Greece - Athens

After having an awesome time in Croatia, I boarded the overnight ferry back to Italy (Ancona).  Matt and I worked it out that it would be possible to meet up in Perugia, where he was staying, so after getting off the ferry in Ancona, I took a train to Perugia.  As soon as I got off the train, Matt was waiting for me on the platform and welcomed me with a huge hug.

While touring around Perugia, we exchanged tons of travel stories and shared photos & videos of our adventures over the past month. I particularly was excited to hear about Matt's Ferrari/Lambourghini factory experience and how it felt to drive a Lambourghini.  Amazing!!!

Here's a photo of us just before we're about to dive into some pizza:

After almost 7 hours of visiting, I had to leave to catch my train to Rome as I had a flight to Athens early the next morning.  It was awesome to meet up!! Hopefully we can do it one more time before I go home for Christmas.

Athens
As some of you know, I was very hesitant to add Athens to my itinerary for this trip due to the current events in Athens and the never ending stories I heard from fellow backpackers of muggings and how dodgy Athens was.  Most backpackers I talked to stated that they did not feel safe in Athens and that their main goal was to see the sights and leave asap.

With all the precautionary advice at the forefront of my mind, I arrived at the Athens airport and as soon as I picked up my luggage from the carousel rack, I removed all of my valuables out of my daypack and transferred them into my big backpack. Shortly thereafter, I learned that there was a public transportation strike and that my only options would be to take a taxi or take the regional train part way and taxi the remainder of the journey.  I really didn't want to be standing at a train station waiting for a taxi so I opted to take a taxi the entire journey.  I went to the train ticket booth and asked a few people where they were headed to see if they wanted to share a taxi and split the costs.  I was so thankful to meet 2 girls from California who were headed to the city centre...and to the same hostel!! An answered prayer for sure :)

The traffic was insane in Athens and it took close to 2 hours to reach our hostel which was located less than a 5 minute walk from Acropolis.  How perfect because that is the only thing I wanted to see and with no public transportation, I didn't need to rely on a bus/metro to get to my sight seeing venue.

After dropping off our luggage, all 3 of us girls headed to grab a bite to eat and then headed to Acropolis.  We lucked out in that it was International Tourist Day and most of the museums/archeological sites were free including Acropolis!

Acropolis was amazing!  I was so impressed by the preservation and ongoing restoration work and the amazing views of Athens from all corners of the site.  I was also surprised at how big Athens is - it's a huge city.

Here are some photos from Acropolis:

After visiting Acropolis for a few hours, Kate and I headed to the Acropolis Museum.  We then went back to the hostel to rest for a bit before heading out to dinner.

Dinner was excellent! We went to a restaurant right near our hostel that was recommended by both Rick Steve's and the Lonely Planet.  The service was wonderful and the food was delicious - it was so good that I ate it and didn't even think to take a photo until I was done.  What a shame!!  I had the calamari and it was as fresh as fresh could be.  Nom nom nom! Here's a pic of Kate, Lynn and myself at the restaurant.

After finishing our dinner, we went to a nearby bakery to buy some baklava. We then went to the rooftop patio of our hostel to enjoy a beautiful view of Acropolis (see photo below). A perfect evening to a wonderful day of sightseeing.

Croatia - Sailing the Dalmation Coast

Wow, for the first time since leaving for my trip, my blog will be up to date!  Unfortunately, that is going to change shortly as in a week I will be on my African Safari and I imagine internet access will be very limited. 

I arrived in Dubrovnik, Croatia on September 15th after a 9 hour ferry ride from Bari, Italy. Dubrovnik is a beautiful city on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. I spent my first day in Dubrovnik walking along the boardwalk that lines the sea and the second day in the Old historic centre.

Here are my photos from Dubrovnik:

From September 17th to 24th, I went on a sailing trip up the Dalmation Coast. We departed Dubrovnik on the 17th and visited Mljet, Korcula, Hvar, Brac, Makarsa and ended in Split.  Due to rough seas, we missed our stop over in Vis which I was really looking forward to due to the blue caves :(

The scenery on the trip was breath taking.  The water was crystal clear and the swimming was phenomenal. I loved lounging on the top deck and soaking in the sun.  Everyone onboard the boat was awesome and fun to be with.  Here are some pics from my week sailing:

 Swimming at sunset.

While in Croatia, I have eaten some of the best seafood of my life.  From the above photo of mussles in this divine red tomato sauce to grilled squid to a seafood spaghetti to sampling food off the dinner plates of friends (seafood risotto, fish, mussles in a garlic & white wine sauce), my palate has been overwhelmingly happy.  The seafood has been absolutely phenomenal! 

Nom nom nom! Enjoying another course of seafood while in Split, Croatia.

The final stop for the sailing trip was Split, Croatia where I spent some time wandering around the city.  Here are a couple photos:

 I love markets!

Crystal clear water!

There is so much more of Croatia that I want to explore. I will definitely be back!

Italy - Polignano a Mare

My final stop in Italy before heading to Croatia was Polignano a Mare.  Haven't heard of it?  Well, neither had I until I booked my accomodations.  I thought I would try something new and it worked out well.

I was pleasantly surprised by Polignano a Mare. It was small, quaint and beautiful.  Staying here gave me the opportunity to re-charge my batteries after all of the sightseeing I did in Italy.

Here are some photos:

Next stop: Croatia!!!

Italy - Capri & Amalfi Coast

Capri

On September 9^th, I took a day trip to Capri.  Capri is one of Italy’s most famous islands and many celebrities holiday and honeymoon here.  I eagerly anticipated to see what all the hype was about.

As soon as I got off the ferry at Capri, I was bombarded with tourism.  I knew the island would be busy with tourists, but I didn’t expect such a hot spot (especially with celebrities) to be overly filled with restaurants, designer shops, boutiques and tourist traps. I was expecting more of a relaxed and secluded vibe.

Everywhere I turned on the island, there were throngs of people.  I quickly got my hands on a map of the island and decided to do some of the hikes around Capri and Anacapri to escape the crowds and to obtain the best views that the island had to offer.  This was definitely a good idea because as soon as I ventured away from the main shopping areas, there was hardly a person in sight.  I also took a chairlift ride up to the summit of Mount Solarno for some great views.

Here are some photos from Capri:

Amalfi Coast

On September 11^th, I toured the Amalfi Coast via bus and train. I left Naples in the morning and headed straight to Sorrento.  I walked around for an hour or so and then hopped back on a bus to continue my journey along the Amalfi Coast.  The roads were incredibly windy and narrow.  Often times, our bus or other cars would have to reverse to allow the bus/car to pass.  

The only others stops I made were in the towns of Amalfi and Positano.  Both offered great views of the Amalfi Coast.  While the coast is definitely beautiful, I would rate the coastal drives I've done in Australia (ie. Great Ocean Road) to be better.  I even preferred the Cinque Terre over the Amalfi Coast. 

Here are some photos from Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano and views from the bus: