Post Contiki Greece 2011 - A Video!

 

A little something I put together to commerate this once in a lifetime trip!  Quality is very so-so, because, well, I made it lol

Contiki: Spotlight on Greece + 7 days Med cruise - Review

First thing I have to say: Take a day in between the night you fly back and going back to work. I had never experienced jet lag before, and thought that 8 hours was going to be a peanut; but I was wrong. I got so very sick when I landed in Greece, but the return to Canada was pretty brutal too. Felt like it took me a week to get a sleeping pattern somewhat decent. But it was so so worth it, I didn't care too much.

The trip itself was the experience of a lifetime, emotional at times, and something I will never forget. It changed me. I don't care if it's Cliché, it did. Greece and all it's history and Temples had been something I had dreamed about all my life, and to be able to set foot there, it's hard to explain. It woke something in me. Of course, now I have the travel bug and will have many more adventures, but Greece was my first love, it will always hold a special place in my heart. You can never forget your first ;)

As for the Contiki part of it. It is certainly not for everyone. I liked it, for a single female travelling by herself, it offered the perfect atmosphere. I love the idea of travelling alone but meeting 40 + new friends. It is well-enough organized, even though I thought the cruise part of it was lacking. My real disappointment was about the tour separating after Athens, not staying with the same group the whole time. But that's how it goes, a lot of smaller tours merge together or go their own way. (Every other Contiki I've taken have turned out like that as well...)

Would I do a Contiki again? Hell yes. (Actually, I have gone on 2 more since Greece, and still loving it!)

After Contiki - Leaving Athens / Returning Home

Monday September 18th, 2011. - Leaving Athens.


So this morning was time to say goodbye to Greece, hopefully not forever (I'm not done with you! One day I will have a significant other and we will come back, you mark my words ;) )

But anyways, I won't bore you too much with my details of getting my bags down to the front desk, in those narrow steep stairs, three floors down, nor will I tell you about my anxiety attack at waiting over an hour for my transfer to show up. (In a car, when I had booked a van, and that I had to keep my bags on me, because we were at full capacity.)  It's all part of the adventure, even though it might irritate you at first. It's all in the details and how you look at them.

The trip to the airport was uneventful, checking-in, dropping my suitcase and passing through security was normal as well, except for the extra security and the fact that you couldn't take 10 steps in one direction without someone asking to see your passport. But with all the trouble I had seen in Athens throughout the week, I wasn't that surprised. (Turns out the airport shut down the next day for a few days when everyone went on strike....)

I obviously didn't understand how airports and duty-free worked (I had never been anywhere but within Canada or the States until now.) Because I somehow thought, no need to shop right now, or go get some food at the million restaurants, I'll wait on the other side. Well yeah, DUH. I found myself stranded in a waiting area, looking in at the restaurants and duty-frees. Only a couple vending machines and that one cafe kiosk-thingy on our side. So I missed out on the exciting last-minute shopping. Which was probably a good thing, as I had bought quite a lot already. But I was hungry and didn't like feeling cooped up on such a small space.

And of course the plane was late, kept being delayed and delayed, ended up leaving almost 2 hours later than scheduled. I felt bad for my roommate Rick, who was supposed to pick me up at the airport, but I figured he'd check the schedule and see the arrival time had changed. It's not like I carried my phone with me or anything. (He didn't check departures and arrival times, and showed up an hour before we were scheduled to land, so he ended up waiting over 3 hours for me. Let's say that since then, I have booked my own transport from the airport lol)

Same drill on the flight back, lots and lots to drink, Air Transat and their +++ packages seriously rock, and after that it was back to reality. Sad but true, all good things must come to an end.!

After Contiki - Athens 3

Sunday September 17th, 2011. - Alone in Athens Part 2.


So, today was my last full day in Greece. I had to take the plane back tomorrow morning, and be back at work bright and early on Tuesday morning.

(*Trust me, allow some jet lag time-adjustment if you're not used to it... I now try to book a day in before my return and work...)

So, this morning, I had booked a half-day trip to Cape Sounion (Cap Sùnion) through my Hotel. So I packed a bag, and head out to the square for more walking around before the rendez-vous point, at a different hotel. Of, course, I had to go see the changing of the guards again, it is such a dance. Grabbed an iced coffee, I still say we don't do coffee right around here, and then started the day's adventure.

I wanted to go there, to see the Temple of Poseidon, my main purpose for visiting Greece was to see as many temples and ruins as I possibly could after all. And I was not disappointed, it was magnificent. It took close to 2 hours to get there, they let you loose with some information for about an hour (can't get lost, it's a Temple on top of a hill, surrounded by the Aegean Sea) and then they drive you back.

 

I highly recommend a visit to Sounion, the scenery is breathtaking, it is Beach-a-palooza and the Temple itself is absolutely impressive. The sound of the waves, the sun shining down on you, it is so easy to let your imagination running wild. Myself, I teared up a little, again. What? every time my mind was blown I had to check with myself that I was really here, that it was all real. Dreams do come true when you work hard.

 

 

And the drive back was just as lovely, after I've had a quick cold Mythos on the Patio of the Cafe, and of course bought a few trinkets. The sun was slowly setting over the sea, the pictures were quite awesome. But I was also worried about experiencing this trip through a lens, so I put my camera back in my bag, put on my earphones, sat back and just looked out the window, soaking it all in.

 

Back to the hotel, at the end of the day, sadly, it was time to start packing, for checking out the next morning. But not before I picked up some more gyros down the street. Then, I decided I just couldn't leave beer in the mini-fridge, and that I had to drink it all, while trying to repack my suitcase, and watching movies. I managed it all, even though the last of my night is a bit blurry, but I blame it on the tiredness, not the alcohol ;) Same goes for my suitcase, which was overflowing with stuff, and my carry-on too. Oh well.

 

 

After Contiki - Athens 2

 

Saturday September 16th, 2011. - Alone in Athens.


So, most of my group were gone by now, and I was all alone in that sketchy little Hotel-Motel. Still with the coffee table in front of the door, I slept well, considering I did not feel safe at all. It was so nice not to have to be up at 7am, and not have someone else in the room with me. I slept a little bit in, then had a long shower, ate some of the groceries I had bought the night before, and then decided to get started on my day.

I spoke to the clerk downstairs, seeing what kind of activities they could book on my behalf, and I decided for a half-day trip the next day to Cape Sounion, so I could visit Poseidon's temple. It was about 50 Euros, but included round trip transport, so I figured why not.

For today, I decided to use my tickets for the Hop-On Hop-Off bus to get around town and try to see/visit as much as I possibly could. This system is pretty amazing. I did a full round, listening to the commentary, watching people and studying the map, before even coming up with a plan on where to stop and what to do. It was a really great day. I saw and did pretty much everything I wanted to, and took tons of pictures. I spent about 3 hours at the Athens Archaeological Museum. It was a dream come true. So many statues and so many of them in such good state. It was unbelievable. It seemed to be in a pretty sketchy area though, so the 20 minutes waiting for the bus to come around made me pretty anxious. (This was 2 years ago, when things started to escalate in Greece, so there was a lot of homeless people, beggars and armed people around. Not the most reassuring feeling in the world when you're a solo female traveller...)

I also spent some time by the remains of Zeus and Hera's Temple, which was awesome too. Athens is amazingly easier to navigate than I thought. The Hop-on Hop-Off bus was a blessing and allowed me to have a great day! The only time I regretted not being with a group and just by myself, when when trying to take pictures, I suck at selfies haha! Oh well, the importance thing is the souvenirs, not necessarily my stupid faces in front of stuff ;)

I had made plans for dinner with another girl from Contiki who was still around for one day, but I completely misunderstood, and we ended up not seeing each other. I sorta stood her up at the restaurant. But in my defense, it wasn't on purpose, I really misunderstood the plans and I felt horrible and apologize via Facebook so many times.

