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June 8
Day 28
Contiki Day 19
Athens, GREECE
Day 28
Contiki Day 19
Athens, GREECE
Pit-Stop at Corinth Canal
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Click the pic to view all photos for this entry.
Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite!
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This morning everyone was up by 5:30am to catch our ferry to the Greek mainland. Great! Another damn ferry! I wondered how sick I’d get this time. The ride was only going to be a couple hours, but I was dreading it. All morning through breakfast I tried to mentally prepare myself for the ride. I didn’t eat anything solid, just had some juice and coffee. If I did end up puking, I could at least try to make it hurt less.
Amos arranged for a van to pick up luggage for those of us at the top of the stairs of death. A couple people missed it and had to carry their suitcases all the way to the bottom. I felt really bad for them. It almost looked dangerous.
We boarded the coach and drove to the harbor to catch our ship. Corfu was a relaxing change to our crazy tour. I’m so glad that we had this opportunity to get rested up before splitting off to Egypt and Mykonos. So far, Greece was proving to be a real treat. Great food, great culture, great atmosphere. I tried to compare it to our experiences in France, Spain and Italy, but it was just too different to compare. Each country was so independent and different that it was impossible to pick a favorite. They were all my favorite!
We boarded the ferry and set sail to the mainland. I started feeling slightly dizzy, but it never got any worse than that. I was actually able to enjoy the ride for once. To pass the time, Tiana, Ashley, Andrea and I compared wounds. I don’t know what was causing it, but almost the whole tour was getting covered in mysterious bumps and bruises. I suspect it was from drunken stumbling. On top of that, Andrea had broken out in a really bad rash on her arms and back and Ashley and I were covered in bed bug bites. Parts of us looked as bad as Alexis’s chicken pox. We suspect that we got the bites from our cabins in Florence. Some of the bites were itchy, especially the ones on my sides and hands. They drove me mental and wouldn’t seem to go away.
Amos arranged for a van to pick up luggage for those of us at the top of the stairs of death. A couple people missed it and had to carry their suitcases all the way to the bottom. I felt really bad for them. It almost looked dangerous.
We boarded the coach and drove to the harbor to catch our ship. Corfu was a relaxing change to our crazy tour. I’m so glad that we had this opportunity to get rested up before splitting off to Egypt and Mykonos. So far, Greece was proving to be a real treat. Great food, great culture, great atmosphere. I tried to compare it to our experiences in France, Spain and Italy, but it was just too different to compare. Each country was so independent and different that it was impossible to pick a favorite. They were all my favorite!
We boarded the ferry and set sail to the mainland. I started feeling slightly dizzy, but it never got any worse than that. I was actually able to enjoy the ride for once. To pass the time, Tiana, Ashley, Andrea and I compared wounds. I don’t know what was causing it, but almost the whole tour was getting covered in mysterious bumps and bruises. I suspect it was from drunken stumbling. On top of that, Andrea had broken out in a really bad rash on her arms and back and Ashley and I were covered in bed bug bites. Parts of us looked as bad as Alexis’s chicken pox. We suspect that we got the bites from our cabins in Florence. Some of the bites were itchy, especially the ones on my sides and hands. They drove me mental and wouldn’t seem to go away.
Once we docked and continued our drive to Athens, I helped Ryan hand out our tour’s custom t-shirts. Matt, Peggy, and Yolanda were the members of the t-shirt committee and designed the shirt’s logo. They had been working on it since the beginning of the tour. They took a bit of flack from people about the design, but in the end I think they came up with something that everyone liked. Peggy, who is an amazing artist, designed the final artwork and Ryan sent it off to a company that put it on shirts for us. The final design was the word “ULTIMATE” surrounded by monuments we had/would visit (a pillar from the Parthenon, the Jungfrau mountain, the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, and a Great Pyramid of Giza), the word “EUROPEAN” in fancy letters and a compass surrounded by the New Zealand, Australian, Canadian, and American flags. At the bottom was the title of our day song followed by every country that we would visit. The only thing I didn’t like (although it’s a bit of a nitpick) was that Belgium was in the list of visited countries. Our itinerary didn’t include Belgium - all we did was drive straight through it without stopping. Unless you step foot in a country, I don’t think you have the right to say you’ve been there. I flew over Greenland on the way home - so can I now say that I’ve been to Greenland? Nope! Don’t think so. Plus, the graphics company didn’t even spell it right! It says BeRgium on our shirts. Where the hell is Bergium?!
