Globetrotting 4

Greece - Athens and Ios

Dane and I left our TopDeck tour group in Rome while they carried on travelling through Europe for another 3 weeks. 10 days of campsites, early mornings, and long bus rides was more than enough for me. So instead we made our way to the closest train station - with a mad panic dash for the train with our backpacks on - and headed for the airport.

We had quite a wait in the airport for our flight to Athens - with Tanya calling me to let me know that there were no ferry's to Ios the next day. Our plan was to meet Tanya in Athens, where we would stay for one night and then head to Ios by ferry the next day, where we had a weeks accommodation booked. So between us, Tanya and I tried to sort out the ferry situation - costing me big moola on my credit card (TIP - never use the internet machines in the Rome airport) and Tanya eventually having to go to the port to book our ferry. Nightmare averted. Dane and I eventually made it to Athens after about midnight, and then we had to find our way to our hostel.

I must have booked the seediest hostel ever - there were prozzies everywhere, and when Dane and I stopped to ask for directions, I was sure that they were sending us to a gang at the end of the street. The lift to the hostel had no doors, and when we got there the long-haired greasy Greek man greeted us... so glad we only spent the night there!

We were up early the next morning and on the ferry - first to Paros where we had lunch and waited for our second ferry which then took us to Ios. Photos do not do this island justice. It's paradise. We made our way to our beachside accommodation, the Far Out Beach Club - right on the beach, a mix of camping, cabanas and hotel rooms. With 2 bars, a restaurant, a pool and the beach right in front of us, we had everything we needed. We spent the rest of the day at the pool and by the bar enjoy lovely all day 2 for 1 cocktails. It had been a long day so we decided to experience the famous Ios night life yet, but save ourselves for the next day.

Dane went off in the morning to watch some Aussie sports game with fellow Aussies he met,

so Tanya and I took the time to explore the town centre, spend some time on the beach and by the pool and try out first gyros... yummy!!! That night we ventured into town and had an epic night - 10 shooter bars, £1 shooters, and who knows what else - this place is manic. Many an Ios t-shirt souveniers were taken home that night :)

Over the next few days we spent more time out in the sun, and tried various activities the island had to offer. One of the unfortunate experiences we had was canoeing - we wanted to do a watersport, and the island canoeing exploration seemed like a good idea at the time. But, the water was so choppy, and with 3 of us in our canoe it wasn't long before we capsized. We were out there for ages before the rest of the group realised we weren't with them. We had tried and failed many times to all get back in the canoe and keep it steady but the 3rd person in the middle was making this difficult, so I stayed out of the canoe to try keep it steady and swim instead, but the current made this impossible. I was getting so tired, and scared cos we were getting closer and closer to the rocks - panic set in. My nightmare was all around me - I hate swimming in the ocean for this very reason, and now I was stuck in it.

Eventually the speed boat found us and took us back to shore, a little shaken up but otherwise ok. Not something I will be doing again in a hurry. From then on we stuck to land activities - we hired two four wheelers for the day and took a leisurely drive around the island visiting remoter beaches - it was just beautiful, and much more my style :)

All too soon it was time to head back to Athens - we had 1 more night in the dodgy hostel, and a full day to explore the city before flying back to London. Athens had always been a dream of mine to visit. After studying all the architecture in art at school, I just had to see it for real. I was bitterly disappointed. Athens is a dirty city. It isn't pretty, it's just dirty - there isn't really another word to describe it. It was stinking hot that day, and the city just smelt. We saw everything I wanted to see - although most of it was covered with construction frames - and then headed to the airport. Greece is definitely on my to do again list, but the next time I might just pay the extra money to fly straight to the islands and skip the Athens stop.

And, that was the end of our holiday.... an amazing 2 weeks, travelling through France, Switzerland, Italy and Greece. The most amazing trip of my life, meeting wonderful people and making awesome memories.

I can't wait to do it all again!