I found myself a Gyros place, grabbed a few ones to go, locked myself back into my room, watched TV on my DVD player and had a few drinks and had an early quiet night. A long day out in the sun at 40 something degrees, not something I was used to before this trip, so I was spent.

End of Contiki : Athens 1

Friday September 15th, 2011. Athens.

Today was the "Official" end of this Contiki adventure. We've had to put our luggage outside our rooms last night, so it would get dropped off at the port while we got off. It was very early, as we had to check-out and settle our bills for 7h45. Of course, most of us had a very late/early drunk night, and/or we weren't packed or we had bills to settle, and all that kind of fun stuff.  I like to think I'm organized, so very early, I was finished packing my day bag, I was showered and dressed and I was lining up at reception to get my final bill (although I was smart enough to make final credit card payment last night, we still had to make sure I didn't make any more charges to my room card). All of this was taken care of, I was able to go and enjoy a last bit of breakfast. I also made sure to leave a very generous tip to my "maids" in various currencies and wrote up a nice feedback card as well.

It was far from the usual feast, as the cruise was ending and everyone was getting off and in a record time, they had to start the process all over again. The work these guys put in to turn everything around in a few hours is nothing short of amazing. It was impressive. We did feel a little rushed, as the instructions weren't exactly clear as to where to meet and when. (Contiki vs Official directions.)

We did manage to get off the ship, always missing a few people here and there. Once off, we all had to wait around and try to find our bags, and then after everything was settled and we could try to make our way out to the bus, we realized we had an extra set of suitcases. Someone still wasn't off the ship. So we played the waiting game, and let me tell you, people get very pissy very fast about that. On one side, I can understand since I am very anal about punctuality myself and would vote to leave people behind when they're late. But on the other side, sometimes, just sometimes, there are valid reasons for people to be late, and it doesn't matter which way it goes, name-calling and general rudeness and bitchiness and never acceptable. At least in my book, but apparently, I own a very outdated version that no cares about anymore. (FYI- in this case, it was a valid reason that the person got held up on the ship.)

 It's about 9 am by then and we have 3 options: You take a cab to the airport or wherever your hotel is if you're staying longer or the bus will drop off most of the remaining group at the President's Hotel or lastly, they can drop some of us up downtown, at Syngtama Square. I chose the last option, as I had booked a small room right downtown for my next 3 nights. I made plans with a few girls staying at the President's to meet them back up at 6pm for a farewell dinner.

So I was now on my own with my big/full suitcase downtown Athens, looking for my hotel. I knew it was on the same street as the previous one we were at, but that was about it. So I had only a general idea of where I was going, and we were litterally just dropped off at the corner of the square, no time to say Goodbyes or anything. I noticed there seemed to be some kind of protests going on in the aquare and in front of the parliement, so I tried to stay out of the way. There were a lot of police and army around. Of course, when I got to the hotel, completely exhausted and sweaty, I was told that I wouldn't be able to check-in until after 2pm. It was barely 10am. This was going to be a long day. I sat at a cafe for a while, sipping on an way overpriced iced coffee, and then spent the rest of the day on the roof terrace, nodding off with my book. When I was finally allowed in my room, up on the 3rd floor with with narrow and steep staircases, it was almost 3 pm. I locked the door and put the coffee table in front of it, not sure who that would've stopped if they really wanted in.

I enjoyed a refreshing 2 hours nap and almost cancelled on the farewell dinner, I just wanted to sleep more. But I dragged myself in the shower, got ready and went downstairs to give my key back and tell them I was going out for dinner. It was a very small place, maybe a dozen rooms, with real keys, so whenever you were leaving, you had to leave your key with them. I walked back to the square, feeling a bit nervous with all the  armed "security" people in the street, and I hopped in a cab to get me to the other side of town, to meet with the group.

There were only 6 of us who met and decided to ask for a restaurant near by and walk there to enjoy a last traditionnal dinner, as most of us were leaving tomorrow. The restaurant we were sent to was wonderful. I do wish I remembered the name so I could recommend it to everyone, but sadly I don't. But it was absolutely the best. At first, the staff didn't seem impressed to see us walk in as the place was empty and they were watching some basketball game on TV. But we got a nice table outside and a very nice waiter. We got a huge starter of Tzaziki and bread and a cold beer. After that we switched to the house white which was very good and I had some seafood pasta, and it was delicious. Mid-meal, the waiter brought us another pitcher of wine, on the house!!! And when we were done eating and just chatting away, he brought over for each of us a piece of baklava, again on the house. Wow, who were we to say no to baklava? And it was one of the best I have had. And even after all that, he came back with 7 shots of Ouzo, again on the house, so we could have a cheer with him.

Well, after 2 weeks in Greece, I had been very proud that I stayed clear of Ouzo, not wanting to suffer the consequences, but it would have been rude to refuse. So we clinked and drank. My that was horrible. Like drinking gasoline. It went straight to my head and I felt instantly drunk. Seperating the bill was fun, as we are all generous tipper, we always seemed to end up with as much tip as the main bill. It took a long time to figure that one out lol But so much fun was had!!! We then walked to the supermarket close by to buy bottled water and I also decided I should buy snacks and beer and diet-pepsi. It was too much to carry on a normal day, so imagine when drunk-ish. I saw the rest of the group back to the hotel and then took another cab back to mine. I watched TV for a bit but I was glad to finally go to bed and get to sleep in tomorrow. I had nothing planned but to take the hop-on hop-off bus to get to the sights I hadn't been yet.

Contiki 12 - Med Cruise 7.

Contiki Day 12: Med Cruise 7, Crete, Thursday September 15th, 2011.

So, technically, today is the last day of the cruise, as we have to get off tomorrow morning at like 630 am. We are in Crete, Knossos, where we can tour the famous Palace, where King Mynas and the myth of the Minotaur took place. Most of us declined the guided tour, as it was more of a city tour than anything. Lewis and I decided to go to the Palace on our own. Lewis had decided to fly back to Santorini, he had friends staying there for a few days and he wanted to join. It was a good idea, as the cruise was over and Santorini was definitively worth more time than just a rushed day.

So, we met up at 10, a bit of sleeping in was appreciated and Lewis needed to pack and whatnot. So we walked outside, around the town a little bit and then I got myself a very much needed caffeine Starbucks - Whipped Cream fix -Yummy! Then I went with Lewis to buy his plane ticket and then we grabbed  a cab to Knossos Palace. It was a bit sketchy, as we actually had to bargain a price with the guy, who was trying to get us to pay an outrageous price to wait for us while we were there and then take us back. No! We got a decent price just for a one way, finally. It was very far and took a while, and the area wasn't nice at all. I wasn't impressed so far, because I knew Crete was a beautiful place, and we only got to see the poor neighborhood. How glad I was not to be alone.

The site was actually very very beautiful. I know I keep going on and on about the views, but honestly, it was breathtaking. You can so understand why a big palace would be sitting right there. It's all about the location :) There was a tour of French people walking around at the same time we were there, so I was listening in and translating some of the facts to Lewis. Of course, being a mythology maniac myself, I already knew a lot. It was a very fun, relaxing day.

Taking a lot of different pictures  with Lewis, just walking around slowly, taking it all in. I was a bit disappointed that half the site was closed off and that there was no "real" labyrinth. Seems like it was even more of a Myth than I though of. But there was a lot of wall paintings with bulls, all colorful and impressive. And there was a roped off area that to me, looked like it could have been part of the maze, so I decided it was. Whatever, it made me happy lol.