The back design of our tour's t-shirts
Today was the first and only day that I sat in the front half of the coach. In fact, I was sitting in the very front row right behind Ryan and Amos. Everyone had their usual area that they sat in, but I wanted to sit at the front at least once. It seemed that driving through Greece would be a great time to do it. It was a much different experience at the very front. The view out the front window was really great. It gave a whole new perspective on things. Plus, I got to chat with Ryan and Amos during the drive and got to know them a bit better. I found out that Amos and I both share the same love for Monty Python comedy.
After a few hours and driving across the Rio-Antirio Bridge, we made a pit stop at the Corinth Canal. It is a man-made canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Aegean Sea and separates the Peloponnesian peninsula from the Greek mainland (which actually makes the peninsula an island). I was really stoked to be here since it was featured on the current season of The Amazing Race which I was watching before leaving Canada. We took a few pictures and then spotted a sign for bungee jumping off the canal. Both Ashley and I thought jumping off a bridge over the canal would be a fun thing to do, so we walked to the other side where the bungee office was located. It was CLOSED! We were pretty disappointed. I’ve bungee jumped before, but never from this height.
After a few hours and driving across the Rio-Antirio Bridge, we made a pit stop at the Corinth Canal. It is a man-made canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Aegean Sea and separates the Peloponnesian peninsula from the Greek mainland (which actually makes the peninsula an island). I was really stoked to be here since it was featured on the current season of The Amazing Race which I was watching before leaving Canada. We took a few pictures and then spotted a sign for bungee jumping off the canal. Both Ashley and I thought jumping off a bridge over the canal would be a fun thing to do, so we walked to the other side where the bungee office was located. It was CLOSED! We were pretty disappointed. I’ve bungee jumped before, but never from this height.
Our second pit-stop was at a small town. I can’t for the life of me remember the name of it (if any of my tour mates remember, please e-mail me). We were there just long enough to have lunch. Ryan said that there were some good gyros restaurants near by since that’s what everyone wanted to eat.
Two of the restaurants were side-by-side and one had a Contiki sign out front. Apparently most tours stop here on their way to Athens. The one with the sign was a bit bigger, so everyone automatically went to it. Suddenly the owner from the other restaurant came out and started yelling at the workers of the restaurant we were at. We couldn’t understand what was being said since it was in Greek, but the lady was obviously mad that they were stealing all the business. A couple of us felt bad for the smaller restaurant, so we went there instead. Their gyros were probably just as good as their neighbor’s and they even gave us free ice cream. After stuffing ourselves full we got back on the coach to finish the last leg of our drive.
For the last few hours, Matt, Yolanda and I played card games until we arrived in Athens. As we entered the city, Ryan pointed out a factory that looked like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. It was really colorful.
When we got into town and tried to drive to our hotel, we realized how insane Greek traffic was. Their parking could use some work too. It was so bad that Amos almost couldn’t get through some streets. People would just randomly park anywhere they could fit their cars - even on street corners. It was nuts. We also saw a constipated dog trying to take a dump in the middle of a busy road. It was quite a sight to see. It kept having to move when cars came and couldn’t seem to get it’s business over with. We all cheered it on until it finally dropped a big deuce in the middle of the street.
Trying to get to the hotel was monotonous. We had already been driving for about eight hours and had to spend an extra hour trying to maneuver through the crazy streets. Amos was the king of coach driving, so he worked his magic and finally got us there.
Our lodging tonight, as well as when we got back from Egypt and Mykonos, was a real hotel. Finally! Real beds, bathrooms, showers, clean towels in our rooms. It was like being in Disneyland. After sleeping in small cabins for the last two weeks it was a real treat.
