After 3 trains, 2 flights and a car ride we finally arrived to Santorini, one of the most popular greek islands.
The flight from athens to santorini was an experience.. We make it out to the tarmac and are directed towards a plane, we figured our plane must be the big one behind the small one that sat in front of us.. but no no we were going by the small plane. It sat about 40 people and was the smallest plane I have ever been on.
Once we were seated the air hostess walked down the isle handing out what we thought were lollies... we came to learn they were actually travel sickness lollies...eeeep!! Thankfully the flight was fine, Ive definitely been on worse flights flying with jetstar or easyjet. Once we landed the pilot came out and SHE was the hottest thing I have ever seen.. practically a barbie.
We stayed down at Perissa Beach, more known as the black beach (the sand is literally black). Our accomodation was.... less than average I must say. The owner fancied himself an artist... a con artist more like it if he was trying to pass his work off as art!!
We had decided to spend 5 nights in Santorini and it was well worth it. We spent our days fanging around on our quad bikes, hanging out at the beach, swimming and eating gyros.
We spent a night up at Fira, the main town of Santorini, where there are hundreds of the amazing white houses with blue roofs on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. The sunsets are absolutely amazing and is one thing I love seeing is a sunset over the ocean.
After 5 nights in paradise we headed to Paros. It is probably my favourite of the islands we went to. The stunning landscape of the beaches mixed with the baron centres and dry land is absolutely amazing.
Our 3 nights here were spent generally doing the same thing... riding around on quads, hanging at the beach and working on my growing tan. I definitely could get used to this kind of life!
Our last islands, Mykonos was definitely really fun! We stayed in Gilos Platus a few beaches around from Paradise, the well known party area. The place we stayed was AMAZING complete with an awesome pool and pool bar overlooking the hills of Mykonos.
Our first night mitch took claire and I on a mission walk around to paradise beach, we didnt quite make it as we couldnt work out which beach was actually paradise beach at that stage, but we stopped at an awesome bar for some cocktails and was so worth the rocky trek to get there.
we spent our days doing the usual, beach, pool, eating, working on tans. nothing out of the usual!
Our second night we were going to head into the port area for dinner and a quick look around, on our way we had to pass by the pool bar and met our new friend Adam, an aussie living in london (something unusual) and invited him to dinner as he as all alone until his friends arrived. We are such nice people haha. Lucky we did because we all became really good friends and was good to talk to some other people.. something I miss about not staying in hostels. After an amazing dinner, we practically had to be rolled to the bus to get us back to our place. Something about greek food makes me want to keep eating and eating!
Claire left us the next day so she could head back to turkey, but Mitch and I stayed on for another night. Our last afternoon we met some more people around the pool.. a group of amercians travelling together. They are such amazing people and again so glad we could meet them. I love meeting so many people!
Now with our big group, we headed out for our last night in Mykonos to see it out with a bang! we trekked again to Paradise beach, having some cocktails on the way. It was such a fun night hanging out with everyone! we finally got to bed about 3am and sadly the next day we had to leave the amazing greek islands and head back to dreary london. So depressing!
I absolutely loved the greek islands, I would probably go back again but do the greek sailing to see a bit more! the lifestyle of staying on the greek islands is amazing.. swimming, quad biking, eating gyros... I mean really who wouldnt love it???
Sunday 28 August 2011
Saturday 27 August 2011
Heaven on Earth - Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre.. to sum it up... WOW.
This place is absolutely amazing and is now one of my favourite places in the world.
We arrived to cinque terre late in the afternoon after a 6 hour train ride from Naples. The train ride itself was an adventure.. the train was old and we had pre-booked tickets and reserved seats.. except mitchs seat did not exist so he spent the entire train ride moving from seat to seat when one was available..not a highlight for him.
Mitch and I met up with Claire at La Spezia station and we headed out to Cinque Terre together. We stayed in Vernazza which was definitely my favourite of the 5 towns. Its the second largest town (we had one main street and a few little ones coming off that) and a stunning view to the ocean of crystal clear water.
The 5 towns of Cinque Terre are linked by rail and also hiking trails. Our first full day we decided to do the hike. Starting in Riomaggiore (or Rio-town as we had come to call it) we headed off. The first walk was very easy, it was flat, along a concrete path and only took about 20 minutes. We passed the hundred of padlocks that people lock to the railings as a symbol of love and then throw the key into the ocean, had pictures taken on the lovers chair and took many many photos.
The second walk from Manorola to Corniglia was tough... the easy route had been closed due to a landslide and most people took the train to the next town.. however we decided to the 2 and a half hour detour hike to get there. To say it was painful is an understatement. For an hour and a half we walked so high up into the mountains, climbing uneven steps. The sun was at its finest and belting out over 30 degrees of heat making it almost unbareable. Once reaching the top the views were definitely worth it as we looked out to the ocean. The next hour was spent walking through vineyards and making our way down the rocky terrain to Corniglia. we finally arrived and had a small lunch. Claire and I were exhausted and incredibly hot so we decided we would go back to our town by train, have a swim and relax for the rest of the afternoon. Mitch decided he wanted to do the whole walk in one day so he set off. He was so exhausted by the end of it but pretty pleased he done it all.