After we were done, maybe like 2 hours later, we walked across the street to the souvenir shops. I love those. I bought plenty of stuff, met a nice vendor who was all excited I was from Canada, showed me his collection of money and a picture of him with our Premier Stephen Harper, when he was here vacationing a few years back. It was kinda funny.

Now we had to go back and try to get a cab back to the port. Sounds easier than it was. All the cabs were reserved for returning people. It was a real pain in the ass to get someone to call the company and get us a cab. We had to wait forever too. We finally got one, who tried to bargain a price, again. And then he took us on a very scary ride. His driving was insane, and he was taking through back streets and very very bad neighborhoods, and he took the long way. Honestly, I was very scared by the end of it. I wasn't sure he was actually taking us back, I thought we were going to get robbed.

But we made it back, and I had to say goodbye to Lewis, who had to leave soon. I decided to go back to town and walk around all the shops again. Bought more stuff, then came back to the ship for Tea time. Tea hour was the best, they'd set up this amazing buffet of small sandwiches and pastries, it was so delicious. Lounged for a bit by the pool, started packing my stuff, just relaxed.

We had another meeting, where we all sat around, took millions of pictures, exchanged email addresses, got our passport back and instructions for the next morning. We had to have our suitcases out of our rooms that night, so we needed to pack an overnight bag. Tricky, but it made sure our bags would be out by the time we were. We were getting a ride back to either the President Hotel in Athens, or Syngtama Square downtown.

We all went to dinner together, one last fancy event with lots to drink and then ended the night at the disco. Nothing special, but it was a tad more emotional, and pretty much everyone showed up. One last Contiki party :)

Contiki 11- Med Cruise 6.

Contiki Day 11: Med Cruise 6, Santorini, Wednesday September 14th, 2011.

Today is going to be a big day. Santorini. I was so looking forward to this island. I was up very very early, walking on the deck and taking pictures. I know vacation is usually a time to relax and sleep in, but not for me. I sleep-in every weekend I'm not working. Hell, I paid 3k to be on this trip, I was going to enjoy every minute of it. I guess that philosophy probably caught up with me, as I was very tired and a bit moody that morning.

We were getting off at 8am, and we had to line up and take those little boat shuttles to bring us to the island. It was pretty great to sit on top of this boat and watch the scenery for 10-15 min. (Although it did take forever until we finally got to go.) We have to take a bus and go take a tour of the Island, and a visit to the Village of Oia. It was included with our Contiki Tour. I'm not going to go on and on and on about the scenery's, it was breathtaking, yes, but you've all seen pictures before, the tall volcanic island with all the white houses with the blue domes. It's featured in every movie and on every postcard. This village has a lot of movies filmed there too, think the Sisterhood of the Travelling pants, the scene with the donkeys :)

This spot was just marvelous, it was a picture-perfect moment everywhere we turned. We were given some time to walk around this enchanting city and do some shopping after the tour. I am not quite sure what I did wrong this morning, I was a bit moody, but I was basically told I should spend the day alone by the girls I usually hung out with. I felt like I was in High School again. We had time in this village, then we were being driven back to the top of the Island, different village and we had the rest of the day off. Most of the group wanted to take a cruise in a pirate boat later on, and go see some volcanic rocks from up-close. I really wanted to do this, the other girls didn't want to, and I might have said something wrong, I really don't know. Oh well, it stung, but it wasn't the end of the world. And it was so beautiful and peaceful, I wasn't going to let it ruin my day. I walked around with other people, bought a lot of souvenirs, paintings included and discovered my favorite snack ever, peanuts covered in honey and then sesame seeds. Oh it was so good!

So, after that, we were left at the other village, Thira, where we had 3 choices, take the Cable Car down (We had a free ticket) or walk down, about an hour-long walk in stairs (with my foot? No Thank you!) or take the donkey ride for a few euros. Well, I absolutely wanted to take the donkey ride, but going up, no way I had the balls doing that going down. The Cable Car was going to be scary enough as it is. (And it so was.) It was shortly before Lunch and I decided to go back to the ship and grab some buffet there, before coming back and doing the Pirate thing. I broke off from the rest of the group, everyone was pretty much going their own way anyways. The Cable Car was absolutely terrifying, especially when you don't like heights, but it was a once in a lifetime thing, and it was beautiful. I couldn't take enough pictures of the view.

Grabbed some food on the ship, then found out the shuttle boats were not running for 2 hours, Lunch break so I took a nap in my room; I was feeling sorry for myself at that point and I wanted to shake out of my funk. Because of this, I completely missed out on the Pirate Ship cruise, so that was disappointing. So I finally went back after my nap and my shower, took the boat back and then decided to try the Donkey ride on top of the island. Well, it would have been great to have people I knew with me, I could have had my picture taken on the donkey. There was only a couple with me. It was a fantastically hilarious experience! I laughed so much, I got scared, I got hurt, it was awesome! It's one hell of an experience. My donkey was crazy, he wanted to be the first in line so he was running up and cutting other donkeys off and hugging the walls. (I have videos.) I wasn't really able to take good pictures, as you have to be using both hands to hold yourself steady, but still, best time ever, even by myself. After that, I spent a long time shopping around and ended up sitting at a table by the view and I watched the sunset with a nice glass of wine and a very yummy gyros. Aaaaah.

Went back to the ship on one of the last shuttles and then I had to change, we had a Contiki Cocktail Party/Hour scheduled at the Disco. They opened early for us, since we missed the captain's Cocktail yesterday, we wanted something special. It didn't turn out so great. I won't go into too much details, but a lot of the group was on "rowdy" and rude behavior, throwing peanuts around and being very demanding to the staff, who were doing us a favor after all. But the drinks went down very fast and then we went straight to dinner as a group, using 3 big tables. lot of wine was consumed again, and a very late night was had by most of us. I went to see the last showing of the Mama Mia presentation by the crew, and it was very fun!!!

Of course, I had to make a fool of myself at Karaoke at the Disco after that ;) Nah, I wasn't so bad, I love singing. It was a nice icebreaker I guess, as I got the whole thing going! Ended the night at the Sports Bar and Casino, as per usual and that was it. Another very nice day with Contiki :)

Contiki Day 10: Med Cruise 5 (Part 2.)

Contiki Day 10: Med Cruise 5, Patmos (AM) and Kusadasi (PM) Tuesday September 13th, 2011.

Part 2. Kusadasi, The House of Virgin Mary and The Ephesus.

So, after a nice shower and a change of clothes, I headed back to the poolside for some buffet lunch (I did not have the patience to wait for the special) and a nice iced coffee. I was way too excited to stand still for too long. A few hours later, it was time to meet again for the arrival at Kusadasi. (We had boarded back this morning at 1030 and we were getting off at 230pm.)

There had been 2 different tours offered to us, The Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary and The Ephesus. There wasn't a big time difference to have both, and it was 3 or 5 euros more to do the combined tour. I'm not a very religious person, but I figured that for the price, I'd go. I was very surprised to see that quite a few people skipped the tour entirely (OK it was all optionals, as you had to pay extra, but, wow.) and even the ones that did go, picked The Ephesus on it's own. There was only a few of us on the combined tour again. But it was OK, we were once again mixed with the people from, the morning. We hopped on a bus, picked a nice guide up and went on our way the the House of the Virgin Mary. Of course, it was sitting at the top of a mountain, with a breathtaking view.

At first, I wasn't really touched by the story (That John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary had come here into hiding) but then I saw a lot of emotional people and it kinda got to me. Once again, we had to line up, in silence, this was Holy Ground, cannot talk inside the House, no pictures. Lots of people crying, I got caught up in the moment and teared up a little too. I bought, well put money in a wooden box, to take a candle, which I brought outside where they had a beautiful display with a lot of candles all lit up, for prayers and loved ones. That's where I cried a tiny bit, when I lit my candle and took a picture of it. (It was for both my Grandmas, my Grandpa and my aunt.) I also ended up buying a few Virgin Mary medallions. I was very glad I chose to go, it ended up being a very lovely moment.

