As I write this post, I am sitting in a little train car on my way from Athens, Greece to Thessaloniki, a city further north. Not originally on our itinerary, we chose to make a one-night stop in this new city as a buffer on our twisted journey to Belgrade, Serbia. A train to Thessaloniki, and two busses between Macedonia and Serbia will do the trick – though more convoluted than our original intention of a singular night train from Athens to Belgrade.
Athens had been kind of a whirlwind for Zac and me. We arrived early in the morning, around 10:00, and were ravenous for breakfast. We dropped our things at our hostel, nearby the main square, and then doubled back to find food. Santorini, as beautiful and farm fresh as it was had little in terms of vegan food (falafel and tomato croquettes) so I was eager to find a vegan-friendly restaurant being in a bustling city. We were quickly surprised and happy to settle on a place called “vegan nation” – aptly named and quite tasty. The much-anticipated experience would have been perfect had two young kids begging for money not approached our table; unbeknownst to either Zac or me, swiped my phone from the table in the process. After a few minutes when I looked down from my food and realized what had happened we spent a few minutes being angry, then twenty minutes traipsing around the 2-block radius of the restaurant in search of the phone-thieves before quickly giving up. We decided the best thing to do would be to cut our losses and just accept that I would need to get a new phone in Greece. We still have over a month of the trip ahead of us and to do that without a phone would’ve been challenging, so our first day in Athens was spent dealing with the aftermath of our breakfast gone awry. Of course we woke up early the next day to see the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Roman Agora, the Theatre of Dionysos, and all of the other historic and ancient sites in Athens. We spent the rest of our time in Athens just enjoying the change of scenery, spending one day reading at a rooftop bar with a stunning view of the main square and the Parthenon.
Our few days in Athens marks the end of our two week stay in Santorini, a smaller Greek island south east of the mainland. Santorini is a beautiful little island famous to tourists and travelers for its facade of white and blue buildings along the island’s coast. We we’re able to stay in Santorini for two weeks through the worldwide organization of organic farming (WWOOF), a program allowing us to live and work on an organic farm in exchange for free accommodations. Our host farm was a quaint little place in between Karterados and Monolithos – two of santorini’s smaller villages. Nestled right on the water we woke up each morning to walk the four dogs – always accompanied by two strays – and then to help with whatever task needed to be completed until it got to be noon and it was far too hot to continue working outside.
With the rest of the afternoons at our disposal we often spent the first few hours of the days reading and relaxing on the beach until we’d make the trek, often by foot, to Fira. Fira is one of the main parts of Santorini with the famous Caldera adorned with traditional Greek restaurants, shops, and bars. Here you’ll find a beautiful view of the sunset along the cliff’s edge, however you have to stake out your spot lest you be standing behind a few rows of other travelers inching forward to see the sun’s glow cast over the city.
When the walk to Fira became too exhausting at a little over an hour each way, we rented 4×4 motorbikes to help us get around the island. I must say if you visit Santorini I can’t recommend this method of travel enough. The island is small so the motorbikes make all of its corners accessible whereas both the bus system and renting a car present certain impediments to prime site seeing. With the 4×4 you can essentially park anywhere, and the hour walk to Fira diminishes to less than 10 minutes. We took the 4x4s all over: to Fira then to Oía, to Kamari, and to Akrotiri.
The drive from Fira to Oía is a beautiful coastal drive along a winding road. There’s also an 11km walking trail too if you want to really take in the ocean expanse. I took the bus to Oía once: for €1.60 I boarded a coach bus and was terrified for 45 minutes as the bus attempted to traverse the turns and curves of the narrow coastal drive, but if you want to see Oía for a bargain – the bus is not a bad option.
The lighthouse, ruins, and red beach are all sights to see in Akrotiri and would have been inaccessible to us without the 4x4s and had some of the most beautiful views of the island.
Kamari is another beach town on the island that has a lot to offer, including a close-up view of the big mountain that was always visible from our farm. There’s a promenade on the beach with restaurants that set up lounge chairs next to the water. The Main Street also turns into a pedestrian walkway at night making it the perfect place to take a stroll or eat a late dinner in the company of others.
Attempting to sum up almost three weeks in Greece in a short blogpost is a challenging task, yet I hope this gave you a small glimpse into my recent adventures! Onwards and upwards!
