The Deep Blue of the Caldera Sea

Grab another cup of coffee. Here's the continuation.

A very cold night later, we woke up early to head to the airport. We arrived in Athens around 3 p.m. and had some great views of the countryside and landscape while flying in. Walking into the Greece airport was like walking into a whole new world. From some reason, the fact that the Greek language has its own alphabet had completely slipped my mind. Thus, it was quite a surprise when all around me people were speaking a language I couldn’t understand a word of and there were signs saying things I couldn’t even begin to comprehend. But we managed to make it on a bus that would take us to the city. Let me tell you, though… I was not a happy camper halfway through this bus ride. We had been up since 5 o’clock that morning, traveling all day. I had my hefty backpack strapped on my back and we were packed like sardines into a hot, humid bus full of people… for close to an hour. Alyssa and I both surely looked like we were going to kill someone. The outskirt of Athens was not a pretty-picture sight. But as we got closer to the city, it became nicer and nicer. We quickly found our way to the hostel, a place that I would not readily recommend to someone. It was in a sketchy area, with no shower stall, thin walls, a leaky toilet, and a very uncomfortable bed. However, we only paid 18 euro a night for our own room and bathroom. You can choose which one you’d prefer: money or comfort.

Once we settled in, we went in search of a guidebook and dinner. Alyssa and I both failed to research what exactly there was to see in Athens, so purchasing a guidebook was touristy and expensive, yet necessary. We found a cheap restaurant in the guidebook and made our way there. Some very brusque Greek men ushered us to a table. I tried a Greek salad which was good (despite the tomatoes – I recently haven’t been a huge fan of those). Because the area by our hostel really was unsafe and because we were two very American-looking girls traveling by ourselves, we decided not to stay out late or to “go out” at all on any given night. So instead, we did the most typical American thing we could have done – we found a Starbucks and plopped there for the evening. :)

After a restless night (I think I mentioned that the walls were very thin), we got up and headed out for our first activity of the day: the changing of the guards in front of the Parliament building. Our guidebook had informed us that at 10:45 every Sunday morning the guards changed complete with military band. So we stood in the crowd with every other tourist to watch a military band followed by Greek soldiers in their entire regalia make a sort of parade in front of Parliament. Their outfits included pom-pom-like fluff balls on their shoes and their marching was a sight to be seen!

We then headed to the Acropolis: the sight-seeing of all sight-seeing in Greece. We were able to see all of the sights for free because of our EU student ID card we received for studying here. Woo-hoo! We spent the next hour seeing the Theatre of Dionysus, what is left of the Temple of Athena Nike, the Propylaia (entrance to the Acropolis), the Erechtheion (temple of Poseidon housing the Caryatids), and of course the Parthenon. The view out over Athens was truly incredible. And to stand on the ground that so many have stood before, that is so ancient and full of history was mind-blowing. Isn’t it amazing to think that some of the oldest architectural structures in the whole entire world are STILL standing?!?!?!

We hiked to a couple “viewpoints” to get some more shots of the Acropolis. We then explored Ancient Agora, an old market/assembly place. Apparently Socrates philosophized and the apostle Paul preached there! We discovered a church there called the Church of the Holy Apostles of Solakis; it is evidently the only remaining Byzantine structure of its time. What I loved about it though was the feel of true antiquity inside; it was as if no human hands have touched it – no restoration, no nothing. The frescoes on the wall were fading and parts of the wall were crumbling, but it was obviously a church used well. Also in Agora is the Temple of Hephaestus, the best-preserved Doric temple in Greece. We also explored a museum located in the Stoa of Attalos, which used to be a shopping arcade. The museum contained many ancient pieces of pottery and artifacts; it’s absolutely fascinating how they can piece all of that back together after an excavation. To continue our sight-seeing day, we visited the Keramikos cemetery – ruins of old tombstones and the location of the Dipylon and Sacred Gates. The Sacred Way also had a path through the grounds – a path that many processions followed in order to get to Agora and the Acropolis. It was definitely an interesting and new part of Greek history that I learned.

