Showing posts with label Greece. Show all posts

Friday, November 10, 2006

Part 28: The End of Second Balkan Trip

End of the Second Balkan Trip

Date: Monday, Aug 14, 2006
Place: Athens, Greece

Due to the unpleasant experience and loss of property on the train D381 from Krakow to Sighisoara, I no longer feel safe to take an overnight train in Eastern Europe. From Sofia to Athens by train, it is a very long train ride, maybe more than 12 hours. Also, I would have to change train in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city in the North. To save time, I would need to take an overnight train from Sofia to Thessaloniki, but I didn't want to take overnight train...

So I bought an one-way ticket on Aegean Air from Sofia to Athens. With a cost more than 100 Euro, it may be more than the total amounts I spent in my 2 and 1/2 days in Bulgaria (:( But at least that afforded me more time to see Bulgaria and also have better sense of security by flying.

Compared to Greece's notorious national airline, Olimpics (which I heard the service is very unfriendly), Aegean seems a "boutique airline" like AirBerlin. The seat is comfortable and they even offered two (small) sandwiches on an one and an half hours' flight!
I did not go into the city of Athens after my arrival. I have seen enough of Athens by now. Since there are still many Greek islands I would like to explore in the future, I know I will still have opportunities to come back I guess.

After more than 4 hours' wait and wandering around in the Airport, I finally boarded the Thai flight to Bangkok.

Saying farewell to the Continent I like to travel to most, I know I will be back. Maybe to another different (set of) country(ies). Very soon, I think.

Monday, September 4, 2006

Part VI: Trapped in Athens

Trapped in Athens

Date: Friday, Jul 14, 2006
Place: Athens, Greece

I decided not taking Pink Palace's shuttle bus to go back to Athens. Partly because it is an overnight bus (I preferred to sleep in a comfy bed). Partly because I didn't want to be in a same bus again with a bunch of drunk party animals...

So I had to wake up very early today to take the earliest bus to go back to Athens. It was like, 12 hours' bus ride (including an one hour ferry ride back to mainland). The bus is not very comfortable. Even the air condition is not powerful enough to handle Greece's afternoon heat. I felt completely exhausted when I arrived at Athens bus terminal around 5:30 pm.

I took the local bus to airport immediately (great that now they offer direct bus between Athens long distance bus terminal and international airport and the bus map is relatively clear to decipher). But unfortunately, after arriving at the airport, easyJet told me the flight to Berlin was canceled. They changed to leave at tomorrow morning at 10:20 am.

At first, I was quite upset. I would need to change hotel reservation in Berlin. And I might miss part of Love Parade on Saturday. But later it dawned on me that this might be actually a blessing.

Unlike many US based airlines (as the very unpleasant experience I had with United Airline a few years back), easyJet did pay for our hotel stay and even dinner that night. And it was Sofitel! (one of the higher end hotel chain, owned by French)...Well, this turns to be the best hotel I would stay in this whole trip.

After 5 nights in a "low-budget" party hostel in Corfu, it was a welcomed change.

Sunday, September 3, 2006

Part V: (I don't want to) Party All the Time - Corfu, Greece

(I don't want to) Party All the Time

Date: Thursday, Jul 13, 2006
Place: Agio Gordis, Corfu Island, Greece

So I ended up staying on Corfu Island for 5 nights.

After the long daytrip to Albania, I thought I needed a full day's rest before I took another very long bus ride back to Athens, to catch a flight to Berlin. So after returning from Albania, I paid for two more nights in Corfu. Then I started to regret, maybe I wasted too much of my precious vacation time in a same boring place. I should have at least traveled to other Ionian islands nearby.

