Athens, The Acropolis, & The LAST Night With Our Group!

Time for the airplane! Today we had to get up early, again, to catch a flight to Athens. Luckily, the airport in Corfu was ACROSS THE STREET. Weird we hadn't noticed a giant airport there before. We walked to the terminal and got our tickets for the flight. As we waited, I snapped this great photo of some of the clowns in our group.

It is too early, miss, to be looking so cheery.

We got on a small airplane, which made Nina very nervous. But she was so tired she fell asleep immediately. Then I woke her up because the flight attendant was offering drinks. I knew that if I didn't wake her up, I would get in trouble, and if I did wake her up, I would get in trouble. So I chose to wake her up. I got in trouble.

Admittedly, we were a little nervous to be arriving in Athens. All over the news we heard about the chaos that was going on. I was getting multiple emails from my parents freaking out. But all we observed on the ground was that the bus from the airport to our hostel was free. All public transportation was free until the austerity measures were decided. The only chaos that ensued was when Nina forgot to put the lid on her water bottle and accidentally poured water all over herself and the bus. She was too tired to even realize what was happening. She just... stared at it as it gently flowed all over everything.

We got off the bus and went in search of our hostel. It was somewhere on a street that didn't allow vehicles.

So this is Athens, eh?

We eventually were able to find our hostel and locate our rooms. We dropped our stuff off, and Nina and I decided to take a quick shower. Funny enough, our showers were communal, so we had to share with the entire floor. When we walked in... well... it was definitely a hostel. In short, it wasn't pretty. We took turns showering, and the door wouldn't lock, so one of us would stand guard for the other. All I really remember was my giant ass not being able to fit in the shower stall. The water would either be burning or freezing, and my big butt kept bouncing around in panic. Oh and the shower was clogged. Nina could not stop staring at the big ass mess that was me. That's why we're friends.

After the disaster in the shower, the gang and I went to look for some lunch. We found a place that was pretty empty and cheap. ...we should've known that was a bad sign.

I ordered a very sad looking Spanakopita as an appetizer.

The food was just... meh. It kinda tasted like it was microwaved and then put in the fridge before getting to our table.

Then I got a heaping pile of cold mess. Blegh.

Well. It was cheap! After our disappointing lunch, we went to look for the Acropolis to see its operating hours and prices. We climbed up a steep hill towards it.

Or at least, we guessed that was it... how many walled things on hills could there be in one city, right?

Then we found this really friendly sign!

Unfortunately, it wasn't really all that helpful.

We kept climbing the hill. It wasn't long before we could see how stunning the view was.

And we didn't even have to pay for anything!

As we kept climbing this mysterious hill, the views kept getting better.

I'm impressed, Athens.

Finally, we reached the base of the Acropolis. Butttt....we couldn't figure out how to get to... to... up there. To the place on top. It's like... right THERE. Right there. But we're here. And that's there.

So how we go from here to there?

We asked some passing tourists, who pointed us in the right direction. We quickly found the entrance. We were originally planning to visit the Acropolis the next day, but since we were here already, we thought we might as well just go on up!

And we did, we went up real good.

We climbed the stairs and walked onto the plateau. The Acropolis of Athens had signs of settlement dating back to 4,000 BCE.

So there's only been about 6,000 years of history here... no biggie.

The complex was huge. I had no idea how large it was and how many buildings and ruins lay scattered about.

The coolest and biggest one being, of course, this guy right here. Mr. Parthenon.

I couldn't take enough pictures of it. I was in awe.

Then Nina happened.

So as I tried to pretend I was a tour guide and give out ludicrous information like, "this was the birthplace of Yoda", Nina was busy photobombing EVERYONE.

There's just something about this place that really gets to you... makes you CRAZY.

We made our way over to the Odeon of Herodes Atticus Finch.

They still have live performances here!

We continued our tour of the Acropolis, taking in the different temples and ruins.

The other side of the Parthenon was under construction. I guess they want to preserve it or something?

The ruins of the Old Temple of Athena were haunting. The Erechtheion behind it impressed me, its columns were made of people!

People columns!

I couldn't quite believe that I was actually here. I'd been wanting to visit the Acropolis since, well, as far back as I can remember.