We usually got to choose our roommates, but since the Mykonos people and Egypt people were leaving at different times tomorrow morning, Ryan arranged the rooms so we’d be staying with people doing the same option. Tonight was the first night that I wasn’t staying with Aaron and Adam and I was really looking forward to it. Don’t get me wrong, Aaron and Adam are awesome guys, but I was ready to switch things up a bit. My roommate tonight was John. I hadn’t been able to spend a lot of time with him yet, so I was glad to be with someone that I could get to know a little better.
After getting settled in at the hotel, a bunch of us went out for dinner at a really great restaurant that specialized in traditional Greek food. I had the best kebabs of my life. After dinner we went walking around the city a bit, but we were staying in a subherb in the outskirts of town, so there wasn’t much to see. After a while some people decided to try to find a nightclub, but since I had to fly tomorrow (I get sick when I fly hung over), plus it was going to be a really big day, I decided to take it easy and went back to the hotel.
On the way back, I used a payphone and called my mom one last time before going to Egypt. I wasn’t sure how often I’d have time to call with our crazy itinerary for the next week. When I got off the phone I ran into a group tour mates - most of them were Mykonos people. I suddenly realized that I wouldn’t see them for a whole week, so I said goodbye and wished them a good time. It was almost unthinkable to be away from half the tour for such a long time. After being together 24/7 for so long they had become a permanent part of my reality. I imagined how strange it was going to be traveling with only 27 people instead of our usual 51.
When I arrived back at the hotel a bunch of people were in the lounge having a few drinks. I joined them for a couple beers and chilled for a while. There wasn’t any rush to go to bed tonight since we Egyptians didn’t have to get up until 10:00am. Getting to sleep in that late was a big deal for us since our days usually started around 7:00am. The Mykonos people weren’t as lucky, though. I think they had to be up and on their way by 6:00am.
A lot of the Mykonos people went to bed early tonight. I know it sounds strange, but it was really sad to say goodbye to them. I know we were only going to be apart for six days, but it seemed like an eternity. Ashley, Aaron, Adam, Theresa and Andrea were among the people that were doing the Mykonos option. It seemed especially strange to know that I wouldn’t be seeing any of them for the next little while.
Eventually it was just the Egypt people left in the lounge. It was nice to be able to stay up late without having an early morning looming ahead of us. Kansas Chris, Paula, Mel and I were sitting together and I asked them if they could believe that we were going to be in Africa tomorrow. Nobody could fathom it. Even the suggestion of it seemed implausible. Five years ago, I remember feeling the same way about Europe. It just seemed too far away to reach. Today, I felt the same way about Africa. After we agreed that we couldn’t believe it, the four of us sat there and couldn’t stop giggling. I think our laughs were a mix of excitement and nervousness. Europe, although a different continent, is in many ways culturally similar to North America and Australia/NZ. There aren’t any major adjustments or culture shock to get used to. At our meeting in Beaujolais, we were warned to brace ourselves for some major culture shock in Egypt. I was nervous about that. Nervous and excited. Stuff like that is the reason I travel - experiencing the unknown. It makes my blood pump just thinking about it. Tonight, the fact that we would be in Africa tomorrow just wouldn’t sink in - much the same as before I left for this trip. It felt like tomorrow would be just another day driving on the coach to our next European city. Little did I know that tomorrow would be the first day of THE BEST WEEK OF MY LIFE.
Two of the restaurants were side-by-side and one had a Contiki sign out front. Apparently most tours stop here on their way to Athens. The one with the sign was a bit bigger, so everyone automatically went to it. Suddenly the owner from the other restaurant came out and started yelling at the workers of the restaurant we were at. We couldn’t understand what was being said since it was in Greek, but the lady was obviously mad that they were stealing all the business. A couple of us felt bad for the smaller restaurant, so we went there instead. Their gyros were probably just as good as their neighbor’s and they even gave us free ice cream. After stuffing ourselves full we got back on the coach to finish the last leg of our drive.
For the last few hours, Matt, Yolanda and I played card games until we arrived in Athens. As we entered the city, Ryan pointed out a factory that looked like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. It was really colorful.