At this point in time, we decided to take a break from our touring and hit up an Internet café. So I’m sitting in this dingy little place checking my email and I open one from my mom telling me… surprise! She and my dad are coming to France! A “friend” (of whom I do not know the identity) offered to pay for their entire trip – airfare, hotels, train tickets, etc… basically an all-expense paid trip to come visit me! I found myself tearing up in this hole of a café in Athens, Greece – because God is SO good! And He sends us the most perfect gifts at the most perfect times.

After that wonderful surprise, Alyssa and I took a walk through the National and Zeppeio Gardens. It was a quite beautiful evening and it was nice to just take a break from the day and relax a bit. We then set out on a task to find dinner. We had found a place in the guidebook that seemed promising but we couldn’t for the life of us find it! On our way, however, we were BOMBARDED by Greek waiters showing us their menu. Their speech was always the same: “Ah, American girls… we have a lovely menu for you. Take a look. (They would then proceed to show us the ENTIRE menu.) It’s a great price – just for you. Why don’t you take a seat?” I don’t know how many times we heard the words, “It’s just for you.” Fear not, though, because we didn’t buy it. One guy rambled on and on about how he doesn’t like to bother people but how he doesn’t want to see anybody pass up the greatness of his restaurant. Oh, the Greeks! They drive a hard bargain!

The first menu we were roped into seeing was because Alyssa responded “No, merci” to the waiter’s question. Well he apparently knew French and explained his entire menu to us in French. We told him we’d consider it and possibly come back. After discovering that the restaurant we had initially been searching for was nonexistent, we decided that the “French” guy had been the nicest. And we returned to his restaurant. He was so happy to see us and they brought us two complimentary glasses of wine… on the house! They treated us like honored guests all because we returned. We had a very nice dinner and decided to split a Greek dessert at the end to finish it off. We tried baklava, which both of us came to love! It was a nutty caramel type of cake that was quite delicious. We said goodbye to our friends at the restaurant and headed over to see the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch lit up at night. We concluded our day by being an “old couple” – reading in bed and then going to sleep.

The next morning/afternoon we went shopping. There was one main street of famous European clothing stores that we of course visited. But we also spent much of the day in little Greek-owned jewelry and souvenir shops. We were naturally targeted by the vendors and they always had a special price just for us. J The jewelry is really quite pretty, the sandals very Greek-goddess-esque, and the dresses incredibly adorable. But when you’re traveling in Europe on a budget and with a backpack, there’s not a whole lot of room for dresses and sandals! Regardless, window-shopping was fun. The best part was just getting to see more of Athens – the cobblestone streets, the mini shops, the cute restaurants, and the village-feel that it has. So we spent the majority of the day exploring with a quick trip back to Hadrian’s Arch and another to the Lysicatres monument. We picked a restaurant near our “friends’” restaurant that had cute, outdoor seating. Our waiters referred to us as “the girls” and we were, again, treated wonderfully. I had the most delectable Mediterranean pasta with shrimp and we split baklava again for dessert. We made one last trip to Starbucks for a little down time before heading back to Hotel Athinaikon.

Tuesday morning dawned bright and early. The morning began calmly enough but not long after setting out for the day, we began to feel raindrops. We made it over to the Panatheonic Stadium – the first Olympic venue for the games held in 1896. That was really cool to see as the Olympic Games have become such a staple of “world culture,” and you could see the world-wide symbol of the five rings across the way. The stadium was quite small – we’ve evidently come a long way since then! Right after our visit there, it started raining but we decided to plug through it and headed towards Hadrian’s Library. These ruins were cool to see because this once-massive library had housed a courtyard AND a church and you could see the remaining tile mosaics from the floor of the church. It was also possible to see where they had once housed the shelves of books and the English major in me LOVED this tid-bit of knowledge.

