Firstly, three days on Corfu were amazing and left me
feeling rejuvenated to continue on the trip with more. Most of the time in Corfu included
swimming on the pebbled beach, wincing at having to walk on said pebbles,
drinking cocktails and indulging in sailing.
On our first day we arrived very early so we were
able to chill out on the beach. Some people did watersports but I was not one
of them. I had no desire to swim amongst the sand and rocks or in the deep water. I sort of paddled about. On the second day we had a boat trip. It started at 10am and finished up at 5.30pm. The whole day we were out on the water, moving from cove to cove to swim and chill out in the sun. Lunch was on the boat. It was great fun and George, whose boat it was, was a very cheeky and inappropriate 62 year old Greek man. The scenery around the islands was fantastic and the waters were a brilliant blue colour. I am proud to say that I managed to jump off the boat at the first stop and swam around for a bit without panicking. It was only when I had to get back on the boat and the boat had shifted into rocky waters that I struggled to get back to the ladder. I had to keep repeating to myself that they were only shadows so that I could swim over one long enough to get on the boat without panicking in the water.
The rest of the day I stayed on the boat because it was too close to the reefs for me to be comfortable. However, I still had a great time and managed to get some great sun burn for my troubles. I had put sunblock on but I really am not sure if it actually works.
That evening we had a Greek dinner. We all got dressed up and headed out to a restaurant where we ate Greek food, danced Greek dances and I even got picked to take part in the plate smashing at the end. Yay! There was a dancer who, as he danced, men with lighter fuel and made a circle of flames around him on the tiled floor. It was great. I also took part in the potato dance. Me and Felicity had to put a potato between our foreheads and follow instructions. We had to have our hands behind our backs while we did it. Heaps of fun.
The third day on Corfu was a free day so I slept in, went for a walk to the touristy shops then chilled out on the beach. In the afternoon I met up with a few of the others and we sat on the beach front drinking cocktails and letting the world pass by.
It was an early wake up in the morning and it was not the best of calls either. The heavens opened as we were putting our tents down and we were hurridly trying to fold, pack and shove a tent into a bag. By the time we were done we were soaked through to the bone.
It was a long day but we finally arrived at our next stop, one which I have been super excited about - Athens.
The campsite was a bit of a joke. They had stuck us right near the entrance, right by a main road and right where the cars decide to drag race in the middle of the night. It was very loud but I didn't care because I was finally here, in the country that I have studied for years and years and years about to see the Parthenon and the temples of Zeus.
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| Parthenon |
Our first stop the next morning was to do a drive about the city with a tour guide. It was a great way to see the city and get an interesting history on the place - not the ancient history but the more modern history and the recent recession issues. I was really amazed at the amount of empty houses and buildings. They had simply been abandoned and sat there unused right in the centre of the city. After the bus about town we headed up to the Parthenon. I was so excited I had butterflies as we climbed the stairs and I finally got my first proper look. I was like a kid in a candy shop - I did not know where to look first. We were supposed to meet back at the bus at 12 but I told Claire, the manager, that I would not be joining them. I knew before we even walked up the hill that I would want to spend more time there.
The walk up to the Parthenon was up the original marble stairs that the Greeks would have once climbed in ancient times. I got to walk between great sets of columns that dominated the area and then up the temple of Athena herself, passing by the temple of Nike. I was in my element.
From up there I could see out across Athens and at the bottom of the Acropolis was the Theatre of Dionysus where Aristophanes' plays were once performed. I actually got to walk down there and sit in the theatre too. I was so happy to be there I actually had a moment where I cried a few tears just because I was finally here.
From there I left the ancient site and pootled around the little markets in the agora, the old part of the city, and struck up a conversation with one of the shop owners who makes replicas of the ancient vases. If I had the money and the space I would have gotten one. She showed me how she paints and scratches out the designs. It was really cool. I also found my comedy and tragedy masks. Yay! Now I just need to not break them in my backpack.
I next went to the site of the temple of Zeus where there are only a few columns still standing, though still really impressive. The rest of my afternoon I spent walking the shopping streets. There was a bit of unrest in Athens so there were quite a few police on the streets. The other thing there was a lot of was gypsy children who basically rob, beg and steal. It was fascinating to watch and it made me sad as well to think where their parents are and if there parents are the ones dictating their actions.
The last night in Athens was the night that we said goodbye to three of our travellers, Tesh, Kirsty and Maddie and welcomed 14 new travellers. Suddenly the bus is looking very crowded.
I am looking forward to meeting some new people but at the same time I am a bit tired and don't really want to be social. Sigh.