To be fair, Corfu is a very beautiful island (that is why it is so touristy, all right?) with many nice sandy beaches. It is relatively green compared to other Greek islands (On the Adriatic side of the Balkan there is higher average rainfall). The old center of Corfu Town has some nice buildings and squares. It feels partly Italian (used to be ruled by Venetians for hundreds of years), partly French (Napolean occupied Corfu in the early 19th century), and even a little bit British with its cricket court (Great Britain took it over after defeating Napolean but returned it after Greek independence). However, I did not stay in Corfu Town and it usually took some time to get there. I did not have many opportunities to appreciate Corfu Town. There are only 6 buses a day between Agio Gordis and Corfu Town. I do not even had chance to sample Corfu Town nightlife: The last bus returns to Agio Gordis before 8 pm.

Agio Gordis, where the Pink Palace Hostel/Resort is located, is a nice small town itself. There is a sandy cove, some parts of it with very clear and turquois water. However, it is the hotel I stayed that I eventually got so tired of.

As I mentioned in the earlier blogs, Pink Palace is a "party complex for 20-something backpackers." They are mostly (very) young and not sophisticated. There are surprisingly huge number of Spaniards. When the Spaniards get drunk, they become very, very loud. My room is right next to a small swimming pool (or actually a large Jacuzzi?). Every night around 3 to 4 am, after the complex's disco closes, there is always a lot of noise outside of my room. Some drunk kids just jumped into the pool (possibly naked) for the last fun before heading to bed. And then, there are some American guys working at the resort (well, they are not E.U citizens, how can they work in Greece? I meant, legally?) who act like Casanova, constantly trying to pick up female guests....A reserved, sophisticated (heh), and quiet Asian boy (boy?) like me somewhat felt I was completely out of places...

The disco does play some decent dance music. Sitting there for an hour also helped me to know what are the hottest dance songs this summer in Europe (now I think Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" should be this summer's biggest hit in Europe). In addition, the drinks they serve are cheap and tasty (at happy hour, Singapore Sling and Tequila Sunrise cost only 1.5 Euro). Actually by the last night, I started to like their disco and hanging around there. I even started to enjoy hanging out with these Spaniards. They are less reserved and fun to be with indeed. However, it is time to go, to go back to 'civilization'.

To go back to Athens.

Friday, September 1, 2006

Part III: To Alba or Not to...

To Alba or Not to...

Date: Monday, Jul 10, 2006
Place: Agio Gordis, Corfu Island, Greece

To Alba, or not to Alba, that is my current question.

No, I'm not talking about Jessica Alba (if it's her, then the answer is definitely yes, si, da!), I'm talking about Albania.
This is my second day in the Greek Island of Corfu and I am not even ready to leave yet. Even though Corfu is not located in the Aegean Sea (as most Greek islands are), it is one of the most popular Island destinations in Europe. Since it is on Greece's northwest coast (Ionian Sea), not too far from southeastern end of Italy (the heel of the "Boot"), many backpackers make a stop here on their way to Italy or to Athens.

I am staying at "Pink Palace," the famous 20-something backpackers' party hostel/resort complex (unfortunately for me) at Agio Gordis, at the west coast of Corfu Island. After a long night's bus from Athens, with a bus full of horny Spanish teenage girls (who, I doubt, understand much English), I arrived at the Hostel on Sunday morning around 7am. There are still drunk people, wearing pink toga, (later I found, they have "toga party" every Saturday night), wandering around the 24-hours bar and reception area.
I was sort of lucky. They assigned me a single room, with a double bed (instead of dorm room with other guys) for 25 Euros/day. Dinner and breakfast are included. The room is also next to the swimming pool and not far from the beach.

I went to take a nap and did not wake up until 4pm! I was supposed to travel to Corfu Town (the main town of the Island) to find out
ferry schedule to Saranda, Albania. But now it was too late to make a trip into town. The last bus had gone. (A taxi would cost 20 Euro). And I did not want to go to town early in the morning, with all my heavy belongings, and find out that there is no ferry to Albania on the next day.

So I decided to stay for another night.

