Romping and Nguyening

I told myself there was no way we’d be going to the Galapagos when we were in South America.  So of course we went to the Galapagos.

I told myself there was no way we’d be going to any of the Greek Islands while we were in Greece.  Not with our motorhome.

So of course we went the Greek Islands.  Actually, we only visited one island (all we had time and money for), but that island is the most stunning and probably everyone’s favorite: Santorini.

Greece is beautifully kissed with thousands of islands: the Ionian Islands, the Aegean Islands, and the Cyclades.  With so many islands, some being large and distinct enough to feel like its own country, one could spend months island-hopping Greece’s treasures. With our motorhome, time, and money being a constraint, we felt incredibly fortunate to work Santorini into our schedule even if it only meant 4 days.  Before arriving to Greece I thought we would just be exploring mainland Greece, but once I read about Greece’s highlights, I knew we had to squeeze in an island excursion. I’m so glad we did.

After figuring out logistics and discovering just how affordable this hotspot was, I realized that for the first time on our 6-month European road trip, we were finally going on a vacation! A REAL FREAKIN’ VACATION! (But to be honest, I’m not sure if we were more excited to have a basic hotel with air conditioning or to visit Santorini.) Albeit a budget-conscious vacation, we loved our 4-day/3-night stay on the island. I lay out our costs and activities below.

Total Costs for 2:
Motorhome parking in Piraeus: €65 (€13/day x 5 days)
8-hour ferry rides via Blue Star Ferry: €160 (€40 per ride x 4 trips)
Porto Castello Hotel: €97 (€32.33/night, a last-minute deal)
Volcano/Hot Springs Excursion: €40
Local buses: €10.80
Groceries: €16.05
Dining out: €41.60
One nice dinner: €57.77
Total: €488.22

Daily costs: Our costs excluding the ferry rides and motorhome parking was €263.22, breaking it down to €32.90 per person per day for accommodation, food, and entertainment on Greece’s can’t-miss island. Unlike for most visitors, it looked like our #1 expenditure for Santorini was the ferry to get there!

Getting there: Flying is one option (a 1-way flight was more than triple the cost of a 1-way ferry ride!), and riding the ferry is another option.  While there was more than one ferry company, we opted for Blue Star Ferry because it was the biggest ferry (I tend to get seasick) and the cheapest option at €40 per person for a 1-way ride. From Piraeus (the port near Athens) to Santorini took approximately 7-8 hours. The view from the ferry as we approached Santorini port:

Accommodation: Fira and Oia are the iconic villages of the island, making much of Greece’s iconic stock photography.  Average nightly rates in these towns range from €200/night and even an upwards of €1,000/night for the luxury suites with infinity pools overlooking the caldera.  However, to my amazement, there were plenty of budget options too! The only budget-friendly accommodation in Fira is camping or a dormitory, and there was no way we were staying on Santorini without air conditioning or in bunk beds. The next budget-friendly accommodations are located in Perissa, on the southeast coast of the island. The cheapest hotels I saw in Perissa were €24, but I didn’t want to stay in a town that was a 30-minute bus ride from Fira and 1-hour ride from Oia. Upon extensive research I discovered Porto Castello, a budget hotel on the eastern coast, immediately opposite of Fira. With its black sand beach across the street from the hotel and a free shuttle into Fira every 2 hours (a quick 10-minute ride), it was a deal at only €32/night. The key to budget travel is finding last-minute deals, something most visitors can’t do when booking months in advance.

Local buses: We took the bus from Fira to Oia and vise versa several times. The 25-minute ride cost only €1.80 per ride. Super cheap!

Food: In addition to the snacks and bottled water we purchased from the grocery store in Fira (the cheapest market is Carrefour), I actually hauled in food from mainland Greece: a box of cereal, a container of milk, a bag of apples, peanut butter, jelly, sandwich bread, and several cans of soda and beer. We already had these in the motorhome, so I thought I’d bring whatever I could. Because we ended up not being anywhere near town in the afternoon, the sack lunches I packed ended up being incredibly convenient. Breakfast was covered everyday with the box of cereal and milk, lunch was pb&j sandwiches, chips, and apples, and dinner was the cheap-eat of gyros. We did splurge on one dinner for our last night at Volcano Blue, a restaurant with AMAZING views and reasonable prices.