After that visit, we went to Roman Athens – a site that was once used as the city civic centre under Roman rule. They had a public latrine with 68 seats – that’s a lot of toilets! Also at this site were a mosque and the Tower of the Winds (an innovative octagonal tower that allowed the ancient civilizations to determine the direction of the wind, among other things). Our last task of the day involved a trek up Filapapoo Hill. We passed the Prison of Socrates along the way, which was cleverly “hidden” inside a hill, among the brush. When we made it to the top, we discovered the most beautiful view of Athens; you could see for miles around – all the way out to the sea – AND you had the most perfect view of the Acropolis. The Filapappos monument was nothing spectacular but our happiness about the view was short-lived because two minutes into our hike down, it started to pour. I was pretty miserable, even with an umbrella. But we made it back and stumbled into an EVEREST, a popular sandwich-and-coffee joint in Greece. I tried my first frappe – a drink very popular among the Greeks. The first day we were there, I noticed how almost everyone I saw was holding a frothy coffee-looking drink in their hand. It turns out that it’s instant Nescafé in frothy form. I now understand why the Greeks love it (it’s quite good) but it’s astonishing to see HOW MANY of them drink it. I’d be interested in knowing how MUCH they make in frappe sales!

After lunch, I was roped into buying a purse. There are these bags in Europe called Longchamp bags that everybody has. I’ve secretly wanted one and this little shop in Athens was selling knock-offs for cheap (usually they’re $60 for the smallest size). The saleswoman put on quite the act telling me that it was vacation and when you’re on vacation, you can spend whatever you’d like. I felt like telling her that I emptied my entire bank account just to get OVER to Greece. But I very happily purchased my bag for much less than it usually costs (we’ll see if it lasts). When I paid with my credit card, the woman behind the counter laughed and said “Ah… you happy now, you pay later.” I guess so!

Alyssa and I then returned to our hotel, grabbed our stuff, caught the metro, and boarded our ferry. I couldn’t help thinking that I was boarding some modern-version of the Titanic – there was an escalator! The ferry ride was interesting but because we bought economy class tickets, it was quite cold. The two girls with whom we shared a table were especially sweet. One was from New Zealand and the other from Nigeria. I just love how NORMAL it is now to meet people from all over the world! The most interesting part of the ride, though, was actually a conversation Alyssa and I had with a Pakistani man named Hasim. He approached us to ask what time the ferry would land and when he discovered we were American, he pulled up a chair to “shoot the breeze,” so to speak.

Hasim, shortly after introductions, brought up an obviously sensitive but equally as important subject. He bluntly asked us why Americans treat Pakistanis like they are all terrorists. We attempted to explain that it’s not right but when people are scared, they find something or someone to blame for their fear. So when the terrorist attacks on the U.S. happened, many U.S. citizens blamed the whole race rather than the terrorists themselves. Hasim seemed to understand this but he still seemed a bit skeptical. He was very vulnerable with us and explained how his travels in Greece have revealed much prejudice toward him and his country.

We began talking about his culture and the differences between our culture and his. He asked us what we think about women in the workplace versus women as “home-makers.” Because in his culture, he explained, it is very dangerous for women to be anywhere BUT the home. Hasim also listened to us as we explained to him our career goals and the plans we have for our lives. Additionally, we talked about arranged marriages. Our new friend explained that there are both “love” marriages AND “arranged” marriages in Pakistan. He asked us what type of marriage we would each prefer and we answered a “love marriage” because that’s the kind of culture we’ve grown up in. But we agreed that had we grown up in his culture, we might also be fine with an arranged marriage.

Hasim was very sweet when he talked of his parents and his country. He still lives at home at the age of 22 but you can see how much he truly loves and respects his parents (something we have in common)! He was also incredibly proud of his culture and his home. He kept saying “I LOVE my country” with a big grin on his face. Overall, it was a wonderfully eye-opening conversation. Hasim, though, kept bringing up the prejudices Americans have and while the words in my mouth reaffirmed that we don’t see him as a terrorist, part of me quite frankly couldn’t help but think, “What if he IS planning to blow up this ferry?” It’s hard to admit that my mind could think that; I like to think that I don’t carry any sort of predisposition toward a certain race of people. But it was humbling to realize that my own heart can be in conflict about the matter and that I still have a long way to go.

