Let's go somewhere without a plan..

On Friday 4th it was again a free day but this time because of the elections taking place on Sunday the 6th. Here you have to go to your hometown or city to vote so people have to travel. It was also a day that me and my friends (Shiesma and Elise from Holland and Marie from France) from greek lessons had decided to go somewhere basically without a plan or booking anything.. We met at Pireus metro station at 9.30 am and went to buy the tickets to the ferry at 10.15 am to Ydra. Well, the journey almost ended before it even got started since the boat was full and the next would leave at 1 or 2. We decided to walk to the port and just stand in front of the boat if there happened to be that someone wouldn't come or something.. The engines of the boat were already on when finally they told us to run to buy the tickets. We ran back (it took like 3 minutes) and they told that it is full. But there was a rather young captain of the boat so he let us in even though we didn't have seats.. Lucky us! We stand the around 2 hours trip. 

When we arrived to Ydra we went to eat at the port and noticed that there are no cars or motorbikes on the island.. So much for renting a car and sleeping in it.. :D After having eaten we took a watertaxi to Vlichos beach were we spent couple of hours. Then we walked back to the "city" and it was nice sightseeing on the way. But to tell the truth I was a bit disappointed to the island. There really wasn't that much to see or do. Yes, it was beautiful and all but I wouldn't spent there more than a day. 

Ydra

Vlichos beach

Back at the port we found this amazing place with clear water so me and Marie wanted to take another swim there and jump to the water from the rocks! Then we walked around again and went to by couple of beers, took a donkey rides after negotiating the price to half from which it started and then went to sit to this bench and drink the beers and enjoy ourselves! 

When it got closer to the sunset we walked to the other side of the port to this sunset restaurant which was voted by abcnews to world's second best sunset restaurant! We admired the sunset, spotted dolphins and ate little within the student budget (eggplant salad and bread..) .. :P

Dolphins!

Dolphin

After the sunset we went back to the port and started walking towards the beach Madraki 'cause we had found out that it's a sand beach so it would be our hotel for the night.. It took us around 30 minutes to walk there and at some points of the road there weren't any lights so it was dark.. Just before the beach we found some smaller rocky beach with sunbeds unlocked.. We decided to stay there and make ourselves as comfortable as we could.. :D We didn't have any pillows or blankets, we just had our towels and I was the only one with an actual jacket. And it was a freezing night! We slept maybe 10-15 minutes at the time. We hadn't thought that it would be that cold.. And around three o'clock at night, while we were in the middle of nowhere, there came three guys out of nowhere and we were really afraid that they would see us or something. We think they did see us eventually but nothing happened and they left soon. It was scary since our imaginations were going really really fast..! At some point we heard noises on the beach and turned to look and found that a cat was walking on the rocks! 

The place were the guys appeared

Our beds

Morning at 6 am, freezing!

At the port of Ydra we went to one coffee place which at open around 7 am and we stayed there almost couple of hours. One at the time we walked to the toilet with our toothbrushes with us.. We felt homeless and we must have looked really funny! :D 

At the coffee place taking a little nap

We didn't really do anything but sit and wonder about the life at the port. Our boat to Spetses left at 9.20 or something. :) We slept the way to Spetses for maybe 30 minutes and then started to walk around! We found this tourist information place right at the harbour and there was this nice guy who told us what we should do! Well, he told us to see some museums but we preferred the beach.. :P We walked around and finally found this amazing beach were we stayed for many hours!

When we got enough of being on the beach we started walking towards the port and "sightseeing" on the way. There wasn't much to see and the island seemed really dead. We went to look for a restaurant with tsatziki and it turned out to be a challange! :DD We went to at least 4 different restaurants but finally we found a place where we could eat what we wanted. Then we just played cards and waited for our boat to leave back to Pireus around 7-8 pm.

Spetses port

We slept on the boat and I was dead tired when I finally came home but I still agreed on seeing my finnish friend (she dates with a greek guy) in Kerameikos at 11.30 pm.. I went to bed around 2 am and slept really well! :D Our trip was so nice and we enjoyed it a lot! We laughed so much during the two days!! :D Two more islands checked!

