Woot woot...
2nd post for the year. Tad late but, whoopie doo.
Greece trip was what I call an impromptu, In the moment, YOLO, I kinda have the funds to do so kinda trip. I still remember it was just a casual conversation between me and my friend, she was planning to go on a trip to Athens then Santorini and I can't remember how the conversation went but I may have just self-invited myself and trip-jacked her travel plans.
The best part about the trip was the fact that I went with no expectations and no itinerary planned, shoutout to Nadia who took the lead and I just followed along. Cause imma leech that way.
Anyhoo, here are some snippets of what went down in Greece:
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| Hotel Room View in Athens |
Crazy story, while getting off the subway on the way to our Hotel in broad daylight, we were kind off tailed by two men who got really up close to us all the way to the front door of our hotel. Yeah, so the first impression of Athens was, not that great really.
But we had quite a nice view from our hotel room.
A kind Greek couple who was sat next to us recommended some local dishes for us to try and we were not disappointed. As we sat and enjoyed our meal, it became apparent to us that this tiny corner deli was both a local favourite and a frequent visit for travellers alike.
Link to restaurant: https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Restaurant_Review-g189400-d6852056-Reviews-Ta_Karamanlidika_tou_Fani-Athens_Attica.html
Walked around the city and headed towards the ancient Greek ruins up on a hill. I have no idea what it's called nor do I want to spend my time googling what the ruins is called so, that's that.
One of the lookout points (I don't know the name) but the view was pretty sick. As you can tell.
On our way up a hill to another lookout point as the sun was about to set. You could tell how stoked I was being surrounded by Olive trees. Secretly I was just picturing myself as a greek goddess and these trees along the path was the entryway to my Castle.
That, my friends, is the famous Temple of Parthenon (Had to google this) perched on top of the Acropolis Hill. FACTS.
A commemorative selfie for surviving the ''hike'' to witness a beautiful Greek sunset and the start of an amazing trip.
I mean, just look at that beaut.
Another crazy story, whilst making our way back at night to our hotel, google brought us to to the dodgiest street/ region of Athens where when I say dodgy I mean, We Could Have Died dodgy. It was night, the street was littered with rubbish, almost 90% of the people there were men of the dodgiest kind and I think looking back we may have stumbled upon the heart of the cities brothel area.
I mean, what could we do? It was too late to turn back so we just sort of marched forward and tried to not make any eye contact while just praying that we'll make it out alive.
Also, a man who was standing by the curb spoke out '' Be careful, be very careful'' as we walked passed which added a huge chunk of urgency for us to GTFO of there.
Anyway, the Lord was with us, I believe angels were there to protect us that night and we safely arrived back to our accommodation albeit slightly traumatised but, safe.
Tips before travelling to Greece/ Athens/ European countries. Do check out places to avoid/ safe zones etc.
For Athens: https://www.smartertravel.com/areas-avoid-athens-dangers-warnings/ read up. Be safe.
Moving on.
After a good nights rest. We started off the day with another venture for food.
Check out this quiet cafe "Just Made 33".
Link to cafe: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g189400-d7826748-Reviews-Just_Made_33-Athens_Attica.html
Not a very greek kinda meal but hey, whatever floats your boat.
Although, I did order this Bougatsa upon the recommendation of a local friend. It was delish!
Other photos of Athens cause I don't remember what we did in chronological order after the first day.
Must've been something cool but again, I don't know the name. Let's call it The Pillars.
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| Odeon of Herodes Atticus |
A crazy coincidence, we managed to get free entry into the Acropolis and most of the touristy sites because of some ''Tourist Day'' thing going on. The Asian in me was not disappointed.
Them pillars be holding up since 438 BC y'all. FACTS
People were taking photos of this temple. So I did too. Those statues remind me of mummy returns when the statues came alive and started chasing the George of the Jungle guy in the middle of London. I digress.
It was pretty windy up on the Acropolis Hill as you can tell from my Mad hair don't care look.
Nadia signed us up for a 'free' walking tour by I think she was American. Here's our group pic from the walking tour!
Next up, Santorini. We flew from Athens to Santorini on our 3rd day in Greece.
Oddly enough we were there when the travelling season died down and most shops/ businesses were closed as winter was approaching. We were blessed with good weather, sunny blue skies and crowd-less streets.
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| Blu-blu |
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| Cobbled alleys and friendly locals |
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| Skaros Rock |
See that giant rock at the end of the photo? That was the endpoint. I did attempt to scale the face of the rock to get to the top but decided not to after contemplating whether or not it was worth the sheer 100ft drop to my death whilst plastered on the rock edge mid-way. Sorry, Ma.
We were joined by some friendly locals whilst taking a break and enjoying the peace and quiet overlooking the Aegen Sea. They definitely picked the right spot for an afternoon siesta.
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| Blu- blu |
Nads managed to find a good deal for a half-day tour around Santorini on-board one of those sail ships. I did some homework and actually managed to find the tour company Caldera's Boats Santorini Sea Excursions.
We went for the Caldera Half Day Tour (Volcano, Hot Springs, Thirassia) which includes the following:
First stop was Santorini Volcano.
