside the last monastary!
- so very much looking forward to some Canadian food, after trying Mousakka once (and loving it) seems to be all you can find here in Meteora and after having it for a 3rd time in about 24 hours i am ready to "mousakka" it back up and try ordering a big mac to see the response i get! Every time we ask for a menu in the teeny tiny family run tavernas we are met with some very leery looks and they say no no no! (i'm curious to find out what menu actually means in greek) only to have them come back with a menu every time! should seriously learn some greek words and later consult my travelguide and the only thing related to food i can seem to memorize is - is there meat in this? not sure how far that will get me if i try to order that big mac :o)
- 5 hour train ride back to Athens goes very well and i'm a little concerned because it was transportation and public at that!
- after checking into the hotel we run into a couple from Mississauga and their niece from London who invite us for drinks, am soooo tired but know it will make a great story as they are totally looney and the niece who is completely plastered flails around so much i fear she will either flash us or clock someone with her constant high fives! after a lively conversation, the highlights being traumatized cats and sketchy mykonos cruises we finally make our escape
Day 10
- we ran into the niece at breakfast and she gave us an odd, suspicious look and asks "did i meet you last night" too funny! we run away very quickly (i mean we stroll out of the hotel) and head off to see the acropolis, not as big as i thought it would be and a little annoyed (uber pissed) that its under construction as the scaffolding is a bit of a blemish on all the lovely pictures i had planned on taking but what can you do? (other then grumble a little and silently threaten the construction workers to crop them ALL out!)
- do a bit of souvenir shopping to blow my remaining euros and waste (i mean spend) a lot on greek candies and ouzo, god knows why - i didn't even get up the nerve to drink it while i was here!
- get to the airport and load on the plane, i pull out my laptop and a GIANT bug crawls off onto my arm and with a silent shriek i fling it onto the chair in front of me only for it to scurry toward the fellow in the seat and i start to have visions of scorpion bites and anaphalactic shock - luckily the bug drops down onto the floor and i stomp on it about 12 times before sitting back in my seat with a huge sigh (medical crisis averted!) it looks more like a beetle now anyway and i'm a little unsure but i think the people sitting across the aisle are giving me some very funny looks!
- get into London Stansted and get a bus into London, am super duper excited as i get to go to Tesco and load up on british groceries!
Day 11
- take the Gatwick express out of London Victoria station, time to say goodbye to England and after a few short hours!
- discover at the Air Transat counter that the weight allowance is not per bag but for both and instead of throwing an epic fit accept the $160 charge for overweight luggage (UTTER CRAP) I decide that its public transportation and what could i expect!
- make myself feel better by buying trashy british magazines and more british candy and its time to take off!
High Lights of Greece
- the food!!! feta cheese, fresh break and tzatziki, fresh yoghurt and honey, and chocolate fondue oh the caloric indulgence
- friendly hotel owners (poppy!) who want to make your stay memorable (special shout out to the hotels that had hair dryers!)
- the laid back atmosphere and beautiful beaches
- the internet cafes that let me share my travel tales and get e-mails from loved ones
Not so High Lights of Greece (not really low lights more like medium lights)
- flooded bathrooms with shower curtains that feel you up
- public transportation that requires steel toe boots, extensive knowledge of greek language and several heartfelt prayers that i will survive to make it back to canada!
- that every island required climbing, hiking, climbing, sore muscles, hiking and did i mention all the freaking climbing and hiking?
Thats all folks!
Greece was beautiful and i will absolutely go back again, I appreciate all the comments from everyone they helped keep the homesickness away and made me smile from inside many a shady smokey internet cafe
Donna (your - multiple mousaka eating, chicken mat purchasing, hiking guru, scorpian transporting - traveler) xox
I limited myself to just 10 photos, these are my favs, hope you enjoy :o)
Ingredients
