Of course, it has many eye-catching sights, not just in its landmarks, but having very beautiful people too. My trip here had me visiting Santorini, Athens and a climb up Mt Olympus. The trip was made in the summer which was a peak season for tourists as well.
Santorini
Santorini is one of the cyclade islands (group of greek islands) of Greece, which is home to a fairy-tale like area of white buildings facing the aegean sea. I've only been able to make it to Oia and Fira, as I only had one full day there. Nevertheless, it was a worthwhile experience.
It's probably common knowledge that this is a very good place to take photos, which has caused the rise of poor dads/white knight bfs/whipped husbands taking throngs of pictures for their 16 y.o. daughters/gold diggin' sorority gfs/wives. I kid, lol.
Oia (silent 'O' and is pronounced as 'ee-ya'), is exactly how it looks like in postcards and on travel magazines. Lots of people taking marriage photos, and definitely lots of couples as well.
Sunblock is definitely recommended during summer times, as the heat wave is even worse than that of Santorini. I've literally burnt to a crisp.
The first place of interest for me was the Panathenaic stadium, which was home to the very first modern olympic games in 1896. Another neat fact was that spectator areas are all made out of white marble.
Close up view of Zeus's temple
Lots of very good food in Athens as well. It's best to get recommendations from locals as they'd know where's cheap and good (in my case, places were recommended to me by the owner of the boutique hotel I was staying at).
Will definitely miss Greece and its jovial environment where people are just so happy and enjoying life to its fullest - hopefully I'm able to genuinely do that someday.
It's probably common knowledge that this is a very good place to take photos, which has caused the rise of poor dads/white knight bfs/whipped husbands taking throngs of pictures for their 16 y.o. daughters/gold diggin' sorority gfs/wives. I kid, lol.
Oia (silent 'O' and is pronounced as 'ee-ya'), is exactly how it looks like in postcards and on travel magazines. Lots of people taking marriage photos, and definitely lots of couples as well.
Oia - night view
Oia - day view
(Touched up pic, as there was way too much shadow)
Oia - sea view
Iconic blue bell tower
It was blisteringly hot at the time of the year (summer). Things were also rather pricey - but fret not, there are supermarkets away from the main Oia streets that have affordable things to eat, just don't be too picky. However, if like many, your here with a 'partner' on one of your 'dream dates' and have to eat well to impress, then your shit out of luck.
I've covered the main parts of Oia within half a day and had to take the local bus (€1.80 for one-way) to Fira in the afternoon to grab my ferry tickets to Athens.
Fira was quite decent, with its streets being similar to Oia, only with a lot more ground to cover.
Fira
Dog chillin'
Donkeys
You can take these donkeys up and down the 588 steps of Fira to and from the old port, but I didn't do so as the handlers were quite rude. It was also discouraged by the locals as these donkeys are being abused and exploited by the handlers behind closed doors.
Ended up walking the whole way down and back up, which was quite the workout and had to avoid a lot of donkey shit both ways.
Old port of Fira
Grilled squid
Seafood was absolutely amazing. It cost me €14 (okay-ish I guess), not for just the meal, but also the crazy sick view of the sea right beside me, which was literally sparkling in the glow of the sun.
Headed on to Athinios Port Santorini the next day to take a 8 hour ferry ride to Athens.
Ferry from Santorini to Athens
It's was quite a solemn feeling to be sitting on the open decks, glaring into the sea all zoned out, trying to follow the waves into the horizon. It does help fight the boredom of waiting.
Athens
The capital of Greece, Athens has quite a dense population of locals and tourists. This area was also the heart of ancient Greece, featuring various historic landmarks and buildings - some of which are still standing today for the public to see.
Sunblock is definitely recommended during summer times, as the heat wave is even worse than that of Santorini. I've literally burnt to a crisp.
The first place of interest for me was the Panathenaic stadium, which was home to the very first modern olympic games in 1896. Another neat fact was that spectator areas are all made out of white marble.
Panathenaic Stadium
Greece hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896
Next was the Temple of Olympian, Zeus which had majestic pillar columns that formed the foundations for a place to worship him in the past. It was also considered to be one of the largest temples ever built in the ancient world.
Temple of Olympian, Zeus
It was theorised that the original temple had 104 columns, but only 15 remain standing today.
The largest attraction in Athen's would have to be the Acropolis, which is an ancient citadel located high up the hills of Athens. The area contains several ancient buildings round the slopes, all of which hold great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon.
The largest attraction in Athen's would have to be the Acropolis, which is an ancient citadel located high up the hills of Athens. The area contains several ancient buildings round the slopes, all of which hold great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon.
