Naxos

After a fairly boring and uneventful ferry ride I arrived on Naxos. My travel agent said- your hotel is close to the port just ask directions from the locals when you arrive......well I did and the few that could understand what I was saying said "take a taxi- it is far to walk and you will get lost" So I proceeded to find a taxi- luckily the are all there lined up at the port. My taxi driver was a nice gentleman who proceeded to compliment me! Which was rather amusing! He told me a was a "beautiful lady" and asked how old I was, I told him and he said "oh my you look so much younger" ha ha. He proceeded to ask me what I was- a student, or what I did for work- I explained that I had just finished law school- and he was wildly impressed- asking me what type of law I was going to do- I informed him I first had to pass the bar--- the results- which I am still waiting on- and if I didn't pass I will have to take it again!

After a very short cab ride we go to the hotel- which is vacant- don't get me wrong- the hotel is actually very beautiful- the insides are amazing. I mean it is very pretty colors and it looks all redone inside- however I am the ONLY guest here! it is a bit spooky. The owners are a women and her son- the son appears to be in his early 20s and seems helpful. The mother is nice too.

So after checking in I asked the son- where I should eat- he told me the only restaurants are back near the port!!! Oh no! I headed down that way- however not wanting to get lost I finally gave up at eating dinner- The only markets were mini marts- which the locals shop at and other shops which only have like home appliances. Not helpful when looking for food :( So it was getting dark- I stopped in at the mini mart- to stock up once again on yogurt, fruit and milk. I have a fridge in my room- I know now why they have fridges in the rooms- because there are NO places to eat nearby- I just wanted like a sandwich shop- anything - not sit down even, maybe a hotdog stand???!!!! NONE!!! I found a couple taverns but no FOOD! I found bakaries- but I don't want to just eat pure sugar!!!Anyway I get back to my room and it is FREEZING. so I find the remote for the heater/air conditioning, and find the spare batteries that are thrown in one of the desk drawers. I put it all together and set the heat to 30C. Nothing happens......so I go downstairs in my empty hotel attempting to find life somewhere.....I found the son- who was very helpful and followed me up to my room. Apparently the balcony door hadn't been closed all the way and there is a trigger which the heater won't work unless it is closed all the way. So he closed it and alas hopefull HEAT!!!

Since the hotel is has an open space in the middle- there are 2 beautiful palm trees that grow there- there is outside air coming in from both sides- which makes the room that much colder.

By now I had my coat- sweater, long pants on, hat and I am shivering. There wasn't even a hair dryer in the room that I could use to warm myself. It was like camping- without the campfire, and warm sleeping bag and the camp stove!!!!! ( I recommend if you are traveling to Naxos- you pack as if you are going camping- cooking pot, and campstove are a must have here!!!) If only I had a propane stove I could warm myself and cook something!!!!! Oh the luxuries of even camping!!!!! Anyway, I crawl into bed - taking the extra blanket out of the closet. Finally about 12 midnight the room is less cold and actually getting bearable! I still slept w/ my jacket on all night and 2 pairs of socks- but miraculously I slept all the way through the night (which is a first!!!) and no part of my body appears to have frostbite! But I know tomorrow night is going to be freezing as well- you see- the room key has to be inside the door- in the room in a slot for there to be power in the room- it is an energy saving device which is really cool......but it means when I am gone tomorrow- that the heat again will be turned off!!! :( noooooooooo~!

I still would recommend this hotel to people- it has a ton of character- just not in the month of APRIL!! TOO COLD!!!

This morning I decided to take a walk- down to the port area- figuring I can ask directions back- the problem w/ this is that well...different from Santorini and Athens, not that many people speak English on Naxos. It was very difficult to to speak to anyone- I even tried asking people where the post office was- Penny I really am trying to mail out your postcards!!! I was trying to ask where there was food to eat as well. Oh my this is interesting!!

Anyway I finally made it down to the port. Yay!!! this is good. I took some pictures of these cool ruins: Sanctuary of Apollo! So that was cool! Well on the way back I stopped in and asked the one of the travel agencies what the ferry schedule was- thinking I might change my travel plans yet again.