Sunday night (July 9th) was also the night for the FIFA world Cup Final in Berlin, Germany. I watched the Final with a huge group of backpackers in the Hostel's TV room. The game felt quite lackluster to me since neither team scored in the whole 120 minutes' game and the winner had to be determined by penalty kicks. Italy won. Whatever. It was an anti-climax match anyway since both my favorite team, Brazil and Germany, were already eliminated in earlier stages.

Well, at least for years to come, I can tell people that I was in Europe, watching the World Cup Final with a group of European youths when it was held in Europe (heh) in 2006...

Today (Monday) I went to Corfu Town and found out, yes, there are two companies operating ferries to Saranda every morning. It is as expensive as I read, 15 Euro, each way (plus 10 Euro entry visa fee for everybody). I also found that Ionian Cruise company operates a daytrip to Albania everyday for only 25 to 28 Euro (cheaper than roundtrip ferry fare). With the daytrip, you can choose to go to a ancient Greek site at Butrinti (a UNESCO site), possibly the best archeological site in Albania. Now this daytrip sounds appealing.

I know a "daytrip" is absolutely not a good way to know a country. With a daytrip to Albania, I will be also not able to make it to Albanian capital, Tirana. With my LP Guide, Tirana is 8 hours' bus ride from Saranda. It is a long drive (even it is only 290 km), and I heard Albanian highway is among the most bumpy in Europe (wow, the bumpy memory of Cambodian highway now come back to haunt me...) Tirana is not a very pretty city anyway. So...

Should I just stay longer for Corfu's beach and sun?

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Part II - It's A Different City

It's A Different City

Date: Saturday, Jul 08, 2006
Place: Athens, Greece

It's been 13 years since last time I visited Athens, Greece.

Many things have changed in my life in these 13 years (though many things remain unchanged even though I wish them to).
Many things in Athens also have changed. Sometimes I feel I arrived at a different city. First of all, I arrived at a new airport, a more modern and organized airport. Then, there is Athens' new metro(subway) system I hopped on. I think getting to host an Olympic Game does help a city to develop much better infrastructure and hence improves its mass transit system (though Atlanta's mass transit system still sucks after its own Olympics). Of course, most familiar things associated to Athens are still around: Acropolis, Constitution Square (and those soldiers still wearing ballet skirts and funny shoes with pompom). Even the hotel I stayed 13 years ago, Hotel Olympics, is still around.

On the date I left Taipei, I found another shuttle bus traveling between Athens and Corfu Island. It is operated by the Pink Palace Hotel (www.thepinkpalace.com). The hotel complex is described by Lonely Planet Greece as "considered the must-do hassel-free party palace for those on the European backpacker circuit." and "like a 20-somethings' summer camp." It sounds like some place for me, 10 years ago.

The bus leaves from a youth hostel in Athens at 8 pm and arrives around 6:30 am next day directly to the hostel in Corfu. Its 55 Euro price tag includes the bus ride, ferry fare, one night's hotel stay (which itself includes both breakfast and dinner). Well, should I try it? Corfu is one of the most popular Greek islands and of course it is very touristy. But it should be a more relaxing first stop for this long trip than Tirana, Albania.

Walking towards Athens train station, I accidentally found the postings for buses traveling from Athens to Tirana, Albania (finally, there is one!). Though the posting is only in Greek and Albanian, the lady at front desk does speak some English. the bus is also an overnight bus leaving at 8 pm and arrives in Tirana next morning (though I doubt it is more likely arriving in the afternoon...)

So both overnight buses leave Athens at 8 pm tonight. And where should I go to first? Go to the party parade in Corfu? Or being an intrepid traveler, going to less visited Albania. Decision, decision...

Walking around the Plaka Distrct of Athens, I found a great restaurant to have some tasty souvalaki (1.5 Euro if take-out). Some fond memories about Athens came back from 13 years ago. Walking around Athens this afternoon, I can rekindle these sweet memories from 13 years ago.

I do not need to make a decision for my next destination for another few hours...