Next stop, The Ephesus! I was SO excited! I'm pretty sure I annoyed a lot of people on the way over, but I honestly didn't care. For over 10 years I had wanted to go to this site, I was going to enjoy every second of it. *Now, it was a very amazing visit, although the site is way too massive to get to see everything in such a short time, so we missed on a lot of stuff. Especially MY favorite, the only standing column from the Temple of Artemis. We didn't go there and it was really sad.*

For one of the first times ever, I barely paid any attention to the guide. From what I overheard, he was very interesting, but I wanted to see everything and walk everywhere, I didn't have time to stand around, listening. It just made it perfect for Lewis and I to take a million pictures back and forth. It was great! We would run all over, look it everything, pose, click then switch places and cameras and then it all over again. I was so giddy. And we were so lucky, we were experiencing something that almost never happens; a near sandstorm. The wind was so crazy, it was impossible to keep your hat on. So it felt like it wasn't quite 42 degrees out!

There was so much to see and take in. Lots of the original structures were still there, and even everywhere on the ground, the rocks, you could find treasures. It was very slippery to walk down the slopes, with the original "roads" rocks and marbles. As clumsy as I am, I had to be careful. Thankfully, my foot barely hurt anymore, so I took the opportunity to go back and forth everywhere. There were stray cats everywhere. You could hear them meow, it was a bit sad. I wanted to feed them all, and give them water and pet them. I got to pet a few kitties, they were so used to people they were very friendly. I even gave some water to one of them, from a nook in a big rock.

Soon after that we started seeing the big library in the background and better preserved structures. It is really, really something to be standing next to and touching stone buildings that have been there for close to 3,000 years. And that library was absolutely huge. It was so incredible to be standing there and getting all this history. I will never ever forget that day. And I had such a good time with Lewis, exploring everywhere and coming up with pictures ideas.

After the Library, I walked by myself a bit further up, and sat on the side of what looked like a main street and on each side used to be hundreds of pillars/columns. Not much was left, of course, but I just sat there, under the sun, imagining what it was like back then. I didn't even realize I had tears running down my face. I just felt like I was home, I was feeling so privileged to be there.

Eventually, the visit was over, way quicker than I expected, we slowly went back to the bus, stopping at all the shops on the way. The vendors were very aggressive and intimidating. We were given a short time to shop. I took advantage of it, as I wanted a lot of souvenirs. I was now an expert at haggling, so I got a lot of stuff for way cheaper than the asking price. Then we went back to town, close to port where a lot of my Contiki group had met to go to a Turkish bath. Now, I understand that this is a really awesome experience, very relaxing and whatnot, but it's not something I'd be comfortable doing. I can barely tolerate a massage, don't like saunas, so I knew this wasn't for me. I walked around the shops with a few girls instead, getting some more souvenirs, as this was our last stop in Turkey.

Back to the ship at close to 8pm, we realized we were missing on the Captain's Cocktail. I had been originally interested in attending, wearing a fancy dress and all, but there just wasn't enough time. I was so dusty, all I wanted was a shower. Most of us still decided to wear fancy clothes and go to the last seating at the restaurant. Lots of wine, lots of fun, lots of stories. It was another great night. And as usual, went to to disco for a bit, had a few drinks, then back to the Sports Bar, more drinks and some casino. My regular little vacation routine, it rocked.

Next stop, Santorini!

 

Contiki Day 10: Med Cruise 5

Contiki Day 10: Med Cruise 5, Patmos (AM) and Kusadasi (PM) Tuesday September 13th, 2011.

Oh yes, it still hurts lol And it almost looks like my leg is rotting, it was a gross couple of days. My hand has healed quite nicely though. (So has my tattoo.)

Extremely early start today as we were arriving in Patmos at 630 am. To me, it wasn't a big deal, as I get up for work everyday at 515am. Just another day. Went for some buffet, noticed a lot of people decided to skip this morning, too much partying last night. I didn't know much about Patmos, except that it was a "Holy" Island, where St John (not the Baptist) went into exile and that's where he was visited by God and wrote the Apocalypse. This tour was included, and since it wasn't that long, nor that special, I guess that's why a lot of people bailed.

So we got out of the boat and into a bus, to take us up the hill, to have a quick guided tour of the main village. We were sharing a bus with some people from a tour with Globus, and although way older than our group, they were delightful people. I had a blast with them. (Hum, maybe if I get tired of Contiki, I could look them up..) When we got up the bus and gathered up close to the cliff, this is the view that greeted us. Needless to say, absolutely no one paid attention to the guide trying to start the visit. This view was extraordinary and demanded to be admired. Many many pictures were taken. It was early, the village was still asleep, and we were trying to be quiet as well, out of respect. It was magical.

Patmos is the "Holy" island, there are close to 400 churches and chapels and monuments, not counting the big Monastery on top of the Hill. We couldn't see it, as it was closed to the public. The guide was telling us that a lot of celebrities were seeking refuge on the island, for their vacation, and that more and more were actually buying little houses. (She was very excited that she saw Tom Hanks a few days prior.) The visit was interesting, but short, as it was a small village. We were then given more time to take pictures and then we noticed we lost Lewis. We waited around for him and he finally showed up, insisting he wasn't lost, he had wanted more time to take pictures. I loved Lewis, he was amazing :) So, back on the bus and a 20 min ride up the hills, to go see St John's Grotto.

I have never been very religious, raised as a catholic but decided to follow a more Pagan beliefs, but it was a very interesting place. I love stories, so I loved hearing how John was exiled, that he lived in a small cave (Grotto) and how he was visited by God and then wrote the Apocalypse. We couldn't talk inside, not take pictures, as it was a sacred place. But to me, the real big deal was the view, again. With the sun shining, you could almost feel a presence in the beauty of nature. That made me feel, comforted, somehow. I felt good. There was a lot of people on pelerinages who were praying and getting emotional, so we all tried to be respectful. We also had a few people in the group who really cared about religion, so I was glad to see how much they appreciated the visit.

We drove back to the port, where we stopped at a small cafe, to have a lovely Cafe Frappe, and they kept telling us to enjoy it outside in the Lemon garden. Sounded interesting enough, so I went. My cafe was way too strong, I didn't enjoy it too much and the Garden was a garden only by name. there was a few trees with greenish looking fruits hanging down and a few tables sitting in sand. Took a few sips and then walked away. There was a lot of shops; this was obviously the Touristy area. Still had some time before going back on-board so I shopped around for 45 min. Find a couple things to buy and then I ended up in this fancy-ish store, and somehow, found my perfect Artemis statue!!! I couldn't believe it, it was silver, she had long-ish hair, was holding a bow and a dog/Wolf was next to her. Exactly what I wanted. A bit more expensive that I wanted, but less than I would have expected in this weird shop. I was a happy camper!

Went back on the boat, had a shower, packed my things away, then went back to the Sports Bar to finish my Postcards before Lunch time. We had a few hours before getting to Kusadasi and the Ephesus. Time to relax!

Part 2 for The Ephesus and the House of Virgin Mary next!

Contiki Day 9: Med Cruise 4

Contiki Day 9: Med Cruise 4, Mykonos, Greece, Monday September 12th, 2011.

(Yeah, FYI- when it's that color, it kinda hurts...)

