I will start this off by saying everyone needs to put Greece on their " Must Travels To" list if you haven't already. I was able to visit Corfu, Athens, and Santorini all in a week for my spring break and I had the most amazing time. From multiple bus, ferry, and cruise ship rides, it was well worth all the traveling.
Early friday morning we left Florence for a short bus ride to the port of Ancona to board a cruise ship to Corfu. Of course this cruise ship wasn't like the massive ones you see in the United States, but never having been on one before, it was big enough for me. It had a few places to eat, common areas, a bar, and a decent cabin for my friends and I to sleep in. We were on the boat overnight and arrived early Saturday morning in Corfu. In my mind I think of Greece from the pictures I pin on Pinterest, and let me tell you theres not much of a difference. As we got off the boat I took in my surroundings, with palm trees, white buildings, and the OCEAN. I have never seen such blue crystal clear water in my entire life. To say I love the beach, is an understatement and with that I was in heaven. We then took a bus to our hostel, The Pink Palace. Off the side of a cliff we stayed in a bright pink hostel with its own bar, club, eating area, hundreds of rooms, and more! As soon as we sat our stuff down in our rooms we changed into our swim suits and headed for the beach. It was only about 65 degrees, but that was not about to stop me from getting into the water. My friend Audrey, from California, was just as excited to be at a beach as I was. With that, we got into the very frigid cold water together. Though we didn't last more than about 10 minutes, it was well worth being freezing cold. We spent the rest of the day laying on the beach and meeting new friends before a dinner hosted by our hostel.
Unfortunately the plans we had for sunday were cancelled due to rain, so we hung out at the hostel playing games, and meeting new friends before getting ready for dinner and the toga party later that night. The Pink Palace is known for hosting a Toga Party for their guests. We all were given a pink silk sheet to dress up in for the party after dinner. We ate, tried multiple times to tie our togas correctly, then made our way to the party. Never have I seen so much pink in one area. The night consisted of free drinks, traditional greek dancing, plate smashing, and more. We stayed out late dancing and running around before making our way to bed to leave for Athens the next day. As usual the day we leave its bright and sunny, but we boarded the bus to make our next journey to Athens
Early friday morning we left Florence for a short bus ride to the port of Ancona to board a cruise ship to Corfu. Of course this cruise ship wasn't like the massive ones you see in the United States, but never having been on one before, it was big enough for me. It had a few places to eat, common areas, a bar, and a decent cabin for my friends and I to sleep in. We were on the boat overnight and arrived early Saturday morning in Corfu. In my mind I think of Greece from the pictures I pin on Pinterest, and let me tell you theres not much of a difference. As we got off the boat I took in my surroundings, with palm trees, white buildings, and the OCEAN. I have never seen such blue crystal clear water in my entire life. To say I love the beach, is an understatement and with that I was in heaven. We then took a bus to our hostel, The Pink Palace. Off the side of a cliff we stayed in a bright pink hostel with its own bar, club, eating area, hundreds of rooms, and more! As soon as we sat our stuff down in our rooms we changed into our swim suits and headed for the beach. It was only about 65 degrees, but that was not about to stop me from getting into the water. My friend Audrey, from California, was just as excited to be at a beach as I was. With that, we got into the very frigid cold water together. Though we didn't last more than about 10 minutes, it was well worth being freezing cold. We spent the rest of the day laying on the beach and meeting new friends before a dinner hosted by our hostel.