Tip: Not only did we make a reservation perfectly timed for sunset, we went to the restaurant the day before to select the table we wanted.  We ate a delicious seafood dinner with wine (€57.77 after tip), and literally had the best restaurant view on the terrace.

Excursions: There were plenty of excursions and tours on the island—wine tours, sailing and yachting tours, ATV and motorbike rentals, the list goes on. The only one tour that interested me was the hot springs/volcano tour for €20 per person. Everyday from 11am-2pm and 2pm-5pm boats sail out to Palia Kameni, one of the two islands in the center of the caldera. This meant a steep walk, or €5 cable car ride, or €5 donkey ride from Fira down to the old port and vise versa.  We didn’t want to exploit the sad donkeys so we walked up and down the walkway.  

Once on the boat, we enjoyed a quick ride to the hot springs.  We, along with the rest of the swimmers, jumped from the boat into the sea and swam to the natural warm springs (they aren’t hot springs!) and covered ourselves in mud. We were glad our swimwear was dark, otherwise they would have been stained by the mud. I can’t say whether it was worth the €20, but it was still a fun excursion nonetheless.

Fortunately my favorite activities in Santorini were free: “cliff” jumping in Amoudi Bay, awing at the iconic architecture in Fira and Oia, “hiking” the trail from Fira to Oia, and watching sunset.  While walking practically anywhere on Santorini promised spectacular views of the town or the caldera, my favorites are below.

On the western end of Oia, the stairways leading down to the sea took us to Amoudi Bay. From the bottom of the steps, we followed a trail to a rocky area where swimmers left their belongings and swam out to a small rocky outcrop with a short cliff to jump from.  We loved swimming in the crystal clear water, jumping from the “cliff,” and encouraging others to jump in too.

Iconic photos include Fira and the caldera:

Fira’s three-bell church:

The cityscape of Oia:

Oia’s famous trio of blue domes, which were difficult to find and surprisingly not absurdly full of tourists:

Our 3-hour “hike” from Fira to Oia, which consisted of cobblestone walkways, sidewalk, paved road, and a bit of loose lava rock and scree, granted us countless incredible views of the caldera and the small villages between Fira and Oia.  We timed our hike so that we would arrive in Oia just before sunset.

And finally, sunset photos!  If there is one thing that everyone on the island is doing in unison, it’s watching sunset over the caldera, Fira, or Oia.  Even a short walk away from the crowded streets of Fira granted us a sunset in peace and tranquility.  We watched one sunset from Firostefani with no one else in sight.

The most popular and crowded sunset was from the castle ruins in Oia.  We arrived an hour before sunset per others’ recommendation, and even then, it was quite difficult to find a seat.  Despite all the noise and rancor, the views were well worth it. We even saw cruise ships disappear dreamily into the reflection of the sun.

You don’t have to believe me, but I will say it: Santorini is UNIQUE and AMAZING.  We’ve been to other incredible islands such as the Galapagos and Easter Island, but none of those islands or any other island we know of consist of terraced towns cascading down from the rim of a caldera.  On an island, people typically spend their time near the beach and watch sunset from the beach.  On the island of Santorini, people spend most of their time on the upper rim of the caldera, gazing down at the sea-filled volcano.  Santorini isn’t an island with a volcano on it; Santorini is the upper, exposed rim of an underwater volcano.  It is a must-see in life.  You’ve got to see it to believe it.

Considered one of the greatest civilizations of Greek prehistory, Mycenae traces back to the Neolithic period, though the handful of ruins that remain today date from 1350-1200 B.C. when the site was at its most prominent. Grave circles containing rich gifts and offerings suggest the archeological site was once a land where aristocrats and rulers thrived, and discoveries from later funerary sites show that the Mycenaean heavily invested in trade with other Mediterranean civilizations. At the height of Mycenaean civilization, a palace, a fortification wall including the Lion Gate, grave circles, a giant treasury, and a notable well were erected, and these ruins are what we see as Mycenae today.

Although Mycenae was underwhelming compared to Ancient Delphi and the Acropolis at Athens, we had no regrets making the short drive from Athens to Mycenae (~90 km) due to the stops we made on the way there and back. We felt the entry fee of €12 each was a bit steep considering how insignificant the entire site was, but at least our short visit gave us more time to explore other areas on the Peloponnese.