Considering all the citadels and castles that we had seen this trip... this was the winner. By far.

This structure, thousands of years old, had inspired countless other architects around the world.

So much of what we know about building dates back to this structure.

So, of course, the gang and I had to pose!

Aw, this picture makes me so happy.

Time was ticking, and we still had so much more to explore. We bid farewell to the Parthenon.

BYE I THINK YOU'RE CUTE.

Over the edge of the wall we saw the ancient amphitheater, where some of the first Greek plays were performed. The foundations of western theater were created in this spot.

I NEED TO GET DOWN THERE NOW PLEASE. MUST PAY RESPECTS.

We made our way down the hill, and saw this sign.

WELL IS IT OR ISN'T IT THE TEMPLE OF THEMIS??

It doesn't look like much of anything I'll tell ya.

We finally got to the theater of Dionysus.

This space, dating back to the 6th century B.C.E., was used for festivals in honor of the god Dionysus.

Nina and I took seats in the front row, where the Athenian royalty and aristocracy would have been.

I couldn't tell you how much I was nerding out at this point.

I wanted to capture every detail of the monument.

I mean, how crazy is this? This is the location of Western Civilization's very first tragedies and comedies.

And so, the selfies came out.

Attempt #1. I guess the sun was too bright?

We tried again.

Attempt #2, ugh, caught her at a bad moment.

After some adjustments, we finally got it right.

There we go!

After a few silent moments, Nina tore me away from my beloved amphitheater. We then walked back into the city and picked up some delicious gelato.

Ice cream makes me feel better.

We walked back to the hostel to meet up with the rest of the group. Tonight was our last night with them, and to celebrate, we were going to have a spectacular dinner at an authentic Greek restaurant nearby. Along the way, we passed a busy square.

It was packed with people, tourists, and small shops.

We got to the restaurant, an unassuming establishment in the back corner of a random street. I never would have guessed to come here.

BUT IT HAS GIANT WINE BARRELS I LOVE IT YOU'RE MY NEW HOME.

The meal was covered by the company! We received course after course of delicious Greek cuisine. It was a seemingly endless parade of seafood, veggies, roasted meats, and wine.

Needless to say, we got prettyyy toasty.

After dinner, the night was still young. So we all decided to go hit the bars.

THEN I SNAPPED THIS PHOTO. Boy Toe taxi?? BAHAHAHA.

When I turned around, I saw our group standing in the street, as if they were some drunken mob.

Seemed to me the biggest threat to Greece at the moment was us.

We couldn't find any interesting nightlife places nearby, so we took a loooonnnggg walk to a different part of the city.

With my terrible camera phone, this was the last picture I took of the night.

And what a night it was! We all got way too rowdy. We went to bar after bar after bar. Someone grabbed my butt, which was very sweet, and then Nina and I got into a HUGE fight but then we started crying and hugging and made up immediately after, hahaha. There may have been some gay bars interspersed in there, as well.

It was an incredibly fun night. I was sad to say goodbye to everyone. They helped provide some fantastic memories. Luckily, it wasn't our last night with Alex, Pat, or Alison. We still had the entire next day to play!

Hungover in Corfu + I Can't Help Being Sexy in Pelekas...

Oof. Vacationing is HARD WORK. I woke up today with a pretty serious hang over. Which was so strange, I'm usually so good at preventing them. I bet it was that unknown liquor the bartender was giving us for free. It was probably turpentine or something. So Nina and I woke up, showered, and stumbled over to Corfu town to get some food.

Though my hangover was terrible, the day wasn't.

We walked around trying to find a suitable restaurant. We were looking for something that wasn't too pricey and something that wouldn't destroy our stomach linings. We finally settled on a delightful little cafe in one of the small back streets. For whatever reason, I wanted to sit in the sun and tan while we waited for our food.

About three minutes in I realized that was the worst thing I could have done for my recovery.

The food came quickly thankfully.

Ahhh, delicious lamb souvlaki. Or was it a gyro? No, no, souvlaki. ...right?

Then a cute little band came by and serenaded us with noise!

After our meal, Nina and I walked around the town. 