I had decided I would finish the walk 2 days later and Im so glad I did as the walks from Corniglia to Vernazaa and then to Monterosso were worth it. They were tough but the views are just so incredible you cant pass up the opportunity. I also roped mitch into doing the walks with me too so he hiked the whole thing one and a half times!
As a reward Mitch said he would take me to jump off the high rock in Vernazza into the ocean. It was completely safe as the water is ridiculously deep but I was so scared. Being petrified of heights I had to cling to Mitch and could barely get my legs to stop feeling like jelly so I could actually stand up there. It wasnt even that high I dont think, but any height is petrifing to me. A crowd was building watching and waiting for me to jump.. I had a moment of adrenalin and I knew in that second if i didnt jump I never would. So i quickly let go off mitchs hand which I had been squeezing and jumped into the turquoise water. The crowd cheered as I jumped, plunged into the water and came up to the surface being happy with myself that I had done it.
I am so glad we had gone to Cinque Terre.. after Mitch and I saw an episode of Getaway on it we made sure it was high on our bucket list and we would be going. So now thats ticked off and its also made its way to the top of my favourite places list. I would most definitely recommend Cinque Terre.. we were there for 4 nights and it wasnt enough. You could never get sick of the views, the lifestyle of swimming and jumping off rocks, snorkelling, eating amazing italian pasta, seafood, gelati... all of it, it's amazing.
Its my heaven on earth!!
This place is absolutely amazing and is now one of my favourite places in the world.
We arrived to cinque terre late in the afternoon after a 6 hour train ride from Naples. The train ride itself was an adventure.. the train was old and we had pre-booked tickets and reserved seats.. except mitchs seat did not exist so he spent the entire train ride moving from seat to seat when one was available..not a highlight for him.
Mitch and I met up with Claire at La Spezia station and we headed out to Cinque Terre together. We stayed in Vernazza which was definitely my favourite of the 5 towns. Its the second largest town (we had one main street and a few little ones coming off that) and a stunning view to the ocean of crystal clear water.
The 5 towns of Cinque Terre are linked by rail and also hiking trails. Our first full day we decided to do the hike. Starting in Riomaggiore (or Rio-town as we had come to call it) we headed off. The first walk was very easy, it was flat, along a concrete path and only took about 20 minutes. We passed the hundred of padlocks that people lock to the railings as a symbol of love and then throw the key into the ocean, had pictures taken on the lovers chair and took many many photos.
The second walk from Manorola to Corniglia was tough... the easy route had been closed due to a landslide and most people took the train to the next town.. however we decided to the 2 and a half hour detour hike to get there. To say it was painful is an understatement. For an hour and a half we walked so high up into the mountains, climbing uneven steps. The sun was at its finest and belting out over 30 degrees of heat making it almost unbareable. Once reaching the top the views were definitely worth it as we looked out to the ocean. The next hour was spent walking through vineyards and making our way down the rocky terrain to Corniglia. we finally arrived and had a small lunch. Claire and I were exhausted and incredibly hot so we decided we would go back to our town by train, have a swim and relax for the rest of the afternoon. Mitch decided he wanted to do the whole walk in one day so he set off. He was so exhausted by the end of it but pretty pleased he done it all.
I had decided I would finish the walk 2 days later and Im so glad I did as the walks from Corniglia to Vernazaa and then to Monterosso were worth it. They were tough but the views are just so incredible you cant pass up the opportunity. I also roped mitch into doing the walks with me too so he hiked the whole thing one and a half times!
As a reward Mitch said he would take me to jump off the high rock in Vernazza into the ocean. It was completely safe as the water is ridiculously deep but I was so scared. Being petrified of heights I had to cling to Mitch and could barely get my legs to stop feeling like jelly so I could actually stand up there. It wasnt even that high I dont think, but any height is petrifing to me. A crowd was building watching and waiting for me to jump.. I had a moment of adrenalin and I knew in that second if i didnt jump I never would. So i quickly let go off mitchs hand which I had been squeezing and jumped into the turquoise water. The crowd cheered as I jumped, plunged into the water and came up to the surface being happy with myself that I had done it.
I am so glad we had gone to Cinque Terre.. after Mitch and I saw an episode of Getaway on it we made sure it was high on our bucket list and we would be going. So now thats ticked off and its also made its way to the top of my favourite places list. I would most definitely recommend Cinque Terre.. we were there for 4 nights and it wasnt enough. You could never get sick of the views, the lifestyle of swimming and jumping off rocks, snorkelling, eating amazing italian pasta, seafood, gelati... all of it, it's amazing.
Its my heaven on earth!!
Friday 26 August 2011
Naples, Pompeii and Ischia
Wow.. I am so far behind in my blog its not funny. But it got hard to write them on my Iphone and then I was too busy enjoying travelling to update everyone on whats been going on. I finally have a bit of time now that I will catch up with everything I have done.