Today was pretty much a free day, we weren't scheduled to get to Mykonos until 4pm. It was a good day to sleep in, but the first thing I realized when I got up (at like 9am) was that I could feel the boat move. I don't get sea-sick, thankfully, but I was feeling shaky on my feet, like my sense of balance was gone. I walked around, souvenir shop, picture shop (Found a picture of me boarding the ship, grinning like a maniac, I basically bought it so it'd be off the wall lol) went for some food, etc. A very relaxing day. A lot of people were sleeping, a lot were sick or not feeling well. There was apparently a biiiig storm somewhere close and that was making the sea very upset. Rumors were that the Delos expedition would be cancelled later on. Well that made me panic. Delos was in my Top 3 of MUST SEE things. Spent the morning and the beginning of the afternoon walking around and reading my book and drinking Mocktails at the Sports Bar while writing all my postcards. I didn't have my massage session until later that afternoon.

For Lunch, they had a Taco Bar by the pool so I went for that instead of the Buffet. It was good, and a lot of my group went for that too. We ended up several tables of us just drinking and eating and killing time until we finally got to Mykonos. Then I went for my massage and although it was pretty expensive (140Euros) it was the BEST thing ever. Of course now, I can't remember what it was, but it was a special package of 4 massages, Head-Feet-Hot Stone and whatever the regular stuff's called. 90 min in heaven, and my girl was a young lovely girl from the Philippines, we kept chatting until I kinda fell asleep. She didn't mind, I guess she's used to it. It even helped my foot, I walked so much better after! The only thing I should say, is to be careful of the pushy sales afterwards. You're so relaxed and half asleep and then they start telling you about products they recommend for you, I just kinda nodded, thinking I'd just say no at the reception and then she said she'd throw in a free facial for me tomorrow and demonstrate the body scrubbing lotion, by giving me a free session. I'm not sure what happened, but I ended up with a free demo the next morning, before the center opened and then I had ahuge bill because I had somehow agreed to buying all those products. (So expensive... I gave some of it away and used some, but a lot is still sitting in my pharmacy, untouched. Oh well, it's vacation.)

We finally got word that the Delos excursion was cancelled, the weather was just too bad. It was understandable, because we could see and feel the wind, but I was sooo disappointed. :( Even approaching Mykonos, there were more problems. We couldn't go where we were supposed to, because of the wind, so we had to wait close by for another ship to leave, so we could take its spot. Of course they were late and blah blah blah, so we didn't end up getting off the ship until close to 6pm, instead of 4. At least, the officials decided to change the all-aboard time to Midnight, to make sure we had plenty of time in Mykonos. Well, as I wasn't really supposed to see Mykonos, I was a bit confused. I wanted to go to Paradise Beach and party, but I also wanted to walk around the island, shop and watch the sun set and run to the windmills. What helped was that most of my group was well advanced in the pre-drinking, so very loud. A few girls took a different bus to get to the beaches, the non-party ones and I started walking with a couple more people, thinking I'd start with the scenery's and then maybe go to the beach.

Mykonos was breathtaking. The sun was setting so we got treated to an explosion of colors, with the sun, the water and the white houses. It was fantastic. The wind was absolutely crazy, it made it very difficult to take decent pictures, with your hair flying all over the place like that. It was hilarious. We were a bit in a rush, trying to make sure we saw everything, that we "lost" Lewis in the crowded streets. But I knew he wanted to take his time and take a lot of pictures, the rest of us were looking for a decent place to eat. And of course, I was wearing the wrong shoes again (never again with the ballet flats) and I wanted an elastic bandage and Kelly wanted some cold meds. So we hunted for a pharmacy. We kept getting distracted with all the lovely shops; a real paradise for jewellery and art and hand-made stuff, not your regular touristy souvenirs. We finally lucked out and bought our medical supplies. Kerri had the brilliant idea to ask the nice pharmacist where he would recommend we eat, as we didn't want to pay a fortune just to eat close to the water. He gave us a card for his favorite restaurant and told us to tell the owner he sent us, as they don't usually accept tourists, just locals.


It was a very crowded place, they weren't that friendly and service took forever (We even lost a girl while waiting, who decided to go some place else, leaving just 3 of us.) But boy was it worth it! I decided to have Salmon as it was the fish of the day. It was something like 12 euros for a plate, and it was the best, freshest, biggest piece of fish I have ever had. Wow! Unbelievable. We have shared a few pitchers of red wine (the girl's choice, I'm a white wine kinda gal) but it was actually really good. And we also had complimentary dessert, the biggest piece of baklava ever. It was an amazing meal, absolutely worth it. Very cheap too, considering the portions and the quality. We ended up a bit tipsy, waking slowly back to the ship, shopping and laughing on our way. It was a great evening, very relaxed and I was glad to share it with Kerri and Kelly. We even stopped in a shop and for some reason, I feel in love with a great dress, which wasn't all that expensive and even fitted me. Crazy. (I still blame the wine.) I bought it, knowing I wouldn't wear it very often, but still, what a great souvenir!

Went back to the ship, it was shortly after midnight, we went and grabbed another glass of wine by the pool (white this time) thinking we would stop by the disco where the rest of the group was bound to finish the night, but after a glass or 2, we were so tired, we decided to call it a night. But what a night :)

Contiki Day 7: Med Cruise 2

Contiki Day 7: Med Cruise 2, Istanbul, Saturday September 10th, 2011.

Considering we didn't have to meet the group until close to 10am, my 730 alarm clock was a bit early. But I wanted plenty of time to get ready and go outside and take pictures of the view, approaching Turkey!!! It was another beautiful sunny day, and I wasn't the only one who had the idea of going outside. The decks were packed. I made a habit of going to the buffet for breakfast, as not all the restaurants were included. The buffet was great, at least it looked great, but it wasn't always too good. The eggs especially, were always different but always disappointing. My safe foods were cucumbers and potatoes. It didn't matter how cooked the potatoes were, every day they were great. Tea, juice, bacon, cucumbers and potatoes and I was set for the day. I also collected bottle of water to put in the fridge in the room, big and small, so we always had plenty. And I could always leave for the day with a small one in my backpack. (I found I was always filling the fridge, as the water was constantly "disapearing". I figured, I had the included package, my roommate did not, it was not a big deal, right?)

So, Istanbul, big day. The whole day was Contiki included, no optional activity. Arrival at 10am and return to the ship by 7pm. So we all met, got our instructions for the day and waited for the OK to get off the ship. This is a crazy experience by the way. Thousands of people lining up, more or less, trying to get off the ship as soon as possible, and trust me, not everyone understands or respects the concept of a line. So, once outside, you try to stick with people you know, not to be swallowed by this ocean of people, none of which are paying attention. Yes, everyone is excited to be in Istanbul. You have to cross a boder-type, security post, they xray your bags and make sure you have a proper visa (which is just a piece of paper they give you, you don't even have your passport.) After that, we met with our guide, a nice actress, I can't remember her name, as I could barely pronounce it. She was fantastic. All day-long, she was holding this yellow sign that said "Louis Crystal 5" so we wouldn't lose her, it was hilarious. We were also given this little earpiece radio thingy, so we could hear her all the time. She loved her city and the history and she loved doing tours. We had a quick bus tour, to show us a few buildings and places we would be going to.

There was a lot of walking, I was so glad I was wearing my sneakers and 2 tank tops as the weather was 41 degrees. We walked to the Topkapi Palace's Garden, which was sooo beautiful. Like in a movie. Then we headed to the Blue Mosque. Everything was very fast paced today, because we had to get to the sites in between prayer calls and it was Saturday after all. There was a very long line to wait and we were told that we would have to take off our shoes (eeew) and to cover up our knees and shoulders and hair. It's a church after all, makes sense. My pants went over my knees, I had brought a t-shirt to cover my shoulders and I had my hat, as always. (Although it does not feel respectful to wear a hat inside a church...) I made the mistake to pack one with a "V" neck, so I was refused access, until I covered up my "shoulders" with a blanket thingy they handed to me. Huh. So much for being prepared. It was very impressive to be there, although it was very crowded. I felt like it was hard to breathe. You were not allowed to speak, at least not above a whisper, as people were parying. It was hard to take pictures, but it was beautiful. Ah the ceilings! I much prefered outside, where I could put my shoes back on and give the cloth back. But it was a once in a lifetime experience, you can't go to Istanbul without visiting a mosque.