The town of Naxos is basically closed down. Like I found close to my hotel- there are the local markets open- but all the general restaurants aren't open yet. I guess I won't be having a regular meal for a couple days! After finding this out I became a bit worried because the next island destination is even smaller than the one I am on....So I may just take the ferry tomorrow and head back to Athens! To get around on Naxos- I asked the travel agent- she said I would have to rent a car- but she said driving around I was likely to get very lost- as there were tons of country roads...I thought well- that doesn't sound like a good idea. hmmmmmm

So I headed back to the hotel- taking a taxi- the women who owns the hotel- said her son would be back by 10 and I wanted to see if I could get online- and the password he had given me didn't work. So I finally get back--he and I figure out that the DSL cable wasn't plugged in. This made all the difference!!

So I was doing some research online- and I have decided to cut out the next island- I am going to head straight back to Athens hopefully tomorrow morning- at 9:30 is the ferry time. I fly out of Athens on the 10th- a much better travel itinerary than I had when I had changed it a couple days before- it eliminates a bunch of horrid layovers, including an overnight, and a 8 hr layover that I would have had in Munich. Don't get me wrong- I like Germany- I am part German!!!- but the thought of sitting in the Munich airport for 8 hrs doesn't seem that awesome!! But changing the flights was a mess. They changed my flights out of Prague to San Fransisco to Eugene, but not my Athens flight- I kept saying. I AM IN GREECE- I HAVE TO HAVE A FLIGHT TO PRAGUE (because I had booked my trip as a travel package- I have to travel the same route as originally planned Athens-->Prague-->Munich-->San Fran-->Eugene, I can only change the dates and times of the flights- not the cities themselves)!!!! Ahhh what a mess. I tried dialing out on the phones here but they didn't work. So I was on Skype with the travel people for 1hr + I had left my computer charge cable up in my hotel room (the Internet can only be reached in the lobby) and I was praying that my computer didn't die!!!

Finally it was all done!!! Thank goodness.

So I am heading back upstairs- to have a lunch of some cold yogurt, milk and some bread I saved from breakfast- they did give me breakfast here- I saved some of it- I feel like I am rationing my food!!!! lol. Then I am going to take a long exploratory walk- and buy my ferry tickets for tomorrow.

What an adventure this has been. The locals here on this island are not as friendly-I feel it is more hostile than France. Maybe not hostile- but I feel like I am walking around naked because everybody stares at me!! I feel much more like an outsider than on other parts of my trip. I am walking down the street and everybody looks at me. I am dressed like the locals- dark jeans and a black coat- but I must stand out- I guess my hair and light skin- they can tell instantly that I am a foreigner! I am not even taking pictures. But yes, I feel very out of place here!

Well I am off to eat my ration of food for the day!!!! David- this is the way to lose weight- travel to a Greek island- during the off season!!!! :)

Update after my walk- I made it down to the port again and bought my ferry tickets for tomorrow- I leave at 9:30 am to arrive back in Athens around 3:30-4:00pm. From there I will take a taxi to the holiday inn by the airport. Then on the morning of the 10th- I will fly out of Athens at 4:30 am-->Prague ariving at 5:30 am. A 1:00pm--->Munich. At 3:10 I fly to San Fransisco---> and then to Eugene arriving at 11:52 pm on the 10th- that is going to be a long day- especially w/ the ferry ride like 8 hrs before I start the flights! Ick. But I think I would get horridly bored if go to the next island- there is nothing open!!!

I did finally get some food- I found some restaurants down by the port so that was really good- I got a larger meal and brought some back w/ me to put in my fridge for tonight!! I wondered around looking for souvenirs for people- but all the shops are either closed till the tourist season opens or they close at 2! It was 3. Penny I did find a post office finally.....however it closed at 2!!!! So I have tried 3 times to mail your postcards! maybe the Holiday inn will mail them for me???? I will ask ok? Tonight I am going to relax- I have to head down to the port fairly early- I don't want to miss my boat!!! :) That would really put a wrench in my travel plans. I am just crossing my fingers there won't be another strike till I am out of Greece!!!!

I am so glad that I have had this travel experience- being on my own- but it also makes me realize what in life I really want! Chris I was telling you- how I am so motivated to get my licence- even if I have to take the bar again! I do want to practice law for at least a short while. I am so driven now- I was so drained after graduating law school- I feel almost back to me again!!!

