Just a quick update from Athens. Mykonos was beautiful. I wish I could stay on the Greek Islands forever! We spent two full days and one half day there and it wasn’t nearly enough. Both days we just sat on the beach all day, and partied at night – two nights in town, and one night at Paradise Beach. Some partied harder than others . . . our bus driver, Shawn, nearly missed his ferry.
Most of us have recovered a bit – I took my last antibiotic pill this morning, and even my coughing is quite a bit better – but now that we’re back on the bus we’re all going to get sick again, I can virtually guarantee it.
Canada Day was awesome, we had temporary tattoos of flags, and other Canadians kept coming up to all of us and asking where we were from and partying with us. We actually ran into some people from Dollard, and Elie met a couple of guys from Toronto and made friends. Although it was a little strange being on the beach on Canada day and sitting surrounded by francophone Quebeckers. I spent time in France but I hadn’t heard Quebec French in quite a while. Mykonos is very touristy, actually, and we met more people from Canada, the US, Australia, etc. than we did locals.
The hotel in Mykonos was right on the beach, a 5-minute walk from town, with its own saltwater swimming pool and great views. The town itself of Mykonos is beautiful, with all winding roads and windmills and white houses with blue doors everywhere. I went nuts with all the crepe places, jewellery shops, boutiques and everything. I bought myself two bracelets and a few souvenirs for family back home.
It’s really easy to see how people get into the lifestyle there – lazy days, parties all night, no pressure, no stress . . . it’s wonderful. We met this tour manager for one of Contiki’s island hopping tours at the beach, and she’s spent the last two years going between Santorini, Mykonos, and back to Athens. I want her life! The only problem is that everything’s really expensive there, so for that I liked Corfu better. Also, the beaches in Corfu were nicer, with warmer water.
The ferry ride back to Athens took about 6 hours and was incredibly boring. The “ferry nazis” as we’ve dubbed them (after the Seinfeld “soup nazi” episode) were going around forbidding anyone from sleeping, so we passed the time playing endless games of cards.
Everyone complains about Athens but I actually kind of like it. The only thing is that it’s super-hot again, after the nice break from the heat in Mykonos where there was a sea breeze and it actually got quite cool.
This morning we got a walking tour of the Acropolis, which was very cool, although Athens isn’t – it’s scorching hot. The tour guide spoke in a bit of a monotone, but once I got past that, the history itself was fascinating. Western Civ class from Cegep kept trickling back. All the buildings at the Acropolis are under perpetual construction/ restoration. I’m convinced it’s a ploy to get tourists to buy the overpriced postcards. After the Acropolis we went to the Olympic Stadium, which was awesome. Everyone went onto the running track and took photos pretending to be racing. The first modern Olympics in 1989 were held there, and the next opening ceremonies will be there in 2004. It was empty today but it’s still pretty cool to imagine it with 70,000 people. The Olympic flag constantly flies outside it.
Afterwards, we had free time to explore Athens. After spending about an hour looking for the American Express office, we finally found it in the most obvious place. Armed with cash, we set out looking for a restaurant that served fish, which Elie was craving. Finally we found a really good place and splurged on an excellent lunch. Our waiter was chatty and friendly, and kept insisting that we go to the kitchen to see the food being prepared.
After lunch, we went to Parliament to see the changing of the guards – their costumes are really funny here. They wear skirts, tights, and these funny shoes with pom-poms on them. Apparently, the guards are chosen among all the young men in Greece, who are doing their compulsory army service, for being tall, good-looking, and having great legs. I got a kick out of hearing that one.
Tonight, we get on the ferry for two days. The next place we go is Venice, and I can’t wait to get to the campsite because I desperately need to do laundry.
I hope everyone’s having a great summer. Miss you guys! And drop me a line if you get a moment to update me with all the news from home.
Take care!