Greece
A pre-Asia warmup, if you will.
So I’ve stepped off the plane. I’ve instantly got a sweat stache. It was new and irritating at first, but after a few days you give up wiping it off every few minutes and it just becomes a permanent slug-like addition to your upper lip. I never do any research before I travel, I prefer to come in blind and learn while seeing and doing. (what I actually prefer is simply not to do research period, but I’ll take the blind wanderlust as a silver lining). I’m a touch-the-stove kinda gal. My dad won’t let me forget that. Therefore, I really wasn’t sure what to expect in Athens, in hostels, traveling with friends, etc. Here are my thoughts so far.
I’m very grateful to be traveling with friends this time around. I got very lonely on the my last solo trip. I’m joining some of my friends from Kingston who have already been traveling together for two months around Europe. They are hostel-vets and I’m a newbie. What a scene! You meet tons of characters. I’m also grateful that my two friends are extroverts because I can sit and smile awkwardly, as I do best, and still make new friends! Although, I haven’t met anybody normal or sane enough to keep around in the long-term. Turns out backpackers are a social bunch, but painfully odd.
We saw the acropolis. It was stunning. I can’t comprehend how these structures were built way back when, or what society must have looked like in ancient Greece. I watched the sunset every night. Our hostel had a rooftop terrace with 360º views, which was a magical way to end every night. This was a nicer, bigger hostel than what I’ve heard others to be, where bunk beds had individual curtains, walls, outlets, lamps, and every 10-bed room had their own two bathrooms. I swam in the Mediterranean Sea, which felt purifying. The clearest water I’ve ever seen. I also love salt-water. Athens, as a city, was quite dirty in my opinion. Our hostel was on a road that smelled of piss. Not old piss, but new piss every day. If you got outside early enough, the piss stench hadn’t been renewed so it was tolerable. Past noon? Fresh piss.
I exclusively ate gyros. Every meal, every day, no exceptions, and no regrets. I can totally see the appeal to the Greek islands. I sound stuck up just writing that. One day, I will boat around the cyclades, I’m calling it now. It was a little bit humbling to be a budget backpacker in a (literal) sea of mega-yachts, but also invigorating in a pridefully spiteful way. We did trudge past many a beach club before settling in at our “poor person beach”, as we coined it.
All in all, I am happy I committed to this. I think this will be a life changing experience for me, and I tend to be appreciate those one way or another. Our next stop is Türkiye.
Side note: I’ve attached a link to a public photo album I made, that I will add to after every country when I update my blog, so you can scroll through if or when you’d like!
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B245nhQSTHoJMzW
That’s all for now.
-Aleda