I also want to say it has been wonderful to see first hand the increase of popularity America is having because of our new president. It is incredible- it makes me so so proud of our country and proud to be an American. Obama is beloved in other nations- and everybody I have met- from all nations- Germany, Australia, Greece, Spain, England, Brazil, France, Italy, Holland, Argentina- have such hope and respect for him- and our country, and I feel that the US is coming back from the derogatory international view people have had for so many years with the president beforehand. In writing this, I respect that others have different political views from me- but I have verified for myself- that the majority of people I met- did not respect the US policies under the Bush administration and that is changing now. So before someone says that this is untrue- I ask you "have u travelled abroad and spoken to people about political beliefs?"

Signing off- this may be my last blog entry of my travels!!!

Soaking Rain!

Yesterday I took a boat trip out to a little island that is covered w/ volcanic rocks-well literally all the islands around here are volcanic- not necessarily acting volcanoes- even Santorini is a volcano. So I went out there- making an executive decision- because I had the whole day and there really wasn't anything left to do in town besides shop I would do this trip. It is very important to point out that it was cloudy and there was a 70% of rain according to the weather forecast.

Getting down to the port was cool- you can go by cable car- which was a neat experience. Then the boat came and took us out to the island which was about a 15 min ride from the port. Once we arrived it started pouring. Thank goodness I had my REI soft shell jacket- Braden this thing saved my life!!! It was drenched on the outside but it didn't seep through at all and get me wet- it was wonderful. My jeans were soaked through from the rain and the wind. It wasn't extremely cold out- but it was very very uncomfortable- Now I have lived in OR for quite some time and usually water does not bother me that much!!! but this was not so much fun. The hike lasted for about 45 min. The tour guide was a cool bloat- who kept insisting I was from Ireland because I had red hair. Although he accepted that I lived in the US- he kept saying "your family is from Ireland right?" or "your family's family was from Ireland" they must not get that many redheaded tourists from the states? I am not sure.

So after this hike we head back- the water is very very choppy the waves are probably a couple feet- I love it- I was sitting outside- because even though the water would splash up and get me wet- it was better than getting nauseous by sitting inside a very very small cabin w/ a ton of other people. It was really funny- there was a group of about 9 girls from on spring break- they were studying abroad and they all had worn flip flops? When I think of hiking on volcanic rocks- I must admit flip flops is the first thing that comes to mind!! Ha ha!!! lol (sarcasm here) I couldn't believe it! I had worn my cross trainers and I was very very glad I had them- luckily my feet were dry for the whole day.

Coming back I took the cable car up the mt. I wanted to take the donkey- but it was raining again and I was cold so I decided against it. I returned to my hotel room- saying hello to the few locals I greet everyday! I relaxed and dried off for a few hours- took a short nap- this time setting my alarm so I wouldn't sleep through dinner yet again! It worked- I forced myself out of bed around 6:30 p.m. and marched off to the best gyro stand in Santorini! it is about a 20 min walk from my hotel but it is absolutely worth every step! So after having a scrumptious meal I headed back- this time to only get DRENCHED again! I thought about buying an umbrella- but it seems like such a waste of money because I have so many back home! You know what a thrifty person I am. Instead I made several other mandatory purchases- I bought two hats, and a pair of shoes for Penny! I made it back to the hotel room- sopping- I could literally wring the water out of my jeans for the 2nd time that day! Oh my! Today I am of to the next island- Naxos- the ferry departs at 3:30 I believe. I have to leave the hotel 1 hr before it is a 30 min drive down the cliff to the port. :) Hopefully it won't be raining on the trip?

Ohhh I met another wonderful dog buddy- this one met me after I had stopped in the local supermarket in the morning to pick up my water and a few snacks of fruit for the day. He followed me all the way to the cable car- then he went down the footpath to meet me at the bottom of the port!!! He was there again when I returned from my boat ride. Penny don't you want another dog????? :)

So now I have to pack, shower, and rest up for my traveling today! On to a new adventure!

Wonderful furry friends, donkey, and driving around the countryside!