During the drive, the Corinth Canal delightedly surprised us. We had seen postcards of this incredible manmade site—an approximately 5 km canal dug out through the skinniest section of the Peloponnese peninsula, connecting the Bay of Corinth with the Aegean Sea. After crossing the tiny 50-meter bridge that gave us a brief glimpse of the canal, we immediately pulled over into a giant parking lot on the other side, parked, and eagerly made our way back to the bridge to snap a few photos. We even lucked out with several sailing boats cruising through the canal.

Then we continued to the hilltop Mycenae.

Perhaps Mycenae’s most revered site of significance is the well-preserved Lion Gate, which is the grand entrance to the ruins:

The grave circles where rich artifacts (grave gifts) were discovered:

The passageway leading down into the cistern:

The impressive beehive vault of the Treasury of Atreus:

Aside from these sites, every other structure including the palace was literally in ruins and overgrown shrubs. Even the accompanying signboards were hardly enlightening. We left the archeological site feeling uninspired, but happily ended our day with Kineta Beach.

We had driven past a crowded Kineta Beach on our way to Mycenae, but when we returned at sundown, the crowds had already begun to thin out. Kineta Beach is a beautiful beach, clearly a hot weekend escape for the locals and their families. Amused stares definitely came our way when a white guy and Asian girl arrived and parked their fat German motorhome on the beach.

Once darkness filled the sky, all the locals left for home, and the restaurants closed up for the night. With the sea literally only a stone’s throw away from our door, we heard nothing but the waves gently rippling on the beach. I woke up at sunrise to these views from our window:

A lovely sunrise dip in the sea:

That morning concluded our quick trip to Mycenae, a very brief visit to the Peloponnese peninsula.  Unfortunately we were running out of time on our European road trip, leaving us no time to explore the rest of the Peloponnese.  A bit disappointing, but at least we had an entire Greek beach to ourselves! =)

Athens is massive, sprawling, and hot, hot, HOT in the summer!  In fact, it was too hot for us to stay in our motorhome.  Because the nearest campground to Athens was far from the city and came with a hefty price tag of €29/night without electricity, we instead chose to park the motorhome outside of Athens and stay at a low cost AirBnB apartment (with air conditioning!).  For €13/night we parked our motorhome near the Piraeus port at Piraeus Parkopolis, took the metro into Athens (€1.40 for a 90-minute journey, or €4.50 for a day pass), and stayed at an apartment with local Athenians for €27/night.  We definitely paid more than what we were used to, but air conditioning was a necessity.

Aside from the plethora of restaurants, cafes, and shops, the primary attraction for visiting Athens is the Acropolis.  There were two different ticket packages and both options were expensive (€20 or €30), but seeing the Acropolis was an absolute must-do in Athens. The summer hours were from 8am-8pm, but we arrived at 8:30am to avoid the worst of the heat and crowds.  We were glad we came early; on our way out, the crowds more than quadrupled, making navigation and photography atrocious.

What makes the Acropolis of Athens so marvelous is its location on a rocky outcrop above the modern day city.  This ancient citadel houses iconic structures of historical significance, the most recognizable being the Parthenon. 

While habitation can be traced back to Neolithic times, it wasn’t until the 8th century B.C. when the Acropolis became a sacred place due to the establishment of worshipping the Greek goddess Athena.  The most significant building of the Acropolis is the Parthenon, a massive temple dedicated to Athena that has been rebuilt countless times over the course of centuries.  At first, it was a sacred place that served as a treasury to house gifts to Athena, then later a Christian church to honor the Virgin Mary in the 6th century A.D., then a mosque in the late 15th century under Ottoman conquest, and finally a storage space for gunpowder.  In 1687, the Venetians bombarded the Parthenon, blowing up the temple when they struck it with a cannonball.  Renovation has been ongoing since the 1980’s, with ongoing renovation today. It is the most important surviving structure in Classical Greece, and one of the world’s greatest cultural monuments.

At the foot of the Acropolis lies the massive Theater of Dionysus, which could seat up to 17,000 spectators.  The theater was dedicated to the Dionysus, the god of wine and drama.