Bidding our farewells to Hasim, we got off the ferry (after a VERY long wait), found our hostel pick-up, and headed to Villa Manos. What a great little place! Family-run, the people there were so friendly and helpful. They gave us free glasses of wine upon our arrival and for only 13 euro a night, Alyssa and I had our own room complete with bathroom and mini kitchenette. The place was slightly far away but it had a beautiful pool area, a most delicious breakfast, and a gorgeous building. After our “sketch” room in Athens, we found this place to be a 5-star hotel (and in all reality, it really was that nice)! We went to sleep at about 2:30 a.m. and slept in the next morning.

After breakfast we headed to Fira, the capital of the island. It was a great little city with lots of places to shop around (which is what we did)! We kept seeing signs to go down to the “Old Port,” so we decided why not check it out? When we turned the corner, we were “attacked” by Greek men and their donkeys. I immediately jumped at the chance to ride a donkey, plus it was WAY better than walking up and down flights and flights of stairs to see the view. So we began our donkey ride – what a hoot! It is every bit as bumpy as you may imagine, but also quite a lot of fun. Our donkey guide was a character – when we got to the port, he grabbed two other donkeys, tied them to Alyssa’s donkey, untied me and sent us back up with my donkey leading the way (so much for seeing the old port)! I kept saying, “No, wait! I want to get off” and he just kept replying with some Greek version of “Giddy up!” I felt that the whole thing was a very necessary Greek experience.

We spent the rest of the day exploring. On one road, we met this Greek man who worked at a little café overlooking the sea. He, of course, tried to entice us into eating there, but we told him maybe later. He explained to us that “two verrrrrry bea-ut-if-ul Amerrrrrican girrrls” should stay and have a drink at his café. If I had a dime for every time he called us beautiful or tried to hold our hands, I would be rich! We told him we would come back for the sunset. In the meantime, we grabbed a late lunch/early dinner of chicken souvlaki (more good Greek food) and when we returned for the sunset, our “friend” was evidently very happy. I was soon dubbed “Madelina” and was given a discount on my glass of wine. It was quite the treatment and a pretty good sunset as well. Our Greek man was rather touchy-feely, though, and Alyssa and I both commented that more than once we felt his hand linger longer than we would have liked! He had us pick out a dessert we liked. I chose a banana-chocolate something or other that truly was one of the most scrumptious desserts I’ve ever eaten. However, it was certainly not worth the 10 euro he charged us each for dessert! I wasn’t really upset because despite it being a costly evening, I was quite the happy camper watching the sunset with my 10 euro dessert and a glass of wine. Our friend told us that we had to return every night… I don’t think he realized that we are not made of money!

The next day we decided to “see” the island. Our walk back to the hotel the night before had felt a bit dangerous (no streetlights and no sidewalks) and we quickly realized that Santorini is not a walking island. So we rented a four-wheeler – possibly the best decision I made the entire 2 weeks of vacation. It was FANTASTIC for multiple reasons. First of all, it just felt so good to drive something again. Secondly, it gave us the opportunity to really see everything. We unfortunately didn’t make it around the entire island but that only fuels my desire to go back!

After a few mishaps with Jake (our pet nickname for the four-wheeler) – we left the parking brake on one too many times – we headed to Attiroki, which is one of the red beaches on the island. We hiked up some beautiful red rock and got a most spectacular view. We then drove to the lighthouse on the island, which was also gorgeous. Our next stop was Perissa Beach, a black sand beach. We ate lunch there (free dessert from the restaurant – gotta love the Greeks!) and then lay on the beach for an hour or so. It was a beautiful day and I actually enjoyed the black sand (which is slightly more pebbly) more than regular sand. We found ourselves a bit lost after this and we kept getting detoured (they were doing some sort of construction). So by the time we figured out where we were, it was getting late and we decided to head to Oia (at the northern tip of the island), for sunset.

