Greece part 1: Corfu and Athens

Hey everyone, here is a little rundown of our first week or so in Greece.

Brindisi to Corfu
We arrived in Brindisi at about 11:00 pm. We figured the hostel couldn't be very far from the train station based on the directions, but we forgot that it was 11:00 pm and we were in an unfamiliar town. We basically walked around for an hour lugging our suitcases along busy roads, through the downtown where everyone was partying and finally ended up back at the station. We had to pay 14 euro for a cab ride to the hostel. Luckily the place was still open and there was someone there waiting for us. The next morning e learned that there are no hotels in Igouminitsu (we'll call it Igou for short), which wasn't really true we later found out (I kept the hostel room key on accident, so there). So we took the ferry to Corfu rather than Igou. Our hostel was called the Pink Palace - a college spring breaker's dream come true. Free breakfast, free internet, free dinner, and beautiful view! What more could you ask for?
We picked up a bottle of wine, and brought it back to our balcony to watch the daily show amongst the amazing view of the sea.

Corfu to Athens

so we were suppose to leave to Athens after the 2nd night at the Pink Palace, it was an overnight trip and it had been raining all day so we spent all day in the receptionist area watching movies and playing on the internet. We found out that our ferry was canceled because of the weather so we rushed to get on the last ferry of the night. By the time we wound our way across the island in torrential rain, we found out the ferry was canceled. But at least we got a free night back at the Pink Palace. So we ended up taking the 6:30 ferry the next morning to mainland Greece, where we were driven across the country by a Greek guy who spoke very little English. It wasn't the warmest day and he kept the window open all day while he smoked. So, after a 1.5 hour ferry ride and 7 hour van ride (at least it was scenic), we arrived in Athens. Melanie I were pretty tired and just spent the afternoon looking for an ATM and a snack, and then had a nice dinner provided by the Hostel. We also had our first taste of Greek Ouzo, a black licorice tasting liquor – similar to Sambuca

Day 2
Rainy day so we spent it at the Archaeological Museum (Another, yay!) We saw some great Greek sculptures and some Mycenaean artifacts. Very cool.

Day 3
We paid for the tickets. 18 euro! And if we would of just waited a couple of days it all would have been free for Easter weekend. Oh well, we saw the acropolis. It was huge, grandiose, spectacle of white marble. Then walked the grand promenade (basically a road connecting all of central Athens major historical sites), saw the Parthenon, walked around some of the cool neighborhoods. We went up and around heading towards the historical area of Plaka, however it was getting to the top of the hour and we definitely did not want to miss the changing of the guards. We grabbed a nice lunch (thinking we had enough time) but it got down to the wire and we ended up running and dodging cars to get to the parliament on time. Whew! Made it! The way the walked was so weird and funny and had to control my laughter. We then headed down the shopping street of Ermou and Corey finally bought a hat. Melanie picked up a nice traditional Greek blouse for herself and a couple souvenirs. Through our walking we discovered a fabulous flee market street, sat and had traditional Greek frappes. Delicious! We then walked up a hill adjacent to the acropolis for a view of the Parthenon at sunset. Of course we didn't take the easy way up, but the view a the top was well worth the climb. After we walked back down, and had a nice dinner on the grand promenade overlooking the acropolis all lit up in the night sky.

Day 4
We took the subway to the port of Piraeus to pick up ferry tickets to our next destination, Mykonos. After we walked a bit around the port and went back to the historical center to see the things we didnt have time to see the day earlier. This also happened to be Good Friday in Greece, so all the state historical sites were free. If only we knew this the day earlier...We then saw the ancient Greek agora (marketplace), saw a few other sites, had some lunch at a nice cafe, and then had dinner back at the hostel. Saw the Olympic stadium, awesome!

Day 5 – Athens to Mykonos.

So we woke up about 5:00, checked out of or hostel and headed for the subway. It was strange to be in such a large city, with no one out walking around. Most have left the city for the islands or elsewhere for the easter weekend. Once we got to the port, it was easy to find our boat (right in front of the main entrance). The ride was about 5 hours, but we occupied our time reading our books. But we were stuck in the smoking section so when the next to last stop came, we headed outside for the top deck where we could get some fresh air. Once we arrived in Mykonos, our hostel ride was waiting for us and brought us to the Paradise Beach campgrounds. The campground was nice, but the acclamations were very basic. We paid for the premier room (a little hut with two twin beds...and that's about it. It wasnt much better than a tent. Melanie was a little unsure at first, but being so close to the beach eventually won her over. This campground also had this pigeon house where all sorts of exotic birds were hanging out. After we got settled in, we had some dinner at the beach cafe and had a few drinks. That first night was pretty interesting. I slept fine, but it did get pretty cold. Being a tent like structure, every now and then some bugs made it in, which displeased Melanie. Needless to say, Melanie did not sleep well that night.