Then we walked some more to the main square and I was completely fascinated by this Egyptian Obelisk in the middle of everything. It was very surprising and so beautiful. (It was stolen hundreds and hundreds of years ago and brought here by boat... crazy huh?)

Next stop, the Hagia Sophia. Now this, this was exceptionnally beautiful. I loved it. It feels like religion didn't matter in this place, just faith. It was incredible and it had all those stories. If you can pick only place place in Istanbul, be sure to go there, you won't regret it. We had a lot of time to walk around and see everything. Then we stopped for a quick break and then walked all the way back to where we first were. The schedule and itin was all upside down because of prayer times, we had to make sure not end up locked out of a place. It had to be perfectly timed. So it meant a lot of walking and barely any time to rest. Walk, walk, faster, faster, hurry. But it was worth it. I'm skipping a lot of details here, because it's a beauty and atmosphere that I can't describe, you really have to be there to feel it.

Then we made it to the Topkapi Palace, where only a few rooms are opened to the public, and heavily guarded. That's where the Sultan and his royal family lives. It was very interesting, although we were running out of time, our guide even had to call the place where we would eat, that we were going to be late. But once we got there, it was like a huge patio, with an incredible view on the water. I was lucky enough to be able to pick a seat at the very end of the table, and pretty much stared into the distance the whole meal. We took our time eating and resting our feet. It was mid-afternoon already and I was absolutely ready for a nap. We'd seen so much already. But it was time for more.

We headed to a different part of town, to a store where we would have a Carpet sales presentation. They served us cold apple tea which was incredibly good. We sat through a long presentation on carpet. I won't say it was boring, because it was interesting, but it was a bit too long for me. And then of course came the pressuring to buy. They kept trying to make us believe they were doing us this huge favor with deals and whatnot, and I agree this was a great souvenir, and good quality, but way too expensive. (They'd say that for Contiki they were cutting the price down in half, so from 1600 liras to 800, which is roughly half in euros, so 400 euros, but they would throw in free shipping or a carry-on case and if you bargained hard enough, you could get a small one down to 250 euros, which is still like 450$ US or CAN.) No thank you. And they were pushy. Kelly and I made the mistake to go with a salesman and check out more carpets and prices, and we wasted so much time there. We didn't buy anything, although Kelly did hesitate for a while.

By the time we got out, alot of people had went ahead to the free time in the Grand Bazaar. That's where we went too, and let me tell you, this has been one of the msot incredible experiences of my life. Think a really really big flea market, but with beautiful, new stuff, not old attic stuff. It was sooo easy to get lost, there was so many stalls and alleys. The first 10 min, we got a bit scared and almost turned around. We were told that the fun part of the bazaar is to barter/bargain with the vendors and get better prices. We got one that wouldn't move his price and a few other guys circled us, a bit agressive and pushy. Some of them were flirty, but these men were scary, we felt completely intimidated. But we went back to the main aisle and then it was better. We stuck to the main one and not get lost in little corners, where people were not as nice. One thing for sure, I would not have wandered down by myself. But it all got better after that, we met friendlier people and I discovered I am actually really good at bartering. Of course, I was always buying multiple articles but I was usually able to get a very very good price. It was a very fun afternoon and I had a full bag by the end of it. I would go back any day.

We went back to the bus, so that they could drive us back to the port. But we were missing someone. We waited over 30 min, it was a big drama with everyone offereing comments and suggestions, but with Contiki, you are always told to be on time, that the bus will not wait for you. So we had to end up leaving, and the poor guide was feeling horrible. (We remembered to tip her.) We got to the ship a bit last minute, exhausted and hungry, but we had such a great day. I ran back to my room to drop all my bags, grabbed a sweater and went up on the deck, as the sun was setting and I wanted pictures before we left. (We were sailing to Izmir.)

It was so beautiful outside, I took like a gazillion pictures. I had a few people from my group there too and we had a blast. We screamed like little girls, several times, because we were right by the ship's horn and it blew a few times, it was terrifying. So freaking loud and out of nowhere, I though I was going to have a heart attack. I didn't feel like changing and going to the fancy dining room and just went to the buffet instead. Very long line, but the food was ok. I sat poolside with my book but I was joined by several other people and we chatted and had a few drinks. I always made sure to at least stop by the disco, where pretty much everyone was gathering at night, but it was always the same songs over and over again, so loud and I wasn't always in the mood for a heavy drinking night, especially after such a big day. But I always made an appearance, grabbed a few drinks and then I'd go down to my Sports Bar, for a few beers and a few Euros in the casino. The staff from both the Casino and the Bar were awesome, they really liked me, I chatted with them a lot and always got refills without asking. (Ok, it was all included, but still, I never had to ask or wait.)

Anyways, after all that, I was very glad to go to bed, and we didn't get to Izmir until 1pm tomorrow, so I could at least sleep in a little bit.

Contiki Day 6: 7 Days Mediterranean Cruise 1.

7 Days Mediterranean Cruise, Day 1. Boarding/ Free day. Friday September 9th, 2011.

Early rise, but I don't care, we are starting the cruise today!!! I'm always getting up early, to make sure I have everything ready. Excellent breakfast, this is a good hotel. We have a random bus picking us up, we had to make sure all the tags on our suitcases showed the right room number, it's complicated and there are a lot of rules. It's about a 30 min ride to the Port, and I sat at the back of the bus, and I tried to interact with my new group. I realized that most of them got to know each other at the dinner last night. Still, they all look nice enough :)

The whole process before getting on the ship was long, confusing and somewhat boring. I won't go into details, but you have to wait in line for a lot of things, you fill a lot of paper, answer a lot of questions and spend a few hours thinking you are completely lost. (They even take your passport after you get your boarding pass and you don't get it back until the last day. It's not reassuring.) It wasn't very fun. But I took the opportunity to talk to some new people again. I met this really nice girl from Montreal, Sabrina, and I detected no French accent from her, so we just kept on speaking English. (Found out at the end of the trip she was perfectly bilingual, like me, so we could have spoken either lol)

My bruises are getting darker, and I'm starting to think maybe I broke something in my hand, it's swelling and I can barely bend my fingers.

Finally on the ship. I'm super excited, it's impressive and it so totally feels like a real vacation. I like directions and instructions so it was a bit weird that there was nothing to follow. We were going to have a meeting this afternoon to discuss what optional activities we could/would do and some general information, but that's about it. Laura pointed us in general directions of things, but we were on our own. Got settled in the room, then I grabbed my camera and just went to walk around. It was a bit hectic but I was loving it. I spent hours exploring, taking pictures and trying to find my way around. I stumbled upon a big part of the group, on a deck, already drinking. I met another group at the bar by the pool, and sat down with them and had a few relaxing drinks. (I made sure I went and registered for my all-included alcohol drinks package right away. 166 euros. That way, any drinks I wanted during the week, water, pop, booze, was all included, all I had to do was swipe my card. This was great, it was my room key, my ID and my account at the same time.)

I even went to the evacuation drill with my life vest on, looking like an idiot. But it was funny, and who knows, at least now I knew how to put it on. All and all, a pretty normal almost boring day. Except I was on a cruise ship!!! I went to play Bingo with Tanya, we both won lol and we attended the meeting, picked our activities and made plans to all meet for dinner later on, before going to the Disco.