I don't really remember but I think we had to pay a small entrance fee upon arriving at the entrance of the volcano. Then it's a 15 to 20 minutes hike to the top where you'll be able to see and smell the sulfur fumes emerging from the ground. Yes, I hiked the bloody volcano with my Cotton On flip-flops. BAWS.
Views for days from the top of the volcano.
Next stop, Palea Kameni.
A famous hot spring which is really popular for its thermal waters. At this point, you can opt to strip down to your swimming gear, dive off the sailboat and swim to the shallow waters of Agios Nicholaos’ beach. Apparently, the waters are mixed with mud that is full of sulfur, iron and other metals coming from the volcano that is good for the skin, rheumatism, arthritis and other physical pains. Don't mind me, I wasn't going to miss a chance of diving into the Aegen Sea.
Note: You're only allowed to dive off the sailboat if you're good at swimming.
Funny story, so this guy who said he could swim jumped into the water and started flailing around which caught the attention of the guide, who then started shouting at the guy to get his ass back onto the boat cause he couldn't swim for shits. Guys got a death wish perhaps. But yeah, he had to get back onto the boat in the end.
The water was cold AF but I swam as hard as I could towards the beach where the water was warm and inviting.
I brought my bikini but didn't think of bringing a towel and so I had to sun-dry myself whilst absolutely freezing my ass off.
3rd stop of the tour, Thirassia Island.
''Thirassia is a miniature of what Santorini used to be several years ago. Today is a virgin island, still untouched by tourism and modern lifestyle. The island of Thirassia is only 9 sq. km in size and has approximately 300 permanent inhabitants.''
I forget but it was about 700 or so steps uphill to the village which we couldn't be bothered to attempt despite being told the view would have been gorgeous up top.
We decided to rest at one of the only 3 restaurants that were still open and operating on the island.
The final stop was the famous Oia, a coastal town on the northwestern tip of Santorini with its whitewashed houses carved into the rugged clifftops. This was where we decided to end our tour and continue exploring the village before heading back by bus to our base in Fira.
By the time we got to the village, it was almost dusk and we manage to catch the sunset just in time.
The next day, we decided to embark on the Greatest Hike Ever all the way from where we were staying, the small village of Fira to Oia. An approximate 10.5km of rugged terrain, dirt path, cobbled alleys and main roads.
And yes, I hiked it with my trusty pair of Cotton On flip flops. SPONSOR ME.
Link to full details of the hike: https://santorinidave.com/fira-oia-hike#:~:text=The%20Fira%2DOia%20Hike%20is,add%20at%20least%20an%20hour.
The hike started off with an eager sense of anticipation which then gradually turned into dread due to the cloudless sky, unending paths whilst trickling with sweat.
I did document our journey on my Instagram story so head on over to the highlights of Greece if you want to get a taste of our experience.
Still smiling cause, blu-blu views.
The village of Oia in the distance, almost there.
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| No travel is perfect without a back shot |
We made it to Oia.
We had to fight for this view.
Explored the village & shops along the way.
Found this really cool bookstore Atlantis Books that had a wide array of books, I could spend a long time just browsing through their collection. Featured on Times, The Guardian, Lonely Planet among others.
Link to their website: http://atlantisbooks.org/
Made a pit stop and got my latte fix at this cafe which had a balcony with a pretty sick view.
Of course, you can't end the day in Santorini without a sick sunset.
Some other things to consider if you ever find yourself in Santorini. Check out this restaurant perched on the edge of the cliff with an amazing view and is home to I might say one of the best Avos on toast dish you will ever taste.
Check out Volkan on the Rocks https://www.ergonfoods.com/santorini-volkan-on-the-rocks/
Also, please use your god given legs to walk and don't take the donkey. I mean, 1. Donkeys are terrifying. 2. You won't enjoy it. 3. Walking is healthy!
For them peeps who are into a long term souvenir, check out LUV'N'ROLL tattoo studio in Athens.
Link: http://www.luvnroll.com/
This was my first ever custom piece of hand-drawn art by the tattoo artist himself. Instagram handle: @elias.ap
They were super responsive via Instagram DM and I managed to book a slot with no hassle whatsoever.
Another top tip if you want to get around Athens ''safely''. Especially for me as I had to find a way to the tattoo studio which was located almost 35 minutes away from the centre of Athens.
Get the Beat- Ride App on your phone which is equivalent to Uber/ Grab. A very simple and quick way to set up your account and you'll be able to use the app in no time.
The app even shows you if the drivers can converse in English or not which is an absolute plus.
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| Find it on your app store |
All in all, Greece was fun. Athens/ cities, in general, aren't my cup of tea but Santorini was as expected, beautiful. We were absolutely blessed with amazing weather throughout our time there and to experience the village when it wasn't in its peak tourist season was too good to be true.
Special thanks to Nadia who let me hijack her trip and was down for me to tag along! Thanks for all the amazing photos and planning. XXXX
As the travel restrictions start to ease up, hopefully, we'll get the chance to get out and get our fill of seeing, experiencing and wanderlust-ing again because God knows I need a little adventure in this mundane episode of my life.
The world is too big to tell just one story and I'm itching to tell more and keep this narrative going for years and years to come.
Till next time.
X
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