Day 24 - The end (of Contiki) is nigh...
I woke this morning to a symphony of alarms. Following the toga party we had a cruel departure time of 7am so about 5.30am alarms began ringing on the hills of corfu and sleeping and sore contiki-ites began emerging from sheets they'd party in (as togas) and then slept in! It was a mammoth trek to athens, first by ferry of about 1.5 hours to the mainland and then driving until about 6pm that night to Athens. First impressions were not good - there were security and police stationed outside the hotel, because it was a slightly unsavour neighbourhood we were told! (The next day I happened to pass four transvestite prostitutes taller than our 6"9' Contiki driver sauntering down the street in leather, inappropriately hot for the weather!)
Dinner that night made up for it though - spanikopita, house-made sausages, more tzatziki, these awesome butter beans in garlic and tomato sauce, lighlty battered/fried crispy salty zucchini rounds ... mmm so good but led to...
Day 25 - Acropolis Now
... more garlic breath! not to worry, the heat was likely to kill us all before the garlic did. After a short bus tour of the city it was up the Acropolis hill to see the Parthenon and other such important architectural structures. However, most of us felt literally weak with heat (and keeping in mid this is the tail end of 3 weeks of the contiki lifestyle) so it was a to-the-point tour, pix and we were back to the airconditioned coach. After that tour it was time to say farewell. Gathered in the lobby of the hotel our motely group of just 25 now (was 36 at the start but some departed in Rome) hugged, a few cried, some were probably relieved and then just like that, we were all on our own. Some continued on for greek island hopping, many went home ... I went to the travel agent. See, I had booked accommodation for one more night in athens and following that ... I would be homeless! I needed a place to stay and to my rescue came Maki, the athenian travel agent whose daughter is currently in Australia playing water polo! Long story short he booked me ferry tix and five nights on the closest island to the mainland (why waste time ON the water when I could be IN it I say) - Egina.
Day 26 - Home sweat home!
Firstly, I have to say ... breakfasts are not good in greek hotels. The tap water is like a saline solution one gargles for a sore throat. The OJ is ... cordial... but using the salt water! Not much is refrigerated and there's no fresh fruit or anything to speak of. The saving grace is the bread, white, with butter... So on this wholesome fuel I headed off for the train station to the port. Of course the line I needed to take was closed so I circumnavigated Athens and about an hour and a half later arrived at the port of Pireas. The ferry ride actually went quite smoothly and, after a slight misunderstanding about my "Transfer" to the hotel I arrived at Hotel Galini. The thought of having five nights here, without having to repack my back or be on time for the bus ... heaven! So I promptly did what was impossible on Contiki - and had an afternoon nap!
Day 27 - Sweet Greek
The beach here is in a bay, water about 27C I reckon, dark sand beach covered in sun loungers and umbreallas (which I made the most of). The day consisted of swim, lounge, read, swim, eat, drink, lounge, swim ... eventually go home. Via the bakery that is ... I have stumbled across the best bakery in the world! Feta filo swirl pie thingys, shortbready biscuts filled with nutella and strawberry cream, custard pastries, sausage rolls ... needless to say I told the nice man behind the counter I would be back tomorrow! While this island seems to be a bit of a family getaway for Europeans, particularly greeks (I think I'm the only nativeEnglish speaker on the entire island!) and therefore not many people have spoken to me, the people in the service industry here are so nice. Friendly and mostly speak English. And are very surprised I've chosen this tiny, not so well-known island on a trip "all the way" from Australia! But back to the food - I also managed to find 1 euro beers in the supermarket accompanied by 2 euro yiros for dinner. At this rate I'm not going to fit into my bathers by the time I leave!
Day 28 - Sam same, but different
Admittedly there's not much more to report - more heat (about 38C), more beach, more bakery. Only problem - the A/C in my room stopped working (where is my airconditioning mechanic boyfriend when I need him!!!) but, after one uncomfortably hot night, the nice maintenance man came to fix it. Now my only problem is choosing which food outlet to try next!
Observations: You wake up with garlic breath every morning in Greece, no matter what you eat. Most Europeans have holidayed or worked in Australia or have some relative (no matter how distant) who lives there, even in Adelaide!
Mini victories: Did I mention the food ...?
Mistakes: Accidentally changing the combination to my backpack lock in Athens without knowing it and then having the get the hotel manager to bust it open with pliers and a hammer! Not booking accommodation in the Greek high season early enough and paying for it accordingly... :S
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