Corfu and Athens

Over the first half of my Spring Break, myself and four others decided to travel to Greece. This was really exciting for me as I have wanted to go to Greece for as long as I can remember. I had high expectations for this trip, and they were not disappointed. We landed in Corfu (a Greek island) on the 29th, and right away we saw mountains and palm trees and the Mediterranean. I was in heaven. We got picked up from the airport by this bright pink bus to take us to what we thought was called Corfu Backpackers, but just turned out to be the Pink Palace (the weirdest hostel I have ever stayed in, but I will get back to that). For like half an hour we drove around Corfu Town with no apparent destination in mind. I felt a little bit like I had gotten on a bus that was taking me to some human trafficking ring, but thankfully that ended up not being the case. We went back to the airport to pick up two old ladies (I'm assuming the destination-less driving was just a way to kill time) and then we were off to the Pink Palace.

The Pink Palace. Where to begin... The first two things that happened at the Pink Palace were: they gave us shots of Ouzo (this nasty Greek drink that tastes like black licorice *shudder*) and then they took our passports to be locked up in their safes. That was my only form of ID, so I wasn't super cool with that, but there wasn't much I could do about it. The Pink Palace itself was really nice though. It was clean, had a nice bar, a (not very warm) Jacuzzi, a private beach, and activities galore. It felt more like a hotel than a hostel. Plus the food they served us was AMAZING. We got large, three course, delicious meals for dinner every night. That was definitely a highlight.

On our first full day in Corfu we took a four-wheeling trip around the island. I had lost my driver's license (and the rest of my wallet) a few weeks beforehand, so I had to ride with a guide instead of driving my own car. After a girl drove off the side of a cliff (she was fine) I decided I was cool with this. Plus he went really fast. That trip was so much fun. We saw beaches, had lunch on top of a mountain, and got to see some amazing views. At one point another girls bike broke and I had to sit on her lap behind the driver. That was an experience fo sho. Three people on one four-wheeler. I'm sure we looked real cool. The whole thing took us about six hours, and was an experience I was glad to have. And hey, if only one person drove off a cliff I think we can all call that a success. 

The next day was a lazy beach day. Of course it was a little too cold and windy to lay on the beach for long, so we got lunch and jumped in the (once again, not very warm) Jacuzzi. After that strenuous morning, the girls all decided to take a nap in preparation for another delicious dinner. We got up early the next day to catch a bus back to the airport, where a very nice airport lady changed mine and Luke's flight to the earlier one that Andrea and Maggie were taking, for free. And Luke didn't think it would happen. Guess he underestimated my (meaning Andrea's) charm. So we all got to Athens that Sunday and had the whole afternoon to find our hostel and walk around. 

I wasn't quite sure what to think of Athens at first. It had extremely beautiful parts, and then it also had some run down, iffy parts. That is to be expected in these times though, and I couldn't be happier that I went. The first night we were there we got lost in the Plaka, which is like a shopping district right by the Acropolis. I thought for sure we were all going to die, but that didn't really happen. The next day was full of sightseeing goodness. We started at the Temple of Zeus, where we got in for free (yay college students!). Once upon a time it was the largest temple in Greece. Now a days it is a beautiful set of ruins with a view to the Acropolis. After that we took a nice long walk past parliament and the Olympic stadium to Lykavittos Hill, which is the tallest point in Athens with the greatest view on the planet. Of course we had to walk up like 1000 steps just to get to the tram that would take us to the top, but it was totally worth it. I may have been out of breath, but the view would have taken it away anyhow. We had a 360 degree view of Athens from at least a mile up. It was incredible. I don't think I can really do the view justice, and our pictures don't even come close to showing how amazing it was. We sat there for about an hour gazing over Athens and sipping wine. I'm really cultured and worldly and stuff now guys.

After that we went and saw the Acropolis, which once again was amazing. I love being around all that history.While Lykavittos Hill was probably my favorite thing we did, I have wanted to see the Parthenon for so long, it was hard to believe I was really there. We stayed up there for awhile just taking it in, until we got a whistle blown at us for sitting on a wall. We got outta there after that.

The next day we took a tram to the beach. While on this tram, accordion playing children got on and begged for money. Apparently this is a really common thing, because it happened two more times while I was there. These accordion playing children were also very rude apparently, because they got shoved off the tram and almost started a fist fight. This time I was sure I was going to die. I didn't. At the beach we layed out for a few hours and took a very brief dip in the Mediterranean, which was very cold. I was also asked about 17 times if I wanted a massage or if I would like to buy a snazzy new pair of sunglasses. It was like skymall for the beach. That night we went to the Acropolis museum, and got to see the Caryatids and their restoration process. That was also a highlight for me, and something I have always wanted to see.

The next day Andrea and Luke left early while Maggie and I hung around a little longer because our flight back to England was later. We shopped some more, and I snagged 5 euro Ray Bans and a 14 euro Louis Vouitton that I'm totally absolutely sure are 100% real. Not knock offs at all. I am so glad I got to see Greece, and will always remember this as being an amazing trip.