After changing clothes at the hostel, we headed for Oia. Unknowingly, we took the long way. But, in my opinion, it was well worth the drive. I’m not sure I can even begin to describe to you the beauty of the sea and the mountains. It literally took my breath away. I’ve never seen a sea so blue and it was just the most wonderful feeling whizzing along these country roads through the mountains and seeing spectacular views of the water. Oh, the magic of a Greek island…

When we got to Oia, we ended up following a road all the way to Ammoudi Bay (where a little fisherman’s village is located). We found a little spot on a cliff with a perfect view of the sunset. And it was indeed quite beautiful. I drove on the way home and we decided to take the short way because it was getting chilly. We ended up driving straight through the village of Oia, which I immediately fell in love with. It was the most Greek-looking of all those we had seen thus far and at night, it looked simply magical. I pulled over to get a picture but the police were again blocking off part of the road so we were yelled at to keep moving before I could get a good shot. Poor Alyssa – she probably could have cared less about having a picture. But I drove until we found a parking lot and then I marched us back in order to take the picture. If you see my pictures, I think you’ll know which one I’m referring to – it’s the prettiest of them all. :)

Greece was the first country in which I actually felt like an American girl. While driving the moto, we got whistled at, winked at, smiled at, etc… I’ll admit that it was quite fun to get such attention! Overall, though, the island of Santorini is just such a friendly place. Everybody waves and all the restaurant workers kid around with you and make you feel like their “favorite” (even though they do the same things with everybody)! The moto guy who taught us how to drive the four-wheeler told us how he came to visit Santorini for a week, called his parents, and told them to send his stuff! It’s the kind of place where you feel safe and comfortable immediately. And all the Santorinians are really proud of their island – but not in a bragging, showing-off kind of way. If they ask you whether you like the island or not and you reply (as I did so often) “Why yes! It’s gorgeous…” they just smile at you as if you’ve just been let in on their secret. Can you tell yet that I fell in love with this little Greek island?

Anyway, our drive home that night was semi-terrifying. It was equivalent to driving through the mountains of West Virginia at night on a four-wheeler. Our little four-wheeler could only go so fast and it wasn’t easy for cars to pass us on the curvy roads – all of which made for a tense journey. Back at the hotel, we parked Jake and ordered take-out for dinner. It had been QUITE an exhausting day; we were so frozen from the wind that when I put my hand to my cheek, it felt like my skin was burning!

Friday was our last day in Santorini. We returned the moto, did a little more souvenir shopping, and grabbed lunch. I won’t give away anything I bought but I will fill you in on one of my purchases: worry beads. The Greeks (mostly the men) carry around strands of beads called worry beads. Walking down the street, you see people just playing with these beads! It’s highly amusing. They sell them everywhere, so I picked up some for my brother (as a joke) because he is the last person in the world that would need worry beads!

We spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool at the hotel, which was some much-needed down time. Around 8:30, the hotel drove a bunch of us to the ferry port. Because it was their Easter that weekend and Good Friday celebrations were going on, we had to be dropped off quite early. It was really sad to be leaving the island when such an important event was going on. As we were driving to the port, we could see all these candles lit up around the city and it made me wish to stay another night. Alas, I guess I’ll just have to return to Santorini for Easter one year!

We ate dinner with some other girls from the hostel who were studying in Milan for the semester and then killed time by playing with these puppies and cats that ran loose by the restaurant (for some reason, all the dogs run loose in Greece). They were quite adorable and all the girls were literally cooing over them. Our ferry was right on time and I slept the entire way back to Athens which was great. We spent a couple hours in the Athens airport sleeping and resting and then caught our flight to Paris. Once in Paris, we had a couple hours to kill, so we grabbed lunch/dinner and then headed for the train station. An uneventful train ride later, we were home!

If you’ve finished reading this massively detailed blog entry, I owe you a piece of French chocolate when I get home! In many ways, this blog has become my journal – and so unfortunately, every gory detail gets written down. Thanks to those of you who have plugged through. I hope you feel that you got a little taste of Italy and Greece by reading. :)