The monumental gateway to the Acropolis, or propylea:

Perched atop the propylea stands the small Temple of Athena Nike.  Nike, in Greek, means victory.  Athena was worshipped as the goddess of victory in war and wisdom.

One of many vicious lions guarding the propylea:

The Erechtheion, a temple dedicated to Athena and Poseidon:

In the northeast corner of the Acropolis is an overlook showcasing the city of Athens and Lycobettus hill.

On the opposite end there is an overlook to the sea.

Outside the Acropolis, below the rocky outcrop in the city of Athens, stands the ruins of the Temple of Zeus.  It doesn’t look like much, but its columns are impressively tall.

Although numerous neighborhoods hug the foot of the Acropolis, the tiny, picturesque neighborhood of Anafiotika stands out.

Athen’s main touristic square, Monastiraki, not only boasts everything catered to mass tourism, but a splendid view of the Acropolis can also be seen in the distance.

Athens is bursting with history.  Even the subway felt like a museum, since construction workers discovered ancient ruins and archeological facts when drilling for the tunnel for the subway.

Aside from the wonderful history Athens has to offer, the city itself isn’t glamorous and its nightlife was disappointing. It pales in comparison to other major European capital cities.  Once the industrial sector in Athens, the former coal gas factory and chimneys of the Gazi district are now venues that host artistic shows and concerts.  Despite being tame, the industrial buildings were at least lit up at night and looked badass.

In order to truly get a scale of just how massive the city is, we walked up Lycobettus hill for sunset.  While we didn’t think the walk was difficult at all, plenty of other people sure looked miserable.  The best views of Athens can be seen from the summit of this hill–we were able to gaze across the city at the Acropolis, the sea port, the surrounding hills, and all the seemingly endless array of white buildings.

Sure, the city of Athens isn’t very beautiful, and the Acropolis can feel like a hotter, dustier version of Disneyland.  But because the world famous ruins are worthy of its title, a visit to the city and the ruins are a must-do in life for anyone, history buff or not.

The Greeks once considered Delphi, which took on its religious significance around 800 B.C, to be the center of the world.  It held the seat of the Oracle, whose decisions and predictions for individuals as well as the state significantly impacted ancient classical Greece.  Ancient Delphi was dedicated to the deity Apollo, the Delphic games (forerunner to the modern day Olympic Games), and the Oracle.  Delphi fell into ruins after multiple raids, a destructive earthquake, and much later, the rise of Christianity. Decline in the population continued to fall, resulting in complete abandonment in the 6th or 7th centuries. To see Ancient Delphi meant laying eyes on a once-flourishing region that influenced and played out the history of Greece.

In order to explore Delphi, we camped at the wonderful Camping Apollon for €20.50/night for 2 people with electricity.  Not only did it include free showers, it also included a swimming pool (a savior for the 35°C temperatures) and incredible pitches overlooking the Peloponnese Peninsula and the Gulf of Corinth.  From the campground it was only a 15-minute walk to the town of Delphi, and a 25-minute walk to the Ancient Delphi ruins.

When we walked through town, we quickly noticed how mellow the atmosphere was, and even more-so at the ruins.  Even with its monumental structures, incredible museum, and great history, Ancient Delphi was overall not too crowded and a wonderful site to visit.  The €12 entry fee included access to all of Ancient Delphi, the Temple of Apollo, the museum housing all artifacts discovered in the ruins, and numerous refrigerated water fountains.  We scoped out the ruins in the morning when the heat was manageable, and saved the indoor, air-conditioned museum for the hottest time of day.  Although mostly reconstructed, I detail out the most iconic structures below.

Treasuries throughout Ancient Greece, which housed gifts and offerings to the gods, were built to celebrate victories and to thank the Oracle for her advice.  Most notable of treasuries in Ancient Delphi was the reconstructed Treasury of Athens, built to commemorate the victory at the Battle of Marathon:

The remains of the Temple of Apollo, which was rebuilt and destroyed multiple times by earthquake and man, was a massive site within the complex.  Its final destruction, along with its art and statues, was carried out by a Roman emperor in the name of Christianity…in other words, Christian terrorism.