There were all these cute alleyways and streets. It was very easy to get lost here.

We had some gelato, talked, and relaxed. Then we walked over to the old fortress.

Now, THAT'S a bowser castle!

We debated going to it, but realized that we wouldn't have enough time. We were going to meet a few others and take a bus to Pelekas, which was rumored to have some of the most beautiful beaches on the island. So we ventured over to the bus stop, purchased our tickets, and hopped on. We didn't know exactly when we were supposed to get off, so we had to keep close attention. After about a half hour, we reached the end of the line. The driver told us this was the Pelekas stop. Though we didn't see a beach anywhere near us, on the far side of the intersection we saw a wooden arrow with the word "beach". We followed the arrow, hoping it wasn't somehow leading us to our doom.

Not that's some nice looking doom.

But we encountered a problem. The only way to get down to the water was by walking along this steep, curvy road that had no sidewalks.

As we walked, all we could do was hope the cars passing by were traveling slow enough to not hit us.

After what seemed like forever, we got to the bottom of the mountain. There was nothing but beach in front of us.

That view alone was totally worth the hike.

Some of the others were already here. We went into a hotel lobby to get onto the wifi so we could communicate with them.

This beach was huge. It seemed unlikely we would find our friends.

But somehow, SOMEHOW, we were able to get to them. We were reunited!

Now we could focus on the important stuff: SWIMMING!

AND THEN I BECAME A MODEL FOR A HIGH FASHION MAGAZINE.

AND THEN I GOT CAST IN THE NEW BAYWATCH MOVIE.

I HAD TO DO A SECOND TAKE BECAUSE I'M A PROFESSIONAL.

A couple hours passed, and we felt we had weirded out the local population enough. So we decided to wrap up and head to a restaurant nearby on the beach.

Being sexy in the sand makes me HUNGRY.

Fresh seafood and fries. Yum.

We drank wine, ate, gossiped, and laughed while we watched the sun set behind the hills.

We mostly just laughed at my face. Even I couldn't resist. BaHAH.

After dinner, a few of the others took a cab back to the hotel. The gang and I wanted to be adventurous (and save money) so we walked back up and took the bus. The bus was supposed to arrive a lot earlier than it did. We got a little nervous we had somehow missed it or got the schedule wrong. But, well, there wasn't really anything else we could do. So while we waited, we sang very loudly and obnoxiously into the night. Off in the distance we could see fireworks. Then surprise! The bus arrived! AND it was the right bus! So we hopped on and went back towards Corfu town, and then back to the hotel. Tomorrow we had to get up early, for we were off to Athens! (eeeeeeeeee!!!! ATHENS!!) I was excited to go to the Grecian capital... but, well, we were all kind of nervous...

The Greek economy may fundamentally collapse in the next two days...

Butrint, Home of the COOLEST Roman Ruins + Arrival in Corfu, Greece!

We woke up early. Oh god, did we wake up early. OHH GODDD.

But we were on a mission. Our guide, some others, Nina, and I were off to Butrint, an abandoned Roman City which was also a UNESCO World Heritage site. We all know how much I love ruins, right? I couldn't pass this opportunity up. So we set off towards the bus station. We were told a public bus would take us directly to the site. 

After some searching, we were able to find the right stop. Nothing here was easy, lemme tell you. One had to be open to asking the locals for directions. They were always friendly and helpful. Plus, we'd oftentimes get the inside scoop on the best places to go in the area. 

So we found the stop, paid the fare, and got on the bus. This bus was... a little different from what I expected. 

Not quite the magic school bus, but it'll do.

It was a large coach bus with no doors, and most of the windows were locked open. There appeared to be no temperature control systems in the vehicle. The bus made a lot of stops, and people got off and on at various points. It seemed to take forever to get to Butrint, we didn't realize it was at the end of the line. That worried us. The bus ride took much longer than we had anticipated. We had to be back in Saranda at an exact time in order to catch the ferry to Corfu. When we got to the site, we spotted a taxi. Our guide went over to him and asked if he could come back in a few hours and pick us up. He said he would. He PROMISED he would. The taxi was our best option. It would maximize our time here and minimize our commute time back to the hotel. Plus, the price he asked for was ridiculously low. It was a win-win. 

