FINALLY! I found my shoe size! It is behemoth!

Day 4

So, today is our last day in Santorini :-( and we are really sad about it. Candice was freaking out pretty much all day because she is terrified of flying, and we were flying back to Athens from Santorini. We ate breakfast at the same crepe place because that is just how good it was. I got a crepe with peaches, honey, and whipped cream. SO GOOD. We then decided to go to Oia which is a difference town within the island of Santorini. We stayed in Fira, or Thira, as they spell it. So, we went there because we heard it had the best views, and the typical Santorini look. We hopped on a bus and drove, yet again, on a cliff side ledge. It wasn’t as bad this time, but it was still scary. So, we arrived and walked around and shopped a bit. The problem was that it was SO HOT. Like, so, so hot. Not to mention all the stairs! I seriously don’t know how old people live there. There are way too many steps. It was pretty touristy too. I am glad we stayed where we did.

We were in this one little shop though that had a whole bunch of beads hanging from this jewelry stand, and this really cute, blonde headed kid was like hitting the beads as if he was playing the drums. The store owner clearly wanted to say something to him, but his parents were shopping around, so he didn’t. He was super entertaining for me though. We bussed back to Thira after hanging out for a while because we REALLY wanted to get gyros before we left. And it was definitely worth it. The gyros were so good. They served them not all wrapped up, but on a plate where you pretty much made it yourself. The lamb though…oh..the lamb was SO good. It was off one of those rotating spits and was seasoned to perfection. I loved it. I also had Greek beer for the first time which was pretty good too!

We got some gelato for the last time and then chilled at the hostel until our flight because it was so hot outside. We looked at pictures from our Greece trip which was pretty hilarious and from everywhere we have been so far. It is crazy how quickly this trip is going by. Sometimes it feels like it is dragging on which is most of the time spent on the ship, but I seriously can’t believe we only have three countries left. It is crazy because I was looking forward to this trip for SO long. I also wrote some postcards while we sat there. Eventually, it was time to leave for the airport, so the people from our hostel gave us a free ride to the airport which was so kind. We got our boarding passes and went through security which was pretty dinky and not very secure at all. They had these little printouts that said you could only bring 100ml of liquids, but I’m pretty sure you would have been fine bringing them. It was a super small baggage checker and two guards. It was VERY different from the U.S., but for obviously reasons of course.

We had a little time before our flight so we played asshole and spoons (card games) which was pretty fun and helped Candice with her nerves. The gate to board the flight was literally a door that leads to a shuttle that drove you straight to the airplane outside. You got off the bus and could board the plane from the front or back door which was a little weird. Yet again, low security. Candice was pretty much freaking out by this point, so I asked her if she wanted me to sit with her because the flight was pretty empty. She was near tears, so I just let her go. To make matters even better, the pilot was AWFUL. He was swerving around on the runway, and there was really bad turbulence. The flight was ridiculously short though. We were only in the air for a half hour, so I’m glad we did it because the ferry would have taken 6 hours!

So, the main thing I LOVED about Greece was the people. Literally, every single person I met was so kind and helpful. I didn’t meet a single mean or rude person. It was insane. For example, when we went to pay for our hostel, Nicole, Katie, and I were trying to figure out if he wanted us to pay with a credit card or with cash. We were trying to ask him, and he was just like “hey, hey, girls. Don’t worry, be happy. We will figure it out in due time.” Haha. Like how funny is that? Everyone we asked for directions was super helpful, and it honestly stuck out as a crazy thing. I loved everyone I met.

Our flight landed, and we found out we had to take an hour long bus ride to get back to the ship. So, we grabbed some food, hopped on the bus, and settled in. Candice was in SUCH a great mood from living through the flight, so that was pretty funny. There were also a lot of other SASers on the bus which was kind of annoying but whatever. We got back to the ship and hit a huge line of people going through security to get back on the ship. Usually, after a port like this where people travel on their own, getting back on the ship is a pain because everyone has a bigger bag, and the security people RIP it apart looking for alcohol. Super annoying. Also, they were drug testing about every other person that got on the ship. I didn’t get tested, but Megan, Nicole, and Candice did which was kind of funny. If your drug test is positive, they kick you off the ship. So, by the time we all got back on, it was super late, so we just went to sleep!

Day 5

The last day we were in port, we decided to explore Athens a bit! I was SO happy that we had been traveling around Greece because I guess there had been a bunch of strikes and riots in Athens which made getting around really hard. The taxi cab drivers had a strike on one of the days we were there by literally stopping all of their taxis in the middle of major streets within Athens. So, obviously, buses and other cars couldn’t get around either. A lot of people on the ship were pretty pissed, but we didn’t have to deal with it which was nice.
So, we decided to go to the flea market in Athens on our last day which is actually just a bunch of cool shops in one area. To get there, we had to take a bus and then transfer to the metro. The bus ride was fine, but we were confused about how to get on the metro. Yet again, some really nice Greek women let us follow them to the metro and showed us how to get a ticket. They had passes so they went ahead of us. We were confused about which train we were actually supposed to get on, but a man helped us and the driver of the metro held the door open for us longer because we were confused. People here are ridiculously nice.

Anyways, we were on the metro on the way to the flea market, and there were the CUTEST two little brothers on the metro with three older women. One boy was in a stroller, and the other was old enough to walk. The older one was quite the trouble maker and was dancing for us and spinning around on the metro. He kept getting in trouble, but he was so cute. His little brother kept sticking his tongue out at me and making funny faces, so I of course did it right back. They were a lot of fun. They got of two stops before us, and as the older boy was getting off, he blew us a kiss! Cutest thing ever. The women they were with were kind of mean though, and the boys had definitely not showered in a long time. It was really sad. They were so cute and were so full of life. Hopefully they stay that way even though they probably aren’t in the best situation.

So, we got off at the flea market, and our number one goal was to find this man that makes handmade Greek sandals. We were looking for him for a while, but we eventually came across a small door that led down off the main street into a small basement. The basement smelled strongly of leather and had shoes from ceiling to floor. At the bottom of the stairs there was this adorable old man sweeping the floor. He invited us all the way down the stairs, and the frenzy of trying on sandals began. Fun fact: I am a size 42 in European sizes. There sizes are a little bit confusing, but his sandals were really beautiful, so I got a pair. We walked down a little further and just killed some time, browsed, and people watched. It was really relaxing because most of the market was shady which helped with the heat. Our friend Amanda led us to this really great gelato place where we of course got gelato. It was delicious.

After that, we took the metro back to the city where the ship was, and we had lunch at a small little café. They served smaller gyros which were the perfect size for a small lunch, so we got those and I got a glass of wine. We relaxed there for a while and headed back to the boat, so we could use some of the free wi-fi that the port had. It was still really early at home though, but I got to talk to my dad which was really nice. I miss home way more than I thought I would. I guess this is the first time I have been away for longer than a week or two though. I mean I guess I haven’t lived at home when I am at school, but everyone is at least a phone call away. It is hard not being able to pick up the phone and check on things.

So, that was Greece. I would definitely come back in the future, but I would probably go to a more remote, non-populated island if I did. I actually would just come back because of how welcoming, kind, and helpful all the people here were for our entire stay. Especially the people at our hostel. If anyone ever goes to Santorini and wants a cheaper place to stay, please let me recommend you to these guys. They were so nice!