Today I woke up around 8;30 my plan was to take a boat trip out to one of the volcano islands near Santorini- however the weather was overcast- an it had been raining on and off- so I decided against it. Instead I trekked into Fira I wanted to pick up a few more souvenirs- problem was is that I have bought so much stuff here- I needed to buy an additional suitcase- So I also had to look for that! Luckly I found a wonderful retro looking one for 25 E so that was fairly cheap. No one will mistake it for theirs!!! On the way back to the hotel- I was out for about 3 hrs. it was now noonish- a random stray dog adopted me. We walked in the direction to the hotel together- this dog was hilarious- he would march on ahead of me- but he would always look back to make sure I was still there. When I went in a shop- he would wait patiently for me outside. So I made it back to the hotel- this time w/ out getting lost!! I changed into some warmer clothes- got my snacks out of the fridge, and my maps. My dog buddy was resting outside my hotel room- it was so cute! I want to bring him back to the US!!!

So I decided to rent a car and drive around the island. I was really scared to do this because I was so sure I would get lost and the roads are soooo narrow and curvy. But otherwise I wouldn't be able to see most of the island. There are supposedly buses here- but according to most people they are very unreliable. I see bus stops everywhere- and I even see people waiting for the bus- but for the 8+ hrs of walking around Fira I have yet to see 1 single bus. I think they are a myth :)

So I rented the car (see above- it is plastered w/ ads for the car rental place!!!) - thinking I am going to die driving on these roads. However, because it was Sun, it was actually the perfect day to drive- because not that many people were on the roads. So I am leaving Fira- thinking I am heading off to the red sand beaches. However- after about 10 min of driving I haven't seen a sign and I have a suspicion I am going the wrong way. I go into a coffee shop and the guy tries to give me directions to where I want to go- however, he was not sure on the directions- meanwhile his sister shows up and she tells me to follow her- and directs me to where I need to turn! The people here are so nice. So I make it Pyrgos! which was a cool little village- I drove around for a bit and then chose a random main road and started driving again. This time I ended up at Prissa beach- which was one of the black sand beaches- however Ancient Thira is there as well- it was pretty cool. I had lunch at a vacant little diner place where I had a decent greek salad. Then I was off again. The waiter was wonderful and had wrote out a map for me to follow to Akrotiri. Amazingly I found Akrotiri easily.

The roadsigns here are hilarious- I mean there is only one sign that directs you to the village- and if you miss it- you won't see another sign- they are also posted right before the turn. So it is so easy to miss.

The countryside was amazing. Then after seeing Akrotiri- which was around the red beach- oh I took a path off of the parking lot here- and hiked up to a viewpoint that was beautiful. And on the drive back to the main road- I saw a donkey in a field- I love donkeys and I was very excited about this!!! My little car- handled the curves marvelously. The posted speed limit most places was 30 km/hr. but I typically was going about 50 km/hr. The car just wanted to cruse at that speed. It was so good to drive again- I haven't driven for over a month- and it was wonderful to have the radio on crusing around a very beautiful place. There are no street signs so driving is very amusing- I didn't even try using the map- I would just take a random road and when I didn't see a sign for a long time I would pull over and ask for directions.

I drove up to a lighthouse and hiked up to a little lookout point. However getting out of the parking space was a bit nerve racking- the road was so narrow- you have to back up to where your rear wheels are on the edge of the cliff- and unless you have someone outside the car it is almost impossible. Luckily some other kids were able to tell me how far I was from the edge and directed me! So I am travelling back down the mountain- it is gorgeous- Everything is green - and there are wildflowers all around- the cliffs that surround the sea are amazing. It is a very majestic island. However I am glad I was not there during tourist season!!! I can't imagine how crazy it is to drive then with so many people on the island.

I headed back around 4 because I didn't want to be driving at night or even dusk- there are no lights- and it gets pitch black and there are cliffs that I could just go over. So I returned the car w/ no problem and walked back to my hotel.

Tonight we had torrential rain- it was raining so much that water seeped in under my door and in my room and I have two towels hopefully to catch the excess during the night!!! What an adventure!!!! Tomorrow I hope to take the tour to the volcano! that should be cool- although the weather isn't supposed to be much better. I slept through dinner once again- I took a nap from 6-9 so I am once again relying on my fridge to supply me w/ fruit, yogurt and milk for my meal!!! thank goodness for my fridge!!! I found a channel on TV that was playing the Wedding Planner in English w/ Greek subtitles- it is the first English thing I have found on the TV, besides BBC news! I have watched the same news over and over again and it was nice to see a bit of the movie.