We walked to the entrance to the ruins. We were told beforehand that the entrance fee was 700 Albanian leks. Nope. The price had jumped to 1400. A significant price hike, but in U.S. dollars that came out to be around ten bucks. We purchased our tickets and entered the park. FINALLY. We were first greeted by this stunning Venetian-style watchtower.

The Venetian military did NOT believe in floor-to-ceiling windows.

To signify our travel back in time, a single Roman column stood guard at the entrance to the city.

What if I just... ... knocked it over?

We passed several ruined buildings.

This was the site of the first Taco Bell.

We continued towards the past as we walked through a small forest. Suddenly, our view opened up to this:

The ghostly town center, perfect for monsters, minotaurs, and centaurs.

Butrint was located on a peninsula close to Greece, and its geographic and strategic position was perfect for a city and fortress. According to UNESCO, evidence of human habitation dated back 50,000 years. Fifty. Thousand. Years.

Now, there's a bridge so my toes don't get wet! Yay progress!

During prehistoric times, various tribes inhabited the area. It then became a Greek colony, then a Roman colony, then an early Christian bishopric, then the Byzantines had some fun around here, then the Venetians, and lastly, the Ottomans.

The structures here exhibit influences from every period.

As you can see, there was a lot of water in and around these ruins. That became the primary reason for Butrint's abandonment. The water table became too high for habitation, and marshes developed. Eventually, mostly during the middle ages, everyone was just like, okay bye!

And that leaves us with a preserved ancient urban hub.

Although a lot of the structures had fallen apart, many of the arches were still intact. This was undoubtedly attributed to the ingenuity of Roman engineering.

They just don't make arches like they used to, huh.

As we walked through the ruins, we discovered the amphitheater, a throwback to the Greek colonial period.

From the sound of Nina and our guide's yammering, the acoustics definitely still work.

The back of the arena provided a great view of the surrounding ruins.

I can't deny I may have stood in the center of the stage and sang Michael Buble. I CAN'T DENY IT. I DID IT I'M SO SORRY. #sorrynotsorry

We could see that the urban sprawl of this city continued into the forest. We climbed over the ruined walls and through various doorways to explore it more.

Of course, we didn't break or disturb anything. We're experts.

We ventured into the forest. Sporadically, we would see immense stone structures.

This. All the this.

There were no ropes or boundaries. The amount of freedom we felt because of the ability to climb and walk where ever we wanted was unparalleled.

The forest had overtaken the ruins for hundreds of years.

We explored more of the buildings. We found various altars.

Now in a foot of water...

Each had incredible mosaics.

I couldn't believe this wasn't in a museum somewhere.

Seeing these ruined buildings and columns jutting out from perfectly still water was surreal.

If I were to film a movie, I'd do it here. Even if it made no sense to the plot. It would be the COOLEST MOVIE EVER.

We walked towards the end of the peninsula and the old governor's mansion. On the map it had a specific indicator for his dining room. I wanted to see how a Roman governor would live! When we arrived, a section was blocked off.

This was the first barricade I had seen all day.

When we walked closer, we could see there was a group of archaeologists excavating the mosaics.

Hopefully trying to save them from the rising water table.

From the governor's mansion, we followed the path towards the Baptistry. Once we got there, we saw an eerie circular pattern of columns.

I bet this would've looked SO COOL back when it was... ya know... like... an actual building and stuff.

We walked further towards the coast, and saw the lower levels of various palaces and villas.

Looks like the basements always did fine structurally. The rest of the building? Eh, not so much.

We got to the river/channel. The surrounding landscape had not changed much over the past 50,000 years.

That was mind boggling to think about.

From there, we turned back towards the city. On the map there appeared to be the ruins of a huge Byzantine church, and I wanted to see it ASAP.

Clearly, it didn't take long to find.

These ruins were breathtaking. Yet, there was virtually no one else around. This made Butrint even more exciting. It felt like we were alone here in this vast and ancient Roman city.

WE WERE THE RULERS OF BUTRINT NOW BAHAHAHAHAhahahhheheheteehee.