Unfortunately the plans we had for sunday were cancelled due to rain, so we hung out at the hostel playing games, and meeting new friends before getting ready for dinner and the toga party later that night. The Pink Palace is known for hosting a Toga Party for their guests. We all were given a pink silk sheet to dress up in for the party after dinner. We ate, tried multiple times to tie our togas correctly, then made our way to the party. Never have I seen so much pink in one area. The night consisted of free drinks, traditional greek dancing, plate smashing, and more. We stayed out late dancing and running around before making our way to bed to leave for Athens the next day. As usual the day we leave its bright and sunny, but we boarded the bus to make our next journey to Athens
We only spent a day in Athens, but that was enough time for me. I wasn't a huge fan of Athens overall. There were parts that were beautiful, but for the most part it came off as a dirty and crowded city. Every wall was covered in graffiti and every boy you walked by asked if you were from America. We started off the morning with a walking tour of the city where we were able to see the Olympic stadium, acropolis, and most of the other main attractions. My friends and I then wandered through the Athens Flea Market, where we bought fun pants, postcards, and other trinkets. That night we ate a traditional greek meal with a bunch of our friends. I thought I got a lot of food at restaurants back home, but everywhere in Europe has what feels like endless courses. From non-stop wine, bread, greek salads, a variety of meat, gyros, and more, we left very stuffed and content. We all got back to our hotel ready to rest before our trek to Santorini.
We took an 8 hour bus ride, followed by a ferry ride where we slept on the ground, before arriving in Santorini. We stayed in a hostel located in Fira, which is central Santorini. We were within walking distance to the central square, delicious restaurants, and amazing views. The first day we arrived in the late afternoon, so we walked around and came across a small restaurant that I am pretty sure was actually closed, but fed us anyway. We all ordered a variety of gyros, with sides, followed by the owner giving us free desert and shots of who knows what. That night we explored the night life with our friends and I think we were the only people in the bars. Every shop or restaurant we went to asked us why we were in Santorini so early in the season. Of course I would love to come back when I could lay on the beach and be able to swim in the water without freezing, but I am glad I got the chance to go at all.
The next day we woke up early to rent ATV's with some friends to ride around the island. As usual the days we decide to do activities the weather isn't the greatest, but none the less it was a lot of fun. We spent a few hours riding aimlessly down roads we had no idea where they went, but the views were indescribable. I am sure the people in cars were not too fond of the American kids taking up lanes and randomly deciding to turn at the last second. We finished our ride with wind burnt faces, and extremely tangled hair, but came across a quaint garden restaurant to eat lunch at before heading back to our hostel. After a little rest we got ready for the night and headed to a restaurant that was right on the side of the cliff. Once again yummy Greek food, great friends, and a fantastic view.
The next day we woke up early to rent ATV's with some friends to ride around the island. As usual the days we decide to do activities the weather isn't the greatest, but none the less it was a lot of fun. We spent a few hours riding aimlessly down roads we had no idea where they went, but the views were indescribable. I am sure the people in cars were not too fond of the American kids taking up lanes and randomly deciding to turn at the last second. We finished our ride with wind burnt faces, and extremely tangled hair, but came across a quaint garden restaurant to eat lunch at before heading back to our hostel. After a little rest we got ready for the night and headed to a restaurant that was right on the side of the cliff. Once again yummy Greek food, great friends, and a fantastic view.
Friday we ended up having a full day to explore after having our ferry ride delayed due to rough waters. We did some souvenir shopping, gyro eating, and more, before making the walk down the cliff to take a donkey ride back up. Ever since watching The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants, a donkey ride was something I knew I wanted to do. My friends and I walked down to the water for a bite to eat and relax before getting to the donkey station. Each donkey was decorated in beads, a unique colorful blanket, and twisted ropes. We each hoped on a donkey of our own and were sent on our way up the hill. I never would have thought I would be able to sit and take in my surroundings in Greece, riding a donkey, in Santorini. A storm blew in that night so we ran through the puddle filled streets for our last Greek meal before loading the boat back to Italy.
Technically this was my first spring break that I have ever went somewhere in college. I usually opt for going home to hang out with my family, but this trip was one for the books. I got to experience paradise, historical landmarks, the #1 party hostel, and made great memories from them all. Anyone that is coming to Europe, make sure you make your way to Greece!
Always,
Sam
Always,
Sam