When we got into town and tried to drive to our hotel, we realized how insane Greek traffic was. Their parking could use some work too. It was so bad that Amos almost couldn’t get through some streets. People would just randomly park anywhere they could fit their cars - even on street corners. It was nuts. We also saw a constipated dog trying to take a dump in the middle of a busy road. It was quite a sight to see. It kept having to move when cars came and couldn’t seem to get it’s business over with. We all cheered it on until it finally dropped a big deuce in the middle of the street.
Trying to get to the hotel was monotonous. We had already been driving for about eight hours and had to spend an extra hour trying to maneuver through the crazy streets. Amos was the king of coach driving, so he worked his magic and finally got us there.
Our lodging tonight, as well as when we got back from Egypt and Mykonos, was a real hotel. Finally! Real beds, bathrooms, showers, clean towels in our rooms. It was like being in Disneyland. After sleeping in small cabins for the last two weeks it was a real treat.
We usually got to choose our roommates, but since the Mykonos people and Egypt people were leaving at different times tomorrow morning, Ryan arranged the rooms so we’d be staying with people doing the same option. Tonight was the first night that I wasn’t staying with Aaron and Adam and I was really looking forward to it. Don’t get me wrong, Aaron and Adam are awesome guys, but I was ready to switch things up a bit. My roommate tonight was John. I hadn’t been able to spend a lot of time with him yet, so I was glad to be with someone that I could get to know a little better.
After getting settled in at the hotel, a bunch of us went out for dinner at a really great restaurant that specialized in traditional Greek food. I had the best kebabs of my life. After dinner we went walking around the city a bit, but we were staying in a subherb in the outskirts of town, so there wasn’t much to see. After a while some people decided to try to find a nightclub, but since I had to fly tomorrow (I get sick when I fly hung over), plus it was going to be a really big day, I decided to take it easy and went back to the hotel.
On the way back, I used a payphone and called my mom one last time before going to Egypt. I wasn’t sure how often I’d have time to call with our crazy itinerary for the next week. When I got off the phone I ran into a group tour mates - most of them were Mykonos people. I suddenly realized that I wouldn’t see them for a whole week, so I said goodbye and wished them a good time. It was almost unthinkable to be away from half the tour for such a long time. After being together 24/7 for so long they had become a permanent part of my reality. I imagined how strange it was going to be traveling with only 27 people instead of our usual 51.
When I arrived back at the hotel a bunch of people were in the lounge having a few drinks. I joined them for a couple beers and chilled for a while. There wasn’t any rush to go to bed tonight since we Egyptians didn’t have to get up until 10:00am. Getting to sleep in that late was a big deal for us since our days usually started around 7:00am. The Mykonos people weren’t as lucky, though. I think they had to be up and on their way by 6:00am.
A lot of the Mykonos people went to bed early tonight. I know it sounds strange, but it was really sad to say goodbye to them. I know we were only going to be apart for six days, but it seemed like an eternity. Ashley, Aaron, Adam, Theresa and Andrea were among the people that were doing the Mykonos option. It seemed especially strange to know that I wouldn’t be seeing any of them for the next little while.
Eventually it was just the Egypt people left in the lounge. It was nice to be able to stay up late without having an early morning looming ahead of us. Kansas Chris, Paula, Mel and I were sitting together and I asked them if they could believe that we were going to be in Africa tomorrow. Nobody could fathom it. Even the suggestion of it seemed implausible. Five years ago, I remember feeling the same way about Europe. It just seemed too far away to reach. Today, I felt the same way about Africa. After we agreed that we couldn’t believe it, the four of us sat there and couldn’t stop giggling. I think our laughs were a mix of excitement and nervousness. Europe, although a different continent, is in many ways culturally similar to North America and Australia/NZ. There aren’t any major adjustments or culture shock to get used to. At our meeting in Beaujolais, we were warned to brace ourselves for some major culture shock in Egypt. I was nervous about that. Nervous and excited. Stuff like that is the reason I travel - experiencing the unknown. It makes my blood pump just thinking about it. Tonight, the fact that we would be in Africa tomorrow just wouldn’t sink in - much the same as before I left for this trip. It felt like tomorrow would be just another day driving on the coach to our next European city. Little did I know that tomorrow would be the first day of THE BEST WEEK OF MY LIFE.
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