We walked towards the front of the church and discovered the altar, which had coins placed in it.

I put a coin in the slot!... hopefully it was for good luck, and not for... bad luck. I mean, why would it be for back luck, right? ...right???

Then, in the back corner, we spied a beautiful mosaic underneath the sand. We brushed away some of the dirt to see it clearer.

We were actually uncovering mosaics in a ruined Byzantine church!

From there, we looped around the outside of the old city walls. We wanted to find the path to get to the top of the hill. As we walked, we noticed wooden support beams holding up the bricks.

Clearly structural stability is still an issue here.

We thought we could take a shortcut through this passageway to get to the top of the hill, where a fortress was indicated to be.

This doesn't look AS dangerous... does it?

But the shortcut led to a dead end. We had to double back and walk around the entire city wall. At this point, we were getting nervous. We had to see the fortress at the top of the hill before our taxi arrived, and time was running out. Finally, we walked back towards the entrance of the city, and saw a pathway up.

And there's the fortress!

We climbed up to the tower. This section was most likely built by the Venetians and the Ottomans. Oh yeah, by the way, Butrint was also occupied in the nineteenth century by Ali Pasha (that Albanian ruler I mentioned in an earlier post). The view from the fortress was amazing.

Bowser Castle Level... is this 3? or 4? Ugh. So many Bowser castles!

Also from the tower, we could see the ruins across the river.

These were built by the Romans when they occupied the territory.

We noticed a large body of water in the distance. It was the Adriatic. Not too far from here lay the Greek border.

Might as well just like, walk there from here, right?

Our guide looked at his watch. It was time. We walked back to the entrance to find our taxi driver.

He wasn't there.

Thankfully, a customer service agent at the site had the taxi driver's number and called him. He said the driver was on his way. We let out a sigh of relief. The agent said he would be here in five minutes.

Thirty minutes later the taxi arrived. We jumped in and told him to step on it. We HAD to get back to the hotel. We were already going to be late, and we needed to make that ferry to Corfu. After a tense ride back, he dropped us off at the end of the beachfront.

Hahah that's where we went skinny dipping the night before!

We walked briskly, and made it back to the hotel only a few minutes late. We got our things, checked out, and made it over to the dock. Thankfully, we had about twenty minutes to spare before the boat set off. We were safe.

Can't say the same for my nerves, though. 

We climbed aboard and the boat set sail. We were less than an hour from Corfu. So the gang and I got some wine and beers and played cards.

No gambling. This time.

I could see Greece in the distance. You guys, I cannot emphasize how excited I was to go to Greece. I had never been before, and it was a country I had always wanted to visit. Now, I was getting my chance!

And right in the middle of the Greek financial crisis, too!

We docked, passed through customs, and took taxis to our hotel. Once we were settled, our guide took us on a walk to the center of Corfu town.

We had only been here an hour and I already knew, I just FELT, I was in Greece.

Our guide gave us a brief orientation walk of the city.

A walk around Corfu at sunset? Yeah, okay, I guess.

From the center we walked towards the coast. Along the road bordering the water, we found a restaurant that was highly recommended.

Let's hope the food matches the view.

It did. Oh my, it did.

Moussaka with french fries oh man I want it right NOW IN MY MOUTH.

After dinner, we walked further along the coast, and found several bars/nightclubs. We all decided to stop in and have a drink or two or five.

OooOOOO Light up bars with bartenders wearing superman shirts fancyyyyy.

We took a few shots here, then moved on to another place. This second one was packed with tourists. I remember a group of Australians walking on the bar and dancing terribly. Oh and I remember one girl trying to swing on the tent the bar was under, and she slipped and crashed onto the pavement. Kids, when you're in another country, don't be a dumbass. Ever.

Thankfully, this great view was facing away from the crazies.

After a few more drinks here, we headed back towards the center of town. While most of the group rampaged the downtown area, Pat, Alison, and I decided to head back to the hotel. There, we saw the hotel bar was still open. After talking a while with the very friendly bartender, he gave us free beer and shots of... I don't know what. Then we talked on the patio in our drunken bliss until the desire to sleep took over. I made it back to my room, and passed out on the bed. This was a freakin' fantastic day.