Good Greece!!

Tori’s European Escapade

Summer 2012

August

9/8 – 14/8

Athens and Mykonos - Greece

Generally…

By this stage of my trip I had been travelling for almost a month and a half, and averaging a new city every second day. It goes without saying that I was fully knackered. The drive day after Rome consisted of a fairly sizeable drive and then and overnight ferry that left at 1.30pm from Ancona, Italy to Patras, Greece. I would have full access to a bed for almost 24 hours, and next to nothing exciting to see, and therefore absolutely no guilt about snoozing away. Hoo-boy was I excited.

Watching the sun set from the ferry - spectacular.

Some people only paid for a seat, not a cabin, and were inventive in ways to accommodate themselves. Never thought I'd see a tent erected on a ferry.

Stayed in a hostel that night with a wee pool on the roof, with a view of the Acropolis - it got me excited, but I would have to wait a while to see it - we were hitting the Mykonos beach up first. You can see here that I am fully clothed - in a white dress, no less. Next to me is Rody, the culprit who threw me in. Don't worry: revenge was, as always, MINE.

In the morning we caught another boat to the island of Mykonos. The small island (85 square km) is part of the Cyclades, and is famous for it's embracement of the homosexual community. To me that meant men in togs that revealed too much, and my expectations were more than met. There was one guy in a bright yellow number, who had the hip-thrusts perfectly in time with the constantly blared house music... it was like a car accident - horrific, but so hard to look away.

Letting my hair down as the Greek islands came into sight.

The view from my very basic, but perfectly adequate 'permanent tent' (see below).

Beaching it up!

Traditional Windmills

My time at Mykonos is a bit of a blur, it was a lot of sleeping, lying on a beach, ignoring the passage of time, and partying, regardless of the time of day. At some point, a group of us got organised enough to decide to hire four-wheelers and explore the island. In a typical Greek approach, we waited hours for the guy to deliver the bikes, and eventually wandered over the hill and found some at the next bay. Oh, it was so much fun! We zoomed along the roads at the maximum speed, played in the rough gravel by a little lake and found our own, crystal clear private lagoon and beach. We tried to find a little monastery on a hill, and went up an incredibly steep stretch of road, and got an incredible view over the Aegean. Going back down I almost died, my bald tyres sending me into a slide. I managed to get the bike under control, hopped off and walked the rest of the way down, curtly instructing Ryan to go back up and take it the rest of the way, while I helped my heart rate return to normal.

The partner of the nice man in the highlighter speedo took our picture - me, Maddy, Nikki.

Reooooom!!

That night we went out for dinner, and I continued my campaign of trying new foods. I present to you:

Pictures tell the story better than I could.

After 3 days of relaxing, we headed back to the mainland to resume our hectic pace of whirlwind travelling. We went into the Athenian Acropolis as the sun screamed down at us in one of the hottest days yet. The area on top of the tallest hill in Athens is a dedication to Athena, the patron god of the city. The ruins include the Erechtheum, Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, Old Temple of Athena and most importantly the Parthenon. 

I was excited to see the Erechtheum, as it includes the 'Porch of the Caryatids' which has six columns in the shape of draped female figures (caryatids). The Parthenon would naturally also be a focus for my attention, as it is one of the most recognisable ancient structures in the world and has stood on the Acropolis since 438BC. It is a powerful symbol of ancient Greek democracy. One of it's most powerful characteristics is the use of 'entasis'. This is the subtle diminution in diameter of the columns as they rise - giving the false impression that they are perfectly straight. In actuality, the colon lean inwards, supporting the monumental weight of the roof. The mathematics of the architecture is so perfect, that if the line of the columns are continued through the roof, they would meet exactly one mile above the centre of the Parthenon.

Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus

The 'Porch of the Caryatids' in the Erechtheum

It's the Parthenon, homies! Careful restoration work can be seen on the far right.

Pointing, again.

The view off the hill.

Being Ironic Columns (Get it!? Get it?)

That night a massive group of us headed off in search of traditional Greek cuisine, and stumbled upon a place brimming with locals, with wait staff who barely spoke English - always a good sign. The food was phenomenal, as was my 1 kg of white wine that Emily (NZ) and I could not help ordering.

1 kg!