Greece Part II

I am writing this post as I wait for my last ferry in Greece. It is currently 5 pm here on the island of Paros and my ferry does not leave until 10 pm. I will arrive at the port in Athens around 4:30 in the morning and then proceed to the airport to hang out until my flight for Serbia at 2 in the afternoon. Sounds great doesn't it?!

Anyways, I have seen many things, been many places & met lots of great people since I last wrote. Let me start back on the island of Crete.

My second city on the island of Crete was not as wonderful as was the town of Chania. Heraklion, the main port of Crete is a large city that is crowded and a bit dirty (like most big cities). However, the place definitely made up for it. The Prince of Lillies hotel was on the outskirts of Heraklion. It had a pool, bar & just good feel. The owners, Fira & Manos, were/are fantastic. I met them upon my arrival and proceeded to make friends with them as I sat up at the bar where Manos was bartending. He was pretty funny and liked to dance to the traditional Cretan music that was playing in the background. He also liked to drink a bit. At one point in the evening he looked at me and said, "Manos is... Manos is..." and I replied with "the best?!" He said "No. Manos is a bastard." And with this he proceeded to pour a couple of very large tequila shots for him and I. I of course laughed and said that I would probably be saying he is a bastard the next morning if I had a headache. Fortunately for me I felt just fine the next day.

The next morning, I hopped on a bus and went to the port of Heraklion to catch my ferry/hydrofoil (super fast ferry) to go to the island of Santorini. The bus ride was quite scenic and beautiful as the road went completely along the northern Crete coastline. The ferry ride lasted about 2 hours and then I arrived in the place what everyone thinks of when they imagine Greece. Whitewashed buildings, churches with blue roofs, narrow winding streets & pure beauty. Santorini is stunning.

While in Santorini, I stayed at the youth hostel in Oia. This was my first ever time staying at a hostel and I have to say that it was quite enjoyable. I met lots of great people. I spent most of my time with the Canadians going to dinner, a tour the next day where we explored a volcano, a hot springs and another nearby island. As much as I have enjoyed traveling alone, being with other people is definitely better in my book. There is nothing better than being able to have a conversation with someone and talk about your shared experiences. And also being able to learn from these other people was great too.

I won't talk in great length about Santorini as it just better to look at the photos. The town of Oia is completely built on a cliff and is very much touristy. I went to a beach on the opposite side of the island one day, but aside from that I just strolled along the cobblestone walkways and did a lot of window shopping.

Here are the links to the pictures from my second day in Chania , my evening in Heraklion and three days Santorini.

Chania, Crete Part II: http://picasaweb.google.com/aneta.milojevic/ChaniaCretePartII?authkey=Gv1sRgCP3xm4WTzcDpRQ&feat=directlink

Heraklion, Crete: http://picasaweb.google.com/aneta.milojevic/HeraklionCrete?authkey=Gv1sRgCPeJlc3NpJCvBg&feat=directlink

Santorini, Greece: http://picasaweb.google.com/aneta.milojevic/SantoriniGreece?authkey=Gv1sRgCO3wtd2bjs_IpQE&feat=directlink