Dinner was a bit fancy, but excellent. Everyone had pretty much been indulging the cocktails today, so add the wine for dinner and we all ended up having a terrific time at the disco. It's been a long time since I've been this excited to be at a club, before 10pm haha Had a few drinks, danced, had a lot of fun but I didn't want to stay out too late as we had a pretty big day tomorrow in Istanbul. Of course I had to stop by the Sports Bar, made friends with the wait staff and bartender, grabbed a last beer and went to the casino. It was a small room with a Black Jack table and about a dozen or so slot machines. I love slots, it can be dangerous. But I kept myself in check, played cheap and broke out even. Then I went to bed.

I have to note that I don't suffer from sea sickness at all, and you could barely feel the boat move, except when the wind was exceptionally strong, and that didn't happen a lot. And it night, it was so peaceful, this rocking sensation that helped me sleep. Also, the bathroom was really small and the corner that was the shower was really tiny, and the shower curtain looked very gross. We barely ever used it. It was a very not-fun shower, as the whole bathroom would get soaked as it was all on the same level. You couldn't leave anything in there and you had to stuck your towel and clothes on the higher shelf. It was weird, but hey, at least we had decent toilets. (You can't <flush> any toilet paper in Greece, even on the cruise ship. It's a bit gross but you get used to it.)

Contiki Day 5: Spotlight on Greece 4

Spotlight on Greece, Delphi, Thursday September 8th, 2011.

I woke up feeling drunk still. I barely had a few hours of sleep. I was not feeling sick, just hungover. Bec had to tease me, apparently I did not make any sense when I got back to the room last night. To be honest, I barely remember getting back to the room myself, so it's no surprise. What I don't like is that I have a very long cut on my big toe, and there is blood and dirt everywhere. What the? I vaguely remember tripping on something, so I guess it was glass. Luckily, I had a first aid cut, so I cleaned and bandaged my toe, showered and then packed my stuff. Somehow, I left my sweatpants on the bathroom floor when I left, never to see them again.

Too tired to care much, I slipped in a summer dress, my hat and my ballerina shoes (worst idea ever as we would be walking and climbing stairs all morning.) and went outside for breakfast. Of course, I'm not really hungry, but I nimble on a few things and drink water and tea and juice. Gotta love those fluids. It's a very hot day, perfect for climbing Mt Parnassus. I make my rounds, chatting here and there, gotta suffer a lot of teasing for my craziness of last night and I also make sure I find the other girls who left late. Everyone is here, I'm relieved. I don't know why I sometimes feel responsible for others, I just do. There's been a few cats running around the place, one girl even had to switch rooms because when she got to her room, there was one sleeping on her bed and she's allergic, and one of them seems friendly enough so I knelt down and attempted to pet it. Yeah, great idea and I got a bloody hand for my troubles. It's a good thing I'm prepared, antiseptic spray and voila, good to go.

So today is Delphi, which was one of the 3 places I was looking forward most to see. (The 3 being, Delphi, The Ephesus and Delos. I know, it's all about the Sun and the Moon, Appollo and Artemis hehe) I am very emotional as we drive to the site, I can hardly believe I am here.

 

It's 36 degrees out, everyone is pretty much hungover, we meet with a guide at the museum, and we start with the indoor visit first. It's very impressive and I'm taking pictured like a maniac. A lot of people are dragging their feet and sitting down every chance they get, some even skip the visit and go sit outside at the restaurant, with Paola. I'm feeling crappy myself, but there is no way I will miss a minute of this. After plenty of time in the museum, with amazing stories and facts (I really like this guide) we go outside and prepare for the real site. We will be climbing up Mt Parnassus, yes, I teared up, again. There's a lot of stray cats outside, lots of babies too, they're absolutely  adorable.

I can't describe this place properly. It was without a doubt, breathtaking. Apollo's temple, the Oracle, the theater, plus the view, it was just a fantastic day. The guide had fantastic stories, and all I could picture was all the stories I've read, especially my favorite "The Firebrand" a fantasy novel about Cassandra of Troy. Anyways, it was a perfect day.

The guided tour ended pretty much at the middle of the climb, after the biggest sights. I so remembered to tip. I spent a lot of the morning walking with the guide and talking about facts on this place, it was fascinating. After that, we were free to make our way down to the shop/restaurant, etc, or if we were brave enough, to make the whole climb to the top for another amazing view and for the stadium. No questions asked, I was in for the climb. It was hard, all that walking under a scorching sun, and the steps were sometimes pretty steep and uneven, you know, the original rocks from 2000 years ago. Very slippery and you get distracted by the view. A few girls and I stuck together. By now, my feet are absolutely killing me, wearing the ballerinas was the worst idea ever. I needed more support than that for this type of walking/exercise. I miss my sneakers. Oh well, I can always take painkillers later on tonight.

 I'd say it took about another hour to reach the top, with lots of stops for pictures. But it was definitely worth it, the stadium was impressive yes, but it was the bird's eye view that was magical. Then we made the trip back down, using a different trail, so more to see. I did not want to leave, but unfortunately, our time was running out. Instead of sitting down outside for a drink, I went to check out the souvenirs and run around in the museum a bit more. This had truly been a wonderful day.

Back on the bus, we had a long drive before making it back to Athens. When booking this trip I  did not realize I would leave so many new awesome friends behind after only a few days. I almost wished I had picked the 3 days cruise instead of the 7. We stopped for Lunch at this nice little restaurant where you had a very limited menu, but it was delicious. I was truly enjoying being able to eat and keep the food down. I had a cheese omelet which sounds very simple, but eggs and loads of fried feta cheese? I still drool thinking about it.

Back on the bus, nothing really exciting happened, lots of driving, a few pit stops for breaks and snacks and we also stopped at this amazing view for a group shot. It was really fast, our awesome driver would accept just a few cameras and take the shots, and we would have to keep in touch to share. Ah! Works for me :)

What we didn't realize when we got to Athens was that us, the ones on the 7 days cruise were being dropped off at a different hotel than everyone else. Not a lot of time for goodbyes, but there is always facebook. So, the 8 of us got dropped off at the President Hotel and I found out I was not rooming with Bec anymore. It felt weird, we had assumed we'd be together the whole time. We only had a short meeting with out new TM later on that night, so we had hours of free time. The rooms were amazing but as everyone was tired, we lost track of each other fairly quick. My new roomie quickly went to the roof, to the pool, and I headed for a shower and a change of clothes instead. Then, since we were in a different part of Athens, I went on my own to explore a little bit around the hotel. I didn't go far, as it felt like we were downtown, in the not so safe neighborhood. Walked around, found a 1Euro store (I love Dollar stores) and a very good cheap Gyros place. Yummy! Then came back to the hotel to relax. I even went on the roof to check it out. It was beautiful, but others were either drinking or swimming and I didn't feel like either.

Went to the other meeting, got introduced to our new TM Laura, lovely girl from Australia. The meeting was in the lobby, we didn't really had anywhere to sit and not half the group showed up. Granted, most of us were coming from different trips and we only had to feel in paperwork, but it would have been nice to see everyone. Then, Laura was heading the optional Greek dinner, which was the same one we did on our first night in Athens. We decided not to go, as it was 35 Euros and we've done it before. *** This was a mistake. I strongly recommend you do this, it is the BEST way to meet your group.***

Some of the other girls were going for Chinese, but I was so tired I wasn't really in a mood to be around people, I just wanted to grab some food and go relax in my room and go to bed early. My roommate decided to come with me. So we walked around for a bit, couldn't really found anything, it was crowded. We saw this little store, down a flight of stairs that seemed to have a lot of clothes, for really cheap. We decided to go take a look. Now thew thing is, my foot was hurting, so I was wearing my flip-flops, and the stairs and floors are most often freaking marble. Slippery in general, imagine a clumsy girl wearing flip-flops walking down marble stairs. Sigh. I flew and I fell hard. I was lucky not to fall down all the stairs, I only missed a couple and fell on my ass. I hurt my hand and one of my calves. I didn't think anything was broken so we kept browsing, but I could not bend my fingers anymore. Not fun. And the limping wasn't fun either.