Today was a huge success- mainly because I forced myself to drive in a foreign country- and it was fine!!! I am off to try to get a bit of sleep!

Long walk of exploration and .....shopping

Last night I didn't sleep again! I was having a horrid time breathing w/ my cold- I have tried to look for nasal spray or anything like a nasal decongestant but without any luck. Anyway- I did take a long sleep last night from 6-10 so I have had some sleep. I have decided to cut Prague out of my travel plans- I have been gone from OR for over a month now- It will be a month in a half the way it is and w/ Prague= about 2 months. and I want to start the job hunt and I really don't feel like spending another + week in hostels there! (I don't want to pay $$$$ for the hotels there). Besides I am sick of huge cities- I really am enjoying the islands here and I don't want to have to deal with tons of people around and getting lost in a metro area again- like France, Athens and Rome!!! . I have decided that the perfect destinations for me- are those where I am trekking around in the country- and I am looking at nature!!! Right now I am sick of looking at ruins and old buildings- I am not being spoiled or snobby- but after a while of seeing things- they all start to look the same!!!! I am travelled out! :) However the islands are the break that I so needed- for relaxation and a slower pace!

Today's happenings:

I went to breakfast here at my little hotel- it was similar to the traditional breakfast we had in Holland- bread, cheese- slice of meat normally ham- and some jam to go on the toast. I came back to my room to shower- and had some yogurt that I had bought last night at the mini mart. To save money on food- I have been picking up fruit and yogurt at the mart down the road- because my room has a fridge it seems like the perfect way to eat lunch and keep snacks! I set out on my daily adventure- it was about 11:00 a.m when I left the hotel- I had a map- so at least I could ask directions for when I got lost. So I am gallivanting along- I have fallen in love with this island- it is magical- around every corner there is a new discovery- an old church- or a fabulous lookout of the sea, or a trail that only the donkeys must use (I discovered this because the amount of droppings there were! and I was wondering why no one was on it? :) See picture!!) ha ha. I took a ton of pictures I walked till 2:30 in the afternoon- when I started heading back to the hotel- I knew which general direction I had to go- but navigating here is a bit tricky because everything is built on levels of the cliffs- so I had no idea if I had to go up or down at some parts. However in Greece almost everybody is super super friendly and speaks English- so I wasn't too worried. Instead I started looking in a few shops for souvenirs and stuff like that. I found 2 new pairs of shoes that are amazing! I love love love them! and a dress- Penny you will love the dress- and yes it is made in Greece. I also got 2 new silk scarves that are fairly fabulous as well. I think I am going to get a huge shopping bag and use that as one my carry-ons- and put my purse in that! it will work!!! Anyway my cold is finally getting better so that is a relief- I was so miserable for a few days! I finally made it back to the hotel around 3 after climbing up and down many many stairs!!!

It is so beautiful here- and I am so curious I keep going off the main roads into cool alleyways and that is when I get all lost- I can turn down alleyways and not see a single person for about 10 min of walking!! Then I know I am off the main drag! So now I am back in the hotel taking a bit of a rest- with the air conditioning on!!! yay! I think I might try to nap for an hour. Tomorrow I hope to take a cruise out to the volcanoe islands that are off the coast- I have to speak to the manager about that- I believe he said he sold tickets- if not- I can go down the road to one of the many tour agencies who sell tickets- I asked one of the local girls who was helping me in the store where I got all the clothes what was really worth doing on Santorini and she said to do the volcano tour. So that is what I am going to do- it didn't sound that cool at first- but I trust her and others have said it is really amazing as well! I am not doing the beaches here- I may have time- but the other two islands that I am going to after Santorini- are all beach- I mean you aren't on a cliff!!

Well I will update this later tonight if anything interesting occurs! But yes- if you go to Greece you must must come to Santorini!

Ferry Adventure and Safe Arrival on Santorini!