The theater, with seats for 5,000 spectators, overlooking the valley below:

The stadium, with a capacity of 6,500 spectators, where the Delphic games were held:

People typically save the best for last: the circular Tholos, just a few minutes’ walk from Ancient Delphi.  It once stood with 20 columns; 3 of the columns have been restored, making it a favorite to photograph.

Of the three archeological complexes we visited in Greece, Delphi was my favorite in terms of monumental sites, history, and crowds.  It seems as if most people come to Ancient Delphi as a day trip from Athens, but the 3-hour one-way bus ride sounds exhausting and rushed to me.  We enjoyed spending two nights in Delphi to take in the incredible views from the slopes of Mount Parnassus, to experience a more laid-back town in Greece, and obviously to observe the ruins and imagine it as it once was–the most influential sanctuary for ancient Greece.

Meteora is one of those places you’d never hear about until you come to Greece.  It’s quite strange that that’s the case, especially after you gaze across the valley of monastery-topped monoliths and become filled with the same spiritual, enigmatic feeling you sense upon taking in any other natural wonder of the world. There once were 20 monasteries dramatically perched atop the spectacular rock pinnacles, but now only 6 remain and are easily accessible with an entry fee of €3 per monastery. After having briefly glimpsed into one of the smaller monasteries, I realized that for us they would be more enjoyable from outside and afar so I saved my euros and time and spent my day in Meteora taking long walks instead.

Due to its location near Albania, we were able to cross the border into Greece in the late afternoon and make it to the viewpoints just in time for sunset. Even as we approached Meteora from the highway, we quickly became wowed by the rock formations that came into view.

Driving through town before climbing up the road meant passing by homes, shops, mosques, and churches with the wonderful backdrop of rocks.

As we climbed up we were immediately rewarded with breathtaking views, each view becoming more epic as we climbed higher.  It all seemed too unreal.

It wasn’t difficult to find the most popular sunset viewpoint, perhaps THE best viewpoint of the whole Meteora panorama.  Buses and cars filled the tiny “parking lot”, and some cars even temporarily blocked the road.  No one minded.  Everyone had the same goal–to witness sundown behind these rocks.

We didn’t stay long, as it was crowded and we still needed to find a place to spend the night.  Despite running out of sunlight, we continued to pull over to the side of the road to take pictures. St. Stephen’s Monastery below:

We eventually parked at Taverna Arsenis, a restaurant/hotel that advertised free motorhome parking with the obligation of a meal purchase.  Luckily, because we arrived after sundown and kept our lights off inside the motorhome to prevent bugs from coming in, the hotel staff assumed no one was inside our motorhome and didn’t bother checking on us.  Rather than paying for an unnecessary dinner to park in their lot, we got away with free overnight parking. Yay!

It also helped that we left at 6am the next morning for sunrise over the rocks.  We weren’t the only crazy people up so bright and early; there were a handful of other people as well.  With the epic viewpoints facing west, I’ll admit that sunset was better than sunrise.  Still, it was worth getting up early to get a head start on the dreadful heat and crowds.

After sunrise we drove up to The Holy Monasteries of Great Meteoron and Varlaam.  From the Great Meteoron’s parking lot, we saw gorgeous views of Varlaam.

Then we drove back to St. Stephen’s Holy Monastery, where we parked the motorhome, had breakfast, and prepared for a full morning of walking.  Most people only need a mode of transport + the overlooks to enjoy the wonders of Meteora, but I knew I would prefer to slowly take in the views by foot.  We ended up walking down the entire road (and its adjacent footpaths) back into the small town of Kastraki, revisiting the same overlooks we already visited under different light.

From Kastraki, we even walked upon a trail that took us alongside the giant rocks.

We then proceeded into Meteora’s major town of Kalambaka, where there was a steep foot path at the northernmost edge of town that took us all the way back up into the rock formations, right to the foot of the Holy Trinity.  This trail, by the way, was the most direct route from town to the top by foot.  Once at the top, it was a gentle stroll back to our motorhome parked at St. Stephen’s Holy Monastery. By the time we returned, it was disgustingly hot and crowded, and definitely time for us to leave.  Looking back, I realize how fortunate we were to have experienced Meteora during sunset, sunrise, and the early morning and afternoon before the heat became too brutal.

But, one final shot before we bid farewell to magical Meteora: