Greece!

Athens

I started my Europe trip in Athens, Greece. I stayed at the Students & Travellers Inn right in the downtown neighbourhood of Plaka, between the Acropolis and the National Gardens. I only had one full day in Athens, which I think was an appropriate amount of time to spend there. You can also walk pretty much everywhere, which is great.

In the morning, I went for a run in the National Gardens. Then I went to the Acropolis. It was quiet when I arrived but rapidly became crowded with tourists, so I highly recommend going first thing in the morning.

After going to the Acropolis, someone I met at the hostel and I went to a cute brunch place called Yiasemi. I had had a big breakfast so I wasn't very hungry but I had some delicious fresh lemonade.

We then made our way to the Pnyka (the Hill of the Nymphs), passing by the lovely Roman Agora on the way.

The Roman Agora in Athens.

Walking up to the top of the hill Pnyka, we had great views onto the Acropolis (shown below), and unlike the Acropolis it was not crowded with tourists.

The view of the Acropolis from the Pnyka.

For lunch we had traditional Greek spinach and cheese pie. Afterwards, we got gelato at a place called La Greche - I had chocolate earl grey - and just walked around. For dinner, I went to The Rose of Taste, which offers many traditional Greek dishes. I had some aubergine dip with bread.

Crete

I flew from Athens to Heraklion, a city on the island of Crete. Crete is the largest Greek island - it has several large towns, even some snow-capped mountains. From Heraklion I took a bus to Rethymno then another bus to Plakias.

I stayed at an amazing hostel called Youth Hostel Plakias. This was my favourite hostel from my entire trip. The atmosphere was so welcoming and warm, with many guests being "regulars" - returning to stay there a few weeks each year for many years. The hostel includes a semi-outdoor kitchen, dining area, grassy fields, olive trees and hammocks for lounging.

Upon arriving, I headed to the beach and went for a quick swim even though the water was a little chilly (it was mid-May)!

My stay in Crete was lovely and relaxing. I learned to embrace lazy mornings (despite it being against my nature), lounging in the hammock and reading my book. I bought feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes and red peppers and made myself some Greek salad at the hostel (a much cheaper option than eating out). I also enjoyed exploring the town of Plakias and the waterfront.

I went for a 20 km run along an old farm road up in the hills, which offered me stunning views of the island - olive groves, craggy peaks and pristine blue bays.

One of the highlights of my trip was a visit to Taverna Sarakas in Kato Poros - a village of only about 100 people up in the mountains. Around a dozen of us from the hostel went there for dinner, and it was AMAZING. The owner, a Greek farmer, grew all of the vegetables in his garden, made his own wine, and made his own cheese from the milk he got from his sheep and goats. The honey came from the next town over and the bread came from the village bakery. Every was fresh, local, and prepared in the traditional manner. We were all so quiet because we were so focused on enjoying the incredible meal! We ate Greek salad, soft cheese called anthotyro eaten with bread and honey, hortopita (pastry filled with greens), and more. It was an unforgettable experience.

Another highlight of my stay in Crete was a river walk hike to a secret magic bridge. This is truly a hidden gem - two other guests from the hostel and I were the only ones there. We had to walk over an hour in a shallow river - sometimes scrabbling over rather steep rocky bits - to get to this ancient stone bridge in the middle of a ravine. We were surrounded by trees, rocks, birdsong and nothing else. It was pretty special. The walk back took us through the pretty town of Myrthios.

Some other great foods to try in Greece include Greek salad, souvlaki (you can get halloumi souvlaki if you're vegetarian - it's pretty tough to be vegan in Greece though so I didn't even try), baklava (though it technically isn't traditionally Greek), Greek yogurt and Greek honey.

My last night in Crete I stayed in Rethymno. It's a much bigger town than Plakias, which is basically just a beach town. I stayed at Youth Hostel Rethymno which, like Youth Hostel Plakias, had a wonderful social atmosphere.

From Rethymno, I went to Heraklion to catch my 9:30 am ferry to Santorini. Unfortunately, I misread the bus schedule and ended up having to take a cab...it was so expensive! I learned I had to be a lot more careful, meticulous and organized in my planning if I wanted to avoid unexpected and avoidable expenses like that one.

Santorini

Upon arriving in Santorini, I was amazed to see how high the cliffs were. It's this black, volcanic island with clusters of white houses perched on the tops of the cliffs. I often saw the buildings out of the corner of my eye and had to do a double take because they almost looked like snow!

Thira, Santorini.

I took the local bus up to Karterados, then I walked to my hostel, Caveland. Karterados is about a 25 minute walk from the main town, Thira (or Fira). It's not a super convenient location, but Santorini is rather expensive so you can't be too picky. Besides, I enjoy walking. The hostel is quaint and simple, featuring typical Santorini architecture. It sort of reminded me of the hotel in Mamma Mia!

I met a girl from Florida as we both got off the both and headed to the hostel, and she became my Santorini travel buddy. I was worried that I would get lonely or bored traveling alone, and while some hostels are more social than others, I did often meet other solo travellers who were happy to do day trip activities with me. You just have to be brave and not be afraid or shy to introduce yourself!

The first evening we explored Thira, had lunch at a place with lovely views of the sea, and later went out for drinks with two other girls from the hostel at a nearby place called Katerina's.

The next day, the four of us walked down to the Old Port of Fira to catch our Volcano & Hot Springs Boat Tour. The boat took us to the nearby island of Nea Kameni, which means "New Burnt". We hiked up to the top of the active volcano. The boat then took us to smaller island of Palea Kameni ("Old Burnt") to swim in the "hot springs", which are in reality only slightly warmer than the chilly surrounding Mediterranean waters. Still, it was a fun day trip excursion. Afterwards we took the cable car back up to Fira.

In the evening, my Florida friend Madi and I took the bus to the town of Oia to see the famous blue domes. Unfortunately it was kind of stormy so we didn't get much of a sunset, but that did mean that the crowds weren't so bad.

Oia's famous blue domes.

The next day I hiked up to the highest point on the island. First I walked from Karterados to Pyrgos, then up to Monastery of the Prophet Elias, where I had beautiful views of the whole island.

In the afternoon I took a bus to Akrotiri and then walked to the red sand beach.

The next day I went to Kamari beach, a volcanic black sand beach.

In the evening I did the 10 km hike from Fira to Oia. It's an absolutely beautiful and scenic walk - definitely something you have to do while in Santorini. I arrived in Oia just in time for sunset. It was crowded with tourists and newly-weds so I didn't stay long, but it was lovely. I got some mango sorbet, vanilla gelato and chocolate sorbet at Lolita's gelateria and it was awesome.

I LOVED Greece - the food, the climate, the scenery, the beaches. I could have spent months exploring Greece alone. I only visited two of the many Greek islands and hardly explored the mainland at all. I definitely want to go back to Greece someday.

If you want any more detailed information or specific recommendations then feel free to send me a message or an email!

Xo,

Sophie

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