At the port, the "Pink Palace" bus awaited to take us to what is supposedly the #1 top rated hostel in the world. THE Pink Palace, which is known for it's traditional Pink Toga Party! Checking into the hostel, we were greeted with a pink Ouzo shot, which is probably the most disgusting drink you could ever imagine. If I remember right, it smelt like rubbing alcohol. But anyways, after closing our eyes, clenching our fists and gulping it down, we went upstairs to put our things away. It was a nicer hostel then most I have stayed in before. We even had a private balcony with a view of the sea! The weather wasn't very nice, but there was some sun out so we decided to head down to the hot tub and take the rest of the day to relax and maybe walk around the beach. That night, the hostel threw it's annual Pink Toga Party, which meant lots of Ouzo and greek dancing. It was probably the most crazy event I have ever taken part in but also very cultural and a lot of fun!
The second day it was heavy downpours of rain. So our day was rather uneventful. We had lunch in the lobby restaurant and played cards. Even though we weren't being very productive, it was still nice to relax and feel like we were on vacation. The food in the lobby was really good and really cheap, so overall it was a decent day.
The third day in Corfu was beautiful out. Kate, Cory and I rented ATV's which is one of my favorite things to do since middle school when my best friend Sarah's dad bought her one. We rode around the island of Corfu, visiting high mountain tops and low valleys, as well as Corfu Town. It was a really awesome day. The ATV's made it so much fun. Cory and Kate had never been on them before so I was the cool kid in the group. haha
Later we had dinner at the Pink Palace and boarded the bus back to the port. From there, we took a ferry over to the coast of Greece and drove overnight to Athens.
Athens was not particularly my favorite destination. In fact, it was probably my least favorite. The hostel was nice and the dinners that the company took us on were very good, but the city itself was not beautiful. In fact, it seemed a little dangerous.
The first day we spent doing a walking tour of Athens and visiting all the Greek mythological sites and structures. When we came to the Parliament, we were right in time for the changing of the guards. That was a very cool procedure that I enjoyed. It was very serious and very interesting, probably one of my favorite experiences in Greece. These were the only good things about Athens. After seeing the ruins, the rest was not particularly charming. In fact, I wish I had just done a day trip there instead of overnight. Luckily, the next day, we were allowed to take a ferry to Aegina which is an island full of classic blue and white greek buildings and homes. A few of our friends that we met on the trip decided to rent bicycles to tour the island so we joined in. Besides the small fisherman village, the island was a little deserted since it was the off-season but it was still beautiful. I never really thought I would ever get the opportunity to bicycle around a greek island. We stopped for lunch for about two hours and then, just my luck, about a half mile away from the city on the island, my chain on my bike broke. So I had to walk the rest of the way. It really wasn't a big deal, but of course it would have happened to me.
After spending one more night in Greece, we boarded the bus again to drive to the port. It stopped at the Corinth Canal so we could go and walk over it and take pictures. It is amazing how far down that canal really goes and the gigantic ships that can fit through there! After the stop we headed home on an over night ferry. A lot of people didn't like being on a boat very long but for some reason, I really enjoy boats and being on the ocean. I didn't mind it one bit. Fall break was very exciting. There were thing I wish I had done differently but at the same time, so much I was able to see and do that I would never take back. Studying in another country keeps becoming more and more rewarding every day.
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