Parthenon
Parthenon back view
Temple of Athena Nike
Bird's-eye view of Athens
I'd strongly recommend you pre-book your tickets online and physically show up at 8am (opening time). Coming 1-2hours later makes a HELL LOT of difference as thousands of people from tour groups start pouring in, creating an insane queue to the top.
The slopes is also home to a few notable sites:
Theatre of Dionysus
Hadrian library
Temple of Hephaestus
In my opinion, most of these temples look similar to each other. Then again, there's probably a lot of back-story I'm missing out on. Perhaps doing some reading on the sites beforehand may make the visits more meaningful for you, if you can appreciate it. Alternatively, you can stand-around the numerous guides (stealthily) and start freeloading on their explanations.
Lots of very good food in Athens as well. It's best to get recommendations from locals as they'd know where's cheap and good (in my case, places were recommended to me by the owner of the boutique hotel I was staying at).
Kingfish on mashed potatoes @ Fish Point
Veal chop @ Mavro Provato
All the meals were of very high quality, at only the cost of ~€15 all-in. If you ever find yourself around the Plastira Sq. in Athens, do check em' out.
Met with some greek friends that lived in Athens as well who showed me a really nice time. It's always a pleasant experience to catch-up with old buddies again.
Met with some greek friends that lived in Athens as well who showed me a really nice time. It's always a pleasant experience to catch-up with old buddies again.
3 Malakas
Glad to hear that everyone's doing well! Thanks again for showing me around and letting me sample some traditional greek food. It's pretty funny to keep calling each other 'malakas', even though it's vulgarish - ignorance is always bliss. :D
Meteora
A little poor planning on my end, taking the day trip to Meteora from Athens, instead of going to Litochoro first. Took the train from Athens station to Kalambaka, where I met the tour group to bring us around Meteora.
Meteora is a UNESCO world heritage site, with monasteries built atop rock formations. It translates to 'suspended in the air' in Greek, which was quite apt. It's also the name of Linkin Park's second studio album!
Meteora
Learnt a lot about the history of the monks & nuns in Meteora and how they're able to go about their daily lives climbing up and down these rocks (with ladders and steps of course). Could've probably been more attentive to the guide, but it felt a little too informative then, which was made worse by all the 'enthusiastic' families on holiday. Just really needed the transport around Meteora, and joining a tour group seemed to be the easiest option then. Argh.
Mt Olympus
Had to take the train down from to the quiet town of Litochoro, which was the closest town to Mt Olympus. Went to my hotel and was blessed to meet the sweetest and most helpful owner ever, Stella - bless her soul.
Got supplies from the local supermarket and started to prep for the two day climb which I had to embark on the next day.
Mt Olympus is likely the most iconic mountain of Greece, with its highest elevation being 2918m at Mytikas peak, which also happens to be the highest point in Greece.
Our guide for the trip was with Giannis, a local greek guy who was super fit and showed us the way up the mountain. The ascent was quite painful on the legs, but it was just one of those suffer fest moments that you had go through.
I felt that the paths were a little too exposed for my liking. I was literally on narrow trails at the edge of various other mountains, where one bad slip could become very fatal. The climb up to Mytikas peak had some 'simple-ish' rock-climbing elements, but the speed at which we had to go up, and the presence of so much loose rock made it feel a quite sketchy as well. Nevertheless, I made it to the top.
The amazing sights on the way and the experience of putting your life out there with the sole goal of conquering the mountain, made the whole trip an eventful experience to remember for sure.
Got supplies from the local supermarket and started to prep for the two day climb which I had to embark on the next day.
Mt Olympus is likely the most iconic mountain of Greece, with its highest elevation being 2918m at Mytikas peak, which also happens to be the highest point in Greece.
Our guide for the trip was with Giannis, a local greek guy who was super fit and showed us the way up the mountain. The ascent was quite painful on the legs, but it was just one of those suffer fest moments that you had go through.
View from Kakalos refuge
I felt that the paths were a little too exposed for my liking. I was literally on narrow trails at the edge of various other mountains, where one bad slip could become very fatal. The climb up to Mytikas peak had some 'simple-ish' rock-climbing elements, but the speed at which we had to go up, and the presence of so much loose rock made it feel a quite sketchy as well. Nevertheless, I made it to the top.
Summit of Mytikas (2,918m)
View from the summit
The amazing sights on the way and the experience of putting your life out there with the sole goal of conquering the mountain, made the whole trip an eventful experience to remember for sure.
Will definitely miss Greece and its jovial environment where people are just so happy and enjoying life to its fullest - hopefully I'm able to genuinely do that someday.