So we arrived to Naples.. I had booked us 5 nights here which I was worried was about 4 nights too many but it turns out it was just enough. We had heard that Naples isnt that nice, bit grotty and of course a city with a high percentage of petty theft (having just come from Madrid where I had my whole purse stolen, there wasnt much more they could steal from me, so I was feeling safe).
After a mission walk to find our hostel we had to climb 100 steps (we climbed them so much that I counted them every time) and those steps are a puff!! We were exhausted when we finally got to our room, luckily it was late anyway so we pretty much fell straight asleep.
So we arrived to Naples.. I had booked us 5 nights here which I was worried was about 4 nights too many but it turns out it was just enough. We had heard that Naples isnt that nice, bit grotty and of course a city with a high percentage of petty theft (having just come from Madrid where I had my whole purse stolen, there wasnt much more they could steal from me, so I was feeling safe).
After a mission walk to find our hostel we had to climb 100 steps (we climbed them so much that I counted them every time) and those steps are a puff!! We were exhausted when we finally got to our room, luckily it was late anyway so we pretty much fell straight asleep.
Monday 1 August 2011
Hola from Madrid
So I'm a bit delayed on this post but no worries.
After spending a few days in alicante, a small town on Spain's eastern coast just an hour south of Valencia (we didn't do anything exciting except for sit on a beach really, not exactly riviting and didn't require it's own post on the blog) we headed for Madrid. After 5 painstaking hours on the bus we finally arrived to 30 degree dry heat.
I'm just going to put it out there... I wasn't a fan of Madrid (it's my blog so I get to say it, sorry to all those Madrid lovers). If your an art lover you would be in heaven as the city is crammed full of art galleries and you spend a few full days wandering between each gallery if your that way inclined.. I'm not.
Even with our hesitations we decided to go on a walking tour. I mean Valencia proved me wrong so there was a possibility that Madrid could as well.
Anyway we started our walking tour in sol, the very centre of Madrid and the epitome of city. Bustling with people, buskers and protesters the square is manic. Walking around Madrid was actually pretty cool. The history is amazing and we learnt alot. Our guide Hannah, a Londoner, gave us so much information but in a way that was interesting. It wasn't fact and date after fact and date. She put effort into it and we really learnt things. For 3 hours we roamed the streets seeing every part of the main central city. I highly recommend these walking tours as you see so much and learn so much that you would never see or know if you did this yourself.
It was after this tour that one of my worst travel nightmares happened... I was pickpocketed. I wrote a post about it before this one so if you haven't read it I suggest you do... Once discovering I was pickpocketed and my purse was gone we then spent an entire afternoon canceling cards and sitting in the police station. Not my idea of fun I can tell you!
I don't want to blame Madrid for this, but it's also one of the reasons I'm not exactly a fan of the place.
Our next few days we managed to see alot more of the city, roaming ourselves around, eating tapas and generally trying to make the most of being in the capital of Spain.
So although I may not have been a fan of Madrid, Spain was amazing. I loved the culture, the history, the people and the sangria! I won't be returning to Spain again before I go back to Australia but hopefully one day I will be back!
Adios espania!
After spending a few days in alicante, a small town on Spain's eastern coast just an hour south of Valencia (we didn't do anything exciting except for sit on a beach really, not exactly riviting and didn't require it's own post on the blog) we headed for Madrid. After 5 painstaking hours on the bus we finally arrived to 30 degree dry heat.
I'm just going to put it out there... I wasn't a fan of Madrid (it's my blog so I get to say it, sorry to all those Madrid lovers). If your an art lover you would be in heaven as the city is crammed full of art galleries and you spend a few full days wandering between each gallery if your that way inclined.. I'm not.
Even with our hesitations we decided to go on a walking tour. I mean Valencia proved me wrong so there was a possibility that Madrid could as well.
Anyway we started our walking tour in sol, the very centre of Madrid and the epitome of city. Bustling with people, buskers and protesters the square is manic. Walking around Madrid was actually pretty cool. The history is amazing and we learnt alot. Our guide Hannah, a Londoner, gave us so much information but in a way that was interesting. It wasn't fact and date after fact and date. She put effort into it and we really learnt things. For 3 hours we roamed the streets seeing every part of the main central city. I highly recommend these walking tours as you see so much and learn so much that you would never see or know if you did this yourself.
It was after this tour that one of my worst travel nightmares happened... I was pickpocketed. I wrote a post about it before this one so if you haven't read it I suggest you do... Once discovering I was pickpocketed and my purse was gone we then spent an entire afternoon canceling cards and sitting in the police station. Not my idea of fun I can tell you!
I don't want to blame Madrid for this, but it's also one of the reasons I'm not exactly a fan of the place.
Our next few days we managed to see alot more of the city, roaming ourselves around, eating tapas and generally trying to make the most of being in the capital of Spain.
So although I may not have been a fan of Madrid, Spain was amazing. I loved the culture, the history, the people and the sangria! I won't be returning to Spain again before I go back to Australia but hopefully one day I will be back!
Adios espania!
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