Best of Greece
We visited Greece for 12 days starting on June 20, 2014. We traveled mostly by ferry and completed a total of 30.5 hours of navigation plus another 4.5 hours on other type of transportations which included train, bus, and airplane. Our arrival to Greece was a classic introduction to their laid back culture. The connecting ferry from Kastellorizo Island to Rhodes Island was cancelled due to “rough sea conditions” on a perfectly sunny day when the Mediterranean Sea was calm like a swimming pool. It was Thursday and the next ferry would not leave the island until Monday. In the ferry office, nobody really seemed to care about the fact that we would be losing all the pre-booked ferries, nobody went out of their way to help us find accommodation, and not one person apologized or expressed a sense of empathy for the inconvenience we were facing. We were literally stuck for the weekend in a beautiful Greek island full of colorful and traditional architecture. We were not happy with the Greek attitude but we were not really bothered about the unexpected since it is common for a world traveler, so we reframed it as an opportunity to chill and relax. After all, who will care about being deserted in a Mediterranean island, right? Next day everything was resolved, we took an early flight to Rhodes Island and continued on our itinerary, welcome to Greece!
We loved the natural beauty of the Greek islands and their unique architecture. The white and blue colors of the national flag are everywhere. The ocean is turquoise and crystalline, a surreal paradise. The four islands we explored are gorgeous and so distinct. Kastellorizo was peaceful and colorful, the perfect image of Greece in our minds. Rhodes Old Town is a treasure of history and a passage to travel back into medieval times. The volcanic topography and white architecture of Santorini makes it stunning, unforgettable, and romantic. Mykonos’ windmills, colorful white houses with balconies and flowers, twisted cobbled walkways, and little Venice washed by the ocean is a Mediterranean signature. If you would like to know more about how we were camping and enjoying these spectacular islands, take a look at our article.
Greece is a beautiful country full of history and worth visiting, but we really struggled to feel comfortable with the local’s attitude, their smoking habits, and their outrages driving skills. Most Greeks smoke everywhere and drive without consideration of others that pedestrians and nonsmokers have to constantly adjust to their lifestyle. Unfortunately, the majority of the Greeks we interacted with seemed to be unfriendly and arrogant. When we talked to them they did not make eye contact with us and when they finally have the courtesy to reply they did without interest or emotion. It felt like the country has been burned out by the amount of tourism they receive and despite their economic crisis they take this business for granted. In Mykonos, a hostel pick up service was 2 hours late to get us from the port and when the driver finally arrived there were no apologies or explanations. We had the first violent encounter in our world trip when a rude bus driver screamed and pushed us away while we were calmly trying to explain that we needed to take our small backpack inside the bus to avoid our laptop from getting damaged in the luggage compartment. This man could not understand our logical reasons and he persisted to scream, “No! No! No!”, then he pushed us with aggression. Sal had to eventually push him back. Finally, we decided to carry all our electronics in our hands and at the end of the bus journey we filed a formal complaint against the driver. This was a horrible experience and the clearest example we can give of Greece’s decadence! We do not want to stereotype anybody and we are sure there must be kind and friendly people in this country, but unfortunately we did not have the luck to meet any of them š
Athens has so much history: we enjoyed visiting the Acropolis, a place living in our imagination since we were in high school. The tales of Plato, Socrates, and his Maieutics were guiding us all the way. Sal was always curious about the Greek letters that reminded him of mathematical equations from his engineering studies. Gisela loved the ancient amphitheaters with a colorful floor made of different mosaics. This precious place took her back to her youth, on the stage performing. We pictured the great thinkers and philosophers from the times of the Greek gods and their magical mythology, but were shocked with sadness by the overbearing amount of tagging and graffiti all over the city.Ā
The most disturbing part of seeing this ancient city full of aerosol marks is that they were so far from any type of art or beauty that characterize Greece as an icon of human history. Where are the Greek philosophers? What happen with the great thinkers and the youth that used to devote their lives to creating and not destroying? Are the scribble covered walls of Athens a sign of something transcendent? Perhaps a political movement or manifestation of unhappiness against the government? We could not answer our questions or talk to any Greeks about it, but we wonder, we really wonder what is going on in Greece…
Below are other great things we enjoyed about Greece:
Food and Drinks
Mythos Beer
Alfa Beer
Fix Hellas Beer
Lamb Pita
Kebap
Grilled Eggplant with Ground Beef
Mousaka: dish with layers of cream, ground beef and eggplant
Greek Yogurt
Greek Salad
Gyros: cut meat
Souvlaki: meat in skewers
Favorite Sights and Activities
Being āStrandedā in Kastellorizo Island
Hiking with Stunning Caldera Views in Santorini
Getting Lost in the Snaking Streets of Hora, Mykonos
Spectacular Night Views of the Acropolis from Lykavittos Hill
People
Juan and Sergio: from El Salvador and Mexico, our friends from Los Angeles that we were able to get together with in Santorini, Mykonos, and Athens.
Josh and Sally: from Scotland, met at a hostel in Athens.