Updates from my life in Athens! :)

Oh my, the days are going past so fast! Way too fast! I've already been here almost three months and I'm so scared about even thinking about going back to Finland and to face the "reality".. I've just been trying to think how could I chance my life in Finland to make myself feel like I'm actually living my youth like here I am, and not just carry out the days, weeks and months.. Of course here I've mostly been like on a vacation and I really have to get back to my real life someday, but how could I change it even a bit.. Anyway, like I said days are going so fast and I haven't written in so many days! So here are some updates what I've been up to the last almost three weeks..

On 21th of April my sister arrived and I picked her up from the airport! It was so lovely to see her after a while and we were both excited of her being her. She came in the afternoon so after we got to my place we left to walk around the city and I showed her around. In the evening we had to go back to the airport to pick up her luggage which had gotten lost in Frankfurt. She flew via Copenhagen.. In the evening we went to Gazi for drinks in WH (why sleep) bar. As usually the area was so growded of people! :)

Taken near Monastiraki sq.

Taken in front of the Parthenon

The next morning we left around 1pm (okey, or afternoon) to walk around to Plaka, Monastiraki, Syntagma etc. We were at the city for 4 hours just walking around! In the evening we went to Pireus to eat at Manos' place and he was really glad to see Trina also. He told that he wouldn't have recognized her without me. We just made it to the last train leaving from Pireus.

Zea Marina, Pireus by night

On Monday 23rd we went shopping in Ermou and in the evening we decided to go away from the center for once, so we went to Panormou the eat at this nice restaurant. :) The next day we continued to shop but this time we went to Egaleo. In the evening we went again to Manos place to say goodbye to him! :/ 

On Wednesday morning we left to the airport around 10 am and I felt a bit sad 'cause the days had gone past so fast. But I didn't have that much time to think about since I had to rush straight to school for the language course. After I rushed to the gym, grocery shopping and skype with my parents. :)

Thurdays 26th I went to E.I.A.A my other practical training place and the day there went fast by as usual. Now I finally got my photos from my phone to my computer so here are so photos from there. But first I must "defend" physical therapy in Greece that even though the stuff is old in the photos there are still places that have much more modern equipment etc, like the same that we have in Finland.

After practical training I met Miina near her place and we went to eat pitogyras, again.. :P Then we went to her rooftop to enjoy the hot weather and the burning sun! We sat there not that long and even though we used sunlotion I had lines from my shorts already.. In the evening I went to the gym even though I felt not so energetic..

Friday I had I day of so me and Miina headed to Syntagma-Ermou-Monastiraki to hang around and eat FroYo (frozen yogurt!) It is sooo good! I didn't do much else on friday, only the basic stuff like gym.. :D This makes me sound like I'm really active and really really in shape but I wish that I had the energy to go more often and do more. I feel like I'm not good enough when I think how my teammates practise in Finland. :/

On Saturday 28th morning we (me, Miina, and two other finnish girls Kati and Laura (who studies in Thessaloniki) left for beach. Even though it was cloudy it was still warm. We went by tram and I hate to go to the beach because it takes around 60 minutes to get there. It's not that bad, but the tram is always so over crowded and it stops at every stop.. At the beach we met two nice guys and were playing rackettes with them! It was so nice, I love playing the game! On the beach, sun shining and excersising! 

After the exhausting day at the beach and not eating that well I still managed to get myself to the gym and then rushed to take a shower and get ready for the party my flatmate was having at our place! I'm glad that she informed about it to me a few days earlier so I could also invite some people.. People started coming at 10 pm and the police arrived at 12...! Two or three different people had called to police and they wanted to speak with both me and my flatmate.. They asked for my flatmates ID but she told that she didn't have any, so I had to give mine to the officers. They took all my info up and we got off with a warning.. When I went back inside I literally started throughing people out.. After the place was empty I left for drinks with my friend to Kolonaki to this nice and expensive bar! :D

On Sunday I did NOTHING! And it was so relaxing. I just went to the gym for a little while and then back to sleep.

On Monday 30th I went to the gym.. (okey this starts to sound really boring :D) and then I headed to beach by myself. At the beach I met one of the guys I had met on Saturday! :) We played rackettes and had fun!

Tuesday 1st of May was a day off as in most countries it is, I think. It was absolutely hot day, +31! So me and Miina went to the beach, Kalamaki! After the beach we were so exhausted to do anything else. I think one tradition here on the first of May is to pick up flowers and make a wreath of them and hand it to doors, balconies etc. Also the first day of the month (I think every month..?) everybody says Kalo Mina = Good month.

