Tsipouro!

After two full weeks enjoying and meandering my way down the coasts of Italy I had had my fıll of pizza pasta, and gelato and was ready to make a hop, skip, and jump from Italia over to Greece.  As a frınge benifit of having my Eurail Pass (which I used for train traveling around Europe) the ferry from the port town of Bari, Italy to Patras, Athens was free.  But though free in cost, it was not so in time!  After a long 2 days and a walk, bus, ferry, train, transfer train, ferry, bus, train, metro, sleep, taxi, ferry, and van ride I found myself exhausted but contently eating yougurt filled pita wraps on Santorini in the Greek Isles! 

Santorini is one of the more well known islands and famous for its architecture, sunsets, and volcano.  Though heavily trodden my tourists during the peak summer months it is now the start of the off season and consequently less crowded.  In fact, it was nearly dead!  The people take full advantage of the peak months by working non-stop without a day off for 7 months straight... then close up shop and move off the island or chill out the other 5 months a year.  Arriving during the transition afforded me a smoking deal on the cost of my accomodations (10 Euro per night), activities & food, and gave me the opportunity to relax and reflect on my last 3 months away from home and travels throughout Western Europe.

Originally planning on spending just a couple days on Santorini and island hoping to another locale before heading to Athens I stayed put and spent 5 days exploring all the nooks and crannies of the area:  On day one I hired an ATV 4-Wheeler and drove all over the island from coast-to-coast, shore-to-peak, and end-to-end getting a bearing on the place and mapping out places to explore further in the days after.  Trekking to the ancient city ruins of Thia, taking in the sunset view from Oia, naps on the black sand beaches of Perissa, and eating Pitas was how I passed the time!

My last day included a short boat trip and tour of the sunken volcano crater, a swim in the salt water Hot Springs, a donkey ride up the adjacent island of Therasia, and a near death experience with the driver back to my accomodations from the boat port!  Along the way I met my first fellow Hawaiian travelers (Royce from Oahu and a honeymoon couple from Waimea), a Canadian girl (named Jenny), and two students from Pennsylvania on exchange in Greece (Lauren and Larissa).  We were travel buddies for the day and scored sunny skies, excellent Gelato, and each others company :)

Back in Athens it was time to see the Acropolis and celebrate my BIG 30th with some familiar faces from home (Kanoa & Sonya Chung)!  The Chungs had been on a visit to the Holy Land of Israel and, though I had hoped to rendezvous wıth them there (did not coordinate with my schedule), we caught up in Athens.  Admiring the Acropolis, visiting the ruined Temple of Zeus, and accompanying them on their hunt for authentic Greek sandals made for a great couple days.  We shared some excellent meals and the one in particular on my birthday evening at Gods Restaurant (I ate here three nights in a row after getting a suggestion from a local and making friends with the staff) will be well remembered - birthday bonuses included chocolate cake and a round of glasses of Tsipouro (it will put hair on your chest let me tell you!).

After getting my hands Greecie it was on the road again... and the beginning of the transitiıon from the Western part of the world to the Eastern via Turkey!!!

Pita pita

A long 2 days and a walk, bus, ferry, train, transfer train, ferry, bus, train, metro, sleep, taxi, ferry, and van ride away from Italy and I find myself now eating yougurt filled pita wraps on Santorini in the Greek Isles! 

Here's a teaser before I get a chance to make a proper bolg entry down the road! 

As famously written by J.R. Tolkein - "Little by little, one travels far."

PS

Bear in mind there are many more photo's in my Picasa Web Albums available for you to view by simply clicking on any of the thumbnails on the right side of the screen!  Enjoy. 

Italian 4th Course - Positano

In my opinion dinner is best planned around dessert... choose what sweet you need to leave room for and make your entree selection accordingly!  In Positano, along the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy, I found just that... sweet place, sweet people, and sweet times :) 

Did I mention the famous city of Pompei (frozen in time by the ash poured upon it by the violent eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79) was on the way?



And then... the beautiful coast... Positano is much less known than the town of Amalfi (from which the coast bears its name) and is consequently much less touristic although has everything you need to soak up the joys of Italy.  Including amazing treks:

The beach (although it is more cobble stones than sand):

And great people (like Carla and Cosimo - a brother and sister that ran the hostel I stayed in), "that guy" from the resturant next door that kept us entertained, and the other travelers staying at Hostel Brikette.  It seemed that the flavours of Positano attracted the same kind of travelers and everyone at Brikette shared in each others company in a way I found 'unique' so far during my hostel stays along my travels!  Positano will have a fond place in my heart and, to me, represented the best Italy had to offer... It was a dessert that knocked your socks off :)

Italian 3rd Course - Roma (Rome)

After wetting my appetite with some time back in nature in the Cinque Terre it was time for the main course - Roma (Rome)!  The train ride down provided for a transfer and couple hour layover in Pisa... just enough time to see that leaning tower we all know & love and snap a few shots...

I looked forward for along time to the day I got to visit the ancient sites of Rome (with thoughts of The Gladitor movie) and see them in all their splendor.  And, while the sites did not dissappoint, I have to admit the city itself did.  Albeit for the ancient sites within, Rome could just as well have been any other overcrowded city in the world.  But oh were the likes of the Colosseum, Vatican, and city ruins impressive and awe-inspiring!

Not to mention the famous (I don't know exactly why) Spainish Steps, Pantheon, and Trevi fountain.

After two full days of tramping around the city streets I had about done all the site seeing and dealing with street peddlers I could handle and, based on some recommendations, headed for a day trip just outside the city to visit some ruins away from the crowds.  Ostia Antica:

And, "ruined" out, plotted my course back towards more mellow locales and the shores (or cliffs rather) of the Amalfi Coast!

Italian 2nd Course - The Cinque Terre

If the waters of Venice were somewhat of a refreshment, then arriving at the Cinque Terre was a tantalzing appetizer... Italian 2nd Course - The Cinque Terre!

The Cinque Terra is the collective name given to five villages (Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore) that lie along a stretch of rugged coast in the Italian Riveria.  Connected by a foot path, the villages cling to the cliffs above the lapping waters of the Mediterranean Sea and provide an amazing backdrop for exploring the surrounding areas along the many hiking trails.

As luck would have it some close family friends not only happen to be enjoying a few days of their Italian holiday in the Cinque Terra at the same time but also be it in Monterosso (the same village) one street over from my place!  Tom & Candi Lacour and I did a short portion of one of the village-to-village treks one morning and enjoyed beautiful weather and conversation... it was a great to have some familiar faces from home :)

The Lacours were also gracious enough to treat me to a few great Italian meals of which I thankfully enjoyed :)  Four days enjoying the area was great and, with the threat of an incoming storm blowing into the area, it was time again to hit the road...