This morning I went and took the Metro to the Port Pieraus. Where I boarded the ferry and I am now waiting for it to depart- Hopefully I am on the right one! I have asked several people and it appears to be the correct one! Ha ha- I didn't sleep at all last night- my cold was really a pain and I couldn't breath- and I was paranoid that I would miss the ferry and have to spend another night in the hostel! NOOOOOO! So I am sitting on the ferry deck-and I have already met some nice middle aged couples from Michigan who seem really nice! I like the hostels in the way that they have kids more around my age range (I did meet some cool friends at the hostel- but there are a lot of CRAZY people there as well) -however, I like the stability and maturity of the older people that I am around on the ferry! ( I have never been so happy to be sitting surrounded by a bunch of people in their 40s talking about mortgages and jobs and their kids!) After I met the middle aged couple I met some kids around my age (see picture); two girls from Germany- one is in the red coat in the picture- the other one was taking the picture. The guy is from Pakistan- but has family on Santorini- it was interesting to talk to them- they were a cool group and made the time pass faster!

Riding the Metro was nerve racking but was fine! Penny can you believe I didn't get lost at all! I did ask a car full of people if I was going the right way- and they gave me a priceless blank stare which was really wonderful! :) But here I am waiting for my ferry to depart! The ferry first goes to Naxos and then Santorini- We leave at 7:25 am and get there at ~3:00pm- so I will be on the boat all day! Then the hotel shuttle is supposed to pick me up at the port. It is then a 30 min car ride up to the hotel- the entire city is built along the cliff! Once I check in I am going to grab a bite to eat and then sleep a bit if I can- and then do some evening exploration!

Finally we landed in Athens around 4 o'clock- remember the boat took off at 7:25 from the port- so it has been a long day of traveling! Once you get of the boat there are swarms of tour groups meeting the people and hotel drivers everywhere holding up signs of people's last names it is quite tricky trying to find your group! Once I was in the shuttle van heading up the cliff to the hotel I could really relax. The drive up from the port is amazing- I took several pictures from the bus to try to capture the zig-zag of the road- the turns are so so sharp. The buildings here are boxy and white! I checked into my hotel- took a shower and then went for a short walk where I had dinner- gyros and went into a mini market type store to buy some snacks for my room- it has a little fridge in it- I got some fruit and some yogurt and bottled water of course (everyone says don't drink the water in Greece!)

On a mini exploration around the hotel- I saw a cool church- the type that you see in the standard photos of Santorini! Then I saw 3 guys briging a donkey train down the middle of the street! That was really cool!! The odd thing about Santorini right now is how vacant it is because it is not high season!- it really feels like a ghost town. I love my quaint little room that only cost me 35 E a night! It is perfect- compared to a hostel it is LUXURY! The bathroom is a bit like the hotel in Paris- maybe a bit smaller- but it seems lest dingy! I am going to bed here soon- I need to get up and see if I can get a bus to the red or black sand beaches. Then I need to catch a bus to Oia- (I think that is how you spell it) it is famous for its sunsets!

It is nice to be here 4 nights I can relax! and move at my own pace! I also can catch up on my sleep!

Picture notes: 1: looking down while drinving up from the port. 2. donkey train- in Fira (where my hotel is on Santorini) 3. Church behind my hotel. 4. Random cool building in Fira 5. My hotel- my room is on the 1st floor- and the very left hand room 6. Ferry I took 7-8 Winding road up from the port! 9. Arrival at port- tourists are met by what seems like an overwhelming number of hotel staff and tour guides. 10. Pulling into the Santorini port. 11. New friends from ferry- 2 german girls and guy from Pakistan (I think?) I don't remember their names- the girl in the red coat is Veronica and all of them were very nice and intelligent!

Well I am off to bed to see what another day of exploration brings!

Acropolis +

Today was a relatively normal touristy type day. It started out with a trek around the Acropolis area with 2 friends from the Hostel- Alex and Lindsey. We marched around looking at ruins for several hours. We saw the Parthenon: see link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon This was pretty incredible. We also saw the theater of Dionysus= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_Dionysus this theater was the 1st stone theater EVER built. We saw the Tower of the Winds- which was a very complex water clock and wind vane! (see picture)

Then we went exploring a bit further into Athens- we had heard about a small- almost separate village out close by- It is still in Athens but the buildings are bit different- more quaint! After that we were starving and stopped to get some gyros- which were delicious! A little stand where you can get a chicken gyro for 1.8E. they were the best meal I have had in Greece so far- way better than the sit down places! For dessert we had fruit- strawberries, oranges and bananas! We headed back to our hostel...