Last week on Wednesday 2nd I went to the practical training were the teacher immediatelly demanded me to tell her where I had been last week.. Red as a tomato I told her that my sister was here etc.. She didn't like my answer that much.. :D Then it was time for some greek lessons again and we hang around (me, Karolis from Lithuania, Marie and Alex from France and Shiesma from Holland) before the lessons started. At the lesson we didn't pay that much attention.. and after we went to shop in Ermou --> gym --> shower and then it was time for Athensmus party were I was talked into. The party started with a preparty in the tram and it was a nice experience! :D almost 100 people from the same group in one tram. :P Then we went to Pireus to this HUGE club called Akrotiri!

On Thurday 3rd in the morning, after sleeping like two hours I felt so terrbile (not because of drinking, 'cause I didn't drink that much) and I had to leave to the practical training from which I excused myself after couple of hours since I was so tired and there wasn't anything to do.. The rest of the day I stayed mostly in my bed feeling dead tired.

A short update of my last weeks here! :) I'm so enjoying my life right now! I don't think it could be much better! Weather is around +30 every day! AND I*M FEELING GOOD! I don't remember if I've posted this before, but this is a good one : "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing" --> I feel just like that!

A day trip to Aegina

On Tuesday 17th of April it was time to visit one of my Greek friends whom I first met when he was doing his Erasmus period in Finland couple of years ago. He is currently in the army but he also had an easter holiday so he went home to Aegina and agreed on showing me around his home island. :)

I woke up 4.45 am and I got a ride from Thanassis to the port of Poros. The ferry ride took 1 hour and 20 minutes and it went fast sleeping. At the port of Aegina Panagiotis was there to meet me! We walked around the small and quiet alleys to look for a place to have a breakfast. The island was still sleeping since it was only 7.30 am. We found a place which was open and had coffees and koulouri for breakfast. Panos also told me that it was his birthday that day!! :) After having breakfast we walked to the tower of Markellos which is built in 1802 and it's located some street behind the boulevard of Aegina town.

We left to drive around to island with his scooter and first we arrived to this huge church called Agios Nektarios. It was really breathtaking and quiet since there was no one there at that time. Panos told me that during the easter days the place is so growded from people all over the world. After we climbed to the monastery of Agia Triada. There are still 14 nuns living in the monastery. The hill on which the monastery is built is named Xantos, from the word "xagnadema" (look out point), because the view is really nice from there. 

Agios Nektarios

The monastery

Then we headed to close by to the medieval village of Paleochora. It's a place which used to be the capital of the island from 9th century - early 19th century. It's practically set on this hill with castles and churches on it. There is rumoured that once there was 365 buildings, one for every day of the year. Now still 70 of them remain there and around 35 of them are open to visit. 

Paleochora

Next we drove to the temple of Afea/Aphaia. The entrance there was free for students and the place was nice, it reminded me of the temple of Parthenon. :) 

Then we drove to the famous tourist place, Agia Marina, at least in the summer time. Now the place was dead and we saw max 10 people there. But I can imagine it to be a busy place during the summer months. :) 

Life is simple. Do not complicate.

At that point we started running out the places to visit and it was only 11 am or something. We decided to have a time out in Panos' home. There her mom and brothers welcomed me to their home which I really liked! I taught finnish language to the older one and spoke english with the 9-year-old boy who also taught me some Greek from his school books. Aegina is famous for its Pistachio nuts and I got two bags from their yard. :)

When we drove around Aegina I noticed that it is much bigger than Poros is, but also it's much more countryside with houses and big yards. The distances between the places are also big so you need to have a car or a scooter. 

Famous fruit market right at the harbour

In the afternoon we collided into his father and after we met Panos' friends and went to eat lunch at the restaurant and I really enjoyed it a lot! I had a great time with them laughing! Again I wasn't allowed to pay anything.. Greek hospitality I would say.. Then we walked to the famous (among the young people at least) ice cream place. :) We started driving to the fishing village but the wind was so hard that we decided it's not worth it. 

Harbour

Then me and Panos sat on a coffee place for two hours and we had a lot to talk about after two years! :) The boat back to Poros left (or was supposed to leave..) at 7.25pm. Long day, but totally worth the early wake up! Happy birthday Panagiotis! :) Xronia Polla!