Greece

We took the ferry from Santorini to Athens yesterday and it was a VERY long ride. They had the outside deck closed for some reason (they said it was because of the heat, which didn't make sense to me, but what do I know?) The boat was packed and we were all stuck inside. With everyone in their seats it felt much more like being on a plane than a nice leisurely boat ride. Also, we kept falling more behind at every stop and in the end the whole thing took two hours longer than scheduled. I really just hope that it's not a premonition for tomorrow's travel day! We have had such a great trip, but as always, once it's done I just want a smooth, quick journey home.

Baylie found us the cutest apartment for our final two nights and we had some very good Greek food last night around the corner. Today we will wander around Athens a little, maybe even make it over to the Acropolis if we dont burst into flames on the walk. If we do anything fun today I'll tack on one more post, otherwise I'll see you next time 😊

So obviously the big news world wide is apparently the weather! It's like 40 °C here which, trust me, is HOT. Go ahead and do the conversion 🥵 The sun feels like it's hitting us through a magnifying glass. But, we didn't want to just hide in our room all day so we took a €36 Uber ride to the archeological ruins at Akrotiri, which they had the brilliant foresight to completely cover with a shade structure so visitors could see it in the brutal summer. It is a city that is still actively being uncovered and is around 3500 years old. I'm fascinated, but can't quite wrap my brain around that. I mentioned the cost of the Uber because after we were done we couldn't get an Uber back to town. We saw a bus stop and realized that the bus from town comes right out there for €2 each 🤦‍♀️ After exploring, we raced back to the hotel to cool off in the indoor pool that I swear is also underground. It is freezing! Neither of us could stay in for more than a couple minutes, but it's just what we needed.

I was delighted the ferry from Mykonos was much nicer than the first ferry. It did run late though and I was worried about the Uber I had booked ahead of time. Our last arrival was pretty chaotic and there were no taxis or Ubers available on Mykonos. We couldn't even get one to the port this morning and had to do that crazy walk along the highway with our stuff all over again. I didn't want to be stuck this time because walking here was definitely not an option. I was able to message our driver and he waited for us, so it all worked out. As it turns out, there seemed to be a bunch of taxis here so we probably would have been fine anyway 🤷‍♀️

The car had to drop us off away from our hotel though and we ended up with a bit of a hike anyway (you'll never believe it, but it was UPHILL). I swear I am not in the worst shape, but I seem to arrive everywhere in a puddle of sweat, gasping for air. Anyway, when we checked in we immediately went to find the indoor pool, the first pool we've had this whole trip! It was freezing, but also perfect! Now we start the search for dinner.

Super narrow little alleyways filled with VERY high end shops. Designer brands, expensive jewelry, thousand dollar sunglasses, art galleries. We fit right in 😉

Just wandering around was a great way to spend the day.

So Mykonos, and I'm sure all of the islands here, are pretty fancy places. I'm sure the actual fancy people arrive on private boats or planes and then get whisked away in their black Mercedes vans, never having to put down their champagne. We, on the other hand, arrived by cattle boat and the exit was like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie where the weary survivors are scrambling to be let in to the safe zone. The ferry had people sprawled and sleeping in the walkways, dogs barking at each other, and shockingly uncomfortable seats. When it was time to get off the announcement sounded more like an alarm and everyone hurried down to the garage level and huddled around a giant truck hauling hay. The sound of the engines and the screeching of the giant ramp being lowered was a fun touch. Alright, I know I'm being dramatic, but I pictured my arrival in the Greek isles more like a perfume advertisement and less like a prison break.

Once off the boat we headed for the road so we could walk to our hotel. Google maps assured me it was a 15 minute walk. It failed to mention that it was along a highway with no shoulder. So, in the sweltering heat, we dragged our bags through gravel, flattened ourselves against the wall when a truck rumbled by, and trudged UPHILL (of course it was up!) I have to admit, at this point Greece had a long way to go to win me over. I was absolutely not seeing the appeal. But, we made it to our hotel and the nicest woman greeted us and got us checked in early to our gorgeous room. We declared an afternoon of recuperation and rested for several hours.

We eventually braved the highway again and walked to dinner. Tomorrow we'll take the Seabus over to the old town and see what Mykonos is all about.