Back to the hotel, another shower, more first-aid kit, then in bed for some TV and reading. We have an early day tomorrow, since we have to go board the cruise ship :)

Contiki Day 4: Spotlight on Greece 3

Contiki Day 4. Spotlight on Greece, Olympia, Wednesday September 7th, 2011.

Another early start, I'm still feeling a little queasy, but that could be because of the late night with drinks. But I'm not feeling as bad as usual so I even dare try a little breakfast. The medication for upset stomachs seemed to be working. I kept stashing fruit and water in my backpack just in case. It took a few hours, but at one point, all my colors came back and I was really awake and alive all of the sudden, wow. Everyone saw the difference, maybe I had finally kicked this annoying Jet lag away.

We picked up a guide at the site, she wasn't my favorite, she didn't really seem happy to be doing what she did. We started with the museum, which was pretty big and had a lot of stuff. Too bad the guide wasn't more interesting, but the stuff was. The only downside with a guided tour is that you only get to see the highlights, not everything. I don't recommend paying for a guided tour in a museum, unless it's the Louvre. But I still loved it, I'm a dork. I had no idea how massive this site was. Olympia, you blew my mind. SO big, so many ruins and foundations and stories behind it all.

It was a lovely hot day, close to 40 degrees, but as long as you had enough water (and you could buy it everywhere for 50 cents) you were ok. With all this walking and the sun, I was really started to hurt for a hat. After the tour, we had a lot of free time to explore on our own and take lots of pictures. I pretty much stayed with Kelly the whole time, as she was of the only ones who was openly as fascinated with the history as I was. So we helped each other with pictures. I don't understand how some people just went to sit at the restaurant and stayed there pretty much the whole time. It was a good, long visit and I was satisfied I had enough time to truly appreciate it.

After we were done, with the tour, and I did not tip the guide, sorry, we were given another hour of free time just outside, where they had a couple souvenir shops. It was like 4 different stores, full of so many beautiful things. It was hard not to go crazy and buy everything. I wanted to bring a lot of little things back for everyone. I found a hat right away, what a relief and then bought cheap original jewellery and some souvenirs. My bill came to something like 46 euros and I was telling the cashier how much I liked the store, he turned out to be the owner!!! He handed me a bar of complimentary Baklava and would not accept more than 40 euros for my purchases. Such a small gesture but I loved it. Again, smiling and being polite :)

(I'm not even going to mention all the flirting here as well, I've never felt prettier in my entire life hehe)

After that we had a "sales" presentation at a workshop where they make statues. I was interested to start with, statues, I wanted to bring back an Artemis one but when I saw the guy greeting us in, my knees almost gave out. He was one hot Greek man. Wow. Pretty much all the girls agreed with me. He gave us a presentation and then walked us upstairs where there was the giant store, mainly statues, but with lots of souvenirs as well, including a nice little jewellery store. Real, nice, silver jewellery, not the cheap kind. For some reason, the hottie became fascinated with me, specifically with my tattoos. (I have a moon on my left back shoulder, a sun on the right side and a pentagram inside a moon on forearm.) He loved it. He was very touchy as well, and kept flirting with me. Such an empowering delightful moment for me. I splurged on a silver ring, earrings and necklace (which was 100 euros) but I was unable to find an Artemis statue like I pictured, even with my new friend  helping me. (I was very specific in what I wanted.)

After that, back on the bus, on our way to Delphi. Even though a lot of time is spent on the bus, it never feels too too long as there are a lot of stops to see things and service stops too. (peepee stops Paola called them.) And for me, it was perfect to take pictures of the landscapes, it was just so wonderful. We crossed this enormous white bridge and I was terrified, not a fan of bridges at all. Pictures time, then we were off again. A bit later, we stopped in Nafpaktos for a coffee break. It was a lovely little village near by the water, and you could order either a cafe frappe, a beer or a soda. I had the cafe, of course, which was yummy, but so very strong. I couldn't finish it, halfway through it every nerve in my body was jumping so I got up and started exploring.

So many lovely spots for pictures, I had a field day, even dipped my feet in the ocean. The beach was all pebbles, which is not convenient for walking around at all. And then we settled in for another very long drive in the mountains, to make it to the hotel for the night. We had some fun trying to watch a "The Hangover 2" Dvd that a guy bought from a street vendor and it turned out to be a video of the movie playing on a computer screen. We could clearly see a beer bottle in the frame, and sometimes the monitor would go to sleep. It was hilarious. (Not the actual movie.)

We made it to Delphi by the end of the afternoon, and we were told dinner would be a bit late, because we were all going out afterwards, to a local club, and Paola insisted we all go. We settled in, again the view was absolutely breathtaking and most of us went outside for a drink or to the pool. More fun and relaxing times. I was rooming with Bec again, so we had our taking turns for shower and getting ready routine perfectly orchestrated by then. For dinner, I sat at a big table with a dozen or so others, we had wine and beer, took pictures, but the food wasn't that great at all and the service was very slow too. But it was a great evening.

The club was a 10 min walk away from the hotel, down the road. We had an included shot and drink with the entrance and pretty much everyone showed up. At first, I wasn't sure, it was very small, dark and the music so loud and the place was completely empty except for us. But soon other groups arrived, I swear they were like 14 and 15 years. Apparently, drinking age is not a big thing in Europe. It was a bit annoying and really packed up after a while, so we all got our drinks on and danced the night away. Lots of fun was had. And it so happened that it was Larissa's bday at midnight, so I had to call for lots of shots and have the DJ give her a shout out too.

Funny thing happened, whenever I went to the bar, I had to wait forever to get served, I thought the bartender was quite rude and somewhat ignoring me. I wasted a lot of time waiting on him, even though I tipped really well and even bought him a shot. I think there was a big misunderstanding in the end as well, I wanted to get more shots for Larissa and I and the girl didn't know what we had before, so told her to get the guy, that he made them last time. Somehow, it was as if I special-requested him or something and he took a big interest in me. I got a few free drinks and he started flirting with me like crazy. By the end of the night, when the bar was almost empty, he even jumped over the bar and came to sit with me. We danced and made out, it was completely crazy. (I wasn't really interested, it just happened and I went with it.) His English wasn't the best and I cracked up every time he called me "baby", which sounded like babe. I drew the line when he dragged me in the store room and started fiddling with his pants, no way! He let it go. I ended up the last one in the place after close, along with Larissa and a local and Shawnee who was making out with the DJ. By then though, I just wanted to get back to the hotel. Dimitri said he would drive me, to which I said no, I wasn't getting in a car with a stranger. I agreed to let him walk me, and I kinda sobered up at the thought of me walking in foreign streets in the wee hours of the night with a stranger. Lots of horror movies start like that. I remember feeling very protective of Shawnee (who brushed me off and went home with the DJ) and Larissa, who was walking in front of me with the other guy. Dimitri, the bartender, kept trying to drag me to dark corners to make out some more, but I was having none of it. I was a bit scared and just wanted to get back to the hotel.

He did get me to the hotel, and I think he was disappointed when I didn't invite him in. But I was relieved I was back. It's a bit of blur after that, but I remember that Bec wasn't sleeping yet, she was on the balcony, and I remembered babbling some non-sense to her before completely passing out in my bed. Thank god I set my alarm clock before we left.