The hostel is fairly nice- very large- it serves a very minimal breakfast every morning but for 24 E what can you expect! I had been meeting with a travel agent yesterday in preparation for my island touring, and I went back today to finalize my plans. The travel agent was amazing! So incredible! Penny we are never doing another trip again anywhere without one! I have my whole Greece itinerary planed out. Tomorrow I leave super early in the morning- by taxi to go to the port- where I catch a ferry out to Santorini! I stay there in a hotel for 4 nights. Then I take a ferry out to Naxos- where I stay for 3 nights. and then a ferry off to Paros for 2 nights. I return back to the mainland on the 12th- where I will be staying in a hotel right on the coast there- and will catch an airport express bus on the morning of the 13th to get to the airport to fly out to Prague! I am excited to have my own room in the hotels- In Prague I am in a hostel the whole time except for the very last night- where I have a hotel right close to the airport.

After booking the remainder of my stay I could really really relax!!! Oh I did see some of the protesters- it was a very calm organized march today- around Parliament. the police were out in droves and many of the major streets were shut down. It was nice because there was less traffic and it made it much easier crossing the streets!

After a long day I headed back to the hostel- pretty much everyone was taking naps- I decided a good sleep would do me a world of good! I slept from 3:30 to 7:30 it was wonderful! After that I went and got a bite to eat at a restaurant called God's Restaurant- the food was good and it was close to the hostel. After that we went and had some ice cream and returned back to the hostel where I just finished packing for tomorrow's excursion!

I have posted some pictures- Order of pictures- from top to bottom(left to right): 1: Tower of the Winds Protesters- close to Parliament building 2: Protesters- close to Parliament building 3. Lindsey and Alex and I at the Acropolis 4. Looking down from the Acropolis 5. Graffitii w/ my initials! :) 6 and 7: me at the Acropolis! I was trying a Zeus pose for one of them! 8. Flag of Greece The Parthenon 9. The Parthenon 10. Larger theater- that is still in use today! 11. Picture on left- smaller theater= Theater of Dionysus.

Public Transportation Strike- A real look at Athens

Today I toured the Archaeological Museum. It was amazing! I didn't have the energy to go to the Acropolis ( I have a bad cold now)- hopefully tomorrow- if it is open- things here are very volatile- with all the strikes. When I came back from the Museum today- on the white board it informed us that all public transportation tomorrow will be closed due to union strikes. (some of us thought it was an April fools joke- it being the 1st an all! but unfortunately it was not so) So far all ferries, buses and trains are shut down tomorrow. Also- some of the air control tower operators are going on strike for a limited time period tomorrow- shutting down part of the airport for several hours. The strike is making getting to the airport for people here- an absolute nightmare. Because the buses stop ruining at 5 in the morning- and the routes are not direct at all- because of all the protesters camped out in streets blocking off the intersections. This is crazy to witness. People are so angry here because they haven't been paid for months. The government has no money to pay its workers.

I went to a travel agent today to book a ferry to an island. I plan on going to Santorini- and maybe 2 other islands- I have to return tomorrow to meet and go over the final plans- They have to locate lodging for me. Hopefully I won't get stranded on an island- hopefully there will be no more public strikes!!! That wouldn't be good!

It is a shock to see international flights actually cancelled out and a bit scary- but I guess it happens here all the time because of the strikes? I am not flying out till the 13th of this month. and I am sure things will be up and running- the strike is only supposed to be a "typical" 24 hr strike :)
I am going to try to get some sleep- although I can't breath-stupid cold! Ohh one thing hilarious about Greece is even though it is about 70 and humid- people are wearing wool coats- because it is their winter here! I am walking around in a T-shirt and jeans and sandals! Greece is very humid- and I would NOT come here in the summer! It would be stifling! And the air quality in Athens is very very very poor! Clean air in OR will be very welcome when I return! Well I am going to try to sleep a bit- 2 of my roommates are packing and leaving to the airport here to try to beat the shut down of the transportation system it is 12:30 AM here and they are hoping to leave by 3:30 am to make it to the airport. The airport is so far away from the city center where the hostel is located which makes things more difficult. Taxis are a possibility but it is expensive and the demand for them tomorrow morning is going to be huge.

Here is a link to the US Sect. of State info regarding the demonstration tomorrow! Exciting!!! I don' t think they are close to where I am.....But one of the demonstration I thought was near the Acropolis which is right next to where I am..... who knows!
http://athens.usembassy.gov/demonstrations_ann.html